please help. . .I'm no good

I tried to follow the FAQ regarding painting and priming and everything was going very smoothly and then disaster. I had three coats of paint on. . .and it looked good. But I got greedy and went for the 4th coat. Now parts of the body are covered in that so-called "orange peel" pattern.

Is this car ruined, or can it be sanded out and made well again?

Also, a few more questions:

1. Should I be using acrylics or enamels for the body? For the parts?
2. Do serious builders paint thier bodies with spraypaint, or is it strickly restricted to airbrushing?
3. Are testor brand enamels garbage, or am I just no good?

Thanks
Judd
a new member.

Hello, and welcome to af

1. Either is ok, from what I know, but I always use Tamiya lacquer sprays for the body and many of the parts. Just remember that you can paint an acrylic over an enamel, but you can't paint an enamel over an acrylic.

2. Many pros use just Tamiya rattle cans. Check out PMan's gallery page... those are all done with spray cans. www.automotiveforums.com/scalemodeling/

3. Testor brand enamels aren't too bad. Try using a quality brush.


Also, about your body. Depends on the extent of the orange peel. If it's not bad, just sand/polish it out.

EDIT: Fixed link.

Very very very fine sandpaper is what you'll need - and then you'll need to wet sand it. Then use cutting/rubbing compound in the way the FAQ's mention. You might need to paint another coat after that though. This happened on one of my Celsiors recently but have yet to get around to repairing it.

or you could simply strip the paint off and try, try, try again. youll get it right. to strip paint look in the FAQ to find out how to do it. also many people use spray cans but in the long run if you decide to model seriously you will save money if you get an airbrush. and you can mix custom colors which is why i bought one in the first place.

or you could simply strip the paint off and try, try, try again.

Stripping the paint off should be a last resort. Don't do it if you don't have to. Try wet sanding it LIGHTLY with 2000 grit sandpaper, to get rid of all the small bumps in it, then try polishing the paint back. this might take a few attemps to get right, but it's probably alot more stress-free than stripping. Also, if you sand it back too far and you can see primer or the plastic, you'll probably have to add another couple of coats.

But you'll eventually get the hang of it. I know I'm still learning.

How long do I have to let the paint dry before I can go after it with the sandpaper?

Also, do you guys paint small parts with a brush, or do you airbrush everything no matter what the part?

Thanks
judd

How long do I have to let the paint dry before I can go after it with the sandpaper?

Also, do you guys paint small parts with a brush, or do you airbrush everything no matter what the part?

Thanks
judd


To be on the safe side, leave the paint for a few days, maybe closer to a week, just so it can harden properly.

Personally, I paint most of my smaller parts (suspension, small engine detials) with a brush, unless I'm airbrushing something the same colour. However I try to airbrush as much as possible. However there are people on these forums who will airbrush everything.