Help with painting hull

I would use rattlecans just for the big job of painting the hull,Tamiya has the basic red and grays for a ship.Just do it outside or have good ventlation,enamel can be nasty,and you have to consder overspray.As far as the smaller parts,you can hand brush.Vallejo Model Color brushes well. If your really getting into the hobby,try to save for a decent airbrush/compressor set up.You can get a nice setup for $300,if you can,get one.I realize this may not be possible,but its a good long term investment if your sticking with it.

Spray cans are fine. They add up though, I use red in a spray can for hull bottoms mostly because a smooth even finish is more important that any effects. But at $ 8 a can, one can per model, it does add up.

The biggest issue is getting the right color.

I have been using spray cans for over 45 years and have nothing but happy feelings for them!

Tried airbrushing a few times. I did get the hang of it but thought it was a long proccess that rattel cans could do just as well.

However, with an airbrush you can mix your own custom colors.

The way I paint a hull is to spray paint the whole thing with a light grey primer.

Next, I paint the whole hull battleship grey.... or whatever grey you want the final color to be.

Then I find where the waterline will be and mask the hull above that line.

Then I spraypaint the hull below the waterline Anti-fouling red (actually I use Tuscan red )

wait for it to dry and remove the masking tape.

If the hull has a black stripe between the grey and red you can mask and paint it black or "cheat" like I do and use black decal stripes.

I hope this helps. I kind of simplified the proccess because I was afraid I would lose you if I droned on and on and on and on.....

I also use rattle cans for large areas.  It is a bit different than airbrushing or regular brushing.  Any painting technique takes practice.  Never try a new technique or a new paint first on a good model.  Always try it first on scrap material, and when you are satisified with results, then move on to the models.

I prefer enamels, but I see the handwriting on the wall, and it is going to disappear from the market, so I am going to start practicing with acrylics getting ready for the day when I am forced to switch!

 

Trinm,

 

Circling back to your original question.

Using spray cans requires very careful control. Hardware store type spray paint cans result in thick paint applications if not used "sparingly".  These paints are designed for total coverage in one or two coats. Having a few runs on a repainted barbeque is acceptable; on a battleship hull it's not. 

It's much more successful to use hobby specific spray cans. There aren't too many choices; Testors and Tamiya and maybe a few that I don't know of. Either of those are very good. It's important to follow basic procedures; warm can, warm ambient temperature, clean surface.

Brush painting is also effective, and a good skill. Painting something as large as your Bismark would be a challenge, certainly not something to try  without experience. If you look at the British hobby mags, those modelers brush paint a lot, in particular aircraft models.

Enamels brush well, acrylics don't. But acrylics airbrush as well as enamels, and in a way with less fuss.

Try Tamiya AS-25 Dark Ghost Gray, AS-26 Light Ghost Gray, TS-33 Dull Red and TS-68 Deck Tan.