# painting plastic models



## hokie1525 (Jan 13, 2015)

I just got a plastic roundhouse for my turntable. I'm new to the world of plastic models (and trains in general). Any recommendation on videos or literature on how to paint these things for realism? 

Is airbrushing the only way, or are there brush techniques that can do a good job? I don't have a large layout and I'm not looking to invest a lot of money in an airbrush and compressor.

Thanks


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Welcome.. Air-brushing is the only good way to detail rolling stock, engines, and buildings.. You don't have to spend a fortune on the kit, just get one that will do the job for you.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

One of the points to watch for is paint that is plastic friendly. Even when
the paint can label says it is, test it on an obscure spot. I have found
a couple instances this week where the paint marred the test surface.

I damaged the propellant can for my air brush so sought rattle cans
that would work. Finally found Tamiya Color at the hobby shop. It
is not acrylic but did not mar the surface of the car I was painting
and made a very nice matte finish, even leaving the molded on details
sharp and clear. 

Don


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Hello and welcome. I have to say that if your screen name has anything to do with Virginia Tech, I can have nothing further to do with you. My wife is a UVa graduate and will throw me out of the house. 

I find an airbrush valuable for painting large surfaces on which I'm trying to get subtle variations of color -- backdrops and water features, mostly.

For everything else, I use acrylic paints and brushes. My paint of choice is Vallejo acrylics (Acrylicos Vallejos in their native Spanish), a line of professional quality acrylics with creamy textures, superfine pigments, and very durable resins and about 220 different shades. I will say that I have been painting miniature figures even longer than I've been a model railroader, but I can achieve excellent results with these paints every time. They also have the added benefit of coming in a squeeze bottle, so they are less prone to drying out than paints that come in a screw bottle. I have bottles that are 7+ years old and still perfectly good.

As soon as you bring up paints, the acrylic vs. solvent-based debate usually comes up. From my perspective, acrylic paints have come a long way in the last 10-15 years, and they are now the equivalent of solvent based ones, but a lot more user friendly (no toxic fumes, soap and water clean-up).

As far as techniques, use Google or the YouTube search feature and you will find so many videos and how-to articles that you would be occupied for a month if you did nothing else. To paint a brick building, though, I wash and dry all parts, paint them using a dark red, then apply a wash (very thin paint) of a concrete color (Vallejo Stone Gray for me) to one wall at a time. Done right, the wash will settle into the cracks and look like mortar, leaving just a little on the surface to suggest fading. After the wash is dry, I drybrush (a technique in which most of the paint is removed from the brush before applying it to the model) to highlight areas, add color variations, and moss / dirt stains.

BTW, you say you don't want to spend a lot on an airbrush and compressor, but to get good results from painting, you need good brushes that are well-maintained. Expect to spend $7-$10 each for artists quality brushes, and use a brush conditioner when storing them. Take care of these brushes and they will last for years.

Hope that helps.


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## hokie1525 (Jan 13, 2015)

A Wahoo, huh? In that case...

I will use a very cheap, thin stranded brush to pain large surfaces. Then use a house painting air brush for the fine detail. I will use solvent based paints and breath in the fumes regularly. I will paint my brick using a Stone Gray wash, then paint the cracks and mortar with dark red. I will wet brush after it dries. I will buy all my brushes from the dollar store. LOL!!!

But all seriousness, thanks for the advice. What kind of airbrush kit will "just do the job?" Having no experience with it I'm not sure which kits will and won't do the job.

Thanks!


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

As far as I can see, no-one has mentioned using paint in spray cans. I'm not familiar with all the colors that various companies make, but I'd bet you could find what you need. Painting small areas, touchups, and weathering can be done with brushes and powders.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

hokie1525 said:


> A Wahoo, huh? In that case...
> 
> I will use a very cheap, thin stranded brush to pain large surfaces. Then use a house painting air brush for the fine detail. I will use solvent based paints and breath in the fumes regularly. I will paint my brick using a Stone Gray wash, then paint the cracks and mortar with dark red. I will wet brush after it dries. I will buy all my brushes from the dollar store. LOL!!!
> 
> ...


Let me check with my son...


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

You can get a nice cheapo air brush from Harbor freight, less than 20.00.

Oddly, they don't sell the propellant cans tho. You'll have to get them
elsewhere. Hobby shop had them here.

The hobby shop had all sorts of spray can paints. None were actual
acrylic, however. But the Tamiya brand did a good job with no
plastic damage.

Don


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

My son's outfit cost approx $160 bucks. That includes the compressor, brush, hoses, etc..Kinda pricey, but he'll have it for a long time.


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## Patrick1544 (Apr 27, 2013)

Harbor freight has a compressor and airbrush for about 89. I have it 2 years and it's works fine. Compare to Master Airbrush products. Almost the same.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

[Pretending I don't know nothin' 'bout no freakin' hokie] Just about any airbrush will do the trick. I used the Testors intro kit for years with good results. That also runs about $150, and includes a compressor.

I would advise against the propellant cans. It can be very hard to get a good finish using them.


