Painting Small Parts Like Aircraft Gear Doors/Struts/Tail Hooks - Advice

I airbrush almost everything. You can save steps by airbrushing everything at the same time that calls for the same color. Example- if the gear doors are the same color as the aircraft underside- paint them when you paint the aircraft's underside. Usually the inside gear doors and gear legs are the same color as the gear wells-paint them all up at the same time too. If anything you will get good at cleaning your airbrush quickly!

What Nathan said, plus if you plan ahead, it's certainly easier to paint three or four models at once.

Dito on the last 2 posts.

Also a fine brush would be a wrong choice (depending on your definition of fine) for small parts like that, the less brush strokes needed the better.

I agree with what Nathan and GMorrison said. Without being able to see the parts to tell exactly what it is doesn't look good about them the best I can say is to use the best quality tools you can afford. Buy the  best soft bristle brush you can afford such as a good quality artist's white or red sable brush. Softer bristles will give you a better paint finish than coarse bristles. Also, you might need to try different brands of paint. Testors enamels usually brush on pretty good but they are also known to not keep too well after the bottle has been opened even if the lid is screwed back on tightly. I don't know why that is but after I have used a particular color only a few times I have gone back months later and it will be completely dried out. That hasn't happened with every Testors color that I have though. Some paints just brush better than others. I've brushed Vallejo acrylics with very satisfactory results and acrylics are generally not considered to be as ideal for brushing because they dry so quickly. I built Moebius Models' Batmobile Tumbler from the Dark Knight movies a few months ago. I used Vallejo flat black to paint the body panels. Some of them I painted with an airbrush and some I painted by hand and I could not tell the difference.  It might also be necessary to thin the paint if it seems too thick. But it is hard to beat the finish you get with an airbrush whether the parts are large or small.

I agree with Snibs as well. Use the right sized brush for the job.

Flat brushes are generally my preference over round unless they are really small. In that case I often use a toothpick.

So if I've loaded up the A/B for instance with Zinc green Chromate, I'll dig a half dozen WW 2 kits out and just generally gun the insides of the fuselage halves, the floor and anything else that looks like it might be right.

Ditto flat black for tires, engines, etc. Even while still on the sprue, it saves a lot of time later because I can start at the weathering stage, touch up a few cuts and be set, and if it turns out I was wrong- hey the part is primed!

As for dried up paints. I keep old paint around, but mostly for those moments when you need a drop of red at 11.00 at night to do an anti-collision light. For the main colors I try to buy new paint for any model. I think spending the $ 15 or so is far better than ruining a good model 30 hours in.

Thanks to all - Nathan T, GMorrison, Snibs, JimNTENN.  Somewhere deep in my brainstem I knew airbrushing was the answer.  Doing many same-color items simultaneously makes sense.  Thanks again.

AV8R

I use both. If there are a bunch of small parts on a sprue that need the same color, I will sometimes airbrush the parts on the sprue.  Sometimes I will carefully cut some of the sprue connections to make for less touch up afterwards.

But for just one or two small parts of a different color I do brush paint them.  I do prime everything, and then thin as required (I use Testors enamel which thickens rapidly once cap is removed for first time.  Flats are fairly easy to brush paint, gloss paint is harder- just another modeling skill you need to develop.