Painting a German halftrack

I like using acrylics paints for airbrushing, but they can be a chore to hand paint because they dry so fast. I know, paint drying quickly sounds like a good thing, but this stuff dries too fast. They can dry on the brush between dipping it in the paint and getting it over to the model.

My recommendation would be to get some acrylic retarder. It can be found at most art supply stores and it will dramatically slow the drying time of the paint down.

I don't hand brush acrylic much, mostly just for detailing, but what I do is get a few drops out of the bottle into a cap from a film canister. I then add some retarder about 2:1 (paint:retarder). This far exceeds the recommended mix of retarder in the paint but it works fine. It slows down the drying time and thins the paint at the same time.

Thanks.

I look around for some retarder.

It sounds like though I found do the figures and small pieces with just the paint. Is that right?

You can use Liquitex Flowaid as a retarder also. Most art supply stores carry it.

You could get a spray can. That would leave good results. and then paint the details by hand. (by the the way, that kit is very nice but it lacks accurracy. Fit is Great. Overall good kit.

Spray can is an excellent idea.

The kit looks very sharp. I noticed it had one of the two sets of decals as Africa Korps but the figures don't look 'desert-friendly' .

QUOTE: It sounds like though I found do the figures and small pieces with just the paint. Is that right?

You can do it, but I think once you try some acrylic on something you'll see what I mean about it drying so fast. The retarder makes a world of difference, and even though I don't brush paint very much, I just wouldn't even attempt to do much without slowing the drying time down.

The advice everyone gave about using rattle cans for the bulk of your painting is very good advice. However most of the spray can paint is enamel. If you spray it over acrylic, make sure the acrylic has had at least 24 hours to cure or the enamel may cause it to lift or dissolve. Ditto for masking acrylics. Make certain it is thoroughly cured and even then I recommend using low-tack masking tape.

One other word of advice: Always, always, always clean your parts before painting with acrylic. Most people wash them in soapy water and let them dry overnight. I use alcohol because I'm too impatient to wait for them to dry. Acrylics are water based and don't have any solvent-type thinners in them. Any grease or oil left from the molding process will not get dissolved by the paint and can keep it from adhering to the plastic.