Tip and Hints on Paints
Courtesy of Andy (GCMB)
Question:
I guess a good general rule to follow to avoid painting mishaps is to AVOID MIXING DIFFERENT PAINT BRANDS. That means don't mix Tamiya with Gunze paints because they have different formulations right?
Answer:
this is a good rule to follow. they not only vary slightly by base and carrier formula but also in pigments used. best bet is to use thinners for that brand if avalible other wise for most water base paints the 50/50 water/ alchol will work. Always check paint constistancy before thinning i know the testers acryls are already thinned but most of the others are not. One other quick tip here, With water base paints it is best to mix by stiring not shaking because it tends to trap air very easy.
Question:
By the way is it true that it's not a good idea to primer your model with Acrylic Paint then overcoat it with Enamel?
Answer:
Generaly i would try to avoid this, i would rather primer with enamel first because it sticks to the plastic better and it does peel. by primeing with a flat enamel it gives the water base paint something to bite to. the only exception to this is NEVER PRIMER VYNAL PLASTIC WITH ENAMEL. you will end up with a sticky mess that will never cure. vynal is a soft plastic most often found in figure modeling. resins can be primered with either but best with enamel.
Auestion:
And what do use for washes? do use Artist Oil Paints?
Answer:
I personally will flat coat my subject with a clear flat then wash with water base paint 10/1. that will make a nice thin liquid to wash liquide. Some people do use artist oils for this but i dont have much background in this, but alot of our club members do. If you have questions on this i will forward it out.
Question:
And one more thing I wondering if you guys could give us some tips On how to avoid Silvering Effect on Decals
Answer:
best way to avoid silvering is to apply some type of clear gloss coat before decaling be sure the surface is shinny before decaling. if there is any trace of flat left you will still have the problem. surface must be clean and dust free, apply the decal
and bloat out the excess water with a soft cloth. if you have it avaliable apply a decal setting solution. that should help your problem as you said in yours if u get any air bubbles prick with a pin and bloat with a soft cloth. you may have to apply more than one coat of the set but always allow the decals to dry first before re-applying. after drying spray with a flat coat if a flat finish is desired a gloss coat if gloss finish is desired. it looks like your group has heard about using future floor polish for this. i use this alot and have had good results. it usually takes a couple of coats to get the right surface however.
I hope this helps for now. Let us know if you or anyone else has any questions we will be happy to help you might want to also check the tips and tech. section on our website at www.gcmb4u.com some of those may be useful also.
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Quick Lesson on Water Base Paints
Courtesy of Andy (GCMB)
first thing to remember. do no mix the testers acryl with any other type of water base paints and use only the testers thinner with them. Acryl uses a polymer base that is similar to laytex paint. most other water base paint use an alchol base, if the two are mixed u end up with a mess.
we sent with our supplies tamiya paints and andrea paints. Tamiya paints should be thinned with there thinner or pain water. they have a high level of alchol so adding more will make them dry to quickly and cause splattering. the andrea colors and most other colors will use a mix of 50% water / alchol. as far as amounts of thinner to paint generally its 60 thinner 40 paint. basically u wish for the paint to be constanty of milk.
one tip that is common to all water base paints is to add a couple of drops of dish detergent to the mix. this acts as a wetting agent that allows the paint to flow better. i hope these hints will be helpful in all that you do. only other thing is be clean freaks with the air brushes. ( be cleaned after each use or they will mess up
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How To Make Camouflage Nets
Courtesy of Panzer World
Camouflage nets was used to some extent by the Germans during World War II, especially in the later half of the war, to prevent air detection. It might be interresting to use camouflage nets, either to create a nice atmosphere, or to cover up mistakes (this does not mean you should be sloppy in your work, though - to much camouflage will look unrealistic).
Sources for camouflage nets
Verlinden Productions have some really nice pre-dyed scale camouflage nets, but this is expensive. You can acheive just as good result with regular gauze bandages, at a fraction of the price. One roll of these should last several years.
Painting
If you buy gauze bandages, they should be painted prior to application. I use normal water colors, painted on with a wide brush. This dries up fast, and since you will weather them along with the model, the base color is really not important. Khaki will be a good choice, though.
Application
I like to put my camouflage nets on after the final paint coat, but before weathering. This resembles the real world the most (unless you want to weather the model, then apply the netting, and the weather again), and gives the best overall image of the model being an incorporated part. For glue, I use dilluted white glues - this makes the nets soft, so that you may shape it to the desired shape, and dries to up hard. This way, the netting will have a fixed shape, which will also keep the nets in place.
