Painting Tips

You live or die by the paint job. When you go to buy a new car what is the first thing that usually catches your eye? It’s that shiny new paint job. It’s no different for models. It has got to look like the real thing to give you that WOW feeling. Invest in a good airbrush because it will last you for years. I’ve had my Iwata and Aztec airbrushes for years and they are still doing fine. A good air compressor is also expensive but will last a long time. Double action airbrushes are superior for our hobby because you can better control the flow and amount of paint.

Paint brushes. Two words, Windsor and Newton. These paintbrushes are expensive but if you take care of them they will last three times longer then cheap brushes. Every well-known figure painter will tell you that Windsor and Newton Series 7 brushes are the brushes of choice. They hold their point for detail work and when you are painting an eyeball the size of a pinhead you need that type of precision. Don’t look for them in most model stores. Most likely you will have to go to a professional art supply store or go on line to buy them. Oh, and forget Micheals craft stores because they don’t carry them. I use the “00” and “000” sizes of brushes quite a lot.

Keeping your paintbrush pointy - An easy way to keep your brushes keeping their points is to put some spit between your two fingers and gently roll the brush between them over the spit. Disgusting, but it works!

There is a special place for Mr. Tamiya in modeler heaven! One hundred percent of my models are airbrushed with Tamiya acrylic paint. Why Tamiya? Because first off, since it is water based it doesn’t have the offensive/harmful smelling fumes that oil base paints give off. You can also thin Tamiya paint using nothing but a bit of isopropyl alcohol! You know, it’s the alcohol the nurse puts on the cotton swab before they shoot your butt full of shots. Another great thing about Tamiya paint is you can clean it off of anything using Windex! When I want to clean my airbrush I just spray through some Windex and its good as new! The last reason Tamiya is so great is because I use oil washes for weathering. I have never had oil washes attack Tamiya paint (probably because it is a tough water based acrylic) For me there is no better paint then Tamiya.

Hand painting - I use Polly-S brand for most of my acrylic painting. I dislike the new formula they have now but I guess we all have to be environmentally friendly thee days. Some other great paints I use are Andrea and Vallejo brands. All have their strengths and weaknesses. Some of it is just personal choice.