Is there a specific method to painting thin camouflage lines on armored vehicles?
I just sprayed the tank I recently finishes with some basic camo lines with Tamiya 65 field grey over top of Tamiya dark yellow base and can not seem to get the lines tight for lack of a better word.
I get a lot of overspray on both side of the lines.
I tried reducing the pressure from the air tank and moving the airbrush to different position (closer and further away) but no luck.
Any suggestions would be a huge help
I would post photos but I gave up trying to figure that one out.
I’m relatively new back to the hobby (started with it again last Spring/Summer) and I came across using blu-tack on this forum. I tried it for the first time on a Spitfire. I don’t have any in process pictures unfortunately. I started out by spraying the grey first, lightly drawing the camo pattern with a pencil, running a blu-tack “snake” near my pencil line on the outside of where the green would be sprayed (so the paint covers the pencil line), then covering the areas that need to stay grey with masking tape. I used Vallejo paints and didn’t have a problem with paint lift when removing the blu-tack. I let the grey basecoat cure for at least a week iirc. Also paint from above and not at angle depending on how feathered you want the camo lines. The diameter of the blu-tack “snake” will also play a roll in the feathering. Small diameter tight line. Large diameter more feathering. Here are a few pics to show how it came out for me.
Some airbrushes have interchangeable fine or extra-fine nozzles or adjustable trigger stops to limit airflow. My beloved Badger Anthem has neither – it’s just a matter of thinning and enough practice to get the right ‘touch.’
If you’re new to spraying those thin lines, practice and experimentation with thinner ratios are your best friends. Practice on an old model, or even something like 3x5 cards. It’s important to keep your spray perpendicular to the surface to limit overspray.
With just thinning, air-pressure regulating and ‘touch,’ I can spray pretty good 1/16" or slightly smaller lines with thinned Tamiya acrylics. But it took a fair amount of practice to get there.
On the right track. Turn down the air to where you are just atomizing paint, move in close, probably a lot closer than you would think. Since you’re using a mix more like water, go easy on the trigger.
As was said above, practice. The practice pieces can be scrap, for sale signs, plastic spoons, take out containers, etc. Untreated paper or cardstock will tend to soak up the paint and spread it wider than sprayed.
