Painting Armour by Spray Can

Thats how I started out. Alot easier getting a flat paint job to look good from a rattle can that a gloss one. At least for me. You shuld have no problems doing OD piant jobs at all. Some of the german camo jobs could prove to be a bit more challengeing though. If you don't have an airbrush then I would say rattle can is still alot better than brushing it.

Perhaps for models that don't have a camo, such as a T-34, Sherman, early panzer III & IV to name a few. You'd get much better results with an airbrush. I suggest you explore that option, some are quite inexpensive. Check out www.dixieart.com or www.bearair.com

I used spray cans and still do for a lot of stuff even though I have a few airbrushes. For camo patterns with spray cans as a spray source just cut out paper stencil type masks and shoot through them. You can vary the edge line of the pattern with the distance the mask is from the surface of your subject. A lot of times it is just easier than dealing with cleaning out the air brush.

Jay modelnut4
AKA treadhead 1952
Las Vegas, NV

QUOTE: Originally posted by modelnut4 I used spray cans and still do for a lot of stuff even though I have a few airbrushes. For camo patterns with spray cans as a spray source just cut out paper stencil type masks and shoot through them. You can vary the edge line of the pattern with the distance the mask is from the surface of your subject. A lot of times it is just easier than dealing with cleaning out the air brush. Jay modelnut4 AKA treadhead 1952 Las Vegas, NV

as he said...

It's a fine idea, I still do my single color schemes that way even though I have an airbrush.

Just remember to use several light coats and you should avoid runs etc.
I usually spray the sides of the subject and allow that to dry a little (hour or so) and then do front and rear. Allow to dry a little and repeat.

Nothing wrong with using a rattle can. I started out all my armour that way, and if I'm doing a vehicle that is overall OD, I still use a rattle can sometimes, as it's easy and quick to do.
Couple of things to remember prior to spraying:
1) Do it outside. It'll kick up a lot of paint in the air, and you don't want to inhale that
2) Shake the can very very well
3) If you wish, you can place the can in a tray of mildly warm water for a few minutes, as it will 'soften' the paint and allow it to flow more freely.

When you do spray, start off the model on one side, carry over the entire length, and end off model on opposite side. This is the most efficient way to get a nice, even coat. Make sure not to idle, as the paint will pool very quickly from a can.

Have fun, hope it works out well.

I did rattle can for years and still do for priming and such some times. Depends on how many corners I have to turn to cover it. W/ proper masking you could do some fairly complex camo jobs....

Good luck

A lot depends on the brand, I've found. I love the Tamiya colors, and the Model Master cans are good too.

(Guys, does Testors do the Faded OD in a can?)

I use an airbrush to put the colors on after the primer coat. I rattlecan prime in black, then add the vehicle color, then keep adding lighter and lighter coats of the vehicle color.

You could probably achieve the same result with a coat of a color lighter than the base, then darker washes -- kind of going in the opposite direction.

I still use 'em for single color paint jobs and base colors for camo jobs. It's the quickest and easiest way to lay on a lot of color. Even for singe color jobs I use the airbrush afterwards for highlights and weathering, though.

But before then, it was all spray cans and brushes. Great results can be had even with the simplest of tools.

The only drawback to rattlecan is the relatively limited range of colors they come available in. They can be very effective as others have said in laying down a basecoat and then working off that or if doing a single color scheme.

I still use rattlecan for dullcote/glosscote applications because of their ease and lack of cleanup afterwards.

Multiple tools can be brought to bear under different situations depending on what you want to achieve and rattlecans have their place in any modeller's arsenal.

i use the rattlecans 4 priming, single colors & base coats...
zokissima & the others r giving u good advice,
here's a bit more:
don't spray outside on humid days or ur finish will orange peel on u
keep the can moving pretty fast so the paint doesn't pool
if the can is too far away, the paint will form droplets before it hits the model
lay down several lite coats of paint rather than trying 2 cover the model in 1 pass... u can do this pretty quickly... if u wait more than 20 minutes between coats, u'd better wait a couple of days 4 the paint 2 fully cure.
the last pass or 2 should b done w/ the can upside down 2 clear out the feeder & nozzle,
otherwise ur can will b all clogged the next time u try & paint w/ it ...
tamiya rattle can paint works really well IMHO.
HTH,

frosty