Painting sequence

[Basil]

I wonder if some one could guide me about the order of application of camo paint system.I am using  dark earth(mat) and olive drap(matt) on a scale model.I assume that I first use one colour then overpaint the required areas with the remaining colour. If thats correct, which one first?.

Thanks in advance;Bas

Edited October 19, 2022 by Basil

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

Normally you start with the light colours as the darker ones will cover them more easily.

[Engine Doctor]

You can paint the whole air frame in one colour then add the other if you prefer however don't forget that paint , especially matt enamel is heavy .  I would mark out the camo pattern and paint the green areas first leaving a feathered edge. Allow to dry then paint the other colour. This gives the air frame one coat of paint instead of one and a half. It's all too easy to add weight especially at the tail end .

[Basil]

Many thanks. Logic for you all, puzzle for me. Forgot, what do you suggest re brushes. I tent to use one off/ disposable( Cleaning/ solvent etc) but these dont always give a good finish. Silly question really, horses for courses I suppose. I would be interested thou'.

Thanks Bas

Edited October 20, 2022 by Basil
addition brushes

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

A £15 compressor linked to a small can and regulated at 3 kilos used with a £15 airbrush humbrol will do the job,,,

 

I have seen a few modellers us these,,

[Engine Doctor]

As Paul says an airbrush can do the job although I find the spray pattern a bit on the small side and prefer a gravity fed auto touch in gun . 

If spraying is not possible then any decent brush can be used. The disposable one are more trouble than their worth as you spend more time removing shed bristles. 

Use the brush first on areas that are not generally  visible like the underside as even best quality brushes shed bristles when new , sort of a ru nine in period. 

Develop a good application technique brushing out paint in opposing directions then laying it off with very light strokes. Too soft a brush and you will have trouble spreading the paint while too stiff and the paint will look scrubbed on with heavy brush marks. 

You used to be able to buy professional coach painters brushes at car factors although likely to be extinct or too expensive nowadays. So search for a decent brush possibly try an art shop . Ultimately it depends on what level of finish you require. 

The paint used also affect the finish as some spread and flow better than others. Fair Spectrum now sold under a different brand (sorry cantrecall the name at the momment)seems to be a good bet. It's fuel resistant but does take time to cure properly . Use tack rag to remove dust before starting and don't over spread the paint but just enough to get a uniform covering . The matt usually covers in one coat. 

Good luck .

[Jon H]

I used a badger 200 airbrush for years and it works fine. It takes a while, but for camo schemes it works a treat. However, if you are just hosing on clear or a solid colour over the whole model it is a bit slow so i recently bought a cheap 15quid hvlp spray gun from amazon and it does the trick. Will it be as good as a higher quality gun? no, but for spraying matt clear over a model spitfire it will be just fine. 

 

In the case of a WWII fighter (brown and green says WWII fighter to me so i assume that is what you are building?) some has soft edges on their camouflage patterns and some were hard edged as they used rubber mats as templates. If you are copying a specific aircraft you can look that up in wartime photos and see which is best. 

 

If you dont care either way, soft edges are easier and require less masking. 

 

If you want you can also spray the model first in silver, or at least parts of it, then do the camo. Once finished give them model a light rub down with 800 grit wet n dry and water. This will knock the matt finish back slightly to a more scale satin and get rid of any bugs that landed in the the paint while it was drying. It will also mean that your decal stickers will actually stick, and you can rub through some areas back to silver paint for a war weary look. You can even spray a colour, then add a drop of black or grey to a small cup full of the same colour and then add patches of this slightly different shade just to break up the uniformity of the colour. 

 

I know warbirds we see today are all beautiful and neat, but they certainly didnt look like that in the war so do not be afraid of making it look bad. 

 

The Spitfire below is a patchwork of repairs and the top cowl seems to come from another aircraft as the camouflage pattern is inverted and its the later green/grey and not green/brown like most of the rest of the airframe. The wings have soft camouflage transitions but the fuselage seems more crisp. Wing roundels have a lighter blue than the fuselage and it seems to have been half repainted green/grey in some areas. 

 

You can then go to town with chalks or paints to grubby it up further if that is what you want. 

 

All in all, just dont worry to much and go for it. Worse case scenario, just sand it back and paint it again if it all goes dreadfully wrong. 