Weathering
As said above, the nets should be weathered along with the model. Because the netting has not been exposed to so the same amout of wear and tear as the Panzer tself (usually), it should recieve lighter drybrushing, etc. than the model. Because the nets will look a little bare without it, I usually sprinkel on a little foilage (dried and grinded parsley - put it in the microwave oven a couple of minutes, as this will keep the green color, and prevent it from coming alove).
At some time or another, you will probably want to position a flag on your model. Either as decoration, or to cover up some mistake. This is done very easy, and inexpensive.
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Making Drop Flags
Courtesy of Panzer World
Making the flag
First, you will have to make a flag. The quickest way is to paint your pattern on a paper tissue or something. The thinner the paper, the better. Also, avoid toilet paper with patterns - it will show on the final result! Toilet paper altogether can cause problems, because some types dissolve in water. You can also buy templates and finished flags, but there are no reason to make it more expensive than nessecary. You can colour the flag with any kind of paint, but be aware that some will run along the paper fibers. You can try to give it a thin coat of laquer first, so the paint isn't absorbed into the flag.
Positioning
To position your flag, soak it in dilluted white glue, and drape it over the model where you want it. You can fiddle with it once it's there, but be very careful! The vet flag is very fragile, and will tear apart if you pull it to hard. Be sure not to place the flag on some kind of functioning part, such as engine grills and so on - this would block the airstream, and possibly cause a fire, so it wouldn't be done on the real vehicle. Once the flag is dryed, it wil be hard, and will not re-position. You can then weather it along with the vehicle, but remember, that the flag will probably not have seen as much "action" as the vehicle.
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How To Make Trees
Courtesy of Doc Philip
A variety of materials may be used to create scaled model trees The challenge is to be able to simulate a lifelike reproduction or at most a believably convincing copy of the real thing. The best way to do this is by choosing the right materials for the scale. Using sponges for leaves is good only in smaller or railroad modelling scales. Photoetched leaves are good but still looks stiff and paper cutouts of small leaves may make you mad! Twisted wire covered with putty is good for doing trunk and branches but may require a lot of wires to make several branches in larger scale. Dried roots of small garden plants are best when used in winter scenes. So far the best way to create a tree is to use the tree itself. Dried small tree branches make excellent scaled trees. Choose branches that have good texture and preferably several smaller twigs. To add volume you may cut twigs and glue them on the main trunk. Small dried flowers beautifully recreate the volume and texture of leaves. They come in a variety of shapes, textures, and colors. In choosing the right flowers to use, visualize first the mass of the tree you would like to create. Pine trees require spindle shapes while decidious trees require bunched up masses of leaves. Research the type of trees predominant in the terrain for your diorama and also the the color of the leaves, which is often influenced by the season.
STEP I
After choosing a branch, make sure that it is thoroughly dry to avoid fungal growth. Let it sunbake for about a week and spray it with a disinfectant. Glue all additional twigs in desired positions on your main trunk using cyanoacrylate (superglue) or wood glue. Paint the trunk with the appropriate color using acrylics so that it dries faster. I use a combination of black, raw umber, and burnt umber as base coat and highlight textures with raw umber mixed with burnt umber. I don't use white to lighten colors to avoid a chalky appearance. Remember, everything in a diorama should be painted to make things consistent and not stand out, and to anchor it to its terrain.
STEP II
Drill tiny holes on the branches from the tip going down in a spiral up to a third of of the branch. Leaves grow mostly up to this level to be effective light catchers.
STEP III
Cut twigs of dried flowers and glue them on each hole starting from the lowermost part going up to the tip. This makes positioning the leaves easier and also facilitates putting extra holes to increase your volume.
STEP IV
Repeat the process on other branches and always view your work at a distance from time to time so that you'll be able to judge texture and volume. Don't look too close that you miss the whole forest! Drop some loose twigs on the top or insert some between other twigs to simulate fallen branches. Finally. sprinkle some crushed dried brown leaves (tea leaves or oregano do nicely) on top and at the roots of the tree. Just don't overdo it.
STEP V
To make roots, use putty shaped into tendrils and stick it at the base of the trunk and paint it the trunk color when dry, although sometimes this is not necessary since not all trees show their roots. Insert a pin at least half inch at the center of the trunk base and use the remaining length to anchor your tree to the diorama. Voila! Now you have a lifelike tree to add color to your terrain.
