Paint recommendations

A third alternative are the spray cans (rattle cans).  There are several brands available at hobby shops.  It takes a little practice- they tend to put on paint fast, so you must go a bit faster than general painting with spray cans, but it is something you can learn pretty fast.  A number of car modelers use spray cans of auto touch-up paint and can put really beautiful finishes down.

For a brushing paint, I use Testors Model Master- good coverage and control. I thin it a little less than I do for airbrushing.

Lastly, check out the Painting and Airbrushing forum, down in the Tools, Techniques and Reference Materials section.

Hello Dean,

I brush paint military flats using Model Master Acrylics, but I have used other brands (Including Humbrol, and Italeri) with success.  

For me - brush painting with acrylics is a pretty slow process.  I water the paints down a little bit with plain 'ol tap water.  I don't do this with the bottle as a whole - I usually deposit a bit of the paint into a tiny container and then add water by drops with a paint brush until I get the right consistency.  Determining the right "thinnitude" is a feel thing.  I can't really explain it - you'l have to experiment a bit.

I've used the following method on small and large surfaces with results that I thought were really good.   (Including some really big expanses on a 1/24 scale Hurricane).  Wash the parts in soapy water before painting and allow to dry.  The first coat of acrylic usually goes on thin and doesn't come out uniform - it looks thin in areas and thicker in others.  Don't "work" the paint - going over it too many times with a brush before it dries will result in more visible brush strokes.  And keep your "working edge" wet.  (That is - try not to lay down new paint next to an area where the paint has started to dry- but isn't quite there yet)  After 10 minutes or so of drying time, the first coat might be dry to the touch and a second coat can be applied.  But waiting longer is better if you're a patient guy.  A second coat, applied in a similar manner is usually enough to cover.  The dried first coat will give the second coat something to bite into so that the second coat comes out a little heavier than the first.

I'm not sure whether this method would work as well with a gloss acrylic.

If you prefer dealing with enamels rather than acrylics - someone else could probably give you better advice.  Just out of habit - I would probably use the same method - thinning with a solvent.  But I can't tell you what kind of results you'd get.

Good Luck !

Chris

Thanks that's good advice on the acrylic paint front, a quick question Chris, does that work well with white paint?

I just have one more can anyone recommend a metallic paint that brushes on and can be buffed?

Ugh !    White paint  -   the acrylic brush painter's nemesis.

Sorry man - No - it doen't work very well at all with white.  I usually resort to a rattle can of enamel for pure white.  If you find a good brand - let me know.  I'm still looking.

Chris

Hahaha I will do man, I have not had the chance to build for a good while now and I am itching to get back, I want to make a Phantom of the USN with the colourful markings and white belly, a rattlc can does sound like a good choice though!

Dean30, I would love to see your completed Phantom as a WIP thread.  The reason for this request is that there are so many great pro builders on this forum, forum members can actually guide you step by step in your build process while your build moves forward.  That's how I learned how to build kits.  I too am very new to building model kits, I just started approximately one year ago.

As for paint brushing, one simple fact is to ensure that you have a good quality brush, if not, bad things can happen.  How do I know this?  Through trial and error.  There are times that I recommend that you utilize a rattle can to paint a large surface area.  This technique gives the modeler a chance to keep everything consistent.  Remember, everything is a trial in error, just keep moving forward and you'll catch on of what to do and what not to do.

At some point, you can fool around with a very inexpensive air brush.  My first AB was a plastic Testors AB connected to a compressed can of air.  The whole kit came out to $20.00 from Michaels.  Once I got the feel for it, that was it!  I was hooked!  LOL!  Testors sells these AB as a complete kit or individually.  I chose a complete camouflage kit which included the AB, compressed can of air, cleaning needles, and paint that is premixed for use right out of the bottle.  

My first AB kit was a Revell Tiger Shark that had a camofluflage motif.  A few builds ago, just for fun, I utilized this same AB just out of nostalgia.  I was very happy with the results.  If you ever decide to get into an AB, places like Harbor Freight Tools can supply you with a complete kit.  It comes with a compressor, hose, and the AB itself, it's a siphon type AB.  Till this day I still use the compressor as well as the HFT AB.  Good luck in your endevour and most importantly, just have fun!

Toshi

Thank's Toshi, I do actually have experience building though for a few years I didn't make any, I did used to airbrush them however I think my brush painting skills are lacking, and after a while of not making any probably my building skills as well hahaha anyway I will take a look and ask advice where I can, thanks. I have seen a lot of really good models on here so I know I should be in good company.

Dean30

I just have one more can anyone recommend a metallic paint that brushes on and can be buffed?

