Painting Advice

Hey everyone,
I haven't been on AF for about a year and now I'm back. I didn't had time to build models during the school year so i thought i mind as well build a few models before i head off to college in the fall. So right now I'm working on a batmobile by ERTL. It's a change since I usually build Tamiya "Supercars" but the batmobile has been my childhood dream car. My queston is: What's a good way to paint interior gauges and buttons? This kit doesn't come with decals and it's a real b****. The interior is semi gloss and the dials and gauges are suppose to be silver. I tried free handing it by dry brushing it worked okay, but it wasn't clean so i stripped the paint with some nail polish remover. (side note: does this eat thru the plastic? I'm not sure if it rubbed any of the details off....) And my second question is. How do i achieve a burnt steel look for the afterburner behind the batmobile? It comes chrome and I sprayed it flat black, planning to use thinner an wipe some of the flat black off. And I don't have an air brush. So any suggestions? I would appreciate it. Thanxs.

Well I think to detail the gauges the only way to do it is by free hand painting. The reason it might not be "clean" is because you may be putting too much paint on the brush,causing the paint to run off the button or whatever minor detail you are painting. So my advice to you is to do a dry brush tehnique. It when the brush has very little paint almost to the point when you paint with it it does not run. Very hard to explain. For your second question I have no clue. Without an airbrush it is hard to weather things(especially when theyre as large as an afterburner!). I think the thinner will just smear the black paint or possibly take it off and that is what you do not want... I dont think there is any other way besides an airbrush unless anyone else here knows a way?

okay.. thats sounds good. Thanxs stephendeli.