 

 

 

I have recently bought some spray cans for colours i regularly use but only on small parts of the model like a spinner. I use these when i have a quick spray job to do and it is not worth getting all the equipment out only to spray for 30 seconds and then have clean the gun down. A can of silver spray paint makes light work of highlighting the wing leading edges and other areas likely to be chipped. You can then use your airbrush to do the real work on top. Once done, the yellow leading edge stripes from the example above could be quickly blown on with a spray can. 

Edited October 20, 2022 by Jon - Laser Engines

[Basil]

Thank you for your replies. I have a couple of the small spray guns.Recoloured leather furniture with them.I think that water based products would be of interest rather than solvent based products, This is mainly on the basis as you need to keep thinners / cleaners available for use . As I would only use the set up only for each seperate model the expense( carriage on flamables is high) of buying /keeping them around viz water based, would for me not be a viable situation.

I assume Humbrol is solvent based. What water based products are reccomended?. My knowledge of whats availble ib almost nil, will have to look on the web,

Any info re whats good/available would be appreciated.

Bas

[Basil]

I have been trying to get some info from the web. Cant believe the prices; 10ml Tamiya paint ( 2 teaspoons) £2 nearly.I have had comments, in different post, that B&Q paints can be used. I will search this Forum to view the spray senaro that has been mentioned before.

Thank you all. Bas

[Engine Doctor]

As Paul says an airbrush can do the job although I find the spray pattern a bit on the small side and prefer a gravity fed auto touch in gun . 

If spraying is not possible then any decent brush can be used. The disposable one are more trouble than their worth as you spend more time removing shed bristles. 

Use the brush first on areas that are not generally  visible like the underside as even best quality brushes shed bristles when new , sort of a ru nine in period. 

Develop a good application technique brushing out paint in opposing directions then laying it off with very light strokes. Too soft a brush and you will have trouble spreading the paint while too stiff and the paint will look scrubbed on with heavy brush marks. 

You used to be able to buy professional coach painters brushes at car factors although likely to be extinct or too expensive nowadays. So search for a decent brush possibly try an art shop . Ultimately it depends on what level of finish you require. 

The paint used also affect the finish as some spread and flow better than others. Fair Spectrum now sold under a different brand (sorry cantrecall the name at the momment)seems to be a good bet. It's fuel resistant but does take time to cure properly . Use tack rag to remove dust before starting and don't over spread the paint but just enough to get a uniform covering . The matt usually covers in one coat. 

Good luck .

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

Tamiya are fine but they don't cover, 3 pots on my Seagull ME 109 ( 20cc ) and it still needed a couple more I finished by buying a pot of 'trial' yellow acrylic 1/10th of the price, at a hardware shop, Humbrol cover much better or just use car 2 pot polyurethane paint.

 

 

 Watch out when brushing Tamiya paints if it isn't dry the second pass will lift the first one off.

Edited October 21, 2022 by Paul De Tourtoulon

[Eric Robson]

Hi Basil, B&Q mix colours from a sample, DON;T take a gloss sample, I did only once and it was way out all the matt ones have been fine. I believe the cost has gone up to £4 for 236ml . I sprayed the green on my Spitfire, Tempest  and a 71" span Mosquito and still have some left. It thins with water but needs fuel proofing if using I.C. 

The grey on the Spitfire was rattle can grey primer with the green sprayed over.

[Nick Somerville]

I have used J Tape to mask the edge between colours when you need a soft transition and are spraying. It’s a soft foam tape in a rounded section. It does come in smaller quantities than the box shown. Phil at Fighter Aces recommended it to me.
 

[Engine Doctor]

Yes I still have a  lot left over from painting a Yellow Aircraft Spitfire . I hope they now sell smaller quantities as it wasn't a few years ago. It was expensive even back then. Its designed to get a soft edge around doors etc when repainting cars . I did find the adhesive a little aggressive depnding on substrate. Fine on glassed surfaces but tricky on balsa etc. It does give a consistent soft edge though.

[Jon H]

I use the guild enamels myself. About 7 quid for 125ml. Not fuel proof sadly, but i am experimenting with some 2k clear from CCR paints and so far results are promising.