So, how much paint to you use?

How much paint to lay on a model? I'm not asking you to tell me in ounces, but I'm just curous, do you spray a lot, a little, or what?

I often hear that a Tamiya spray can only get you one model, I can easily get two little Hondas.

But what really precipated this query was my first used of Cobra Colors paint. On the website, it says to expect a bottle of paint to last one car with some left over. I've sprayed a model with their paint twice because I messed up the first try, and I've used only a third of the bottle, and I still felt that I was laying down too much both times! Do I use to little? Is there some reason that I should use more? Should I paint it, let it sit and give it more coats until I use up the paint or something? I am confused.

i'd say, if it looks good, dont worry about spraying more coats.

The less the better! So long as you have complete coverage of course. I find with race and rally cars it always ends up being thick because of the way I clear coat over decals. Since that got me in the habit of keeping it thin, when I come to do a road car with no decals there is only the barest minimum paint on it.

[QUOTE=willimo]How much paint to lay on a model? I'm not asking you to tell me in ounces, but I'm just curous, do you spray a lot, a little, or what?


Don't worry too much about how much you use, if it looks good, it the right amount. A lot depends on color, and who's paint. I painted a Caprice wagon with MCW's radar blue (a corvette color) and used less than a teaspoon. I've also used MCW's Ferrari red on a Ferrari and used almost the full to ounces. I've had the same type of results with almost any paint. So it comes back to the bottom line, are you happy with it?
Randy

with a Tamiya spray, I can do 2 model and there is some left (not enough for anything)

on airbrush, I can make a full body with some left with a single 7ml Testor bottle (thinned 1:1)

1 can of paint normally lasts me 2 and a half models.

It all depends, sometimes a little sometimes a lot. On a 1:43 I used an entire small bottle of tamiya transperent orange because it was going to be buffed out and I had to make it darker than I really wanted.

When did you make a 1:43? Diecast? You should do a thread where you link to all your diecasts (so you don't have to post them all in both sections, just a cross reference, you know?) because I and undoubtedly others here miss out on all your work.

How much paint to lay on a model? I'm not asking you to tell me in ounces, but I'm just curous, do you spray a lot, a little, or what?

I often hear that a Tamiya spray can only get you one model, I can easily get two little Hondas.

But what really precipated this query was my first used of Cobra Colors paint. On the website, it says to expect a bottle of paint to last one car with some left over. I've sprayed a model with their paint twice because I messed up the first try, and I've used only a third of the bottle, and I still felt that I was laying down too much both times! Do I use to little? Is there some reason that I should use more? Should I paint it, let it sit and give it more coats until I use up the paint or something? I am confused.

I used to use 1/2 to 2/3 of a two ounce jar on an average 1/24 scale body with my Paasche VL, but I've discovered I use far less with my Iwata HP-C. Much less overspray now.

Thanks guys - paint is my weakest point in modelling, and I really have a low sense of ability with it. I will therefore always be asking newb style paint questions. Thanks for the help!!

Most times 2-3 models depending on paint

I wouldn't take much notice of Cobra Colors' website advice on quantity... or any other paint maker's! Remember, their business is selling paints, so maybe their advice is, how can I say it, a little too favourable to them?
Besides, it depends on how much you use cleaning the spray before starting and how far from the model you start and stop spraying.
Experience and personal taste will tell you when it is enough.

I wouldn't take much notice of Cobra Colors' website advice on quantity... or any other paint maker's! Remember, their business is selling paints, so maybe their advice is, how can I say it, a little too favourable to them?
Besides, it depends on how much you use cleaning the spray before starting and how far from the model you start and stop spraying.
Experience and personal taste will tell you when it is enough.

Here's the text on my site:

"Usage varies depending on each individual's method and style of painting, but a pre-thinned 2 ounce jar of Cobra Colors paint is typically more than enough to cover a 1/20 to 1/25 scale car body. If you plan on applying a finish to a project that requires additional parts to be painted such as the body, chassis, engine and wheels of a street rod or custom, you may need more paint than a single 2 ounce jar can provide. Also, darker colors generally cover better than lighter colors. The darker the color, the less you'll need."

It's very obviously open to interpretation to anyone who reads it because of the many variables involved. It is what it is because if it stated each jar would cover six model car bodies, the buyer who only sprayed five bodies would likely feel cheated.

I've used an array of colors from Cobra Colors, and how much I use varies with each color. The first 2 attempts I used about 1/2 a bottle of each. The metallic black 959 I just painted used less than a 1/4 of the bottle.

The key is to have even coverage, especially with metallics and pearls.

The orange pearl effect on the Murcielago I just finished got progressively better with each light coat I put on. I think I sprayed 4 or 5 light coats of the orange pearl over the base coat.

Tamiya spray cans are the same for me. I could spray 2 cars with one can if the color is a darker color. I think I used almost 2 cans of white on my Enzo build. Mainly because there were 13 -15 separate body pieces to spray, so that lead to some wasted paint. I also wanted to insure no bleeding of the yellow body underneath, so I sprayed it on a little heavier than I normally would.