Painting

Painting scale models brings out all the possible realism and makes your work literally pop out to the viewer.  Any builder can learn how to use the correct paints and the best application techniques to bring their model to life.  Fortunately, the market has a large selection of specialty paints, manual brushes and airbrushes to help you.

Model Paints
Model paints are especially made with very fine pigments to adhere to the surface (usually styrene plastic) but with a thin coverage that doesn't cover up the surface details (panel lines, rivets, etc.). The manufacturers have made a great effort to match military colors where possible and the color names reflect that effort. You don't use a lot of paint with scale models and they don't last forever, so they are sold in bottles in small amounts, like 10 ml. They offer your choice of enamel (spirit based) or acrylic (water based) paints. A long time ago we only had enamel paints and, because they are glossy, had to apply a dull coat or flatner when we were finished. Today, the acrylic paints are by far the most used. I haven't actually had to use an enamel paint for many years. The acrylics are thinned and cleaned up with water and are easier to use in an airbrush.

You can buy the acrylics in small glass bottles with a cap or in plastic dropper containers. The bottles let you paint right out of the bottle, or if you had transferred paint to another container (e.g., a plastic bottle cap), you can return unused paint to the bottle. The dropper containers let you transfer small amounts to another container and are perfect for airbrushing, but you can't return unused paint.   I use both types based on the colors I need, but prefer the dropper containers.  The following manufacturers all provide excellent paints:
  • Tamiya
  • Testors
  • Vallejo
  • Tru-Color
  • MR. HOBBY
Brushes
Like any good craftsmen, you need quality tools to do work properly, and this definitely applies to paint brushes. Get your brushes from a hobby store and pay a little extra. Synthetic (silicone) brushes are good to use but sable brushes are still prefered for fine detailed work. You should have a set of pointed and flat brushes and you will set aside some just for weathering or dry-brushing (a technique to apply just a little paint for details). Brush sizes are in numbers. A No. 2 is big enough, a No. 000 is very small. I have one at 10/0 just to do faces of figures (a 1:48 pilot). To start off with, you can get a set of 5 and then go from there.

You can do a good paint job on large model surfaces using brushes, but you have to practice this. Depending on the paint type and color, you may have to thin the paint, but the key is to apply thin coats only. If you try to do the job with one coat you will almost for sure cover up the etched details as I mentioned earlier. So thin (to avoid brush strokes) and more than one coat is the rule.

Airbrushing
Essentially all scale model builders today have expertise in using an airbrush. This is a necessary tool for your craft, and with a little practice, you can use your airbrush to produce a beautiful scale model. The airbrush makes the best use of the fine pigments in model paint, applying total coverage but with an extremely thin coat, preserving all the etched details.

An airbrush is a small, air-operated tool that atomizes and sprays model paint. You can control the amount of paint and the spray area with a finger touch pad on the top of the airbrush. The tool uses a needle and very small nozzle to produce a wide spray or a very small one (dot size). Your airbrush requires a small air compressor (specifically designed) producing about 10-20 psi, or you can use special cans of compressed air. Air brushes can draw paint from a tube and bottle (syphon feed) or from a small cup integrated onto the top (gravity feed). The cup on the top is the choice of most modelers. Airbrushes come with two types of control, single action (controls flow only) or double action (controls air flow and amount of paint). You also have options on the nozzle size (e.g., .15mm, .25mm or .4mm) for fine or a wider spray.

If you are just beginning you can get a beginners plastic, single action, syphon feed airbrush and pressure cans a under $30 and then grade up to the higher end models and get a compressor.  I started out that way with mid-level models and then finally went to a high end model (Harder and Steenbeck). The biggest difference with the high end models is that besides the ease of use and quality of the spray is the ease in cleaning (a necessary chore every time you use your airbrush).  There are many good videos on YouTube on how to use an airbrush, so I recommend you view those and then practice.  But, here are the best tips I learned over the years:
  • Thin your paint.
  • Approach the model from a distance (say at least 4 inches).
  • Constantly move your airbrush and adjust the spray size as needed to cover (never stop or it will look wet and even might drip).
  • Apply a thin coat the first time. Depending on the color you might need another coat.
  • Watch you nozzle cap to see if paint is accumulating (usualy on longer applications); use a wet Q Tip to clean.
  • Always, always clean your airbrush throughly after very use (also good YouTube videos on this)
Once you are ready, I recommend that you get a high quality double action, gravity feed  airbrush and a compressor that allows you to adjust the air pressure.  I am happy with my Harder and Steenbeck but here are the some of best airbrushes you can choose from:
  • Harder and Steenbeck
  • Iwata
  • Paasche
  • Badger