Hi All,

I've just re-entered the modeling world after a few decades off. Back in the day, I used MM enamels and was fairly proficient at mixing, airbrushing, and weathering. I'm currently using acrylics, but I'm finding the learning curve pretty steep. My current struggle is to get the paint thin enough for pre-shading to be effective, yet not too thin so it "bounces off" the model. Here is my current project...



My mix seemed good; it flowed through the brush well and was thin enough that pre-shading would have shown through (had I gone with a black primer). This is Tamiya XF 62 and I was surprised at how green it dried. I'm thinking the brush was too far away (?). I'm using an old Badger single action and had the air at about 20psi. I was equally surprised at how much darker it got with the clear coat.



I'm pretty happy with the results after decals and dull-coat.



I had painted a few panels a darker OD just to break things up a bit, but the effect disappeared after finishing. Maybe some of the techniques I read about are too subtle for 1/72? Any thoughts or tips are welcome. Cheers.

I've noticed that flat/matte paints really does tend to have a darker tone once you get a clear coat over, especially the tamiya XF line. You simply need to adjust the initial color by mixing it with a lighter shade. It takes some trial and error though.

Great work btw

Thank you, sir. I think you're right, I'm just going to have to keep experimenting. That's the fun of it; trying new things out and learning along the way. I'm also thinking it might be time to upgrade my equipment. Been looking at some inexpensive dual action brushes.

A decent double action airbrush is something of a must. There are plenty of good and reasonably priced example out there. I personally use a Badger 150 which has given years of good service. Try out Tamiya acrylics, they are readily available and not too expensive and give excellent results. It's all a matter of trial and error but with a bit of practice you will get there.