Airbrush paints for interior and chassis

[tengel78]

I’m getting ready to buy my first airbrush (iwata hp-cs) and am curious what everyone uses to airbrush interiors and engine, frame, etc.  I’m probably going to try gravity colors first for the body. Locally I can buy Tamiya and model air paints.  Suggestions on gloss and semigloss black, steel, aluminum, etc?

[BigTallDad]

 

27 minutes ago, tengel78 said:

  Suggestions on gloss and semigloss black, steel, aluminum, etc?

I usually brush paint engines and interiors. Since chassis/frames are not part of the body color, I use rattle can primer.

Your "Suggestions on gloss and semigloss black, steel, aluminum, etc?" could fill a book.

[Miatatom]

Paasche H

[StevenGuthmiller]

I use a combination of flat Testors enamels and Alclad paints for most of my small parts painting.

I mix a lot of my own flat enamels for things like engines & then clear coat them with Testors clear lacquer.

For exposed metal parts like transmissions, exhaust, etc, I use several different colors of Alclad lacquer.

It looks much more realistic than the bottle paints.

For black I generally use Duplicolor black primer straight out of the spray can & then clear coat as needed.

 

For interiors, I generally mix all of my own colors from Testors flat enamels as well.

 

Steve

[Erik Smith]

I second the Alclad II Steve mentions above. I use it on lots, well, most of my chassis parts. 

The great thing about an airbrush is you can use just about any paint you want - just thin it and spray it. I use Testors enamels, Tamiya acrylics, old Floquil enamels (actually one of the best for airbrushing!)...you have access to all the paints and colors. You can even use nail polish...

[Miatatom]

5 hours ago, tengel78 said:

I’m getting ready to buy my first airbrush (iwata hp-cs) and am curious what everyone uses to airbrush interiors and engine, frame, etc.  I’m probably going to try gravity colors first for the body. Locally I can buy Tamiya and model air paints.  Suggestions on gloss and semigloss black, steel, aluminum, etc?

Tyler, the reason I mentioned an air brush, the Paasche H, was that I saw you were going to purchase a relatively expensive and sophisticated air brush. If you are a beginner, I suggest the Paasche because of it's simplicity of deign, ease of use, durability and simple cleaning. I'd think about that purchase and ask/look around the board. There was just a thread about the Paasche H. It a good evaluation by many members. Personally, I started with a dual action Badger Patriot 105. A fairly precision A/B useful for T shirts and detail painting of small figures but not large surface areas like model car bodies. While I did learn to use it relatively well a couple of times, I never felt like I had really figured out how to use it correctly all the time.

It's kinda like getting in a race car for the first time and trying to stay up with the really fast guys on the first lap. You can't do it. You'll end up making a rookie mistake and crashing. Trust me, I know. Turn 7 at Road Atlanta and several model cars attest to that analogy with respect to both 1 : 1 and numerous model cars. 

PS I spray acrylics on my interiors and chassis and cover with clear or dull coat.

[Pete J.]

One thought on tamiya paints.  I use the heck out of them but to my eye the  flat, semigloss and gloss black comes out of an airbrush one level of gloss up.  In other words, flat seems to have just a touch of a sheen to it and looks more like semi gloss at the model level.  Semigloss seems to be more like what you would call gloss in an engine bay.  Gloss is to  shiny for the engine.  It is more of an exterior color. 

[tengel78]

18 hours ago, Miatatom said:

Tyler, the reason I mentioned an air brush, the Paasche H, was that I saw you were going to purchase a relatively expensive and sophisticated air brush. If you are a beginner, I suggest the Paasche because of it's simplicity of deign, ease of use, durability and simple cleaning. I'd think about that purchase and ask/look around the board. There was just a thread about the Paasche H. It a good evaluation by many members. Personally, I started with a dual action Badger Patriot 105. A fairly precision A/B useful for T shirts and detail painting of small figures but not large surface areas like model car bodies. While I did learn to use it relatively well a couple of times, I never felt like I had really figured out how to use it correctly all the time.

It's kinda like getting in a race car for the first time and trying to stay up with the really fast guys on the first lap. You can't do it. You'll end up making a rookie mistake and crashing. Trust me, I know. Turn 7 at Road Atlanta and several model cars attest to that analogy with respect to both 1 : 1 and numerous model cars. 

PS I spray acrylics on my interiors and chassis and cover with clear or dull coat.

Thanks Tom!  I'll check out the Paasche H.  I just saw it at Hobby Lobby and the price is good with the 40% coupon at about $126.  I went ahead and ordered a few bottles from Gravity for some bodies and will try a few different brands for the rest of the car.  I've been reading around and their are a ton of opinions on paint, so it seems I just need to try some and see what I like.  At least most paint is relatively cheap.  I also have a bunch of Testors enamel, so I can try those with a AB as well.

[Miatatom]

That price at HL is a little high even after the coupon. They can be had for around $40, the last time I checked. It would pay to be patient and look around. You won't be sorry you bought a H.

[tengel78]

9 hours ago, Miatatom said:

That price at HL is a little high even after the coupon. They can be had for around $40, the last time I checked. It would pay to be patient and look around. You won't be sorry you bought a H.

Thanks again Tom.  I found the H kit on Amazon for about $50 that includes a hose and 3 different cup sizes.  I found some youtube videos from Dr. Kranky (I think he's on here) that I want to watch today before making a decision, but it looks like a good choice.  The Iwata hp-cs may be a good choice later down the road if I want more detail or weathering.  I can use the extra money for paint, kits, etc.

[Miatatom]

Sounds like you've found a good deal. Great! Yes, Dr Cranky is a regular here and has a lot of experience and model making knowledge.

[jaymcminn]

Not to throw another variable at you, but the Iwata Revolution Hp-CR is another fantastic choice. The price generally comes in around $90-100, so it splits the difference between the Eclipse and the Paasche H. With a .5mm tip, it sprays lacquers and acrylics beautifully. It goes from a 1/16 to 1" spray pattern and is dead simple to use and maintain (at least by dual-action standards). The quality is up to Iwata's high standards as well. Dual-action 'brushes take some getting used to, but you'll have to learn anyway if you eventually upgrade to the Eclipse from the Paasche. With the Revolution, you'll never really need to upgrade! (Note: you might be tempted by the Iwata Neo brushes... DON'T. The price point seems nice, but they're cheap Chinese junk. There's a big difference!) 

As far as paint goes, Tamiya acrylics, thinned with their thinner or 70% isopropyl alcohol, work great. I really like the Testors Model Master acrylics too. Their "Aircraft Interior Black" is my go-to when I'm looking for a dead-flat greyish black. Tamiya acrylics do tend to have a little more sheen than you might want for some applications, but you can add some of their flat base to knock that down. I haven't used enamels in many years since I got comfortable using acrylics. Good luck!

[DiscoRover007]

I pretty much use Vallejo air paints exclusively for interiors. They are excellent acrylic paints and very opaque so they cover well. My usual go to engine paint is model master aluminum metalizer. If the engine has a grain to use I will use a coat of primer and then shoot the metalizer on top of that.

[TarheelRick]

Another inexpensive option for interior paints are the acrylic craft paints from Hobby Lobby, Michael's, etc.  Quite often they are on sale for $.69-79 a bottle and they offer a wide selection of colors.  Thinned with isopropyl alcohol they spray quite nicely and if you desire they can be cleared with an acrylic clear to a very nice gloss.  Here is an El Camino interior and an exterior of a modified race-car I did with thee paints: