Tami's M41A3 bulldog Light Tank ( W.I.P )

[Nitroholic]

Is this the sort of thing?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AIR-BRUSH-PRO-BD-130-AIRBRUSH-FROM-CHRONOS-/370664103587?pt=UK_Crafts_DrawingSupplies_EH&hash=item564d4d5ea3

 

Tempted to get one myself. I already have a baby compressor which should work

 

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/wiz-mini-air-compressor

[Noj]

Tanked compressors are pretty good vfm, and as you say, there are plenty to choose from.

I do a bit of reading and drew the conclusion that for a newbie, the internal mix set up is easier to use and to practice techniques, then moving onto the external mix brushes.

It does seem (and please, correct me if I'm wrong) that having a few brushes with different needles allows for more fluid painting, rather than having to change needles in one gun when switching between a wide/narrow paint flow (acknowledging the need to ensure the brush is properly cleaned and maintained).

So, is a twin brush compressor more versatile? Noted storage pots are available that allow the airhose to be connected, presumably when swapping brushes?

I'm not looking to do lexan (yet), figured the 1/16 armour is a good starting place and, IMO, the only way to achieve realistic paint, especially on German armour with it's soft edged camp patterns.

[johninderby]

Also worth picking up one of these. Perfect for spraying varnish, primer or base colours. Use in place of spray cans.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Air-Brush-Kit-Hose-2-X-Jar-Regulator-Compressor-Adaptor-7-Piece-/111544910585?pt=UK_Home_Power_Air_Tools&hash=item19f89842f9

John

Edited January 7, 2015 by johninderby

[Tamiyacowboy]

Nitroholic : thats the puppy right there, black end with silver knurled set screw plug.

a little 7ml grav feed pot and its a 0.3 needle. at 16 quid its cheap as chips 

feed it around 12-15psi  ( play with regulator and practice to find a pressure your comfy with)

not only can you paint with airburshes  but you can sandblast with them to, there is a small HB model gun made to handle sand balast

for blasting work. and your airbrush gun can be used to shoot tanning solution or even acrylic nails to. pro shops

that make wedding cakes use airbrush art to

 

my setup is dual use, 2 guns, one gun for food spraying of cakes, the second for my hobby work.

both run off the same compressor, abied differnt times

 

a bit like a paint artist he will have a selection of brushes, its not easy walking round with like 200

paint brushes for a few days artistic work, we can do the same, but needle wise. 

 

two brush system. one brush say a syphon feed filled with base coat, second can be filled with

your color coat.

 

think of needles like your carbon pencil, when we want a thick like we wear down the tip to give us a thick line.

a thin line we sharpen the pencil, you can get brushes that come with sized needles 0.25 - 0.3 - 0.5mm 

with an airbrush we cannot really sharpen the tip, but we can slide a finer needle in to give a thinner line.

 

 

Noj buddy. 

 

the closer we get the tip the finer line we gain 

futher away the more of a spray cone we achieve. for us blocking out we would have distance between work

the more you play the more you become atuned with the gun, like riding a bike, 

day one your all over the road, but day three your popping 100ft wheelies.

 

dual brushes makes it a little easy for the color swaps, but changing colors in single gun use is fairly quick and easy.

changing needles is a case of unscrewing the nurled nut holding the needle clamp, slipping it out and sliding in the new needle

thats it all done. 

 

lets walk through a simple color change black to white.

 

decant the paint in brush pot you have. if your a syphon feed remove the pot. 

Now fill a pot or your brush pot with thinners/or brush cleaner but i tend to use thinner its gonna help paint anyway.

grab an old clean'ish rag and blow all that thinners out, midway give it a good stir around with a stick.

once empty refill it again and keep spraying the thinner through till it comes out clear mist and no color.

 

add your white, grab a paper sheet, have a little spray to get that paint worked to the nossle and needle.

its time consuming paul , you may say...... Yes this is true but your work is already tacky dry. couple more mins and your ready to shoot color.