Hi again Dean,  I have brushed on buffable Model Master Metallizer in the past.  I think this paint is intended for airbrushes - not hairy brushes - but I used it anyway.  I found I needed to keep it stirred up while using it.  Maybe it's just me - but it seems to give off alot more fumes than normal enamels, and it seems very thin.  

As long as I didn't put it on too thick or "work it" by going over the painted area too many times with  brush, I didn't get normal brush strokes - where the paint thickness varies.    But when I used a brush I got a kindof directionality to the pigment . . . hard to describe . .  so I made my brush strokes in the direction of airflow and I thought it looked fine.  When buffing, i buffed it in the same direction.  

The buffable paints can be used with a "buffing metallizer sealer".  If you don't use it, and you try to put on a second coat, things get kinda weird and the first coat becomes partially soluble in the second coat when it is applied.  I'd say apply coats quickly without too many brush strokes.

Oddly enuf . . . This was done on the small areas of an F-4 Phantom where there is bare metal.

Good luck.

Chris

My personal favorite for hand brushin is Humbrol. Hands down the best paint for that in my experience. Of course the other side of the equation is having decent brushes. I prefer sable over synthetics.

That is a great looking Phantom, I have to ask and this might sound dumb so please excuse me if I do but I have heard of sable brushes and synthetics, does sable mean natural or something along those lines? I have ruined models in the past with brushes that were not great.

I agree with stik, Humbrol is the best paint for brushing I have ever used. Also a soft good quality brush is a must.

I know you mentioned you can't get an ab for now but consider it as the greatest tool for finishing a model. 

You can get a gravity fed Neo from Hobby Lobby with a 40% discount coupon for under $44. Badgers are better quality and are a few bucks more. Just a thought.

Thanks Dean,

Wiki to the rescue . . . 

A kolinsky sable-hair brush (also known as red sable or sable hair brush) is a fine artists' paintbrush.

The hair is obtained from the tail of the kolinsky (Mustela sibirica), a species of weasel rather than an actual sable. The "finest" brushes are made from the male hair only, but most brushes have a mix of about 60/40 male-to-female hair. Kolinsky bristles tend to be pale red in colour with darker tips. The weasel is not an animal that is raised well in captivity, and is generally isolated to the geographical region of Siberia. Due to this difficulty in harvesting the hair, and the fact that other natural and artificial bristles are not comparable in quality, these bristles are rare and expensive.

Kolinsky sables are usually used in watercolour brushes. Lesser grades of kolinsky sables are also frequently used in oil painting, and sometimes for glazing in acrylics.

Due to their exceptional ability to be finely shaped, kolinsky sable brushes are highly prized in the dental ceramics industry, where they are used to hand-tint the ceramic appliances for a realistic appearance.^[1] [2]

Beginning in 2013, shipments to the U.S. of kolinsky hair brushes have been halted and in some cases seized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service due to the kolinsky's inclusion in the international CITES agreement.^[3]

Sable

I use a lot of different kinds of brushes - synthetic and natural hair.  I use the ones I like for painting smooth surfaces and detail - and the not-so-good-ones get relegated to applying pastel powders or get chopped down for dry brushing.  I trim my synthetic brushes once in a while - removing the "wild hairs" that go astray - so my brushes are always growing smaller . . . Experiment !

Chris

I absolutely love MM Acryl paints. The Semi-Gloss white actually covers pretty well. However, you might want to spray the entire model with Tamiya White Primer. This will give you the white you need. You can then cover over the white with the MM Semi-Gloss White. I airbrush Alclad White Primer in place of the Tamiya White Primer. I've been known to be lazy and hand-paint an entire model. This the Monogram F-4J that I converted to an F-4S. It's completely hand painted.

That's a great looking phantom too! These are great ideas, Also thanks for the information on the brushes, thanks for being so helpful everyone, I will be sure to post my build when I get started!

Dean, I've done a lot of miniature painting with brushes and there are three things I highly recommend.

1 - You must thin the paint, the thinner it is the less brush strokes you will see, period.  Even if this means 3-4 coats to get the covered, water works fine. 

2 - You might consider a slow dry, I like vallejo's.  This keeps the paint wet on the model and on the pallet enabling you more time to get that particular coat color on without streaking.

3 - You should use a wet pallet.  For me I just use a frisbee. A paper towel wetted thoroughly so it holds all the water but if you tip it sideways the water runs out. Lastly cheap 99 cent store parchment paper, its thinner which helps. This allows the acrylic paint to soak up the water and stay wet waaaayyyyy longer.  This helps with the dreaded dry paint on paint brush after three strokes problem