I have never heard about painting an armor tank without an airbrush. Does anybody here know another way or knows about an article on the internet?

Thanks!

well because of my budget i have a bad airbrush and i have to paint my models with a brush. The realy diffrence is that when using a brush it is usefull to paint the part's seperatly.
Still i will save some money for a good airbrush .
Also the brush can take off your fragile parts (that happens a lot !! ).

but don't let the modeling stop because of this keep on modeling

OK, so how do you think people without an airbrush (me for instance) paint tanks? #:-)
Take a fine brush and arm yourself with lots of patience and there will be no visible brush marks..

Mario M.

I personally don't get along well with air brushes, so here's what I do. Now this particular method has worked for me on the late model German vehicles--like Tigers and Panthers and Russian tanks-- where there's not a whole lot of recesses and such to have to deal with.On models like the Panzer IIIs and IVs, 88 guns, soft skins, and such, I strickly use the spray cans from either Tamiya or Testors.

First I start by giving the model a primer of red oxide, which gives a lot of 'tooth' to the model's surface. Then I start by using an old flat sable brush and dipping just the end of the brush in the paint and using a 'scubbing' action on the area I plan to start painting on, making sure I get the paint into all the little areas behind the tools and other items. Then I make sure that I have all the paint spread as thinly as I can so I won't leave any blobs around anything. Now you won't cover this red oxide primer with, say, the German Yellow in one, two, or three coats of paint, so I usually wind up putting on at least 5 or 6 coats of paint, being sure to spead out each one as thinly as possible. And I have also found that with each coat of paint I put on the model, I am using less and less paint on my brush as well.

Now you would think that with this mamy 'coats' of paint things are bound to get thick, covering up details and such, but after examining this method under a magnifier light I have found none of this 'thickness' to worry about. But I make darn sure that I spead this paint out as thinly as I can and just use a little bit of paint on my brush at a time.

Now, as I said, I don't use this method on all vehicles, as it would be just too hard to get all those little areas covered correctly and evenly, or I wouldn't think of using it on vehicles that I have put quite a bit of PE on either, as there's too much danger of knocking these pieces off with all this 'scrubbing' action.

Yeah, I know I'm missing a whole 'dimension' of modeling by not using the airbrush, but so far, this method has worked out pretty good for me. Maybe someday I'll get around to getting serious about airbrushes, but for now I'll stick to doing it this way, because it works for me.

Take care, sgrity

In the old days when I didn`t had an Airbrush I have painted a lot of early german armor, Us vehicles and dessert vehicles.

why?? Because they had mostly a one colored paintscheme. Panzergrey, Dessert Yellow, Olive drab. Those tanks were first sprayed with an ordinary spraycan (usually humbrol aerosol) After that was dry I washed it several times and drybrushed it with different colours. Most of the times that worked out fine.
You can even do great camoflageschemes and some real good dusting with pastelchalks
Just scrape off powder from the side of the pastelchalk and make a wash with water and draw your scheme or dusting on easy as that.

An AB is nice if you have one but is not neccesary for good results

Just my two cents

I only use a brush on my models. I have an air brush, but don't feel confident enough to use it yet to work on my models. And I feel that a brush gives you a bit more control, at least for me at this point.

Here are what I find are the most important points.

1) Don't skimp on your brushes! A good investment here goes a long way. Cheap brushes are more prone to sheding bristles, and being more coarse. You need a fine bristle brush, I prefer sable brushes, the ones used for acrylics. .

2) You will need a wide flat brush for primary painting large aeras and a smaller wide, flat brush for smaller aeras, also a couple of fine, smaller fine round pointed brushes for detail work.
NOTE: You can use an older or cheaper brush for "scrubbing" in color or dirt, as these tend to eat up a nice brush. A firm rounded but not pointed brush is good for this, maybe even an oil paint brush.

3) While on brushes, I also use the wide flat ones for drybrushing, and the pointed ones for applying the washes.

4) Paint. You, in my opinion, can save a little money here. I use mostly acrylics, cheap acrylics that I get in the craft section of wal-mart. These acrylics tend to be a little course with the pigments, but that's not a bad thing on a subject like armor.
The texture and consistancy of the paint is important here. It can't be too thin or thick. This takes a little practice to learn what the right texture is. Too thin and it won't cover properly and too thick will cover details and leave brush marks. It is better to start out a little too thin and just wipe the paint off or add some slightly thicker paint.. Brush smoothly and try to be consistant with the amount of paint you have covering the surface, to a void any "blobs" (One of the good things about acrylics is that a little Isopropyal Alcohol will take the paint right off if it is a fresh coat.)