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## jesteck (Apr 15, 2014)

Airbrushing isn't the only way to go, but it is the best way if you want fine control of the thickness of the paint layer. Spray cans put out a coating that is WAY too thick for most modeling applications. Get a kit with its own compressor. Much better than cans of propellant- gives you better control of pressure with no sudden bursts or reductions as the can runs out. As mentioned, you can get a decent setup for a buck fifty or less that you can use on almost everything on your layout (and off!) from rails to scenery and rolling stock, buildings, weathering, and dozens of other uses. It's probably a better investment than a 2 or 3 hundred dollar engine or big-buck DCC system upgrade.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Another option.
Pastel Chalks are great for weathering. 
Using a craft knife, scrape the chalk stick into a powder. 
Dip a paint brush in denatured alcohol and then into the powdered chalk. 
Dab or brush the chalk onto the surface to be weathered.
Some seal it with dull coat, but you really don't need it.
There are tons of colors to choose from, or you can mix/blend your own.

Good for train weathering too.
Just another option for you.


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## hokie1525 (Jan 13, 2015)

big ed said:


> Another option.
> Pastel Chalks are great for weathering.
> Using a craft knife, scrape the chalk stick into a powder.
> Dip a paint brush in denatured alcohol and then into the powdered chalk.
> ...


What is the purpose of the denatured alcohol? Is that just some kind of thinner?


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Denatured alcohol, in this case, is used as a medium to help the pastels leave the brush and adhere to the model. It evaporates quickly, which is why most people use it.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

CVT , answered it.:thumbsup:

You could just take the shavings and brush/smear them on without the alcohol. But the alcohol adheres the chalk on. (makes it stay on)
You can do it without the alcohol but most will spray it with dull coat to seal it on. Depending on how much your going to handle the item your weathering you don't have to spray it if your not going to touch it much. Say a house that is just going to sit there and never be handled. The chalking will stay on. If your going to pick it up everyday your fingers will remove some of the chalk each time. Then you would want to seal it on.

Experiment with different colors to see what you come up with. 
A mixture of orange and brown makes nice rust. Smear/brush some black coming down around chimneys. White/gray on the bricks. Different shades of brown for dirt around the base.
If you plan on not touching the building and just blend in the chalk if you don't like what you see just wipe it off with a wet cloth and try again. 

If you do seal it with the dull coat some of the chalk will be loss in the process.
Don't spray the dull coat like your spray painting something. Instead, you want the spray to sort of land on the item, and a light spray. You don't want to spray it like your painting it on. Hard to put into words.
Do you have any junk buildings or a box car? Practice on them.

There are all kinds of weathering products if you look around. A woman's eye shadow kit makes for nice weathering. Kids chalk is cheap and comes in a variety of colors. Do a little research on chalk, all chalk is not equal. Inks work well, they sell liquid rust products that when dried and applied right look nice. They also sell soot products in liquid form. They also sell liquid mud to put on something.
There are different ways to apply the liquid stuff. I like to take the item and turn it upside down and drool from the bottom to the top. That way when it is dried it looks like natural weathering. If you drool from the top down it looks unnatural. There are many different ways to achieve a natural weathering look.

Now along with using chalk and other products for weathering you could air brush it along with the chalk. 

There is a whole lot more to say on weathering if you search the site you can pick up a lot of different techniques that people use.

If you have any junk buildings you can first practice on them.
Look around as you take your walk or drive and notice how some things weather.
Even take pictures for reference. Or search the internet for weathered things for ideals.

And depending on what you want to weather don't overdue the grime, I will add that some things require the extra grime if that certain look is desired.
But it would be best to start out with a light weathering till you get comfortable weathering.

I am not an expert on weathering. 
When you search the site you will see others members weathering creations. 

I just figured I would add the chalk option, as no one else mentioned it.:smokin:


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

big ed said:


> Don't spray the dull coat like your spray painting something. Instead, you want the spray to sort of land on the item, and a light spray. You don't want to spray it like your painting it on. Hard to put into words.


Here's a spray technique that I use that sounds like what Big Ed is saying. This is how I put the last dusting of yellowish paint on my trees (on top of the greens to give it that sunny look).

Spray cans vary in the power of the spray and width of the spray. And I find it easy to be a little off in the direction of the spray -- hard to line up the spray tip and the model exactly. So there are multiple ways to put too heavy a spray on the tree.

I hold the tree off to the side, spray the cloud of paint into the air, then quickly pass the tree through the cloud (using a gloved hand). I pass the tree through the farther-away part of the cloud -- far enough out to get the light dusting that I want. If the dusting is too light, I just repeat the process.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

MtRR75 said:


> Here's a spray technique that I use that sounds like what Big Ed is saying. This is how I put the last dusting of yellowish paint on my trees (on top of the greens to give it that sunny look).
> 
> Spray cans vary in the power of the spray and width of the spray. And I find it easy to be a little off in the direction of the spray -- hard to line up the spray tip and the model exactly. So there are multiple ways to put too heavy a spray on the tree.
> 
> I hold the tree off to the side, spray the cloud of paint into the air, then quickly pass the tree through the cloud (using a gloved hand). I pass the tree through the farther-away part of the cloud -- far enough out to get the light dusting that I want. If the dusting is too light, I just repeat the process.


That works, you sort of want it to land on the item but you don't want to directly spray it on.
Hard to explain, I guess there might be a video on you tube showing the process?


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## hokie1525 (Jan 13, 2015)

Thanks for all the advice. I'm posting a couple of pictures of my weathered HO Roundhouse in a new post in the HO section.


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