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Starting airbrushing again

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DanBeeden
Posts: 1989
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2009 1:10 pm
Location: Short finals

Starting airbrushing again

Post by DanBeeden » Thu Nov 26, 2020 3:13 pm

Hi all,

I'm about to bite the bullet and purchase an airbrush (H&S) and compressor, having spent a long time putting it off due to the expenses really. There's only so far you can go with brush painting and it is time to move up a gear. So, what I'd like to know is, what paints do I choose? I've been brush painting with Humbrol enamels all my life. I used Tamiya acrylics when I borrowed an airbrush quite a few years back, so these are the only suitable ones I have an experience with. I hear a lot of talk about Vallejo? And what about metal-effect finishes for exhaust pipes and the like?

I'm mainly into modern US mil with upcoming projects being a 1:72 Hasegawa FB-111A and a Zoukei-Mura 1:48 F-4EJ.

I've got a steep learning curve ahead of me, and I appreciate my questions above are probably worthy of many hours/forum pages of debate. However I would appreciate any thoughts or advice from fellow modellers on FC.

Many thanks in advance,

Dan

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PaulN
Posts: 1669
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 6:26 am
Location: NE Hampshire

Re: Starting airbrushing again

Post by PaulN » Fri Nov 27, 2020 9:24 am

Hi Dan

Glad you are going to have a go with the airbrush well done mate :clap:

As you say this could fill up pages as everyone has their own personal choice of what they use and what they are comfortable with and what they can can achieve

My own personal choice is Xtracolor , it works for me and its gloss so no need for gloss varnishing , they do a wide range of modern colours which are pretty good , I know in the past when they first started they were pretty awful , taking days to dry , but thats not how I find them these days , you can always add a drop of Terebine paint driers to speed up the process I can do , for example a Viet Nam camo scheme in about a day and a half , all dry . I find it can be masked easily with Tamiya tape , rarely does it lift and sprays nicely too

For White , these days I always use Halfords Appliance White decanted and put through the airbrush , same goes for black and the rare times I use primer I use their grey the same way

For varnished and metal finishes is use Alclad ( or my own derivative ) I never use gloss as the paint is alreadt gloss but the Matt , Semi Matt , Light sheen are very nice

As stated this in my personal preference , I have tried Acrylic paints but just cant get on with them I know others will think differently which is what is great about this hobby , when I think back when I started modelling , and you only had Airfix ( in glass bottles) and Humbrol to choose from , things have come on leaps and bounds in the choices we have which is great

Whatever you decide on going with just remember , its a hobby , enjoy it :clap: :clap: :clap:

Good luck

Cheers

Paul

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