I think I did it wrong

For painting the cockpit of a 1/72 scale model, I would use a tiny paint brush, under a magnifiying glass, not an airbrush.  That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!

"For painting the cockpit of a 1/72 scale model, I would use a tiny paint brush, under a magnifiying glass, not an airbrush."

I thought of that as I was cleaning out my AB. I was hoping to get a nice smooth finish on the walls and floors of the cockpit and, since I had the AB out, I figured I could paint the rest of the pieces that would be the same colour at the same time.

Griffin

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I read in the "ABC's of Airbrushing" article that a light misting should be done first to give the paint something to "bite" to. From there, I don't know what to do. Do I just keep "misting" until there's a solid colour? Do I just make quick passes over the area until there's a solid colour?

Good advice, yes and yes.

I normally prime my parts first (now) but used to just mist light coats on as a primer.

My understanding is that priming just evens up all the colours (ie if you have a mixture of styrene, metal, resin etc) and also to give the paint something to bite into.

Once i've primed, i mist over in several passes - ie, i don't stop and concentrate the airbrush at any one area.  Doing this will lead to  puddles and runs in no time.

When i AB, it will take 4-6 passes for the paint to be built up to a 'solid' colour, but still be translucent enough for pre-shading to show through.

If i'm free-handing some camo, i'll paint in a swirling motion, rather than a straight pass, but again, never let the airbrush stop moving until after my finger comes off the trigger.

As for the tiny cockpit parts (like rudder pedals, joysticks etc) i will brush paint them or AB them when their on the sprue, then attach.  I just find it easier to get the paint into all the nooks and crannies if you leave those smaller details off.

Hope this helps.

I airbrush everything I can then do the details with a paint brush. I don't know what paints you're using or how you thin them but don't be afraid to make them very thin and mist on a few coats. You may be surprised at how well they cover. For instance, put some thinner in an empty bottle or whatever you mix your paints in and then add just enough drops of paint to color it. Stir it well, put some in the cup on your brush (or put the bottle on your brush if you're using a suction feed) and give it a try. If you're putting out too much paint then turn your air down or move a little faster. If it's too hard to keep up, turn the air down some more. The closer you can work to what you're painting the less overspray you'll have. Even for general coverage on larger areas I'm seldom more than a couple inches off the surface. At other times the tip of the needle will almost be dragging the surface.

So, don't be afraid to experiment and don't get discouraged. The more you practice and experiment the easier it will be.

Tony

Thanks for the advice guys.

I have primed the model with Vallejo primer. I'm using Vallejo Model paint and I had it thinned 50/50 with Testor's Universal Acrylic Thinner. I watched the Brett Green video about Pre-shading and learned to thin the paint so that it runs down the side of the cup if touched to it.It's more or less "the consistency of thin milk" that everyone suggests.

I'm using an Aztec double action. Should I turn the regulator to my desired pressure and always us full air with the trigger? Or, should I try to find a consistent air pressure with my regulator and try to change up the pressure with the trigger? What do people usually do?

Hmmm, I'm going to prefix this by saying, I've never used an Aztec and, whilst I understand they are a double action airbrush, i don't know how they operate with respect to their regulation of airflow.

With my airbrushes, when you press the trigger, it is either on or off - no in-between, no regulation of air flow at the airbrush. 

With double action though, as you're probably aware, the trigger also regulates the volume of paint.  So, by pressing the trigger without moving it back, you will get airflow with no paint.

If an Aztec can regulate air flow, then perhaps see what other Aztec owners suggest, but for me, I use my regulator on the compressor to regulate the pressure.  My compressor doesn't have a holding tank and the pressure drops off a bit when you open up the airbrush, so, i factor this in when i'm setting my air pressure.

Once I've got the desired pressure set (factoring in drop off), I simply start painting. 

I regulate the air pressure based upon what i'm painting.  ie, fine detail where i'm up close with have a lower pressure (down to 10psi), overall coats are higher pressure (15-20psi) with more distance between the needle and model.

I haven't tried Vallejo paints yet so I can't speak from experience but from comments I've seen from others my guess is that's pretty thin. I do have an Aztec but haven't used it for a while although I kind of remember what you're talking about with regulating air with the trigger. I'd suggest that for now just set the pressure you want at the regulator and push the trigger all the way down. That way you know what you're working with. After you get a feel for it then yeh, use everything you have.

You didn't say what air pressure you're using now so I'm gonna suggest trying turning it down and see how it goes. If it still atomizes paint instead of shooting little droplets then turn it down a little more. Or, if you're already there, then try thinning a little less. One comment I have seen about using Vallejo is that if you thin too much it will act like water and run or pool. Model Master Acryll is also water based and if you thin it too much it will do the same. Another thing you could try is thinning with Future. It's basically an acrylic clear so it has a binder and will do just what the term implies, hold it together. Acryll thinner doesn't so it allows the paint to act more like water.

There's folks here that use Vallejo paints but they may not have looked at this thread. If you were to start a thread asking about Vallejo I feel sure they'd respond.

Tony

I thought about thinning it with Future but I was worried about it being too glossy for the interior parts. I intend to do the exterior with Future as the thinner.