Hi there,

I've kinda got back into modelling AFV's over the last couple of weeks - don't ask. When I was younger and I used to make them I painted all parts by hand i.e. no sprays etc. This time however I am planning on using one of those Tamiya spray cans for doing the base coat - can't afford an airbrush :-(

Here come the questions:

1. Are these Tamiya spray cans any good/better than using a brush.
2. Assuming I use one of the sprays should I spray with the wheels on or off? I ask because I'm working on a T34 (1943) and the wheels are quite intricate i.e. I'm not sure if the spray would give a complete coverage.

Cheers

Lord0

Hi LordO,

Rule of thumb, sprayed paint is always better than brushed paint.

I've used one can of Tamiya on a Tiger and was so impressed I bought some (But not yet tried them) for aircraft.

I, and seemingly most modelers, paint the roadwheels off the chassis. As you stated, the detail will need coverage from several directions. Doing this on the model will expose the hull to multiple paint layers with the resulting threat to detail.

Also as a technique, for weathering purposes, the running gear gets dirty before, and often in exclusion to, the hull. Thus you can paint the road wheels dirty without messing with the rest of the hull.

Lord0,

I'm using spray cans by both Tamiya and Model Master with good success on both AFV and aircraft.

I find it to be a huge time saver as well as giving you a nice even coat to work with. The two biggest challenges that I face are a) making sure I put the paint on in light coats to avoid runs, drips, and obscuring detail, and b) assembling enough of the kit to be covered by the main coat. With brush painting, I would just paint and assemble as I go. With the spray cans, I feel that you have to be a little more creative in how much you can put together, skipping steps or grouping parts together as much as possible.

As for the road wheels, I typically spray them separately because of the detail that requires coverage, not to mention that the suspension would be tough to get good coverage on if they were attached. You'd have more control with an airbrush, but not so with the spray cans.

What I typically do is clean up the wheels, then blue tack them a piece of cardboard and spray one side all at one time. Allow to dry, flip and reattach, then spray again. After that, I typically have to handbrush the outer parts of the wheels, depending on the type of road wheels.

Hope that helps!
- Frank

Hi Lawrence

Im in the same predicament as you ie no airbrush

I use both Tamiya's and Humbrols spray cans which you can get pretty good results , well much much better than handbrushing , however you will never atain the same results as you would with and airbrush but for a base coat they work fine.
A few tips though, stand the spray can in hot water for a few minutes before you start and allways allways shake the can well. Start spraying the paint away from the kit and sweep across im smooth even motions. Dont attempt to do a complete cover in one go , the paint will either go on to thickly or pool and run. Do one coat leave for 15 - 30 mins to dry before coating again then repeat as required.

With regards to painting the wheels i think the other guys have got it covered


Ian

Spray paint does tend to provide a better finish however you can achieve a similar effect with a brush by thinning your paints so that when applied, the brush strokes do not become prominent. The only problem with spray can is that you dont have the ability to thin it so you have to be careful when spraying a coat as over-spraying may be your biggest enemy.

I would still mix it up a little, leaving the spray can for the wider surface area jobs while leaving it to the brush for the smaller jobs.

Thanks a lot guys - I feel a lot clearer on my approach now. I'll post some pics later (if I'm feeling confident enough)

Lawrence,

I don't have anything else to add except to welcome you to friendliest modeling site on the web.

Welcome,

Shaun