5) As brushed on paints tend to be a little thicker I don't use a primer. Often I use 2 thin coats of the base color, to cover everything smothly. Let the first coat dry for at least an hour before applying the second coat. Enamals will often do the job in one coat. Rememember - The consistancy of the paint is important here.Thinner is better than thicker. With a little practice, you will know when the paint is right.

6) Try to pre-paint as many of the sub assemblies as you can before fitting them together. Take your time and be as detailed as possible. I often do the base coat and add the wash before taking many of these parts from the sprue.. Particullary in the case of the road wheels and small parts. Treat each part as It's own tiny canvas.

7) At this point, after the base coat is dry, and the model is together, I apply a matte workable fixative sealer, found in most art and craft stores, To seal the base coat and supply a surface to work further on. I guess this is my version of future ?

NOTE: Let the base coat dry at least 24 hours before the wash. Thinned down Burnt Umber is a good choice for the wash. Mix with a little black for darker colors. Get this to an ink like consistancy for highlight work like handles and rivits you wish to accentuate, and a bit thinner for a general wash to bring out depressions. Let your wash dry well. You can reapply a wish if you think it looks too thin.

This method is pretty much developed from my years of painting miniatures. There are probably better ways of doing it, but this is pretty much how I go about it. So, if nothing else, it's what you should avoid if you want #:-)

Hope this helps for the armor.... figures are a little differnt... :-)

Geing a ww2 plane guy I was faced with the problem of spraying everything, cause everybody else did. But then I got mixed results, especuiall on the luftwaffe color schemes, i went back to a fine sable brush to paint complicated camo schemes, no problem, once you practice

Thanks for all help guys! I appriciate your "article" you wrote, just for me, Selrach!


Thanks again!

Sorry I forgot you sgirty and Faust... Thanks to you...

How about getting an airbrush?

You can get a very good set-up (brush and compressor) for under $200US. This is for a good double action brush and small compressor.

Shop around.

When you get the brush, read the directions, thin some paint and have fun.

Once you get one and try it (unless you are really, really, really all thumbs) you will be VERY happy that you spent the money.

Of course, you will still need those good brushes.

My airbrush (an Iwata) doesn't get used everyday, not by a long shot, but I would never want to go back to using a spray can. (Yes, I started that way and never came CLOSE to the results I got the very first time I used the airbrush.)

Getting good using the airbrush is a big part of the enjoyment of the hobby. It will also open up a whole new world of weathering and camo that you would not have attempted before.

Considering people think nothing of having a closet full of $30 kits and pricey aftermarket pieces, the cost of an airbrush is not much of an issue. The brush itself will only be in the range of two new Tamiya kits, or even less!

Be sure to get something you will grow into and that has a good brand name. Don't get something for $10 at the discount store. In the end it will end up costing more than starting with decent equipment.

Steve

I have never owned an air brush, I do it with spray paint and cotton balls. I base coat with flat black and with german tanks use Testor Dark Tan to start and then covor the hull with cotton balls in the pattern I want. Spray with either Testors Dark Green or Tamiya Red Brown, remove the cotton carefully, wait till dry and do it again if I want the 3 color scheme. Repeat on the turrent and wrap some cotton around the barrel. If your light on the paint you should still have black in the shadows for depth, or gloss coat it and give it a wash of black or dark brown. From there weather it up and your done. You can see my work at photos.yahoo.com/mkc462000 , the pics are alittle dark but I am still new to this part of the hobby. Good luck!

By now you have many replies informing you that you don't have to have an airbrush to finish a tank, but I'll add in my 2 cents.

I'm very new to modelling myself, only having begun in the new year. I was also concerned that I would not be able to build a good looking tank without an airbrush, but found that there were was to do it. By sticking to early model German tanks, or most allied armour, you can save yourself the hassle of complicated paintschemes. Starting off on monocolour models really simplified things and let me learn the basics.

Like some other people, I mainly used Tamiya's laquer spray cans for even paint jobs. I gave the model dimension by using oil tints, washes, dry brushing and pastels for weathering. Using just a few simple techniques can really make satsfactory tanks... with some patience. Give it a try!

An airbrush seems to broaden your potential to do a great variety of paintjobs and more advanced techniques.

I have never used an air brush or spray bottle, I have ONLY used paint brushes lol. I really want an air brush tho!

See what money you have, shop around, get an airbrush and air source, and have a blast.

If this is a hobby you'll want to stick with for a few years (and I'm sure it will be because it's FUN and not too expensive) you'll be getting an airbrush sooner or later.

So why not get one sooner?! No, there's no law that says you need one, but there is a LOT of satisfaction when you start to master the thing and get some nice results.

Really, it's easy to start getting good results fast. And, any questions you have can be answered right on Armorama!

Steve

I paint all my tanks with a brush, like that other guy said you paint all the parts while they are still on the tree and you can produce a very nice looking tank.


p.s. works on planes too

p.s.s I only use the airbrush for dust from dry dirt on tanks

ps.s.s I'm only thirteen so idon't have money for a good airbrush anyway it just uses compresed air as a compreser

I'm new too, currently working on my only 2nd model. So far i only use brush and brush. I dont use airbrush, although I can afford airbrush, but i dont know where im going to work with it if i have one.
I live in a small unit apartment with my girlfriend, and all rooms are carpeted Noway i can use airbrush without moving out first

I only recently got an airbrush and was restricted to single color schemes. I did see a technique demonstrated on Testors site that would make me believe it is possible to get soft lines without the need for perfect spray control.

Here's that link:
http://www.scaleworkshop.com

Go into the workshop area and view the demo movies. He uses a mask that he holds off of the model using tack, the kind you can hang posters with, although I've heard that Silly Putty works too. It gives a nice soft edge that only requires you to point and spray.

While he does use an airbrush for this technique, he doesn't use it in the same way you'd expect an airbrush to be used. He pretty much just points and sprays, allowing the "soft mask" to work. Although I've never tried it since I just got an airbrush, it seems a distinct possibility that this technique will work with spray cans.

Let me know if you try it!

Well, all my armor kits have been painted without an airbrush.

I don't prime the kit, but I make sure to wash it first. I use acrylics, PollyScale work great for me, and lay on thin coats of paint. Be sure to brush each coat on in a different direction and you minimize brush marks.

I have often posted on this topic, but in short, I don't use an airbrush because they are a hassle. I don't have a permanent workspace, and when I did have an airbrush and compressor, I found the hobby had become a chore. Cleanup is a pain, you have to worry about solvents and paint in the air, and it was no longer relaxing. I am sticking with a brush!

Cheers
Andy

I have to disagree.

First, it only takes me a few minutes to get out my airbrush, and I am very limited for hobby space.

Second, since I use acrylics thinned with regular rubbing alcohol I'm not too worried about health issues. Using other solvents would be another story. And I can clean up with soap and water using acrylics. It only takes a minute or two to clean the airbrush.

I use tiny amounts of paint and never get any where it shouldn't be. It is NOT like using a spray can. It is very controlled and exact.

Steve

Hello
Welcome to the site,I'll and my tips for what is worth. Us water based paints add
1drop of dawn dishsoap thin with water. Get an eye make up brush [its very fine]
and paint away.

Ponysoldier


The Horse The Gun The Man

Hi Steve.

Well, aside from the fact that I was describing my own experience , and it was definitely a hassle to do . I think you are omitting a few steps in the setup and underestimating cleanup time and space required!

As I mentioned, I have a temporary workspace. I work on a coffee table in the living room. So, overspray, paint smell and particles are all a big deal. The wife and dog don't appreciate that stuff! And even acryclic paint particles in the air will mess up your lungs! Solids breathed in are never good for you. I assume you must use some sort of dedicated surface for spraying? That would definitely not fit in my living room!

I'm not trying to say that airbrushing is bad, I'm just saying you don't NEED an airbrush to model. It was a no fun experience for me! It takes longer to brush paint, and I have often had to sand off too thick applications of paint and get a better finish, but I find it much less hassle than using an airbrush.

If I had the inclination to have a dedicated workshop with a fumehood/spraybooth, powerstrip etc. then I might use an airbrush. But I don't have any interest in going off to another part of the house to do my hobby! That doesn't seem like fun to me either.

Anyway, I know the non-airbrush users are a minority, but I will continue to fight the good (quiet, relaxed) fight! #:-)

Cheers
Andy

I can't argue with that. But, I do think that using an airbrush is one of the most satisfying parts of the hobby for me.

It is a bit of a hassle but in my opinion worth the effort. And, I only say that because I can compare my before and after work. I just love the subtle effects that you can get with airbrushing.

As far as health, I'm just as worried about the glues used to weld plastic. I know I can start to get a buzz after my face has been close to the workbench for a time. And the turpenoid I use for washes really makes my head hurt. I have windows open when doing that, even if its below zero out!

My advise to someone somewhat new to the hobby that plans to stick with it for a while is to not be too intimidated by the airbrush. They are not the evil things some make them out to be!

Steve