Small Scale Military Headquarters

The last I built and painted was with a brush!!!! Ages ago..

I bought a 1/48th voodoo revell model requiring basically a solid shade of aircraft grey- I also got a can of appropriate spray. I can still hand paint the nec parts and apply decals as well as most, but I'm looking for any quick helpful hints to spray. After I apply putty where nec and tape it off, should I just start spraying and use the best judgement from there. This will be a Christmas gift for my son for us to work on.

I suppose I could have remembered to pick up a modeling book at the same time.

I googled it - plenty of info out there- but no quick way to get experience

Definitely toy around with masking and taping off certain areas. If it's camo it can be tricky and I have a steep learning curve ahead of me but I did try it and I learned what to do better next time. I made my own stencils from paper and used photo mount as a residue-free adhesive backing. If you're feeling a bit uneasy, I would just run test on either scrap cardboard or use an old toy or model as a guinea-pig.

When you spray...I would go in gradual bursts and keep a distances of say 7-8 inches from surface area. Go in one direction and allow the paint to dry a little between bursts. Maintain parallel as much as possible.

If you are masking off areas and the mask is 'raised' off the surface, work slow...keep a good distance. You would use this method when you want 'soft edges' vs sharp ones. Learning is best when you make those mistakes and experiment.

How do you guys cut the masking tape without hurting the model? Or do you cut it prior to mounting it (then my question is how do you measure what to cut.. ?)

As an example, masking off a german cross..

Schizuki could I use the Badger 250 for weathering? Right now I do all my grime alongside the panel lines with my finger dragged along the plane. But if I used the diluted solution in the airbrush, would it have the same effect? Also for like exhaust stains and dirt, too. I'm really into weathering but sometimes it just doesn't show up well. It doesn't have to be amazing, I'm just curious if i can adjust the size of the spray area to be really precise, and if you think it would be okay for weathering. Thanks.

grunt1 wrote:How do you guys cut the masking tape without hurting the model? Or do you cut it prior to mounting it (then my question is how do you measure what to cut.. ?)

As an example, masking off a german cross..

Hey Grunt...

I use the masking tape mostly to hold other masks in place. But that said, any cuts should be done before placing the mask in place. I wouldnt do any of the cuts while the tape is one because 1. You only get one chance to do it right and 2. You risk blade marks into the surface.

From the top of my head, I'm thinking that a German cross (the square one) would take about 2 or 3 different masks to get done. I'm assuming that its not the Maltese type cross you refer to. My approach would be to make the mask out of paper with the appropriate cuts, line the rear with adhesive and then go from there. Of course there are several ways to approach this. I learned several masking techniques a while back from when I used to Airbrush a lot. My airbrush is currently down and I want to buy another one. I miss that dual-action on my badger! So its straight outta the spray paint can for me. Here is a link to pics showing masked off areas, etc: http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/alb ... ?start=168

Lastly...

- Always use the best/sharpest blades possible
- "Measure twice...hell three times - cut once"
- Work slow and think out every scenario as you work.
- Check surface adhesion of your mask as best as possible so you do not get overspray where you do not want it.
- You'll probably encounter areas on your 1/18 aircraft with heavily riveted areas. This can get tricky if you masking, painting such areas and require defined lines w/ no hint of overspray (I hope this makes sense)
-And...do not be afraid to re-do your mask over and over again if you are not satisfied with the first result. I've thrown out masks that I'd spent a considerable amount of time on because I wanted the best result possible.

Hope this is helpful - Hit me up if you got questions Grunt!

Yeah I do all drybrushing too, but I've seen some really splendid models with airbrush weathering, Like, real...

Thanks Mig, that was very helpful. Sounds like the main thing I'm missing is patience. Not sure if I can get that at the local hobby store but maybe I can order some online.