Since there’s so much airbrush-related discussion here, I’m kinda left wondering if anyone paints their models using more spartan methods, i.e. a bunch of brushes and spray cans. Since the situation in the wargames community is very much the reverse (because for infantry-based games like Warhammer, an airbrush is almost useless), I’m left fairly befuddled.
Obviously there’s a lot of things you can’t do with an airbrush, but how would one, for example, do a plain Panzergrau scheme for a StuG III. Anyone ever done anything in that general direction and would like to offer some tips? Choice of paints (I can’t work in the smell of paint thinner so acrylics are preferred)? Choice of brushes? What kind of primer would be best? I’m a Finn so any product availability information from locals would be extremely valuable as well.
Hi there Agamemnon, there is nothing wrong with brushes and rattle cans to paint your models and yeas there are some modelers who use a brush exclusively and can achieve some great results.
I will disagree with you on one point though and that is you said the “Obviously there’s a lot of things you can’t do with an airbrush”, actually for a skilled operator (not me by the way) there is very little that cannot be done with an airbrush, figure painting excluded.
As for paints, if you want to use acrylics then the brands that are readily available to most people are Tamiya, Gunze, & Model Master Acrylic to name a few. I would suggest that you take yourself down to your local hobby store and put your questions to them as they have the best local knowledge of what’s available.
I only have one thing to throw in to this. You said you can’t stand the smell of paint thinner, look around and see if any place carries the oderless mineral spirits. That is what I use, I paint indoors, in my bedroom actually, and the smell of regular thinner gets to be to much after awhile. I have had nothing but good experiances with this stuff, just crack a window to let out eecess fumes and you shouldn’t have a problem, unless its something you are alergic to, then I wouldn’t risk it. Good luck Agamemnon!
I’ve been building model cars (1:24 &1:25 scale) since I was a kid, well, when I was a kid and started again recently. I have just recently purchased an airbrush but have not used it yet because I work with enamels and don’t have a spray booth finished yet. but anyways…
A lot can be done with brushes and spray cans.
I have an assortment of sizes regarding paint brushes, as small as 000 or 30/0 up to 1/2".
I use an assortment of sizes of masking tapes, from the 1/8" automotive pinstriping tape up to masking sheets. I even make templates, it all depends on what I’m painting - stripes, flames, etc…
Just because people use an airbrush to normally paint certain things… doesn’t mean you can’t paint it with brush or can.
How did they do it before they owned an airbrush? LOL
Example:
For a camouflage effect you could cut out different shapes from a template material (even heavy paper or cardboard works), hold it free hand just slightly above the subject and spray pointing towards the middle of the cutout. The result will be a soft edge of paint overflow. Or hold it down close for a slightly sharper/cleaner edge.
It’s all about learning how to control the paint flow. [;)]
P.S.
I am bothered by smells easily. But using those small 1/4oz. Testor or slightly bigger (1/2oz.?) Model Master bottles of enamel paints and cleaning up with a decent quality oderless mineral spirits (paint thinner) doesn’t bother me. My son and I usually work at our kitchen table, rarely do we have to crack a window open. I think it’s the glue that gets me the most, Testors red tube. I keep a small jar (similar to a small baby food jar) with a tight fitting lid on the table full of the thinner for brush cleaning. We only open it when cleaning from one color to the next. Helps keep the oder down I think…[;)]
I think I’m going to go with Vallejo acrylics, simply because if/when I stop for a few months or years, I can keep using the paints for something else, like supplement the 20+ jars of old, horrible Citadel paints in my collection. I don’t see buying into enamels as a sensible investment for something I might not persevere in for an extended period. I get discouraged extremely easily, see.
Well, at least your honest [:D] I think the key to keeping an intrest in this hobby is to not do it constantly, like I was doing since I have been laid off work for almost 3 months now. It gets quite boring for me, well, not really boring, just plain and repetitive. It was a lot more interesting to me when I worked all day, got home and had a few hours to talk to the lady, shower, eat dinner, then maybe get a half hour or hour to work on it. I think the whole thing was that I couldn’t work on it, so I wanted to, but now I can work on them whenever I want and its kinda boring… oh well, I just walk away, I haven’t touched my desk other than cleaning it for about a week now, I think I might go finish one up today, after my nap [:D]
Yeah, I don’t suppose I’ll be able to crank out finished stuff as fast as I’m used to. Took me about four days to finish a GW Chimera IFV up to the basic coats (in case you’re not familiar with the kit, it’s this ugly, overpriced hulk). That thing compares unfavorably with just about every single AFV kit produced since the 60s, including the “toy” kits. But at least it’s a fast build, is solid enough to withstand gaming use and looks fairly decent in a ceremonial paint scheme of dark blue and crimson.
As a wargamer, I’m used to doing things in the wargamer way, which for a vehicle usually means a black primer coat plus as many base coats as it takes, done with my trusty tank drybrush (which I think is about a ½"). After that, it’s all in the fiddly bitz.
I don’t own an airbrush because I can’t really justify spending so much money on one. Plus the cost of a fume hood.
