Posted: 1/3/2010 6:02:12 AM EDT
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I haven't put together a model since I was a kid, but last week I picked up a snap-together Camaro for my 5-yo boy and a M35A2 for myself. I have never painted a model other than with a few sloppy brush strokes. Is it possible to do a decent job of painting models without investing $100's in tools and paint? |
Absolutely! You need to play around with the paints consistency. Usually most paint is too thick to apply with a brush and do a decent job. Try thinning it down some. You mat have to apply several coats to get the right look but it can be done. There are several good web forums devoted to model building where you can get more info. BTW you can get a pretty decent airbrush setup for not very much money these days.
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Yes. Basic weathering tips:
Use diluted paints for oil spills,leaks, etc. You can also use this technique to bring out depth in detail. this is called 'washing'. Use a brush with a very msall amoutn of paint to make wear or dust/dirt coatings. This technique is called drybrushing. You'll need to do some trial and error to get the right paint/thinner/brush combinations to get the effects you want. Also plan to do some custom mixing of colors to get the shading and depth right. |
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Quoted:
I haven't put together a model since I was a kid, but last week I picked up a snap-together Camaro for my 5-yo boy and a M35A2 for myself. I have never painted a model other than with a few sloppy brush strokes. Is it possible to do a decent job of painting models without investing $100's in tools and paint? Hundreds? I don't know, but you stand to spend a good amount of money. Games Workshop makes paints for miniatures that are pretty solid. But wherever you can get away with using spraypaint, you probably want to use that. If you're priming in a camo color, Krylon Fusion Camo actually works very well for miniatures as long as you spray carefully and give it a day to cure up properly. Flat brushes are great for everything but detail. This is a crappy picture, but I did this 28mm model with GW paints. The bandana is "green stuff" (2-part modeling putty). It's for a wargame. The brushes and paints I bought when I was 10 years old or so, so they've been sitting around for a decade and a half before being used on this guy. The stuff lasts. 
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I spent the extra cash on a Badger 150 double action, internal mix airbrush and then hit the harbor Freight for a 1/2 hp compressor with a moisture trap. Haven;t sdone any scale modelling in a while, but i got into it right away and off i went building and painting scale models...
Tamiya 1/35 Willy's Jeep 
Tamiya 1/35 M1025 Armament Carrier with Military Police markings I also painted a Tamiya 1/24 Scale Nissan Fairlady Z (350Z) to match my own 350Z and it came out great, the key is how you thin out the paints and what brands you use; I use Testors Model Master military paints (they match the original military colors) and Colors By Boyd for car models. |
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I used to spray all the suspension parts and frame with flat black paint since all the cars/trucks I saw as a kid were undercoated. I sprayed all the interior parts and the inside of the roof of the car with whatever color I was using for the interior and then when it was dry I'd spray the outside of the car with the color I'd chosen. You can take a tooth pick and practice getting the right amount of paint on it and you'd be amazed at what you can do in the way of painting the gauges on the instrument panel, the buttons, the door handles, etc. Practice on the "tree" first (the tree is the plastic that all the parts are attached to from the molding process.
I've even painted the chrome down the sides of the car with a toothbrush and silver paint. Have fun. Practice. It'll get better and better. |