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Brush Painting Aircraft Kits with Oils


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I don't think I could live without an airbrush but I know that there are a lot of people who can't afford or just plain don't like using airbrushes.  I recently watched this video and was surprised at the result that this guy got painting a bare plastic aircraft kit with oils.  It is a good tutorial and it makes me want to give it a try.

Painting kits with oils

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Holy cow!  That has got to be the best video I've ever seen on that kind of painting technique.  It was VERY descriptive and informative and you could see the results take shape right before your eyes.  I only work in the one true scale (1/48) but I might have to go out and get an inexpensive 1/72 scale kit to try this technique.  

 

I enjoy my airbrush but I, like so many of us, first got into the hobby painting my kits with brushes.  Truth be told, I, at times, feel like I'm "locked in" to using my airbrush.  After seeing the technique in the video, I feel like I could possibly have a new avenue opened up to me in terms of how to finish a kit.  Best of all, I'm all about nostalgia so being able to finish a model using brushes intrigues me greatly.

 

I do have one question about the technique shown.  When he smoothes out the paint using the larger brush, does he have anything on it (paint?  thinner?) before brushing over the painted surface or is it simply a clean and dry brush?

 

Eric

 

PS.  Thank you for posting that video, Els!!!

Edited by echolmberg
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as the oil paint takes 2 days to dry (that's what he said in the video... i personally wait a least twice longer to call it dried) 

you can smooth it without any solvent (all my tries with turpentine ends in total removal of the paint...) just be careful.

and the oil paints i've used are rather smelly...

 

outstanding video, thanks Els for the head-up!

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Mingwin, thank you for the info regarding the smoothing it out.  Gonna ask another silly question here.  Can I assume that you smooth it out while the paint is still wet or do you have to wait some measure of time before doing that?  I have never ever worked with oils before but I sure have seen the good results (especially on figures) that people achieve with them.

 

Eric

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1 hour ago, ChippyWho said:

(In deference to the sensibilities of fellow ARC connoisseurs, I won't share my tempera on gesso FW 190.)

Oh please! I would love to see tempera on gesso on plastic!!!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Never used oils, but know some people use acrylics instead of oils for painting because they dry faster.  Would that work on models as well and shorten the drying time?

 

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14 hours ago, Geoff M said:

Never used oils, but know some people use acrylics instead of oils for painting because they dry faster.  Would that work on models as well and shorten the drying time?

 

I'm not sure about artists acrylics. I would the think the need to prime before using them on plastic would be there since it easily chips away from any plastic paint pallets I've used to mix them. Not saying they won't work, just maybe not as well. Besides, to me then main advantage of using oils is the slow drying time. That allows for much better and subtle blends and fades. I've never painted a full model with oils but I've weathered with them and it's always come out pretty nice. At least to me. Here is an F-14 I used oils on a lot to replicate the touched up paint spots seen on the real thing. Sorry, not the best pic

 

IMAG0057.jpg

 

Bill

 

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