 

airbrushing is not a race. its taking time with a fine paint mist, YOU will see a huge difference from a rattle can and an airbrush.

that rattle can just dumps a shed load of paint, your brush lets you control all aspects but its a little slower so you gain a better quality finish.

the amount you can limit paint flow, air pressure is lovely no more splatter runs etc etc. and no more 12 inch think paint layer.

 

1/16 - 1/32 -1/64 . lots of people spaying up these military machines, but dont let small things stop you, airbrush work takes time

and those big trucks and fancy street cars had the same treatment just slightly bigger cup sizes and more paint. but it was a small brush that done it.

and a big brush to seal over the clearcoat.

 

DONT go mad, you have no need for a 200 quid iwatta brush or a 130 quid on a badger compressor. cheap brush, small compressor

and lots of time to play with your new toy. The very first thing you should try with an airbrush is a full coat base color.

put some milk into a glass and swill it round, notice how it kinda sticks the the glass side but leaves a thin layer , Thats

how you want your thinned paint, that thickness like milk. 

 

try a 2 parts paint to one part thinner, so two drops of paint to one drop of thinner.

over time you guys will find your secret mix that works just for you, but a 2-1 is a good start.

your not learning to paint your relearning how to draw with air, sounds complicated but its not.

you have to take the bull by horns shake its head and stamp your foot down.

 

one last tip, your going to run out of paint mid way, thats no worry just decant some into brush pot and keep going.

we brush artists have a rule, you can never have to much paint, so if in doubt mix up more than you need

its going to save you trying to color match a new fresh mix batch

Edited January 7, 2015 by Tamiyacowboy

[Noj]

Very thorough and useful info Tami, thank you

[Tamiyacowboy]

your welcome guys. 

 

tanked are a better choice but even those mini compressors will work

its more about getting to grips with a coloring pencil that does not touch the surface. 

and its a weird feeling at first to. 

 

for things like flaked paint and camo like effect you can find small stencils 

things like open face foam gives that blotched look, and it has been known to use

marmite to stop paint sticking to certain areas, splodge it on spray over, wait till cured

then rub off and wash the marmite away, its cheap and dirty but effective.

for the very small scale military armor .

 

i decided colors, 

 

turret / main tank deck / sides. all these in drab olive green

front underside slope in a drab olive with a lighter drab olive dusting 

same for the rear under slope, it will help hide the tank using reflected lighting

not so harder shadowing. 

 

the topdeck and turret will have light black shoots around so there is that

slight darkening of areas, like behind the front mantel and some of the HB2 pencil 

where the mantel has been rubbed with chains when hoist fitting , towloops in  drab with some pencil

scuffing give that worn used look. and find some chain and treat it to some spray tricks.

 

 

need two fuels cans, one barrel camo net , secondary camo nets

and a more scale like auto muffler to replace the one fitted.

Edited January 7, 2015 by Tamiyacowboy

[Tamiyacowboy]

I am going with this paint workflow, you can see the whole tank spray start to finish

its a heng long M41 walker bulldog to , here is the link to Steve's Hobbies youtube chanel

and a nice paint finish 

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-MaAO-3cB8bRDs4VN1BGcQ/videos

[Tamiyacowboy]

So we have the compressor and a 130 7cc airbrush on its way. 

 

i have some zinc titanium white paste to mix up ready to shoot the base coat prime

i have some black mixed up ready to, so i can also lay in the shading. 

 

the front of the tank has been given some extra armor to, i hooked the spare

track sections over the two upright posts on the front hull and it fits the tracks perfect.

picture will follow in a few days. 

 

also will try screen capture the front end of my M24 Chaffee on world of tanks, the front end has some nice

ding marks with that carbon dull look i want to replicate onto the Walker M41

[johninderby]

Greatest Tank Battles "Vietnam Insurgency" is on The Discovery History channel this afternoon at 5:00pm.

