Hi All,

I am not new to model but recently I have the time and money to purchase a Airbrush and some paints and want to do a full color model.

But I am quite overwhelmed when looking at the instruction: so many colors and parts! How should I do it? such as:

1, Should I cut the part off then paint it or paint it first then cut/polish it?

2, Should I paint it by hand or AB? Some parts are tiny and some are big. What is the 'line' between hand and AB?

3, Should I paint first or cement first?

4, If the plastic is the same/similar color as the request, should I leave the plastic as it is or repaint it?

5, How many brush and AB should I prepare? Or I should simply wash a brush then apply another color?

I am sorry if the questions are very general, but any tips/experience of how you manage paint and put the parts together would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Leon

Leon,
I've been using an airbrush for about 20 years now and I think I might be able to help. I assemble the entire model first. I leave the roadwheels removable as well as tracks, drive sprocket and idler wheels. When it comes time to paint (after all the construction is completed), I lay everything out on some newspaper and apply my base coats. I then do my detail painting (anything a different color from the base color). I suggest you pick up Shep Paine's classic: How to build tanks and armored vehicles from Kalbach publishing. It might be oop right now, but e-bay or some 2nd-hand outfits might have it. Shoot me a PM if you ahve any other questions.
Regards,
Georg

Wow, Leon!

That's a lot of questions, there!

Guess I'll be the first to punt back for you... And, hey, I'm more a noob myself than not- having only recently returned into the hobby after about 35 yrs elsewheres!

That said: Your questions.... many will be hesitant to start in on them, as practices and approaches differ widely both among modelers and among genres of models... Me? I build almost only 1/35 armour. So I'll offer some anwers from that perspective and these will certes differ widely from what many other folks do. YOU get to pick and choose!

Here's my process:

I like to do the build first- assemble large units and sub-assemblies. I paint later.

I generally keep the tracks and road gear separate from the hull, but cleaned and assembled for later attachment after the hull gets painted.

I generally clean up and attach almost all small details to the turret and hull assemblies before painting either those details or the hull.

In some cases, details such as tools and attached crew kit are held aside and painted separately; and particularly so when I need to paint the hull behind those details (the same as for behind the track-set and wheels of a tank or armoured car).

I often clean up seams on parts while still on the sprue- specially tiny ones- saves lost bits for me.

I am an air-brush fan, mostly. It's about the finish I can get with the AB versus the brush- particularly for larger surfaces. Painting the whole tank at one go keeps things more united.

I paint and weather interiors generally before I do the outside stuff.

I decal or spray on or hand-brush on insignia and numbers on the completed base-coated kit before attaching those last tools and details (which may lay over parts of decals, etc.)

I hand-brush all the attached small stuff (tools, kit, etc.) after completing the major base-coats and decals / insignia on the entire kit.

I paint track sets and road-gear separate from the body, and then assemble them on to the painted hull before weathering.

I weather the complete vehicle, with all details and decals attached (other than those things simply placed loose on the tank- loose gas cans, etc.).

There are other approaches, but this is how I generally do things!

Hope this helps you a little !

Cheers! and Good Luck!

Bob

Hello!
I have used an airbrush for year, not only for armor but also for figures and airplanes, as well as various decoration purposes. Maybe my answers make sense for you.
1. In some cases it is difficult to handle the parts for painting - you may paint them on the sprue. If you have to cut off the part anyway for cleaning up etc. you can spray it separately by fixing it somehow (eg. glue on a cocktail stick, or hold by BluTac etc). Otherwise it is better to spray the whole assembly.
2. It is your preference. I normally paint everything with an AB, I only use brushes for very small detail painting and detailing. If you can live with a lot of masking and paint mixing, you can paint basically everything with an AB.
3. Glue first is the rule of thumb. In exception you may carefully scrape off paint from the attaching surfaces.
4. Paint in any case. Plain PS/ABS has a much different texture and will be very visible if left unpainted.
5. I am not sure what you mean, but you can get along with one paintbrush or one AB if you care to keep them clean and don't mind frequent cleaning.

Hope it helps.

Thank you thank you thank you!

Yesterday I started my first paint+modelling experience, although it was a car. And then I realized that it takes much longer time to do such a project! compared with a plain cut&assemble procedure.

I know this is a experience-based topic, and thank you for all your brilliant reply which are very helpful. I think I will form my own style sooner or later!

By the way, when a part is painted， can I still put cement on it and assemble? It is said that you have to get rid of the paint before cement.


Cheers,

Leon

I assembel the main body of the kit, give it a primer coat, and airbrush the base color. Then, I paint the camo with my ab. After the paint dries, I apply a wash. Hand paint any of the exterior details(on armor this is all of the tools and pieces smaller that 1/2". If using pigments, apply now. Finish assembly and touch up any subpar paint. I can go on forever, but your question is vague if to the point. Hope this helps.
-Matt

Watch these videos and the other ones on youtube.


Its like watching the cooking channel.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMfCLuzy0c0

Also,

Glues will dissolve most everything (double edge sword). You need not worry about that. If I break a part off (plastic), I just reglue it.


Think of the plastic as a really really thick paint, and the glue is the thinner for it and anything in between. That is usually why I assembly as much as I can before I paint. I put all the wheels and tracks on, glue, then paint. I might lose the ability for some precision painting / masking, but with weathering, you wouldn't notice the work anyways. I am pretty good about painting rubber wheels by hand after assembly.

some smaller sub-assembly parts are easier to paint before attaching to the model. if you can, try putting some masking tape or silly putty where the two pieces will be glued. if there is tons of paint/varnish it may make a mess to use thin plastic cement so i usually super glue the pieces together at this stage (some people also use white glue for this).

part of the "fun" of this hobby is reviewing the instructions for a kit and then creating your own "plan of attack" that will combine ease of assembly and when parts will require painting before more construction can continue (ie. cockpits/interiors/etc...).

i think most instruction books end up being a general guide and sometimes you have to use a lot of thought to make a kit user friendly for airbrushing and detailing. lots of great suggestions above so i will just add to try checking out build features on this website to see how people approached projects.

cheers, bd.

Thanks. As Bruce said, 'part of the "fun" of this hobby is reviewing the instructions for a kit and then creating your own "plan of attack" that will combine ease of assembly and when parts will require painting before more construction can continue'

I will look around and try to learn then ultimately form my own style of 'plan of attack' to make a painted model.

Cheers!

Leon