Model Forum / General / Models / August 2007

It is very difficult to brush paint white, yellow, and clear colors
Best to airbrush to get an even coat over the primers the group have
suggested.
For very small areas, acrylic colors available at craft stores can do a
decent job in picking out gages, tubing, formation or i.d. lights.
Humbrol if mixed really well will do a good job as well as White Ensign
HTH

Bob

I would use artists' tube acrylics.  This type of paint doesn't run,
its thick, and after brushing on it shrinks to give a skin tight
smooth finish.  For a large surface such as a fuselage the only
solution is the undercoat followed by spray.  I'd use black for the
undercoat.

Don't give up yet!

The first section in Squadron/Signal's "Applied Modeling Encyclopedia"
shows a build of Revell's ancient 1/72 Polikarpov I-16 which is
entirely hand painted in Spanish Civil War colors.  The photos show a
brush application of yellow, purple, and red stripes over a green base
color and they look TERRIBLE in the first photo.  However, as
successive coats are applied, the colors take hold and become opaque.
I actually duplicated this build with an old Revell I-16, only I
applied the kit's original Russian colors, which includes some yellow,
by hand brushing Humbrol enamels.  The first coats of all of the
colors (base and trim) looked really bad and streaked.  However, after
applying a second or more coats (allowing at least 24 hours drying
time between coats) the colors started to really look good and solid.
So good, that some folks at the IPMS meeting I brought it to didn't
believe it was entirely brush painted.

So the key thing with brush painting yellow is to apply a number of
coats making sure that the previous coat is completely dry. Some folks
also swear that by using red sable bristle brushes, you can reduce
brush marks.

BTW:  Squadron/Signal's "Applied Modeling Encyclopedia" is a
*fantastic* reference for boosting your modeling skills.  There are
three different volumes that cover aircraft, armor, and dioramas.
This book was recommended to me by someone in our IPMS chapter who has
won "Best Of Show" at IPMS Nats more than once.  He said he read this
book and the rest is history.

Martin

I paint figures, and when there's something yellow to be painted I found
a trick that has worked so far.
Yellow, like white, is a difficult color to brush on. I think maybe its
because these colors are much thinner than other colors, so most times
multiple coatings are required.
The yellow I use is simple Testors #1169 Flat Yellow mixed with some
Model Master #1735 Wood. The MM Wood is a tan shade, but when the two
are mixed together the yellow is dominant. The benefit is the MM Wood
adds some extra thickness to the yellow, which in most cases has allowed
me to apply with just one coat. Later, if I want, I can brush a light
coat of straight yellow to lighten the shade, but the results have been
very satisfying so far.
Not sure if this would work for larger areas, but you might try it.

Randy
IPMS 44765

We're living in a world that's been pulled over our eyes to blind us
from the truth. Where are you, white rabbit?

well double decals would probably do it, but they cost more than the
Revell BA kits I have. I have not taken cursive since 1967 and I am
not about to start again with white paint on a model.
The BA kits have been around for 40 plus years. What did you real old
timers do with just one set of decals (way, way back in the day when
this hobby was not so anal about everything....)

Craig