John

[Tamiyacowboy]

heres a picture screen grab of the M24  

the front of the m24 tank is the rear end of a walker bulldog, the track system is near on identical

the m24 is front driven and the rear wheel is the idler , on the bulldog its back to front

 

the picture gives you an idea on wear and the damage gained in the field of battle.

i have toned down the graphics to, less eyecandy to give that more dirty used look

but you can see places to add the pencil would be like the front plate, fenders

around hatches, areas that get dinged by small arms fire and rubbed up

 

Edited January 10, 2015 by Tamiyacowboy

[Tamiyacowboy]

Well ladys and gents, 

 

we have the vallejo paints turned up. (i will add a image of the paint set ) 

here are the colors we have been given in the kit to make a US Vietnam style paint look.

 

Surface primer #608 US Olive drab ( its more a browny green )

model air #254 Bright ( this is like a bright gassy green )

model air #075 Sand ( yep its sand color )

model air #043 Olive drab ( this is more a brown drab )

model air #035 cam pale brown

model air #017 russian green 

 

they also do a weathering set for green armor to so that may have to be purchased, 

but i do and will need a second of the above kit 8ml pots are very small its going to fill my 

airbrush pot once and thats it. maybe a couple dabs left for a paintbrush.

 

i tried to find the tank commander painted up to no joy so am going to have to find or create my own uniform look.

but i did dark gray out the commanders helmet , overslopes and gloves also the helmet smock to, hats get more wear

so  i wanted that dark dirty like basecoat then roughed russian green with a little bit of sand/ brown staining and dinks

 

i need a rust kit to, but am thinking of going for a building weathering detail kit, comes with dust - steel - rust 

here is my thinking, rusty on the exhausts steel and shadowing with some rust on the suspension sets, and

some shadowing with rusty dust on the road wheels, with mud/sandy spurs and idler 

[Tamiyacowboy]

So started some painting, im rubbish at freehand so poke fun, brush is nothing like an airbrush 

harder and one needs a microscope to see what your doing, but hey ho 

 

so the over trousers are colored with a mix of white and black artists acrylic paste thinned out with some X-20A tamiya thinner. 

the gloved hands are cam pale brown

the shirt is us drab olive primer  same with the hat.

the helmet wind guards are painted sand then dab brushed with yep us olive drab with extra water thinner.

zips and insignia just flashed with some pencil for time being  as i need a thinner brush to make in that blackening lines

and white flashes to them with some extra pencil on the zippers.

 

 

have a lot more to do a 50% color drab olive to 50% color russian green

i am in hope that mix will give a darker drab green for the final helmet coat .

 

Edit : the morning after ........... 

 

well its the morning after, and erm .... well yeah i kind of went a little overboard. 

A pre tests mix of 1 part us primer drab olive and one part Russian green its a tone shade darker

than the stock primer us olive drab so i re-cleaned brush and went back over.

 

this time here is where i added the new shade. 

 

The full helmet was given a new brush of this new shade of mix green. its brough down the tone a little its not so ugly green.

and its getting a little deeper in color ( that dark green seen in Vientnam movies on US squaddies ).

his shirt, now all the creases in his clothes were given tactile streaks, i wanted to darken the creasing

with the new color green, add some depth to that clothing. 

 

I am not happy with the over trousers , that blackish blue gray does not seat right with the color being added.

the way he holds his arm out is unusual , its more like he is holding something. maybe a paper sheet or a tanks hatch handle.

either way he does NOT match this tank. and i have found NO tank crews at all wearing this over trouser on the internet. 

 

it is puzzling me and becoming a headache for painting. i am forever thinking about pre color of the trousers,

trying to put myself on the field and think what garments would have been given out . even more unusual 

is those over trouser look very much like my Dacron bib and brace fishing waders. so a color change is needed. 

i think a browny drab olive myself, envisage a brown with mottle green hue like a set of dirty jeans, OR get a new figure set. 

