Guys,
Shipbuilder's preferences for 1/350 scale when applying paint.

I have always handpainted with a paintbrush before and get a reasonable finish. For this reason (among others)I use enamels exclusively.

So, a few years ago I bought a Badger 150 airbrush - the model which came in a handsome wooden box with different needle and nozzle sizes, all very nice, but it has lain unused since the day I bought it. I also bought a cheaper airbrush from Machinemart here in the UK in case I couldn't take to airbrushing.

Anyways, I got to thinking. What do I really need an airbrush for when building 1/350 ship kits? Most painting when applied to ship kits (apart from large hull areas)is principally confined to detail painting, for which you really need a good quality artist's paint brush.

I then thought about paint consumption - how many 14ml tinlets per kit would I get through?

So, which is more economical? Hand paint or airbrush method?
Some thoughts - Hand paint and you usually get a thicker coat, so consume more paint, but airbrush, and you get wasteful overspray on masked areas.

Comments welcome.

It's a good question Dave...also one that has no definitive answer. What I mean by that is, you have been painting by hand and you are happy with the results...then why fix something that is not broke? If paint consumption is an issue, yes, airbrushing will solve this somewhat. Over spray only becomes an issue when you are using a single action type brush. The 150 is a decent brush and is duel action...you can proportionately add air and paint separately.

When airbrushing, it does not take a lot of paint to get coverage. Some folks open the valve and soak the surface...that is a story for another day though. Thinning and turning down the pressure controls a lot of the over spray...I have been know to be able to get about 3/16 of an inch from the surface to detail paint. Airbrushing just takes practice and more practice...but it does come around!

The 150 is a siphon fed AB. If it turns out to be something you want to add to your bench, you may want to look into a gravity fed brush. But cross one bridge before you get to the next.

Hi Dave,
I agree there no correct answer but since I use only an airbrush for painting(and only own about 7 hairy sticks) I thought I would add my 2 cents worth.
I find airbrushing is very consistent in coverage and this applies to touch ups as well where you want to blend in fixes. I think it is probably quicker in painting (except where you add in masking up a hull or superstructure) especially for small, repeat pieces. If you build up your sub assemblies, including guns, boats etc airbrushing will cover them pretty quickly. And you can always use cans for broad hull coverage.
And finally I guess the paints you have access to also dictate your approach. Here in NZ in acrylic you can only really get Tamiya and MrHobby which brush poorly but spray well. I use enamels/oils with brushes primarily for weathering.

cheers
Michael

Hi Dave

I agree with what Todd and Micheal said.

I'll just add that like you, I too use enamels exclusively but airbrush all my models. I started with a hairy stick in my youth, but once I tried out the airbrush I never looked back.

There's a little more time involved in prepping for the airbrush, such as masking and setting up racks to hold the parts but the effort is worth it. As for consumption, it's about the same once you get a bit of practice in with estimating how much paint to thin out for use. What ever you do, don't add your thinned paint back to the original tinlet as it will muddy the thinning ratios next time you go to spray. Thinning ratios should be at least 1 part thinner to 2 parts paint, but lately I've been using 1:1. Keep the thinned paint in a separate jar or discard it.

One area where brush painting simply can't compete (IMHO) is when it comes to painting delicate photo etch items, such as radar assemblies or such. The coverage from the airbush is even and consistent and total. I'd never even try brush painting those items as my ham-fistedness would simply destroy even the most sturdy photo etch...

but that's just my 2 cents...

As the guys say there is no right answer.

For large areas, if I can match the colour I use a rattlecan, Tamiya and humbrol acrylics are very forgiving, as are Halfords (UK car parts shop's) Red primer, and Citadel's Chaos black. The pro of rattlers is no cleaning the airbrush afterwards, the con is it is you have no real control, so the masking needs to be a little more extensive.

For fine spraying I use an airbrush, radars, lattice masts, and for awkward spaces, etc.

The good old hairy stick, for me has it's place, Always brusdh steel decks, I have walked enough in my Merchy days to know they are never smooth and even, detail work, there are some things that are too fragile to mask.

The long and the short of it, experiment, with all methods, and find out what works for you.

Good luck

Cheers

Si

Dave,
Paint consumption has never been a worry of mine. Seems like my bottles last longer than my need for them lasts. In other words, I lose more paint to age than usage.

I use both methods. The airbrush is awesome for primer coats and main colors. And, I find that painting with a brush uses far less paint if the model has a decent primer coat to provide "tooth" for the brushed paint.

With Vallejo Model Air and Model Master acrylics I've had no problems with the colors matching when using a brush to touch up or paint added details to match the main color that has been airbrushed.

LCB

Good thread thus far chaps. Some useful bits and pieces there.

I thought of another couple of issues!

Firstly, what does everyone think about the consequences of kit manufacturers making increasing detailed kits, with much very finely molded detail which is presently lost with the use of today's paints?

