HMS Invinsible

Yes, you can paint using bottled paint and some good brushes. Try to apply the paint smoothly in as few strokes of the brush as possible to get a smooth coverage. I always paint the hull, and superstructure first, then when thouroghly dry, I paint the decks, and then the deck details.

Now to decals. After all color painting is done, and dry, I will give it a coat of clear gloss out of a spray can. When this is dry, usually I wait about 4 days, and then apply any decals. Just cut the decal carefully from the sheet, and dip in warm water for about 15 seconds. Then let it lay on a paper towel for a minute or so. When you can move the decal on the backing paper, place on the model about where it needs to be, making sure the edge of the decal paper where you plan on sliding the decal off is flat against the model. once the decal is part way on the model, carefully hold the decal still, and slide the paper out from under it.

For just a moment, you should be able to move the decal slightly to correct it's position on the model, and then using a soft cloth, blot the water out from under the decal. Please don't rub across the decal to get the water out, as this may wad the decal up, ruining it. Once all the decals are set, let the model sit for about 24 hours. After 24 hours, take a damp soft cloth, and clean around the decals. This will remove any excess decal adhesive that is usually made into the decals at the factory. After carefully cleaning, and dusting of the model, give it a final top coat of clear spray. This will either be gloss or flat depending on the model.
Cars of course would be glossy, and so might some aircraft. Ships would usually get the flat clear. This will seal the decals, and protect them, plus also makes for a great, smooth final finish.

Hope this helps!!!

Thank you Thank you very much.

As an Olde Phogey who's been building plastic models far longer than airbrushes have been in the hobby, I'm a big believer in brush painting. These days I do have an airbrush, but I rarely if ever use it for ship models.

Each modeler develops his or her own tastes and skills; what works well for one may seem awkward to somebody else. My own preference is for acrylic paint. My favorite brand is Poly-Scale; I haven't had as much luck with Testor's Acryl, though it's probably more widely available. I like the way Poly-Scale goes on with a brush, and the range of colors is tremendous. My only complaint is that, for some purposes, it dries too fast.

Many veteran modelers swear by sable-hair brushes, and I agree that they're excellent. I also, however, am a big fan of synthetic-bristle brushes. A trip to an art supply store will reveal a huge range of them in all shapes and sizes. I've gotten equally satisfactory results from the white and gold bristles - and they're a good bit cheaper than the sable ones. Take a look at the variety of shapes available. If I were picking out a set of brushes from scratch for doing 1/700 ships, I'd probably get a 1/4" flat (for the hull), a smaller flat (for the decks), a #3 round with a pointed tip (for the superstructure and larger detail parts), and a #0000 or #00000 round (for the smallest details).

Acrylic paints take a little practice. Thin them (preferably with distilled water, but for brushing tap water probably will work fine) to about the consistancy of thick cream for starters. (Poly-Scale has about that consistancy right out of the jar.) You want to lay on a thin coat of fairly thick paint. Unless there's a big contrast between the base color and that of the paint (e.g., you're trying to put bright yellow paint on black plastic), one coat probably will be enough. With a little practice, you can lay the paint on with virtually no visible brushstrokes. And if you screw up, as long as you recognize the problem within an hour or so a rinse in fresh water will get you back to square one.

Get in the habit of covering every square milimeter of the model with paint - regardless of the color of the plastic. Unpainted plastic has a slightly translucent, waxy sheen that's at odds with the scale effect.

Don't get scared off by people who prescribe specific colors - and don't be intimidated by the weird color names on the bottles. Do as much research as you're comfortable with, and pick colors that look right to you. The fact that it says "Italian Air Force Yellow-Brown," or "RLM 63," or "Conrail Green" doesn't bar it from use on a ship model.

Above all else, keep in mind that it's a hobby and the primary purpose of a hobby is to have fun. I'm afraid newcomers sometimes get the impression that scale modeling is the exclusive domain of experts - experts with deep wallets. If the finished model looks good to you, you learned something from building it, and you had a good time in the process, that's what matters. End of sermon. Good luck.

Excellent advice from a true master. Take it to heart, CK, this guy knows his stuff.

We never had airbrushes in the Navy. I think hand painting adds realism to the model and builds character for the modeler. I copied those words from a division officer I once had. Except I think he said it adds life to the boat and builds character for the sailor. Anyway, nothing wrong with brush painting, in fact, I prefer it to all my sailing ships since spray painting makes the colors look too uniform and, to me, out of scale.

Like Tilly said, paint all of the model,and don't worry if the color isn't uniform. Also, many of us prefer to model ships because we can develope our own style when painting them. I use oils, pastels, and acrylics extensively and very seldom use enamels. Real ships vary in shades of color throughout the hull and superstructure, and in the flatness of the color. Unless they just left the yard, where they are spray painted, a ship will have many different shapes of grey or what ever the cammo its in due to the time it was painted. We painted sections of the ship everyday at sea, with some sections not being painted for several months, and some, for several years. Have fun, practice shading, or what I like to do, is take dull flat and paint sections and then weather that section, show a little hint of rust, or wear from salt spray. These are effects you can only get from brush painting.
Have fun and don't try to be perect. There is no such thing as the perfect ship model.

Scott

Just a small pointer about brush-painting ships which may be of help.
When brush-painting ships, I always brush every part in vertical - NOT horizontal - strokes. The effect of this is that if there are some slight streaks in your brushing technique, it will look like weathering streaks! Gravity being what it is, dirt, sea water, rain water and so on will always head straight downwards!
When doing aircraft with a brush, I always try to follow the direction of the airflow - for the same reason! This technique helps to mimic what is happening to the real life subject.
Hope this helps.

Well thanks guys 4 all the advice. Am now finalising the details.