 

i do like the idea of a new figure set to, look at the picture above note right extended arm, its shoulder is proud of the model 

the arm needs to tilt backwards bringing the palm more face on to the image, you can see by the way the arm creasing does not meet up somewhat.

the left arm also need rotating but a fraction forwards. sounds silly but i stood in this position to get a feel for what you would be doing like this. 

left arm is holding the upper cupola hatch more like bracing yourself, your right trailing arm is holding something , the rimmed edge of a cupola hatch lid.

but the in the tank there is no way he can hatch hold and brace grasp. conclusion is the figure is incorrect for the tank .

here is the last, his arm patch is that of a Staff Sarg , these guys were normaly put in charge of a small group of 8-10 men, no smaller image inside the patches bow

bottom indicates the figure is a US ARMY Staff Sarg (E6 paygrade )

 

so more pennys needed to get the correct figure for the tank, and at the same time i need some more colors 

Edited January 19, 2015 by Tamiyacowboy

[Tamiyacowboy]

Wow !!! 

 

so the very rear back cover of the heng long m41 tank manual. it has some info about the tank. or more about the way rc moved.

from wooden tanks to moulded wire guide, to rc. then it goes on about how the m41 walker is PRE Sprayed IN CAMO.

 

and sure enough once i lifted the lid you could see a fine US drab ( brown drab ) with a not so great olive drab

come to look at it more olive than drab has that olive green but dulled back. 

 

now how come i did not notice this, well i was slightly bored so broke out the brush and primer drab olive.

gave the fuel cans a nice brush over with the paint, bring them from drab brown to that dark drab green military color.

but when i placed these back onto the tank there was a HUGE difference in color. ( i will add an image when we have some sunshine to capture the true shades. 

its bad, so bad that if you took the tank into vietnam painted like that you would be Primary target within seconds. you really stand out in that olive color. 

no depth to it and its bright. so i need to test mix some paint to get the darker drab olive we require. 2 or 3 parts us drab olive to maybe 1 or 2 parts russian green or uk bronze green.

bring that darkness in a small bit. 

 

inside the tank is a mess, wires all over the place and not tucked away safe, just hanging above gearboxes and not even heatshrinked  all the led terminal pins are bare.

annoying part my headlamps and taillamps flash when i shoot my mini gun. so i need to find out how i mod those to stop activating upon minigun running.

the main gun flashes the minigun port light when it fires to warn others when its firing. thats like jumping out your tank waving down enemy and telling him when your gonna fire lol.

Yeah it needs FIXING, 

 

UNDERSHADING : inside the tank you have your vents, now trying to blacken them out is a pain so

i am going to brushpaint the inside of the vents in black , then when i come to black them out external i dont need to blast into those 

vents so much and that pre blacking will help bring depth into those areas.

 

i do not want to rip out those wires, so i will need to power up tank mid spraying and rotate turret so the rear hang does not cover the rear vents

on the upper decking, its the only choice other than to strip out and re-loom the whole tank out, and i really do not want to start building and soldering wire looms.

 

 

Tracks, hmmmmm i wish there was a track puller that worked and was made to scale for the tanks. would be nice to have a track tool

so you could work on them without having to dismantle and wrestle the model. going to be a right pain masking up the tracks fitted to chassis.

and knowing me i could loose a couple track pins and game over.  but roadwheels need working with drab olive base and drab brown overspray dusting

then some light mud wash. 

Behind those tracks and roadwheels are some small features, so they really need removing so the whole chassis INC underside is sprayed

its not to bad as the underside of a tank gets beaten up a huge amount, rusts - mud - dirt - dinks of metalic steel / iron etc etc.

 

so still lots to keep me busy and my head working hard. but i still hate my tank figure, he must be boiled in oil !!!

Edited January 19, 2015 by Tamiyacowboy

[Tamiyacowboy]

More. 

 

so i will not be beaten by a plastic figure lol 

 

 

this time 

 

i darkend the green up some more its now a jungle green, you can see the above effect on the helmet.

now also wander your eyes over his shirt, notice how it has that shadowed look on the creases, well that same green is very lighty stroked into the crease

His gloves you will NOT be able to get this color unless you grab the us vietnam apv kit i got. the mixing is this recipe : olive drab 2 drops , cam brown 2 drops, 1 drop of bright. 

that gives you a brown close to those brown gloves you see them wearing. his shirt is still US drab olive .

