Spray paint or by Hand?

Hey, I just got my 1st kit, the Tamiya Sauber C9. I know you have to spray paint the body, but what about the really really small details, like brake rotors, calipers, turbos, do you mask them and then spray paint or use a brush?? because i was looking at tamiyas paints they were all bottles with screw caps not spray cans.

OMG....and the search function is broken....

lol it wasnt clear enough :biggrin:

i personally paint almost 99% of a kit by spray.(airbrush) and by using tamiya tape if necessary. i pretty much only hand paint things like wheel lugs, dash buttons/knobs.. etc. very small detail things ... but do use the search button for more info.

Is this ment to be a survey or do you want the "correct" answer? If the latter, there is none, do what you like.

no, its not meant to be a survey. I'm new at this so I was wondering how you guys do your details. Because I'm probably going to go with brushing the tiny parts.

.. because i was looking at tamiyas paints they were all bottles with screw caps not spray cans.
I become to think this guy are sincere, don't just joke us:iceslolan: so i paint very small detail by brush, but rotors and calipers aren't small details to me in 1/24: search better tamy sell spray and bottles also, enamels, acrylics and laquer (and pc) but spray could be thick for the topic

speaking of spraying =D, today is going to be my first time airbrushing my parts. should i thin out my tamiya paints before spraying so it wont clog?

and thanks RR for your replay =)

speaking of spraying =D, today is going to be my first time airbrushing my parts. should i thin out my tamiya paints before spraying so it wont clog?

and thanks RR for your replay =)

just like milk:smile:

k, so wat are some good brushes

Any good quality, soft bristle, fine brush you can get at a craft store like Michaels.

i use loew-connel from michaels, but i have recently embraced the easy and smoothness of spray

OMG....and the search function is broken....

A really useless answer. I have no idea how I would go about searching for this kind of question. If you don't want to answer, fine. Let other people answer if they're inclined. But the search feature and FAQ, while useful, are not the remarkable cure alls that some make them out to be.

As mentioned above, there's no right or wrong answer to detail painting. I usually approach it by airbrushing anything I can- but I hand brush alot also. It's really a matter of personal experince to know what you can do one way, and what you'll have to do another. A couple of examples of my own:

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=503/67954101_0186.jpg

F50 engine: the transmissin was sprayed grey, then masked, and the engine block was sprayed aluminum. Then the frames were brush painted black. Too much effort to mask them and spray them, and I've had good luck brush painting flat black. I like MM Acryl with a sable brush for this.

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/527/gt200039lt.jpg

GT2 brakes: Masked and airbrushed everything. First the red calipers were sprayed, than masked with bits of tamiya tape. Then the hub was sprayed aluminum, and masked with a cylander of narrow tamiya tape, filled with wadded tissue. Then the disk was sprayed metallic grey. Lots of hard masking, but worth it. I almost never brush metallics, except on tiny details, like bolt heads.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/67954109_0992.JPG

F50 seats: Sprayed grey, than brush painted flat black, and then gloss black. I hate masking seats. Again, I've had good luck with brush painting black.

Hope this gives a bit of an idea for how to approach things. Again, there is no right or wrong. Other people might have done these differently, and gotten results as good or better. It's really a matter of what works best for you.

Good luck!

A really useless answer. I have no idea how I would go about searching for this kind of question. If you don't want to answer, fine. Let other people answer if they're inclined. But the search feature and FAQ, while useful, are not the remarkable cure alls that some make them out to be.


Thank goodness for members like you, you're such a godsend in bringing those of us that know what threads have been posted before back to earth.
What on earth made me think the search feature was any use to any one :screwy:

Thank goodness for members like you, you're such a godsend in bringing those of us that know what threads have been posted before back to earth.
What on earth made me think the search feature was any use to any one :screwy:

Nice bit of sarcasm, that.

I didn't say it hadn't been discussed. I didn't say it couldn't be found. I did say that I wouldn't know how to look for it. So what would you search under?

If you want to be helpful, it seems that posting "hey, by using the search feature, I found this link and this link" would be a good way of going about it. If you don't want to be helpful, than what's the point of reading and answering questions? Yeah, it takes effort to post an answer to a question- and if you don't want to do that, fine- no one here is obligated to. But "use the search feature' or "read the FAQ" have become such tired instant answers amongst older members that it seems they're often given before any thougth is given to their specific merit regarding the question they're addressed to.

I searched under 'brush or spray' and didn't find anything useful. If I'm doing it wrong, and you can show me how to use it more effectively, I'm happy to learn....

i always handburshed almost everything, but now that iv gotten into airbrushing some, i spray alot more. it usually comes out nicer, its quicker, and u can paint alot of things at once

speaking about the SEARCH button... is there a way to get rid of the three letter minimum in the search feature?? example: if I wanted to look up everyone's opinion on "UT Models" but of course "UT" does not met the minimum... also i think that might help other words like "Z3", "GT", etc....

