That's amazing. I was never that detailed when I made models as a kid.
I watched about 8 how-to videos tonight on You Tube on airbrushing basics, compressors, airbrushing techniques, etc. I realized that the airbrush itself, the accessories and a compressor is going to set me back hundreds of dollars.
I'm a little out of touch on pricing but I think you could get set up for your needs for maybe a couple hundred including paints/ supplies, starting with something like this:
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Master Airbrush KIT-G22-T Dual Fan Air Compressor System Kit at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
My music room is simply not set up for airbrushing, and I don't want to expose myself and family to the noise in the house, so I'm going to look at alternatives. I could conceivably airbrush outside in the shed in warmer weather, or in the backyard. I also learned that the Iwata airbrush is a good one to start with.
I think you'll see the compressor isn't that loud, and having a spray booth really simplifies indoor work,
that's where the big bucks are:
3' Bench Spray Booth. The Booth Includes Booth must be assembled and hardwired (switch to be supplied by electrician). Set of Paint Filters.
www.ebay.com
ONLY $1800 which seems like a great deal until you realize you still gotta install the ducting and filters to comply with OSHA standards.
(OK, yeah I
was going a little over the top for laughs.
)
I see the airbrush as ideal for parts needing consistent covering like car/plane bodies, engines, chassis, interior tubs, and they're ideal for things like camo patterns, you get the idea, but there's a still a place for brushes for fine detail.
/QUOTE]I decided to build one of my other stashed kits first just using brushes, the way I used to, and see how it comes out. I think that's a good way to start from scratch, then, work into airbrushing gradually. I probably have over twenty kits packed away at this point; planes, cars and figures, including a few Aurora monster models. When I invest in an airbrush and compressor, I will practice on a cheap model off Ebay first.
For things like car bodies you can get very good results with spray cans, but not only do they need to be shaken thoroughly and then again even 2 or 3 times, but need to be used in an ideal temp range: too cold and the droplets tend not to atomize as finely, too hot and the paint dries too fast. Either on can result in getting too thick layer of paint which tends to bury fine surface details like rivets or body moulding.
That's where understanding thinning is good to know for brush work. I think most of us just used the straight paint from the little Testors or Pactra jars, right? Unless there was another modeler in the family, nobody to teach us the little trick of thinning, which helps keep the coat nice and thin, and helps prevent brush marks.
Also I tried spray cans outdoors a couple of times, and discovered it's almost impossible to have a perfectly still day. There's always a little waft of air that seems to come along and carry paint away from the piece.. Then you try to compensate and wind up with uneven coverage.
Also it's better to use multiple coats than to try to do it all in one pass, and that means at least a 24 hour cure time between coats, just like lacquering a guitar. Also can result in orange peeling or "drips".
Or at least that applied to NCL-type spray paints, I'm not even sure they make those anymore.
One of the nicest jobs I ever did was on a '63 Stingray, going for the factory Silver Blue color:
(not the model)
Did it by using Silver as the base coat and then spraying a couple of thin/light coats of Dark Blue over it.
Gives a different effect than the single-paint job on that Avanti, a little more realistic I think, although in my case the color I wanted just wasn't available off the shelf or I probably would have gone for it.
I did go wrong once though, using an
automotive paint on my own Avanti model because it was
available. Turned out to be a little too rich in solvents which softened the plastic, yielding a bizarre after effect.
Good luck and have fun! Let us now how it goes!!