 

thats it some flesh color and i can throw him into the solar cooker leave on a slow burn forever lol. now where did i put that TANK 

time to spray something bigger .

 

Nearly forgot, but i had a good look at another website and gleaned my eyeballs with some more m41 close ups. 

after an hour viewing and planing out my moves in my head i took a set of snips, to hand and cut out some of the front tool mounting on the main hull deck.

after rough cutting out came the fine metal watchmakers files and i filed out the section more. 

NO longer does the tool tow storage tray sit above the front right storage box , the top of the tool tray sits flush to the 

front storage box. it now looks a lot more like it should be there not just shoved on any old how.

pictures will follow but camera needs charging first so in the morning. 

Edited January 19, 2015 by Tamiyacowboy

[Tamiyacowboy]

More tools required, but for a very good reason. 

 

i want to try and make some micro hinges, from brass sheet and some old prop shaft tubes from some of those very cheapy IR

micro helicopters i have laying around. the tubes are just perfect to act as pin barrels, a small piece of prop shaft should fit inside and give a working metal hinge. 

 

the TOP storage box on the rear of turret. cutting around the lid unit i should be able to lift it off.

make and attach hinges and have a working storage big on turret rear. 

 

side storage bins Cannot be modded, BUT the rear hatching can also be hinged  ( under the rear engine hatch i could install the ON/OFF for both gun and tank, plus smoker unit and volume.

the underside can be then filled in leaving only they battery hatch. it is risky because i would not be using a saw or cutter tool, but good old cotton twine and abrasive dust. to get very fine cuts

the same way a gold/silver smith hand  cuts out your sparkling bling.

 

i also returned to the figure he now sports brown'ish tan lower over trousers and LOOK not to bad, i like the color and look , i dont like his small nasty

face i have to paint. maybe filler and some crafty clay model tool work to fashion him wearing a face cover scarf/smock, just the forehead and eyes showing 

with the scarf flowing over the nose somewhat.

 

Meanwhile i will upload a toolbox shot and a figure shot, while looking for more paint. 

[Tamiyacowboy]

new figure coloring 

 

 

 

New tank tool tray mounting and nearly replicating the originals, but the front lug mount bar is missing.

it was a unit welded to tank then the tray was welded atop , not sitting on two floppy legs. it was more an oversized hatch handle.

 

 

 

Anyway the hardest part is yet to come, painting the face, this has always been my downfall, i can model heads and animal heads

but i just uberfail at painting them, but i have some cunning tips gleaned from a youtube video or two

Edited January 20, 2015 by Tamiyacowboy

[Noj]

Looks much better now TC. Faces are a royal pia, I await your results with interest

[Tamiyacowboy]

tip for faces. 

 

light colors, but first your going to take a very fine tip brush and make vertical lines through both eyeballs with black.

now your going to fill in with a light highlight color say flesh your going to fill in the line down to a tiny dot ( the eyes pupil ) 

 

highlight the face areas in light, then start to layer in shades, lighter and darker of the same color.

each time you achive what you want give it a shoot of gloss clear/ matt clear, so any mistakes can be wiped away

and not harm the work already done.

 

go and do this, panzer-tiger etc etc go and look at war footage of those drivers-comanders etc etc.

they are not fresh faced but dirty and grimey covered in dirt and oil etc etc, the fact of war is its a dirty game.

you want your face to have that dirty look so dont worry at first. it takes a long time to become a uber figure facepainter.

 

 

thats what i gleaned from the video, it not about that pristine movie like makeup effect,

your not going to be 1 inch from the tank staring at the guys face  it just has to look ok from a mild distance when in  place

[Tamiyacowboy]

Got some more done tonight..... 

 

stripped of most of the large pieces, the likes of the light cages all the antennas etc etc.

tow hooks, tow loops, lighting housings periscope covers. 

 

first coat was US olive Drab primer  #608 vallejo air primer

then i mixed olive drab #043 with Bright #254 with a mix of 5 parts to 2 parts.

