So here's a question to the more talented and experienced modellers out there: is it acceptable to be low-tech and brush paint everything? I do not own an airbrush mainly because I haven't been able to afford one in the past. As such my models have all been acrylic paint and brush painting. This is seen varying degrees of success, but I'm still limited to what my hands can do.

I have seen wonderful work done with brushes, so it is definately possible with practice, though I personally do not have any such skill.
Another option is rattle cans, I use Tamiya spray paints quite a bit, and there are a number of dull and gloss topcoat products in spray cans.

As the Britmodeller inhabitants say it, many of my models have been done with a hairy stick:






I tend to do my airliners using spray cans

Even Natural Metal Finish can be done by brush.
This is by a brilliant guy on Kampfgruppe144 who calls himself Mig88


he said

There is a booklet you can download free as a pdf here:

http://www.getfreeebooks.com/?p=4366

I think we should do a "Hairy Brush campaign"

I'd go for a hairy stick campaign, I use brushes for small details, but prefer enamels to acrylics for brushing.

This would have to be our campaign rallying image

that right there is about my skill level with brushes.


'hairy stick' scales up to 'bucket and mop'...

I feel a Porco Rosso Pirates' plane would fit in to a HS campaign..

brush painted as heck..

Wow, fast and high volume of response! Very impressed by the work that was shared and I feel better about my technique. My better results are not dissimilar from what others have done after all! Thanks for the reassurance and sharing your hairy stick projects! And a campaign? Could be interesting.

Thanks Marty, I'm going to snag that book.

The last time I tried an overall hand painted finish, it was a disaster. It was so long ago the Beatles were still together.

Jesse, do you have the photo where they were painting the invasion stripes on with household paint rollers?

You can do a metal finish of outstanding quality using a Tamiya TS 83 spray can: It is very similar to a spray can version of Alclad.

It would require primer, and then a layer of Tamiya gloss black (just like Alclad) to perform best. (It attacks unprotected plastic)

The TS 83 can is 2.5 times more expensive than a regular Tamiya can, so with gloss black, and assuming spray Tamiya primer, you are looking at 3 whole cans: $9 (black) +$9 +$25(!): $45...

Alclad all by itself is crazy expensive anyway, so given the coverage offered, the prices above are not that far off shooting paint through an airbrush, but without having to buy one.

Not a cheap hobby.

Gaston

that depends a bit on choice of subject as well. If you choose 1/144 scale aircraft you might finish three of four models with those three spray cans...

Just posted this:-

https://archive.kitmaker.net/forums/219992

Antoni, thank you for posting the link to the ebook. I just read it and learned a great deal.

Martyn,
From time to time I've seen models hand painted that looked the equal of air brushing. The best of the best were done by a master of the craft from Japan. His technique really takes a long time, but the results were amazing.

The biggest difference between the two techniques is that hand brushing applies a lot more paint, and the dreaded brush strokes. Basically his technique was thinned out paint, a large, long, soft brush, and one coat at a time. Let dry 24 hr, then sand, polish, next coat. etc. The end results are amazing, but like I said, it's a very long, time consuming process.

There are limitations to what paint schemes you can and can't hand paint correctly, such as feathered edges which never look quite right.

Joel

No, I don't think I've ever seen that one.

The PR Spit Jessica posted is a wealth of detail when you deconstruct the photo. Look at how streaked the horizontal stab./elevator is. I can't place the locale although it is very dusty: note the streaking from atop the cowling; the obvious fuel spill that bound up, collected, and pulled dust and dirt along; look at the dark yuckie drooling off the top of the drop tank; it doesn't appear they even wiped the exhaust stain off the fuselage before painting over it.

Martyn,

the short answer is YES you can build good models without an airbrush.

Years ago the late-great Polly Scale paint predecessor Polly S came out with newsletters and how-to brochures. In one (I think I still have it buried away in an old paint box.) it showed a 1/72 aircraft that won an IMPS show due to it's finish. At a time when airbrushing was "the way", that model which was painted with Polly S with their "Polly Puff" brush (common sponge brush, or perhaps a slightly finer sponge) was judged superior to airbrushed finishes.

Conscientious strokes with good brushes full of well mixed and thinned paint is the key. Of course, your subject is also important. Tanks and the like are very convincing even with brush strokes. Brush stokes on aircraft do not have to be a no-no - just look at Jessica's photo above.

Our friends have posted a lot of good info above.

Jonathan,

The pirate plane looks fun. What is it modeled after?

Oh, Fred, you dont know Porco Rosso? that's an animated movie you might want to see. you may recall we did a Porco Rosso campaign here a couple years ago.

here's a little synopsis about the movie, and a tumblr of animated gifs, and some of Miyazaki's sketches of various pirates' planes

Of course good results can be obtained, but I think a good strategy for brush painting would imply: 1.- Enamels better than acrylics, specially better than Tamiya or Gunze unless you are to use the "japanese multi-layer slow technique" mentioned before. 2.- carefully avoid diffuminated finishes.

Still haven't found the paint roller one, but there is this:

We have 7 souls on other KitMaker sites interested in a campaign!

The paint roller. A great Canadian wartime invention... The gerries never caught up to our paint roller technology in time to influence the outcome of the war.

Fred get off your duff and watch porco rosso! I'll get everyone on this site to see that film if it's the last thing I do!