Mortimer Snerd
Rock Crawler
Finally got out the new airbrush. This is only the third or fourth body I've painted in 20ish years of R/C and the first with an airbrush. It isn't perfect, as I had some problems with bleeding and cobwebbing, but I'm really happy with it overall. The body is all paint, and I don't plan on adding any decals despite some small smears and errors. You can't really see it in this pic, but I was able to get a really good wood plank effect in the bed. I'd love feedback, suggestions, etc. I learned some things I've listed below for anyone else starting out:
1. I love my respirator. This was painted with a combination of Createx and Pactra lacquers. I was surprised at how much the respirator kept out, and how strongly the Pactra smelled when I took it off. I'm glad I kept all that out of my lungs.
2. Thinning is your friend. The lacquers cobwebbed badly, but sprayed beautifully after being thinned 1:1. The Createx went on thick, and I had problems getting the masking off cleanly because of it. I'll thin it quite a bit on the next body I paint.
3. Shot glasses make great reuseable mixing cups.
4. Mix more paint than you think you need. I custom mixed the olive drab paint, and had to make more than one batch. The result was a subtle mottling in the color. It works really well on this body, but wouldn't look right on a more modern body.
5. A secondary regulator is a great tool. I installed one on my workbench with a water trap partway through this project. It made a big difference in the accuracy of my pressure settings and how convenient it was to change pressures.
6. Low pressure is your friend. This allows more fine detail and better control. I was surprised at the difference. More thinner, less pressure is the painting version of JRH's gear down, volt up mantra. Practice with 2 liter soda bottles to see what works for your style.
7. Clean often. All those little tiny holes in the brush clog quickly and can dramatically impact spraying performance.
I'm sure there is stuff I've forgotten and most of you probably already know all that. Thanks for looking!
1. I love my respirator. This was painted with a combination of Createx and Pactra lacquers. I was surprised at how much the respirator kept out, and how strongly the Pactra smelled when I took it off. I'm glad I kept all that out of my lungs.
2. Thinning is your friend. The lacquers cobwebbed badly, but sprayed beautifully after being thinned 1:1. The Createx went on thick, and I had problems getting the masking off cleanly because of it. I'll thin it quite a bit on the next body I paint.
3. Shot glasses make great reuseable mixing cups.
4. Mix more paint than you think you need. I custom mixed the olive drab paint, and had to make more than one batch. The result was a subtle mottling in the color. It works really well on this body, but wouldn't look right on a more modern body.
5. A secondary regulator is a great tool. I installed one on my workbench with a water trap partway through this project. It made a big difference in the accuracy of my pressure settings and how convenient it was to change pressures.
6. Low pressure is your friend. This allows more fine detail and better control. I was surprised at the difference. More thinner, less pressure is the painting version of JRH's gear down, volt up mantra. Practice with 2 liter soda bottles to see what works for your style.
7. Clean often. All those little tiny holes in the brush clog quickly and can dramatically impact spraying performance.
I'm sure there is stuff I've forgotten and most of you probably already know all that. Thanks for looking!
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