 

its kind of funny your adding this lighter shade to the part but because of that primer olive drab

your second color deepens a lot, so much to say there is a remarked difference to the original tanks main color.

its a more deep olive that you expect for military armor and especially US armor.

 

i now have what i need to to locked in my head painting wise, nato black pre-shading

but using the US olive drab primer as a white coat. then filling in with the lightened drab olive #43.

it darkens on the primer olive green so should really deepen with the Nato black under shading.

 

ordered another US vietnam drab olive kit and also sneeked in a 17ml bottle of Nato Black.

 

will throw some pictures up when i start the airbrushing of primer and some of the pre-shading,

then if i remember to set up the gopro'ish some timelapse color filling and blending

[Tamiyacowboy]

Vallejo Ployuethane primer problems. they are NOT ready to airbrush paints and need more thinning very carefully

 

shot at 12psi regulated flow , 60c ambiant temp  and without nossle cap.

major issues are setting of paint while still in the paintcup of brush.

needle clogging is rife and splattering. you can see from the two images , check the rear topdeck panels

and the main turret ring area, also the mass none uniformed laying of spray. 

 

i just wish to say my spray work is 100 time better than this job and it shows me up.

your lucky i posted the images, but its 100% a paint problem, not flow metering or airpressure

 

 

 

 

Now saying this i may be able to get away with it. its risky and some will notice what it really is ( you guys will know anyways)

 

so where its spalttered and dodgey looking i though its just primer i have a maincoat and shading to go on.

some of that bad area can be filled with shading , if it shows through it can be used to good effect by making it look like its weathering

using washes and runs to give that abused look. 

 

but i am not sure and am not happy that a primer has come out like this , on an auto spray you would be rubbing down and re-starting again

but alas this tank cannot be rubbed down as i loose a lot of detail work in the plastic

Edited January 25, 2015 by Tamiyacowboy

[Tamiyacowboy]

Right i never knew about those vallejo primer problems, so its going on by brissle brush now.

have the turret to do, so i will have to brush it and hide the stroke marks .

 

i double wetted the primer to get the rest of the paintpot on, but have missed the nearside

track slope and the storage bin sides. 

 

im going to try and rescue, the above problems shown in images by hand and brush blending with the primer in its neat form.

when i painted with it on the smaller items it went on lovely , nice smooth and self leveled somewhat itself 

the paint was shaken for a good three mins, but i even had to brush swirl as i saw pigments splitting.

this stuff needs a good ten mins of samba dancing and five mins on a rodeo bull to get it fully mixed.

 

well i got the mini work area set up, two water pots, one for brush cleaning other for decanting pure water when needed,

nice warm cuppa  and songs of praise on the tv so i do not get distracted by it ( lol ).

this is going to take the whole evening but i will do every little trick i know to save it.

need to grab some food and maybe set up the camera and tripod .

[Noj]

Shockingly bad coverage! I'll read up in this vallejo issue, hope this doesn't affect their whole range of paints

[Tamiyacowboy]

well the whole thing is primed up, well kind of primer'fied lol. 

 

turrets been done by hand the back panel been blended up a bit, still showing pooling so will be used to mimic oil spills and fuel spillage,

turret splodge been blended. it looks like US drab olive but its just very translucent'ish . 

 

so the verdict is DONT USE VALLEJO PRIMER, find something better like tamiya.

 

i will run some tests on th model air products before i even go near laying down some shading and main coloring

 

 

 

 

 

 

its not great, you would really want a lovely flat primed surface for you main coats to seat on, but as you can see vallejo primer just sucks

it goes on bad by airbrush, and even large surface work shows mild to bad brush stokes, ( these brushes are top dollar artists brushes, no cheap nylon)

i hope there is enough on the work to give the required shade of maincolor.

Edited January 25, 2015 by Tamiyacowboy

[NITO]

Great job on the figures so far Tam. What size needle airbrush are you using out of curiosity? Are you using water based paint or other?

