major spray can probs :(

thats why i haven't done car models in about a year and ahalf. was because of that problem. everything else looked sharp, until the body needed to be painted.

I have read that you want to be sure to use a couple of mist coats before putting it on heavy. Warming the can also helps some. Matthew Usher did a article on spray can paint jobs a while back. Might try to find that. I still have alot of problems with gloss coats my self, thats why I like aromor so much, flat paint jobs are so much easier.

Problem with uneven paint (also known as "orange peel effect") comes from the fact that the paint isn't allowed to level out. A friend of mine once posted "Painting a model with a spray can is like watering a flower with a fire hose". There's some truth to that but you can get great results with a can.
Do what lizardqing is writing about and start up with a few mist coats. You shall not worry about the paint not covering the whole body. You can also start with some misting on areas where you will have an unsatisfying coverage if you pass over the whole body from left to right or vice versa. This last thing is what you shall do. After you have warmed the can in hot (not too hot) tapwater and shaken it carefully you start spraying outside of the left part of the model and pass the whole part in a steady pace to end up outside on the right. The warming of the can will make the paint more easy flowing.
At the beginning I wrote that your paint probably haven't had the chance to level out. This is avoided from 1. Heating the paint and 2. moving closer to the part that you're spraying. I spray from approx. 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) and have in mind that decreasing the distance and heating the model will make more paint hit the model, so you have to move a bit faster past the part than you did before making these changes.
Hope that helps a bit, there tons of information around this subject. Seek and you will find.
Post if I'm not clear enough or can help out in any other way.
Joel

Ditto to Joel. From your other post I would just like to add the following. As with the interior: take your time!
What I tend to do, is to start on the body very early, whilst still building the interior. That way you spray build up coats very nicely and you don't feel rushed, because you're not waiting for this spraying to finish to "show progress". This works very well, esp for metallic finishes and multi-coloured schemes.

With this, I'm not saying you're rushing. I'm just saying what the "mental cause" may be, forcing one into not taking your time, resulting in not following the correct technique. The reason I can say this with such confidence... you're describing my finishes from a while back to the letter!

The added problem is the fact that it is a racing model. You just cannot get away with anything! If something does not align perfectly or one decal goes awry or you just screw up ever so slightly on the painting - it all stands out...

Bottom line: take your time. That will result in following the correct technique.

I have to endorse what Joel and Seabee have said.

Practice, practice, practice.

Use an old model, a cheap plastic toy or even a used plastic bottle. Try different approaches until you find the one that works for you. For example try and keep the pass speed the same but vary the distance from the target to the can or keep that distance constant and vary the pass speed. If its looking thick and bubbly then I would think you are putting too much paint on too quickly so maybe you're holding the can too close to the body of not passing across fast enough or maybe you're not letting it dry off before ading more paint.

I think its best to try the misting approach first which is holding the can further away (maybe 25-30cm). You'll end up with spots of paint ie not a complete coverage. Do this several times, allowing a couple of minutes between each pass. This will also show up any surface defects you may have missed. Allow to dry thoroughly, lightly sand, wash, dry and now do another coat closer but move the can slightly faster. Try to acheive a complete coverage with a pass (complete coverage does not mean say the whole side of a 24th scale car but the spray zone along the body will be complete). I usually do 3 passes along a side on a 24th scale body to get complete side coverage. The first pass is along the lower side with the body tilted slightly so the undersides of the sills get paint. The 2nd pass is parallel to the body about the middle so it overlaps the first spray line. The 3rd pass has the body angled slightly towards me so the top of the side (ie bonnet/boot/A-B pillar) gets a little paint as well and the lower edge of that pass overlaps the top edge of the 2nd pass. There may still be bits missed but I'll pick that up later. I'll move around the body like that. Once I've been around the body I won't put another coat until the first is dry.

As Seabee says take you time and build up the paint over several sessions. Also I might add its highly unusual (although I now expect heaps of replies to the contrary!) not to get an even better finish by polishing the paint a week or so after its dry. You will still have the odd spot that will really respond to a polish such a s bit of orange peeling effect, or a tiny spec of dust etc.

Keep at it you're find the way that suits you.

thanks! all that help wants to make me start on another kit . i think i know what i was doing now, holding too far back, not using enough coatings, and moving to slow. by the way, do any of yall use primer? and what is a good polish? thanks..

Junior,
Good luck with the next spray job.
By the way, I use lots of spray cans - I just spray the paint into my airbrush jar and use the airbrush. One day you might consider getting an airbrush and a compressor - you'll wonder how you ever lived without one!!
If you want to use polish, use real polish for a real 1/1 scale car, get the best you can - I use Meguiar's polishes - their yellow wax is great!! The stuff is expensive, but I've been using my bottle for a couple of years now.......so it's cost effective.
Make sure you get a polish that's suitable for paint in good condition (which is a very smooth polish) - as some polishes can contain cutting compounds (like very fine sand) that are meant to "cut" the high spots off the orange peel or to remove the top layer of oxidised paint (they're called a rejuvenator) - these types of polishes would be far too nasty for a 1/24 scale car.
The Meguiar's is a very high quality product - It works really well, and I get a "wet look" with the stuff.
Good luck.

I do armor now but I did cars for a year or two one of the major problems with Spray cans is their sensitivity to climate. Are you in a humid environment or warm area Humidity can affect the paint greatly. Also when you apply it use strokes spray in lines going from left to right only spray once each time you cross the body. Only use very light coats. It will take about two or three coats to get a fully painted car. Also be patient and let each coat dry gloss has a tendancy to bubble up.

QUOTE: Originally posted by juniormodeler do any of yall use primer? and what is a good polish? thanks..

I use the Tamiya undercoat but generally only when I want to use a Tamiya top coat colour quite different to the plastic colour. If I'm using an automotive spray can like Duplicolour then I will always use an undercoat. I have had experience of the top coat attacking the plastic when I didn't use an undercoat.

I have also used the 1:1 polishes but only when I'm using an automotive paint. For a Tamiya spray can I use the Tamiya rubbing compound/polish. Works fine

ok i got a passhe mellinium airbrush. it works awsome. i just painted a real good saleen mustang body. thanks for the tips guys.