camo

vector123 wrote:

Im looking for a good camoflage method if you have a good method please let me know.

Pretty vague, Vector... What do you mean by "method"?  Airbrushing vs. hand-brushing? Doing hard-edged vs soft-edged? Masked vs. free-hand? Putty masks vs paper/tape masks? Airbrushed AND hand-brushed? Aircraft or vehicles?   I do all of the above, depending on the type of model, scale, and patterns...

vector123 wrote:

Iv been trying to get my hands on some putty but... what is putty exactly???

That depends on what you want to use it for. It's hard to get something when you don't know what it is, how it's used or why..

Commonly, "putty" is a broad term used to describe fillers for gaps and seams. If this is what you're after, you should be able to find these under a wide range of types and manufacturers at your local hobby store.

However, if you're looking for "putty" in relation to painting and masking, that's an entirely different animal. What you would be looking for is "silly putty" which is a pliable material of chewing gum consistency which can be used as a mask for painting. This can be found in toy stores, often in a little plastic egg shaped container (sometimes called "crazy putty"). Sometimes people use "blu-tac" (aka poster putty) as a substitute. /forums/1123199/ShowPost.aspx

vector123 wrote:

Well im working on a few 1/35 scale tanks such as a tiger 1 and 2 and a sherman im looking to paint them so there sort of in the battle of the bulge time area and place. Im looking to use putty and to airbrush and freehand it.

If Armor is your thing, I'd suggest buying a copy of Modeling Tanks and Military Vehicles by Shepard Paine.  Although there are a number of titles out there by a great many talented modelers, Shep's book is probably the best primer for the armor modeler.  The others all pretty much build off of the "foundation" Shep wrote.  It covers assembly, painting and weathering in concise, easy to understand photos & drawings, and covers the materials you'll need to be familiar with and the tools you want to have...

His other book, How to Build Dioramas, is the gold standard for the diorama builder, covering the models, scratchbuilding, weathering, figure-painting, structures and groundwork, and photographing models.  It's a must-have for any modeler library, as well as the above work, and both cover painting and masking and the materials & techniques used...

vector123 wrote:

Thanks. iv been holding off on doing the camo because im kinda afraid i will mess up the model.

Nothing beats practice. Get a scrap model or even an old toy and practice, practice, practice. Take notes on what you're doing so you can replicate your results or avoid repeating errors.

If you're looking for a specific vehicle, learn to do research, and that does NOT mean looking at other people's models. It's accessing photographs and studying the patterns and style, hard or soft edges, etc. After archival photographs come the books based on those photographs from respected sources. Other people's models can be an inspiration but they are terrible references.

If you have an airbrush, learn to use it. Even the humble Paasche H, an under $50 AB can produce tight enough lines to vitually eliminate the need to mask.

Putties have emolients that can stain some paints and have enough adhessive strength to break off delicate parts.

ajlafleche wrote:

vector123 wrote: Thanks. iv been holding off on doing the camo because im kinda afraid i will mess up the model. Nothing beats practice. Get a scrap model or even an old toy and practice, practice, practice. Take notes on what you're doing so you can replicate your results or avoid repeating errors. If you're looking for a specific vehicle, learn to do research, and that does NOT mean looking at other people's models. It's accessing photographs and studying the patterns and style, hard or soft edges, etc. After archival photographs come the books based on those photographs from respected sources. Other people's models can be an inspiration but they are terrible references. If you have an airbrush, learn to use it. Even the humble Paasche H, an under $50 AB can produce tight enough lines to vitually eliminate the need to mask. Putties have emolients that can stain some paints and have enough adhessive strength to break off delicate parts.

I agree with Al. I have never used any silly putty or blu-tac masking, I just freehand the models as I like the look and the easier way of doing it (for me) of freehand. 

These are all freehand with an Omni 3000: 

I free handed the oil streaks on the side as well. Brave I know but fortunately it worked out.

vector123 wrote:

sweet job but... i dont have a real good airbrush and im having troble with it.

What are you using my friend? 

With practice you can accomplish much more than you think.

vector123 wrote:

im using a cheap pile of crud thats made by testors and i just cant get the paint to spray... im trying to find a good one.

I would suggest then that you try and find a good airbrush like an Omni 3000 or a Badger 100LG or something similar and practice, practice, practice.