Anyway, I’ve been using paintbrushes since I’ve started and though I think my work if OK, when I compare my stuff to one on which an airbrush was used (for example those display models at the LHS), man I am green with envy. The paint layers are so flat and smooth (you know what i mean).
painting without airbrush is a pain. u cant get the result as nice using an airbrush . i try a lot of paint b4 and it give me a lot of headache. the best using handbrush are enamel matt colour , they give best result . unless u are very skill or talen in handbrush. haa
I’m no stranger to brushes, no. The 60 toy soldiers, 4 tanks (GW kits, not proper ones, mind you) and miscellaneous terrain on my desk can testify to that. Since I’m not looking to produce anything display-quality, I’m fine with subpar results. For me the fun will be in the building, anyway. I’ll probably drift off to some other hobby after just one model, anyway, so no sense in stocking up on expensive specialist tools (because let’s face it, there aren’t really any household applications for an airbrush).
For those of my fellow modeling friends that think they can’t afford an airbrush…
Think again and shop around. You don’t need a fancy expensive one. You can produce a very good finish with a single action, internal mix airbrush. You’ll just have to stop and re-adjust you’re spray pattern for any effects, such as going from overall coverage to fine lines.
Take a look at something like these Vega AB’s at Badgers Garage Sale, I don’t think they’d break the bank. Especially the Vega 600 for $20.00! [;)]
As far as a spray booth…
Acrylics don’t need one.
I spray my rattle cans mostly during the summer (or when the temps are warm enough) outside. During the winter (too cold outside) in a pinch I do it in front of an open window with a window fan turned around blowing out until I’m done. But I do have a spray booth in the making.
There are alternatives to hobby compressors also. Propel cans (gets expensive after awhile), air tanks, tire tubes, the spare tire from your car… uhm the wifes car, oxygen tank from local welding supply shop, etc… you get the idea LOL.
Thanks for the advice, jhande. I’ll see how I feel about getting a kit together next week (going to pick something up on monday, or even today if I can muster up the willpower) and reevaluate where I want to go after that. I might go for a 1/35 merely because that way there’s less chance of obscuring tiny detail with brushed-on coats (because, well, the tiny detail is that much bigger, eh?).
Update: Well, I wandered home via the hobby shop and got me the 1/48 Tamiya StuG III. It wasn’t cheap, but I figured starting off with a reputedly good-quality model from a well-known manufacturer is the way to go.
Glad to hear Agamemnon that you got yourself another kit and didn’t abandon the hobby.
When I was a kid, my parents wouldn’t let me spray the rattle cans in the house, so I learned to “brush” the bodies of my car models that I was building during the winter months. Well, until I learned to plan ahead and spray the bodies ahead of time.
It took some practice and chemistry work, but I finally figured out what brush worked best, how many drops of thinner to my little 1/4oz bottle of Testors enamel and the technique needed in controlling the brush.
Some of the cars you couldn’t tell where brushed at all, you would have swore they were sprayed. Yes there was some finishing work to be done after the paint dried, but still.
It’s all about building what you like and enjoying it. It’s supposed to be a relaxing time. It doesn’t matter whether your final model will win some competition. It’s all about sitting back and saying to yourself or friends - “I did that”. [;)]
Thanks. Doing well so far. I’ve almost got the tracks done already, the little things just go together half by themself, all without issues. I spilled a bit of glue on a few links but the fender will cover that segment anyway.
It’s amazing how much difference good tools (a sharp hobby knife and a bottle of Liquid Poly in this case) can make. I just wish I didn’t have to use CA glue on this thing at all, that damn stuff has a bad habit of flowing uncontrolled, not to mention gluing my fingers into places. It’s that darn metal lower body, lucky I’m almost done with it.
I remember doing an MLRS. That this was crap, I actualy got so mad at it I threw it out. I could not get the track segments together for the life of me,
With only a few of the minor accessories left to do, I’m actually fairly psyched. The whole vehicle looks pretty nice, despite a few mistakes I made during assembly, the most serious of which being some glue damage on the front wall of the fighting compartment where it meets the hull.
Incidentally, does anyone have an FS reference for the recommended Tamiya XF63 that I could compare to the paints at my disposal. The closest would seem to be Vallejo’s “German Grey” which is exactly the same shade as the plastic. I think it needs to be a touch lighter, though. Given my style of painting, I’m guessing the finished tank will look a bit “comic-book”, but I’m fine by that. I’ll give it only light weathering at best, mostly because there’s something flat out sinister about a brand-new tank.
Glad to hear things are going well for you. What keeps me motivated in modeling, besides the fact that I like building things is the history. If I do a model, I like to research it a bit and see what it is all about. That way when im building it I can get a sence of “recreating history.” I get to think about what it must have been like to operate one of these things. Sometimes I even take my ruler out and find out the dimesions of some of the things to get an idea.
Oh, definitely. I’m also currently playing Steel Panthers: World at War with the Germans, featuring quite a lot of StuG IIIBs. I’m persuaded to build some of the other vehicles in my force (PzII C’s, PzIV D’s, mechanised pioneers, Panzerjäger I’s and some of those big, boxy 150mm SPGs).
I’ll probably be spraying the tracks later today, then I can put the two body halves together and put in the final two hatches over the screw holes. Luckily, my desk also has a perfect test model for both the paint scheme and practicing my decal-fu (over 10 years since I last tried to use them).