Hi, i've finally got an airbrush and sprayed my first job on ShangHai Dragon's M1a2 which is a horrendous kit!!!

anyway... being a novice in airbrushing..i notice that the paintwork is kinda inconsistent...oh well

without flash, it dont look so bad...



but with flash...



so..how can i improve it? i'm kinda afraid of painting the NATO 3-scheme camouflage

Hi Danny,
You might want to give a bit of information on how you painted the kit. What brand of paint did you use? How did you thin it? How far from the tank did you hold the brush?
I'm guessing from what I see, that you thinned the paint a good bit and some of the lighter areas appear to be a result of paint too thin and the brush too close to the tank.
The more information you can give on the paint job the better some one may be able to give advice to try and help out.
Don't get discouraged. I've used an airbrush for a while and things still don't always go as planned. I still have to do repaints and touch ups.
It doesn't look like anything that can't be overcome with a little practice and patience.
Regards,
Joe

Hi

i use Tamiya acrylics thinned with Gunze Sangyo's hobby color thinner...

i'm holding my airbrush at maybe about 3-4cm (1.1 - 1.3 inch) away... is it too close? i think i've thinned the paint too much...because at the turret side....the paint just 'flow' down...

so...do i need to strip all the paint down and repaint?! or is there some other ways to salvage it?

Not that bad for a first try !
As mentioned above, you may have thinned your paint a little bit too much. A good paint should have the consistency of milk, easy to say, hard to get

The best you have to do is train, train and train on an old kit for example.

To have your 3-tone camo done, don't worry, either you paint it "free hand" or you use templates for the various shades. Then again, train before going on the kit.

Courage, go on, sure you'll get it soon

olivier

Hi Danny,
First I don't use water based paints, so I'm not sure about your choice of paint and thinner.
I use Testors Model Masters (enamels)and usually thin about 50%.
Sounds like you are holding your airbrush too close when you spray. The brush should be about 6 to 8 inches from the tank.
You might be able to take some very fine grain sandpaper, 600 grit, wet/dry and gently sand the surface and give it a second coat. You shouldn't have to do the entire model, just those spots that look bad (runs or spots that are really thick).
As bison126 said, your best bet may be to practice on an old kit. If you don't have one, just use a sheet of cardboard and do some experimenting with that. Move your brush closer and farther away, use different thinning ratios and air pressure and study the results.
Hope this helps. Just be patient and don't give up and I think you'll soon be getting the results you want.
Regards,
Joe

Thanks guys for the replies

anyway, i did not have a pressure regulator for my compressor...does taht affect my paintwork?

i think i'll have a go at sanding some 'rough' spots and re-paint it

Hi Danny,
Do you have any way of releasing some of the pressure from the air tank? A bleeder valve or something of that nature.
It may be beneficial to have some way to lower the pressure.
I think you may just have to experiment a bit before you jump back into it.
Regards,
Joe