Tinderstick

Is airbrush a must, when you find yourself dealing with a camouflage pattern on a tank, aircraft, etc.? Can the same effect be achieved with a brush, too?

I assume it depends on the particular AFV/uniform/fighter colour scheme that you are aiming for; probably an SS Oak B pattern or any other WW2-era digital looking camouflage is easier to do with an airbrush?

Also -- forgive my ignorance -- but English isn't my native language, and I am having a hard time understanding the painting technique that you guys call a "wash". What exactly is a wash and what good is it for? I guess it is used for achieving a weathered look for your model?

Thanks,

T.

Flying Penguin

Hi T,

To me an airbrush is one of the five basic things any serious modeller needs, along with glue, paint, filler and sanding material.

As for whether a brush can do everything an airbrush can, the simple answer is no. For a solid or splinter scheme you might get away with careful masking and sanding down your finish with 2000+ grid polishing paper, although the quality will rarely come close to an airbrush, but if there is any need for soft edges (e.g. luftwaffe mottle or soft edge british 2 tone) then no, the brush is totally outclassed. I've seen many attempts to pull this off with a brush but, to be brutally honest, they look awful.

You couldn't pull this finish off with a brush:


(not my work, but a great example of what an airbrush has over a normal brush, taken from Mistel 1 by Floyd S. Werner Jr. (Hasegawa & ProModeler 1/48))

My advice would be to read up, look at Airbrush,airbrushing lessons and how to articles. and get yourself a good airbrush and compressor (avoid cans of propellant, the compressor will pay for itself in a few months of usage compared to canned propellant). A low to mid range Badger or Iwata will work great (I have brushes from both and they are both good companies).

A wash is a thin mix of (usually oil based) paint which is run into the detail to make it more visible. For a good explanation and picture based tutorial, have a look at Mark Swan's website:
Weathering

All the best

Jamie

Airbrush,airbrushing lessons and how to articles.