Nice bit of sarcasm, that.

I didn't say it hadn't been discussed. I didn't say it couldn't be found. I did say that I wouldn't know how to look for it. So what would you search under?

If you want to be helpful, it seems that posting "hey, by using the search feature, I found this link and this link" would be a good way of going about it. If you don't want to be helpful, than what's the point of reading and answering questions? Yeah, it takes effort to post an answer to a question- and if you don't want to do that, fine- no one here is obligated to. But "use the search feature' or "read the FAQ" have become such tired instant answers amongst older members that it seems they're often given before any thougth is given to their specific merit regarding the question they're addressed to.

I searched under 'brush or spray' and didn't find anything useful. If I'm doing it wrong, and you can show me how to use it more effectively, I'm happy to learn....

Thanks, wow man your F50's powertrain looks awesome. Thats what happened to me, I couldn't find what types and brushes I should use. So soft bristle brushes from Michaels. Also What kind of plastic cement is good for a model kit like this?

Here is a link to the section of the CAR MODELING FAQ (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=63623) which cover the question you have asked regarding glue:

What kind of glue should I use (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?postid=578992#post578992)

You will find many subjects in the FAQ which are helpful when starting out modeling.

o yea tru i forgot about that. i was looking at it before

I would also like the three word minimum removed. I am soon to be building a Z3 and whenever I search I can't get any material for reference.

Damn, I wish they would remove that. It's like a thorn in my side.

You could mention the search problem in the I want change forum (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1197) . But don't hold your breath, things move very slowly around here.

Thanks, wow man your F50's powertrain looks awesome. Thats what happened to me, I couldn't find what types and brushes I should use. So soft bristle brushes from Michaels.

Thanks- in my F40 build (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=413685), I showed another technique for masking I use sometimes- wet tissue and aluminum foil.

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/5932/11212978es.jpg

I find it works pretty well for irregular shapes like turbos.

That's new!!

omg, even your F40's powertain looks amazing, especially with that discoloring on the exhaust pipes. yje aluminum foil's a good idea, I'm gonna try that once I get my paints :iceslolan

omg, even your F40's powertain looks amazing, especially with that discoloring on the exhaust pipes. yje aluminum foil's a good idea, I'm gonna try that once I get my paints :iceslolan

Well, i guess it also depends on how much you are willing to spend. If you want to buy every color for your particular model in spray cans, i am thinking that you will be spending a small fortune. Good enamel paints will give you a great finish for any small parts. For the chassis and body, use spray cans. FOr all my car interiors and engines, i have used a brush. I think masking off small parts is a bit tedious, especially if you have to paint multiple colors. Besides, i think using a brush just adds to the "art" that is model making. From my experience, painting with a brush is much better for small parts or detail. Spray cans only good for big parts, like the body or chassis or parts that are only one color. But again, it is all up to you. Good luck in your model making and painting:)

If you want to buy every color for your particular model in spray cans, i am thinking that you will be spending a small fortune.

Spray cans? Forget the spray cans. An airbrush is the only way to go.

I'd stop modeling if I had to paint with spray cans....

NewyorkKopter- You mentioned that the C9 will be you're first kit? It is a bit ambitious for a first build....

Is it really?? yup its going to be my first kit. I've always loved the Group C cars, especially the Sauber C9 so I guess I'll give it a shot :sunglasse

Is it really?? yup its going to be my first kit. I've always loved the Group C cars, especially the Sauber C9 so I guess I'll give it a shot :sunglasse

Yeah, it's a challenging kit for a first build, for exactly the reason you started this thread- it's very detail intensive. If you feel up for it, go for it- but you may be more satisfied with how it comes out if you leave it for your second or third, and build a curbside (engineless) kit first. You'll get experience painting the body and interior, and detail painting the underside of the engine and suspension components, but the detail work won't be quite as visible as on a completed full engine group C car.

Tamiya makes plenty of terrific curbside kits that mkae excellent first builds. The Porsche GT3 and Boxter SE are my favorites, but there are many others (S2000, Skyline, WRX STI, Z3, SLK, etc). With Porsches, you don't even miss the full engine details, because you can't really see the engine on the full size car, either.

There are plenty of skills to learn when you're starting off, but with a group C kit, you kind of have to learn everything at once.

I'd stop modeling if I had to paint with spray cans....



I'd stop modeling if I had to paint everything with airbrush! Although I would not paint body and chassis or interior panels with spray cans, they are perfectly fine for quick touchups and painting of small details. Maybe its just personal preference.

I tend to use spraycans for larger surfaces, and airbrush for smaller details or mixes of paint such as custom colours. I also use my airbrush for clear. It depends on what you prefer. And the S2000, Boxster etc are superb starter kits. I've built them and was able to complete them so they must be basic kits..!! LOL

i've never even heard of curbside kits, because yea I would've probably tried them out first. Thats true, the Group C kits are really detailed, and are probably more challenging to build. I'll see which one I'll do.... :biggrin: