tamiya spray cans

ussually about 5-15mins depending on how thick the coat went on, or somtimes even half an hour if it went on a little too thick (i aim to get just a very light mist covering the surface and not a whole layer in one spray/coat, it ussualy takes about 3-4 coats before i can't see any plastic underneath). 

I know what your thinking, your  probably thinking that maybe i spray another coat on before the preivous coat is completely dry, i don't, i try to avoid this at all costs.

thanks....     James

How much time between coats?

thanks guys, i supose i need an airbrush then, but i'm unemployed whilst i'm doing VCE (year 11), i have done about 40 models all togerther but only about 6 using sprays and the rest with brush, I do shake the cans well but don't use the hot water method and will have to try it, i also tried sanding but its hard because i was a fool and stuck on alot of sub assembalies first (i need to think ahead), i have seen those airbrushes that come with canned air but haven't really had much of a look at them so i may invest in one of them!!

here is my latest model in production using tamiya cans, its revell's nh90 nfh from netherlands navy. i have put most of the decals on the left side and just quickly masked off the coanopy (which needs alot of touching up) and windows to put a licht coat of tamiya semi-gloss clear on to seel the decals (already done on the left side, the rest of the model still needs touching up here and there but it looks ok. You can't really tell in these picks but the finnish is not 100% smooth even after some fine sanding in places. also tamiya spray paints arn't compatible with any other paints i have (tins) that i use for fine detalis so i need to do ALL spraying and decaling first before using any brush paints to detail it.

Vance covered a lot yet as a user of said rattle cans I can add a bit:

Avoid yellow! Try Krylon Plasti-coat instead. Always over a primer of Tamiya flat white.

For gloss coats or NMF (silver) surface preparation is the key. Any flaws on the plastic will be magnified in gloss. Wet sand between coats with 1000 grit +.

Spray a piece of wood before committing to your model. It has enough surface detail and is smooth enough to catch a 'bad can' before its on your latest work. Any globs or such on this initial pass then do not use.

Shake for at least 1 minute, pour hot tap water over the bottom of the can until the can feels tighter. Shake some more and shake between sprays.

Start beside the model, move fluidly through the model and stop after it. Do not try and 'dab' in the middle. Realize a few nooks and crannies will not get the paint and will need to be touched up. Plan to paint in sub-assemblies to minimize this problem.

Spray cans waste 75% of the paint when spraying models. The only thing you can do is like said above invest in Krylon full size cans for the same price.

When painting armor realize the base coat can be tinted in the weathering process so being 100% color accurate is not a big issue. (I know many & Manny will argue this point) Use a coat of Future to seal the color and protect from thinner and use a wash of oil paint to tint, do this on a scrap model or plastic before your latest work.

Last clear the nozzle by spraying upside down until clear. Wipe the nozzle with a rag.

Rattle cans are really a pain. You have to mask everything for over spray, no control, paint goes on thick, thick tape lines, all the problems you describe. There's no comparison to a good airbrush, they are more affordable than you think. Even a cheap airbrush will have way better results than a rattle-can. Plus, you don't have to keep buying expensive cans. I don't know how to avoid these troubles you're having with a rattle can. I only use them for priming.

Hey James, I've never used Tamiya spray cans, but will try to answer some questions for you anyway! 

(No compressor - neither do I! But I still airbrush, using the canned air option. I know it's more expensive in the long term, but I generally stick to 1/72 aircraft, and some 1/48 single-engined WW2. Good way to start if you don't want to throw down $ for the compressor right away.)

question 1 - It sounds almost like your later coats have more pigment than the first coats, and this starts to show after the later coats. Are you shaking the cans well? I've also heard of setting a rattle-can in a dish of warm water to help with mixing & flow. A light sanding with really fine sandpaper in between coats would also help.

question 2 - Yes, even a basic airbrush is better than the spray cans. Control control control. Spray cans are on, or off, nothing in between & I've always seen way too much overspray from a can. Overspray = wasted paint & a mess to clean up after. Smoother - should be, but you have to make sure to mix the paint right for your airbrush. Not too difficult, just need some practice.

question 3 - those pro-built models, well, they're built by pros! I suspect you could give some of those guys a spray can & a nail file & they'd be able to turn out something great! How to?? Practice my friend! And if it's smooth you're looking for, don't forget about a clear coat, like Future, which can also help smoothing things out.

question 4 - Removing masking tape - you generally want to remove as son as the last coat of paint is dry enough to be handled. And pull the tape away from the freshly painted area. For a spot like a canopy, you can also use an exacto knife to carefully cut at the edge of your tape line before removing the tape for a crisper line. And don't be afraid to do a little touch-up afterwards if necessary. You can decant a little of the spray-can paint into a small jar, apply it with a brush to the areas that need touchups.

The biggest thing is practice - you say you've got 6 models built right? Those pros we're looking at have built dozens, if not hundreds, of kits - so don't get too discouraged. Hope I've helped,