 

I hope to start some airbrushing later this week. After doing a load of research, I decided to start off experimenting by using an adhesion promoter instead of primer, it's what Createx recommend for hard non pourous surfaces. I spoke to Churchill Paints http://www.churchill-paints.co.uk/churchill-paints/primers/1K-plastic-primer technical and he reckons it's like water and you want thinnest layer possible. I have in my telecon notes, '1 medium wet coat do not sand'. Apparently there is no curing or chemical reaction, something about chlorinated, flashing off time and 30 minutes should be dry and good to paint.

 

I haven't used this yet but I do have it now. If its that thin hopefully it won't cover up fine detailing. My bodyshell is all prepared so I'm not looking for primer to hide anything.

 

For clear coat I'm going with their 1K crystal clear lacquer, light mist coat then 2 medium to wet coats. This dries by solvent evaporation. This can be thinned with cellulose thinners.

 

We'll see how it comes out. I have some automotive Mobihel primer if not, but that would need thinning.

 

Cheers

Nito

[Tamiyacowboy]

polyurthane mixed primer ( its a colored primer and must go down before, maincolor. its what gives the main color green its Armor green color)

hence the use of half tone and semi tone colors and mixing required. take my primer and main us drab olive green primer.

when skinned with this you have that drab but light armor green color with hues of brown, the main color is drab olive, but your going to lighten this with a

bright green, 5-2 mix ( 5 of drab green and add two of bright green) ,
When you lay down this main color mix, it transforms from a light shade drab olive to a mid dark drab green,

look at the figures hat, its that deep armor us drab green, to make that color i had to mix these paints.

russian green, drab olive, cam light brown, and lay it over the US drab olive primer, BUT the original color was his shirt green. so you can see how much i played with the paint to gain what i needed.

 

All my New colors are water based, i do have some acrylic thats thinner based BUT these are automotive colors and

theres no way to mix up the colors i need using primary RGB palete, its a bit like a 256 color display and a 25,000 color display

your gonna always say the higher color count is better because of the half tones and semi tones produced with the higher color count.

 

Needle size is 0.3mm -0.5mm, and the regulator set at a 12psi working pressure, the lower air pressure means paint should 

not needle tip dry as much and stop clogging and splatter, i did not have splatter but i had pooling and also had pigments splitting

after it had been sprayed, but the mix had been thinned to milk by then and still i had tip drying and full blockages. neat paint in the pot

started to cure off with a top skin after 3mins ( theres no way you can dump half a 7ml cup in under three mins at 12psi unless its thin as water)

and this pigment splitting took place before your eyes, went down US drab olive, then started to seperate into green and brown with a manky

stain like color liquid medium. i have never seen primer act like this before and i have sprayed a few cans/brushes in my time of primer.

 

 

SO the topdeck , chassis and turret have sat for like 12+hrs drying at 60c room temp, your NOT getting pictures because sunny day

will show how bad this really is, and yeah its that bad. its like that first time you use tamiya smoke paint, and get that really shadey looking tinted windowshield.

and your like, OMG what have i done so you overcoat it in black and think ARGHHHHH i really messed up. yeah that bad.

Now i do have some artists rattle acrylic aka graffiti paints (no im not banksy, im Tamksy lol), problem is its to thick and cannot be thinned out in the can,

theres no pressure control and flow control so its  risky shooting over with so much fine scale detail. hatch handles become filled in in a matter of a second.

and Overspray we all know what the overspray from a rattle can is like.

 

 

For the Figure, i used a number 1 artists brush and you will need a 0000 artist brush for the eye pupil stroke line in black.

i have a selection of artist brushes ranging from a 1/4 all the way down to 0000 superfine tip.

If some guys are still in school /college ask your art teacher about using half shades and semi shade for depth volume highlight and shading

the AFV method (or color modulation ) is a more technical painting system, where you lighten your colors a half tone or semi tone and use it to add highlight volume and the likes.

 

where you guys lay down white, the black shading and fill in with main color, we do this ......... 

we shoot a colored base primer ,shade with maincolor, then lighten main color a half a tone or a semi tone, and fill in the rest

blending the shade to the semi/half tone, it gives a more subtle shift more natural and not so bold

Edited January 26, 2015 by Tamiyacowboy