Painting Tips/Questions for a Newbie! Painting/Lining/Finish

[daleks04]

Hi all,

Have read a few of the other painting posts however have not found one that covers exactly what I require. Here goes..I am planning to repaint a number of models to represent Thomas and friends characters which are not currently made. The issue is that I am finding it difficult to get a good paint job. I may be at fault here. (Attached is a photo of one I attempted to be 'lady' which as you can see is an amateur job.

1. I am just using enamel. I did not want to prime the whole thing as there are some areas I wanted to leave black/factory colour. Is there a way around this?

2. The quality of the lining is poor. I tried to mask and peel however that left lines too thick. I tried a gold pen which was better (But soon stopped working). Now looking at it, it does look shabby - How to improve?

3. Some people have suggested using lining/transfers ie. Fox/modelmasters. How do you use these i.e. to create curves

4. What spray paint to use and how if suggested?

5. Do models need stripping of original colours and if so how to do this?

Any ideas on how to improve this would be much appreciated. I have seen some amazing re-paints and always wonder how they get the lining, paintwork etc so clean.

Thank you,
D04

[daleks04]

Photos now attached!

[End2end]

1. I am just using enamel. I did not want to prime the whole thing as there are some areas I wanted to leave black/factory colour. Is there a way around this?

I don't paint rolling stock so can only answer number 1. You can use "low tack" tape the like Tamiya sells.
An example..
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tamiya-Maski ... Sw5cNYSG4M
Hope it helps.
Thanks
End2end

[Ironduke]

I think that's a pretty good job. Well done matching the colour. I see the finish is not smooth in places but it is certainly possible to get a very smooth finish using a brush.
I don't think it's necessary to remove the original paint unless it is chipped or damaged in places. If it's a very bright colour you might apply a primer/undercoat first so it doesn't show through. You should wash the model shell in soap and water to remove any dust or grease. Use a brush or toothbrush.
The main thing you need is good quality paint and you need to stir it thoroughly. I've found if the paint is too old and thick, no amount of thinning will make it usable. Depending on the paint type, thinner will make it dry too quickly and it can make some gloss paints matt. Thinner should only be used when you want your good paint thinner. e.g. for use in an airbrush.

[flying scotsman123]

1. I am just using enamel. I did not want to prime the whole thing as there are some areas I wanted to leave black/factory colour. Is there a way around this?

I don't tend to bother priming plastic for enamel, I just paint straight on. but if you wish, a combination of masking tape and masking fluid should se you able to mask all the areas you don't want to touch.

2. The quality of the lining is poor. I tried to mask and peel however that left lines too thick. I tried a gold pen which was better (But soon stopped working). Now looking at it, it does look shabby - How to improve?

3. Some people have suggested using lining/transfers ie. Fox/modelmasters. How do you use these i.e. to create curves

Transfers are probably your best bet. The straight lines can usually be encouraged round larger radii, especially if a softening solution is used, and for smaller radii you can get transfers for various sized curves. See here for instance. The alterative is investing in a bowpen, which allows you to draw lines of any width and any shape with whatever colour paint you like, but many people see that as a bit of a dark art. You can buy a cheap knackered one for a few quid or spend upwards of £50 on one.

4. What spray paint to use and how if suggested?

Whatever works for you really, if you're using enamel paints on top then any kind of primer is fine, oil-based is fine on top of acrylic based, but not the other way around. Put the model on a base of some sort, a flat bit of cardboard will do, take outside, and spray lightly from a distance of 30cm or so. several light coats is much better than one heavy coat as the paint might start to sag or run or all sorts of other horrible things.

5. Do models need stripping of original colours and if so how to do this?

Mm, depends, partly on how well you think the original paint has stuck to the surface, and how satisfied you are with the surface condition. If it's been painted quite roughly with heavy brush marks, I'd probably be looking at stripping it unless it could easily be sanded flat with a bit of wet and dry. I believe people have had success stripping plastic bodies with oven cleaner? I've only had a need to with metal bodies, where you can get away with much more vicious paint stripper that would melt plastic bodies.

Last things, for brush painting, make sure the paint is well mixed, and you have a really nice brush, it needs to be sable or similar. Nothing from the bargain bucket. Sometimes I thin the paint a little even for brushing - it might mean I have to do 2 coats instead of one but brushing thick paint can leave brush marks.

Hope that helps.

PS your loco looks pretty good to me, I've seen a lot worse!!

[End2end]

Just as a side note, I first started my layout with a Bachmann DCC starter set with 2 loco's. These came with Thomas like 3D faces stuck on.
I had a quick look but can't find them for sale unfortunately but I did find these....
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HORNBY-BACHM ... Sw8PpfgwXs

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HORNBY-BACHM ... SwpSlehn2k

Albeit for wagons but hopefully they give an idea of what the faces for the loco's looked like.
Thanks
End2end

[GeraldH]

I repaint a lot of stock into the BNR's liveries. Locos and coaches in French Blue and freight stock in dark green. Matt red and matt black are also used for solebars, buffer beams etc. I always use enamel paints. Recent Humbrol paints are very hit and miss and don't always cover well. Precision Paints and Revell often seem more reliable.

Stirring paint well is crucial and a decent paint stirrer helps with this https://www.newmodellersshop.co.uk/expo ... g_tool.htm

Brush painting in gloss has never gone well for me, as it appears too thick and blemishes are very visible. Brush painting with matt paint comes out much better. Satin comes out a bit between the two.

I airbrush on my gloss paints, put on any decals and then airbrush on matt varnish. It come out pretty well.

I use a old cheap ancient Humbrol airbrush with a propellant can. I have used spray cans in the past, but they nearly always get blocked up after being stored, even when I clear them after use. They get binned and the paint gets wasted.

A higher quality airbrush with a compressor would be much better, but it's a significant investment for something that might not get used a lot and they are more complex than a simple/siphon bottom fed one. My basic set up still gives gives me a finish that is much better than brush painting as long as I follow some basic rules...

• Wear a good mask and ventilate the area!!
  Clean the body before painting (any debris/grease will ruin the finish).
  Make sure you're in a dust free environment.
  Start spraying on a bit of card to check that you've set it up right before pointing the airbrush at the model.
  Generally remove any existing paint first, though removal can be really difficult with modern acrylics.
  Spray from all angles, it's easy to miss nooks and crannies.
  Spray in good (ideally) natural light so you can see if you've missed anything.
  I generally hold the models in one hand while wearing a disposable glove, but I'm sure that there's a better way .
  Clean the airbrush thoroughly after use. If it blocks I have cleared mine out with a tiny drill bit.

[Ironduke]

Wear a good mask and ventilate the area!!

I got this spray booth quite cheaply from Amazon. It has a flexible duct pipe which you can put out a door or window to take the fumes away.

A higher quality airbrush with a compressor would be much better, but it's a significant investment for something that might not get used a lot and they are more complex than a simple/siphon bottom fed one

And I got this small compressor, not so cheaply but it wasn't a fortune. It fits nicely on a shelf in the garage and does a much better job than those "airbrush compressors" you get from hobby shops, even with a cheaper "siphon" fed airbrush. Admittedly, I don't use it for airbrushing as often as I'd like but it's also good for car and bike tyres and footballs.

[daleks04]

Thank you all for your replies. I have certainly learnt a lot in a small space of time. As you have all said, trial and error is probably it.

Now, how does one remove enamel paint if needed?

And, if you use any type of enamel paint, I am guessing you would need an enamel based finish to complete/seal the model. Any suggestions for this?

Regards,