Not owning an airbrush, I am looking for suggestions for replicating the sprayed three-colour camouflage on small-scale German AFVs. I have tried various methods, including dabbing patches of ground pastel chalks in relevant areas using the tip of a make-up sponge or a cut-down brush ... a reasonable result, but the colours lack strength.

Rattle can the Pz Yellow, then make a stencil for the red brown and olive/green. Heavy card stock paper so it will not bend. Make several for the different shapes of each color. Works for me.

I take a regular piece of typing paper and cut a 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide diagonal slash in it about 6 inches long. (Either straight, curving or in a pattern.)

After spraying on a base coat and allowing that to dry completely. (and without touching the model with the paper.) I spray through the slash. This limits both the quantity and the width of the paint pattern spraying from the can.

With some brief practice I have been able to achieve a respectable two color camo result using a rattle can. I see no reason why a tri-color diagonal pattern of camo paint slashes would not work as well.

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I will also do a similar technique shooting through a piece of typing paper with a 3/8" to 1/2" round hole cut in it. (If we were talking shotguns I guess you would call this a "choke".)

Some pretty impressive results from masking here Michael. I particularly like the Sdkfz10 and Pak38. When I was a teenager I did the same using one of the £3 Humbrol airbrushes and the propellant cans (which always ran out at the critical time!). They were fine for covering base coats but useless for anything finer. I think I still have the masks I cut out of cardboard to do a 3 colour scheme. You can still get these cheap airbrushes in Hobbycraft BTW

You could make carboard masks, and stick them to the model with doulbe sided tape or blue tack, leaving a small distance between the mask and the model. Then spray with a rattle can.

Many thanks for the useful responses.

Paul

Thank you Steve.

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Cardboard masks that you stick to the model are gonna produce runs and contact paint blobs when using a rattle can spray - no thank you. I was going for a softer, feathered effect and not something that looks hard edged.

I think the paint companies should make hobby spray cans that look more like WD-40 cans with that short little spray tube that would confine and limit the amount of paint that comes out and also limit the width of the spray. (Do not know why no company has yet to make such a product.)

Hense my floating paper mask that limits both the quantity and the width of the paint spray that hits the model. I hold the mask in one hand and the spray can in the other. The mask stays stationary during each pass and only the can moves.

I think the results speak for themselves.

Sorry - let me now step down off my soap box.

Paul, in any case these are just suggestions, mull them around, pick the ideas you like, discard the rest. You will develop your own style as your modeling tastes/skills evolve.

Best of luck and Happy Modeling!

Mike