Whats the application of choice when it comes to painting the decks/sides/upper and lower hull on your boats? Do you use an AB or paint by brush? I can see overspray issues, even with my 1/350 boats let alone the small stuff, unless one masks like crazy. How do you paint yours?
{yes, I'm new to boat building as you can tell}

I haven't built nearly as many ships as the rest of these guys here, but I can tell you from now on it will be air brush all the way for me. You may have to mask, but the large areas you need to paint make the AB the way to go, IMHO. This is especially true on the USS Yorktown that I still hope to finish. It needs quite a bit of yellow paint on the decks, and brush painting yellow is a royal pain in the neck.

Well anymore its mostly by brush for me. Usually because I started finding myself too lazy to mask everything and then go next door to airbrush.
My hand painting skills seem to be improving and I have a little more control. May just take a few extra coats to get it looking nice.

Ahoy, Bob!

Just like mixed nuts, you're going to get as many opinions on this subject, mate. . .the best thing to do is to listen to all methods described, and try them out, and then stick to what works best for you.
Personally, there is no other alternative than an airbrush or a rattle can for ship hulls and decks, but superstructures, I usually build and paint as I go, and then add them to the ship assembly as they are finished. . .same as with other fixtures (ie, life-boats, etc) that are to be a different color, I paint first then add to the model later. . .but that's MY method, and what works for you may be different.
My eyes and hands are just not what they used to be, and this is what works best for me . . .it amazes me how some guys can assemble an entire ship model first, and then go back and detail paint the whole mess. . .20 years ago, not a problem!
Keep Modeling!
~Gunny

Ahoy Bob.

I use both methods. It all depends on what I'm painting. I paint as much as I can with the ab, and then take out the brush to do details, touch ups and the like. I also use pencil colors and markers. It just depends on the look I'm trying to get.

1st off, thanks guys for the input...I can see the AB being used for the hull and most of the deck...but I think the brushes will be dusted off and used for the smaller structures.

Hey Gator, what's this I hear about "masks" that you make? Are they for hull pattern camo or more than that?!

Halfyank, I think I'll be in your boat soon{bad pun I know}...parents watch the kids on tues and thurs here...was cleaning the snow off they're car right after I got home and spied a 1/350 Trumpeter Hornet in the back seat/floorboard...my parents don't build models! Got inside and hit up the daughter{4yrs old} if we got any mail today...she started to say something when my parents cut her off with a "NO". My birthday is next week and I'm thinking either the wife or the parents got me a gift....we'll see! I may have to find some 1/350 B25s for a Doolittle squadron load.......

I used both for my 1/350 Missouri that I did last year, but somewhat reversed the method others described. The hull was all airbrushed, but I just didn't want to mess with masking the superstructure/decks. So I airbrushed the upper parts of the ship (with almost all of the construction done, but not all of the PE added - things like ladders and railings which would "mask" the paint) in haze gray. I then went back and used a regular brush for the deck which was Deck Blue. The secret is to make sure that the paint you're using will cover well without showing a lot of brush strokes.

I DID wind up going back and touching up a lot of the seams where the deck paint went up on to the vertical surfaces but I think I saved a lot of time compared with having to mask all those bulkheads.

On the other hand, if I were doing a carrier, I'd almost certainly us an aibrush for both horizontal and vertical surfaces and mask if each was a different color.

And dazzle schemes? I just won't do 'em :-) :-)

Tom

I build almost exclusively 350 scale capital ships. They are just too big to hand paint, and with the brush strokes and the color variances due to paint settling, YUCK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I detail paint by brush and do touch up. Now small scales ships (like my 1200 scale battleship collection) are done by hand)

Ahoy Bob

I am just like you I am fairly new to this and I asked exactly the same question awhile ago.

I tried brush painting the deck on my 1/700 Admiral Schree and I was disappointed with it. I airbrushed the superstructures and hull and I was very pleased with those.

My current 1/700 IJN Isuzu I am going to try airbrushing and masking etc the deck, hull and superstructures and I will let you know what I think of the methods used and results.

Regards

Sean

Fordboy...hope it works well for you...ship building that is. I needed a change from the armor and planes as it was kind of getting old.
I tried the AB for painting the decks...I forsee alot of touch ups...but it is nice otherwise. Maybe my aztek isn't the hot ticket for boats...that iwata CR toploader is calling to me from hobbylobby{with a 40% off coupon}.
The wife did actually buy me the Hornet kit!!!...I won't say she doesn't support the hobby{till now!}, she mostly just doesn't contribute to it or say anything if it's not too costly a kit...I'll half to get her something really nice for her birthday now...maybe the Essex. :-)