New to hobby. I need painting advice

[cinifiend]

I have experience with games workshop/warhammer 40,000 models and have been painting these for over 5 years now am I am able to produce near show piece work. I have mostly used GW water based acrylic paints and I am used to watering down paints and applying many thin layers to get great paint jobs.

I recently bought a Tamiya model to try my hand at painting a nissan 350z and my results have been pretty bad so far. I realize that since this is my first model car it won't be perfect but I am still disappointed with the results so far in terms of paint job. I bought a whole bunch of Tamiya paints and I primed the parts I wanted to paint with tamiya gray primer. The guy at the hobby store told me that you can't water down tamiya paints and you have to use thinner. I tried applying the paints right out of the bottle to the plastic and it left me with solid colours but a chunky finish. I then tried thining down the paints and applying multiple layers of black and it left me with a finish that was somewhat smooth, but different shades of black which looks bad. The metallics seemed to go on a lot easier and covered the surface easier, but the finish was still somewhat lumpy.

What am I doing wrong here? What is the proper way to work with these paints to get a professional looking finish? Can anyone give me some advice here? Are there any good newbie guides online I should read?

[diymirage]

first of, welcome aboard

i have no doubt that your previous expiericence will allow you to do some awesome detail work on just about any part of the model you want.

as for the big chunks. i never use the tamiya but that is only because i am used to testors

it is really not because i have something against tamiya or because i dont think it is good qaulity (it really is) i just happen to have testors.

depending on how good my model is i will primer it when needed

if i am using a waterbased paint i ALWAYS primer my model.

would it be safe to assume you are using a brush ?

because the best way to paint larger surfaces is an airbrush

but a lot of people (myself included) will use rattle can paint aswell

then the brush we just use for smaller surfaces and detail painting

when i prep my paint i try to mix a batch large enough to cover all coats so that i dont need to remix it several times

generally speaking, the more thinner you as the glossier the paint will come out.

finally, dont shy from using clearcoats.

i sand down my final coat of regular paint before i ad 2-3 coats of clear and then i wetsand and buff that out aswell.

the fact of the mather is: even if your nissan doesnt look perfect right now with a lot of patience and some nice sanding (very fine wetsanding) there is most likely still a very nice paintjob underneath.

you can get different kinds of buffing rags at your local hobby shop aswell.

you use those once the topcoat is nice and smooth, it just brings out that showroom sheen

[cinifiend]

Thanks for the advice so far guys. Great tips. I am worried about sanding the model after it is painted? Even with 1500 grit sandpaper if i'm not careful it will still run down to the plastic. Also the guy at the hobby store told me to buy ICE automotive wax and said it works well with models. Do you guys think that will work fine with hobby paints?

[Aaronw]

From personal experience Tamiya's paints are great on small surfaces but very hard to brush paint large surfaces. The paint dries very fast and I get the clumping you describe.

I find the Testors Model Master Acryl which is also water based is much easier to brush paint. Also you can use the GW paint you already have, I have a fairly good selection of it myself and it works fine on models.

Spray paint or an air brush works best though.

[cinifiend]

I also have a bunch of vallejo game colour paints left over from my warhammer days. They are a few years old but should still be good. As I recall these paints were pretty nice to work with and you were able to water them down without using thinner. How do these compare to Tamiya paints?

[cinifiend]

Is airbrushing the only way to get a decent finish on a large area of a model? I've been trying for ages to paint the interior or a car and it has a large flat surfice. I've tried tamiya paints and vallejo paints. I've tried thinning/watering down both and nothing gives a good flat solid finish. Is it even possible to get a decent finish with hand brushing?

[modeltuner06]

Is automobile primer safe to use when painting a model car, or is there a special primer used for plastic models?

[Helipilot16]

Is automobile primer safe to use when painting a model car, or is there a special primer used for plastic models?

I use ColorPlace equipment grey primer exclusively for all paints. It is available in a spray can for about a buck at Walmart.

I have gone to a Paasche Vl double action airbrush for all my finish painting (particularly for large areas). A little practice with an airbrush wil open your eyes to the ultimate finish.

My favorite paint is the now discontinued Kustom Kolor line. It is a hybrid lacquer/enamel system. I thin it with oil based thinner. I have accumulated about 70 bottles of it from Great Planes. I think they have a few bottles left.

[sak]

Bluesman mark hit the nail on the head. Might I add to that cinifriend. You would almost certainly need an airbrush to get a smooth finish. You can find a good one on ebay for under a hundred and they can be used for many things. Or from a rattlecan. Also try thinning the tamiya paints with methyl hydrate instead of water. Also use primer for sure. And wet sand the primer before color coats. I use plastikote myself. Get a few cans, white and black.

[LoneWolf15]

Yo ! , Bluesman ,

I'm going to throw my two cents in here . Now , this is just for Testors enamels which I use exclusively . I use the automotive wet - dry paper up to 1500 grit , sanding under a stream of cold water at the sink . I then move up to the micro mesh kit , starting with the 1800 and working my way up to the 12000. I prepare my paint beforehand , using a 2 to 1 ratio , 2 jars of Testors enamel to 1 jar of cheap garden variety laquer thinner ( Sunny Side ) . I wash the body off with medicinal hand soap , rinse it off , and immediately blow dry it off using 100 psi. through the airbrush.

I put the body on a 6in. long pipe nipple , 1/2 in. or 3/4 in. in diameter , held in place by a piece of masking tape which is taped to the pipe , sticky side up , and them pressed into place on the roof of the interior. If I'm using a metallic or pearl color, I shoot the body with a coat of Testors Metallizer ( Aluminum ) . I then adjust my regulator to 32 psi. and begin to coat the body with a multitude of light coats until I have achieved an overall smooth coverage and gloss. I then put the body in a metal cabinet for 3 or 4 days and allow the paint to flash out . Being that I used laquer as my cutting base , the body is dry and ready for clear in just a couple of days. I do not use primer unless I have done an extensive amount of bodywork . Patience and sanding carefully as you step up from lower grades of grit to the finer grades remove the necessity for primer. The smoother the sanded body , the smoother the finish .

Testors enamel metallics and pearls can be wet sanded before clear coat is applied . I usually start with the 4000 and make my way up to the 12000 , again lightly sanding under cold water . I then repeat the body prep steps as indicated before , using the same ratio of clear to laquer thinner as I did with the paint. Once again , light whisper thin coats are applied until I've achieved an overall smooth finish and gloss. Once it flashes out , any blemishes or dirt can be removed with the polishing kit .

I then apply Novus 2 , following up with Final Detail 's The Treatment wax. The key to achieving a smooth paint job is controlling your painting environment. A Paache H series airbrush , using the # 5 head is perfect for painting model cars . An inline moisture / oil trap along with a regulator are a must . One needs to have the proper equipment starting out to achieve the desired effect when it comes to painting. Once you have a system or steps to follow concerning prep work , with a little practice , anyone can lay out a quality paint job .

Cinifiend , the airbrush is the only way to fly , in my humble opinion ! Anytime you need help with paint or have questions about it , I can always be contacted through oldmansmodels.com I hope this helped out !

Yo , Blues , How is the that headache ? Lol !

Donn Yost

Lone Wolf Custom Painting