By the time you've primed, painted, applied washes and a sealing matte coat, evenly using finely thinned paint, much of that finer detail is lost.
Do we reckon it's time for the paint manufacturers to grind their pigments to an even finer degree so that we can preserve all that nice detail?

The other thing - I mentioned economy when using paint. I do so because of the hassle experienced when attempting to get paint shipped/posted these days, the experience I think most of would agree, is not one we would wish to repeat too frequently. I would sooner make my paint go as far as I can before an inevitable re-order is flagged up by an empty tin!

Perhaps one solution might be to make the more commonly-used colours available in larger tins/bottles.

Are you a RN subject specialist? Then you'll whizz through pints of AP507 in all of it's guises, similarly with hull red, so why not make half-litre tins instead?

Our UK mailing system now imposes bans on the carriage of certain substances in certain quantities, and the shipping costs are getting silly. My guess from what I have read is that the situation is similar right across the world, so anything which might make obtaining paint and making it go further would be a Good Thing in my view.

The details are certainly getting better in kit production...at least for the most part. However, the details should not be covered over through the painting process. Case in point, I have a few test models I use in painting demos at shows that have been painted 30 to 40 times without stripping and all of the panel line and surface details still show...one I use specifically for the purpose of showing applications should not cover up the detail.

The thin nature of application will also support the longevity of the paint. Items such as primers I buy in larger sizes because it's one item used all the time. But the smaller bottle should last a long long time. For example, I have some half-size bottles of vallejo...8.5ml, form their AFV sets. There are typically 5 different colors in the box. In terms of scale, I can paint about 5 to 6 1/35 scale Pz. IV's with a set before seeing certain colors diminish. The primer, of course, gets depleted more. Applications are not always thinned but are applied in light built up coats. This helps with conservation of the paint.

While enamels and solvent based paints like Tamiya are fantastic for painting...acrylics such as Vallejo, Life Color, and AMMO are ushering in a new age of healthier and less problematic age of painting. This applies to those pesky UK shipping issues you mentioned. Most of the companies making acrylics are focusing on the shipping constraints where solvent based manufacturers simply cannot.

There are some concessions to switching to acrylics, but these are outweighed by the benefits. Clogging tips, spitting and coverage are the three main issues brought to my attention both online and at my demos. These and most others are a result of just lack of experience in using the paint. It is just a different approach to how the paint is used is all. Once you re-think the normal processes, it all falls into place.

Great discussion here, joining in a little late - so there is not all that much to be said any more.
From my experience, I can agree with all that was said - there is no definite answer.

Personally, I started with paint brushing and enamels, and then decided to move ahead by buying an airbrush. With that I switched to acrylics. I have never regretted those steps!
I started with Vallejo model air, due to their cocker range, but somehow did not get them to work. - Generally, I agree with Todd that most problems can be overcome by some practice, and I have seen quite a few models painted with Vallejos that look outstanding. I still don't know what I did wrong.
Somebody pointed me towards Tamiya paints, those XF in the little jars. They worked instantly, without any problems and I got good results early on. So that was my decision right there, and I stick with them to the day. Simple alcohol works as thinner and cleaner, so not too unhealthy... Whatever colors I need I mix for myself, so no problem with their range of colors.
I am using brush and airbrush parallel, mostly the airbrush, though - Tamiyas don't brush on that well. What I do is creating a kind of 'paint box' where I let some colors cure, and than use them with an alcohol dampened brush, that works good for me.
I have never had problems with details disappearing since I use my airbrush - that happened to me with my earlier enamel / brush approach, but that was mostly due to a lack of practice...

Cheers,
Jan

Greetings from downunder.

Using an airbrush is definitely much more economical in both time and paint used than brushing. Having said that it is sometimes just not possible to use an airbrush and then you need to fall back on your top quality brushes.

As for types and brands of paint, I use which ever type of paint is appropriate for the task. Sometimes I find I need to use enamels as they are the only type of paint a certain colour comes in, and I find enamels are better for metallic finishes usually. But I can go against that theory as Gunze metallics like their Burnt Iron , H-76 I believe, covers extremely well.

First paints I used where Humbrol, then Airifx as they were all that were readily available back in the 1960's/70's. Yhen Tamiya came on the scene with their 23 ml screw cap bottles which were much better value than the tiny tins. I still remember getting headaches from using the early enamels.

I have been using acrylics for the best part of 25 years now and started with the Tamiya ones. These nearly always give excellent results with either airbrushing or brushing, and being water-based are the healthier option. I have also found Gunze to give excellent results and I use Tamiya Thinner for both brands.

Then with the last few builds I have started using Lifecolor paints. These are acrylic and most of them have excellent covering qualities when brushed on, except their RN-10 RN White, which like all whites seems to like airbrushing best. The other thing about Lifecolor is that their is so much paint pigment in them they tend to dry on the tips of fine airbrushes that I normally use and I have had to revert to my ancient Paasche single action brush when using them. No needle for the paint to dry on.

Its been blowing a gale and raining heavily all night. Winter isn't coming, it is here.

Hope this may help
Warren