Hi all
Im new to modelling after 14 ove high school and such ive decided to get back into it because, put simply i spend too much time on the computer and want to do something more satisfying than headshotting someone on a computer game

Anyway enough about me, my question is can models be painted with a paintbrush to the detail and intricacy of airbrushes, and how is it best achieved? (i dont have money for an airbrush due to playing professional paintball).

I have enough skill and patience with a brush from my days of playing with warhammer to paint extremely detailed and intricate models, so im looking more for final quality over skill level required.

P.S: sorry if this thread is a bit vague or confusing.
cheers
Jay

Hello from the United States Jay! You can never fully replicate the finish you achieve with an airbrush using a brush, they are just two different type of animals so to speak. You can get a good, brush stroke free finish with the Model Master Acryl paints. I would stay away from Tamiya for brush painting, I think they are too thick and I've found them not the easiest to thin either.

Pick up a model, say 72 scale, a Spitfire for instance, then try your hand at brushing it. There are many different techniques to be learned in model building, so if you have any questions just ask. Good luck and most importantly have fun! Russell

Thanks for the fast response!
becuase im pretty much always cash strapped at the moment (i spend about $200-400 a week on paintball alone)
can you suggest a less than or around $100 airbrush kit which will be a good start?
Jay

I've included a link to the Aztek line of airbrushes. The most inexpensive double action, a trait you really need to have, is listed below.
http://www.testors.com/product/136949/A4305/_/7-Piece_Resin_Airbrush_Set

The Aztek line is what I have used to paint all my aircraft models. Take a look at my photos and you can see the results for yourself. Of course I've had a little bit of practice, but I found using the Aztek, with it's screw on screw off heads, to be very easy.

Hope this helps. Russell

thanks heaps for your help, its very much appreciated!
i think ill head off and buy that this weekend

also will any compressor do or is there a specific one i should choose?

in a side note, with this completely phase out the use of brushes or should i still use them for touching up and stuff?

sorry for all the rookie questions

Any compressor will really suffice, all you need to generate is about 20-25 psi when you spray you may actually use less than that. Brushes are good for small areas and touch up so hold onto them.

The Aztek line has a number of screw on and screw off heads which you can buy. I recommend you buy a white one, a grey one, a turquoise one and a red one for starters. The starter set I showed you will come with only one head I believe. Different heads provide different degrees of spray. I often only use the white head for general use. Russell

You can get an Iwata Neo airbrush for about $50 - $60 these days. Iwata airbrushes are used by prefessional artists and are considered to be among the best in the world. Check out Merlin's post most of the way down this page (Dated Aug 10th) to see one.

You should get a compressor with an air tank if you don't want to deal with pulsations in your paint stream. You can usually get one for less than $200.- at your local hardware store. The other thing you'll need is a water trap, especially if you're going to be spraying enamels.

You'll never be completely free of brushes. They're the absolute best thing to use for touch-ups, weathering, small parts and cockpit interior detailling. You can also do some pretty amazing work with brushes. Here are some of my models that I've done. I'll jut blow the dust off them and snap a few pictures. None of these were airbushed:
Monogram Pro Modeler P-39 (yes, I know the blue circle should be under the starboard wing, but I have an excuse: I followed the instructions!)


Hasegawa Hurricane II


Hobbycraft Seafire XV


ICM Spitfire IX converted to 16


Accurate Miniatures Yak 1b


Ne Omega Yak UTI-1


Tamiya Shiden (Okay, I cheated a bit with this one, the silver is from a spray can. I painted the green overtop and just before it was fully cured I applied masking tape and ripped it up to create the chipping effect. The small chips were done with a dental probe.)


I painted these with Humbrol, Testors Model Master and Tamiya paints. The trick is to mix the paints really well and use really good quality brushes. Oh, and 20 years worth of practise doesn't hurt

Hi Jay , welcome to the site !

As you see in Jessie's builds you can get an excellent paint job brush painting .

A few tips when working with acrylic paints if this the medium you like to use .
A little bit of dish soap mixed in the paint will help level if off and give the paint a better flow . Don't need much , just a drop will do . Never shake this though or you will end up with a million air bubbles in the paint . You can also use future floor wax as well . Thin the paint with this . Future levels it self very well and will also aid when it comes to applying the decals , surface will be gloss already .

Now if you use emanel paint , don't use the future for thinning . This will not work at all !

The key to brush painting is keep the brush wet . When ever I brush paint I have a dish of clean thinner and dip the brush in the thinner first then the paint . This aids in the paint not tacking up so fast and gives you better control .

Like Jessie said , it will take practice so starting off on 72 scale kits or the cheap ones you can get at the hooby is a great starting point .
Testors has a basic airbrush starters set that sells for around 30 bucks , If I remeber right it even comes with a can of air .

Terri

Thanks for the reply both of you,
if i was to buy this:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1-6HP-Mini-Air-Compressor-Spray-Gun-Air-Brush-/250867082579?pt=AU_Toys_Hobbies_Model_Kits&hash=item3a68d7e553

would that suffice as a generator?
cheers

Yes, that would do well. You'd be dealing with pulsations in the air line and you'll still need a water trap but they're not that expensive. You'd also have to turn it on everytime you want to spray which can be a noise and vibration issue. That's why I like a compressor with a tank. Something like this will last for your lifetime.

Yup , that will work just fine .

Russell,
in terms of the screw off heads, is this the set you were referring to?:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Testors-9302-X-Aztek-Airbrush-Nozzle-4-Piece-Set-New-/390320786025?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ae0ee8a69#shId

or is there somethign different?
cheers
Jay

Hi there Jay, yes, those look like they'll work just fine. I know the Iwata has some advantages over the Aztek, I just think the ease of use of the Aztek makes it worthwhile. I guess I'm too set in my ways to "move up" as it were to something different! Any more questions just ask. Russell

P.S. Jessie, great job on the brush work on your kits!!

Just bought myself a brand new aztek 7 piece airbrush set, with a compressor and different nozzles to come soon as well
big thanks for all your help its really been appreciated, hopefully now my models will be able to stack up against everyone elses on this forum

Hey great Jay, now remember that you need to exercise just a bit of care with the airbrush. I use exclusively acrylic paints because they are easy to use and safer than enamels, although I recommend a bit of ventilation when spraying anyway. If that is a problem you can buy a paint mask that filters out organic vapors easily; find it at any hardware store.

If you need help getting started, or trying to decide what kit to start first just ask. I also recommend you take a piece of cardboard and, I know this sounds strange, shoot some water through the airbrush, getting a feel for the double action airbrush. Then load some paint into a jar or one of the color cups, thin it down just a bit, and use the cardboard to make spots, lines, get use to painting large areas too.

Always start off the model when you depress the trigger and move across the model completely. Several light coats of paint are always better than one heavy coat.

When I got my Aztek I was airbrushing models within a day. I hadn't used an airbrush in years at that point and found the Aztek easy to use and maintain. Hope this helps, Russell

thanks for all the suggestions, i will definately take them onboard, ive had alot of experience with a spray can, this is probably quite a silly question but are they somewhat similar (the airbrush would of course be smaller)?
im planning on just working on patters inside a cardboard box for a weekend before i get started on my models just so i at least get a feel for how the airbrush works, as ive never used one before.
cheers
jay

I used spray cans too quite a bit before I exclusively went to airbrushing about 14 years ago; there are some similarities, however, the airbrush requires gaining a "feel" for it. I think your choice of Aztek is good and you will quickly gain ability with it. The best thing to do after playing with shooting paint at cardboard, remember, no more than four to six inches away from subject, is to get a model out and start on it! Looking forward to seeing your first build. Russell