Spray Can Painting

This board contains guides to painting and weathering, please post your tips, tricks and tutorials here.
panzer man
Lance Corporal
Posts: 107
Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2015 9:10 pm
Location: San Diego, California USA

Spray Can Painting

Post by panzer man »

Hey guys, I need to get an opinion on painting my Tamiya Tiger I base coat when I reach that step. I have heard others on this page state that painting large areas on 1/16 scale armor with an airbrush can be tricky, time consuming & difficult to pull off. My tank will have the standard dark yellow, dark green & red brown camo scheme. With that being said, could I paint the basecoat with Tamiya's dark yellow that comes in a spray can? Camo would be done with a airbrush. I know paints are lightened with white for scale effect but do you guys think the dark yellow from the can would be too dark or ok to use with a larger scale model. Would appreciate any feedback. Thanks.
User avatar
tomhugill
Captain
Posts: 4746
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2010 11:21 am

Re: Spray Can Painting

Post by tomhugill »

Who ever told you that is wrong. Airbrushes are ideal for base coating 1/16 tanks.
User avatar
spongehoobtank82
Sergeant
Posts: 610
Joined: Fri Aug 08, 2014 1:23 am

Re: Spray Can Painting

Post by spongehoobtank82 »

Hey dude the spray can will be find for doing the base coat and an airbrush will be fine for the camo unless your doing a sharp edge came scheme then you could just use a spray can that as you would be making it off. You could do the base coat with an airbrush but the ones you typical use for camo/ highlighting etc would take you alot longer as its a fine spray and as they don't hold much paint you would have to keep topping it up, if you have access to a larger airbrush am sure it would work fine. By the way when I can sprayed my tiger I used atleast 2 cans of Tamiya dark yellow, might if been 2 and a half I can't remember!
Sponghoobtank82-panzerIII, panther V, tiger VI early and late and another early tiger,leopard 2a6, panzer IV F2,challenger 2
User avatar
tomhugill
Captain
Posts: 4746
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2010 11:21 am

Re: Spray Can Painting

Post by tomhugill »

Without know what airbrush you have it's difficult to be too specific but I use a gravity feed one and it does large areas and Camo detail just fine. Remember a can of Tamiya paint is going to be about £8, you can buy 4 pots for that. Two pots will easily do your base coat so it's also a lot cheaper.
panzer man
Lance Corporal
Posts: 107
Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2015 9:10 pm
Location: San Diego, California USA

Re: Spray Can Painting

Post by panzer man »

spongehoobtank82 wrote:Hey dude the spray can will be find for doing the base coat and an airbrush will be fine for the camo unless your doing a sharp edge came scheme then you could just use a spray can that as you would be making it off. You could do the base coat with an airbrush but the ones you typical use for camo/ highlighting etc would take you alot longer as its a fine spray and as they don't hold much paint you would have to keep topping it up, if you have access to a larger airbrush am sure it would work fine. By the way when I can sprayed my tiger I used atleast 2 cans of Tamiya dark yellow, might if been 2 and a half I can't remember!
My camo will be soft edge so that will require the airbrush. Wasn't sure about the cans required to paint a Tiger but now I know. :thumbup: I have used Tamiya's spray paints before & they are excellent. The are very easy to use & produce a quality finish.
panzer man
Lance Corporal
Posts: 107
Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2015 9:10 pm
Location: San Diego, California USA

Re: Spray Can Painting

Post by panzer man »

tomhugill wrote:Without know what airbrush you have it's difficult to be too specific but I use a gravity feed one and it does large areas and Camo detail just fine. Remember a can of Tamiya paint is going to be about £8, you can buy 4 pots for that. Two pots will easily do your base coat so it's also a lot cheaper.
I have a Badger double action 150. You are right about Tamiya's spray paint....it is pricey. What do you mean about pots? You mean jars of paint? That's how we refer to them in America at least.
panzer man
Lance Corporal
Posts: 107
Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2015 9:10 pm
Location: San Diego, California USA

Re: Spray Can Painting

Post by panzer man »

Kiaser wrote:Understanding what your using which is TS cans at that cost :/ which is a lacquer base paint that is why they look so flat I would concur with tomhugill tamiya surface primer in the bottle will out last me .

The trouble with cans is coverage and the nozzles I feel will dispense to much :'( hence overkill .

You will get better results at 60% less the cost now this all depends if your going to do additional models, I have various gravity feed pots like tomhugill so that is not a issue .

For your tiger I , I would suggest using the enamel base paint to get that hard flat paint look .

For modern MBT acrylics that is what they use :thumbup:
Thanks for the tips. Yes, I agree... there are drawbacks to rattle cans. I have a airbrush but need a compressor. I was just wondering if I could get good results from TS-3 Dark Yellow out of the can. I did see today where a guy did this to his HL Panzer IV & it turned out really well. It looked very close in color to the restored German armor pics I have seen. I may not do this with every model especially after I get a compressor but if I can achieve good results to keep the project moving then I'm all for it!
User avatar
tomhugill
Captain
Posts: 4746
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2010 11:21 am

Re: Spray Can Painting

Post by tomhugill »

panzer man wrote:
Kiaser wrote:Understanding what your using which is TS cans at that cost :/ which is a lacquer base paint that is why they look so flat I would concur with tomhugill tamiya surface primer in the bottle will out last me .

The trouble with cans is coverage and the nozzles I feel will dispense to much :'( hence overkill .

You will get better results at 60% less the cost now this all depends if your going to do additional models, I have various gravity feed pots like tomhugill so that is not a issue .

For your tiger I , I would suggest using the enamel base paint to get that hard flat paint look .

For modern MBT acrylics that is what they use :thumbup:
Thanks for the tips. Yes, I agree... there are drawbacks to rattle cans. I have a airbrush but need a compressor. I was just wondering if I could get good results from TS-3 Dark Yellow out of the can. I did see today where a guy did this to his HL Panzer IV & it turned out really well. It looked very close in color to the restored German armor pics I have seen. I may not do this with every model especially after I get a compressor but if I can achieve good results to keep the project moving then I'm all for it!

If you've not get working airbrush system then rattle cans at least for the base will be fine. But if I had the choice between rattle cans and an airbrush I'll always go airbush.

And yes what we call pots of paint are the same as your jars.
billpe
Warrant Officer 2nd Class
Posts: 1144
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2013 1:59 pm
Location: The bowels of Kent

Re: Spray Can Painting

Post by billpe »

panzer man wrote:Hey guys, I need to get an opinion on painting my Tamiya Tiger I base coat when I reach that step. I have heard others on this page state that painting large areas on 1/16 scale armor with an airbrush can be tricky, time consuming & difficult to pull off. My tank will have the standard dark yellow, dark green & red brown camo scheme. With that being said, could I paint the basecoat with Tamiya's dark yellow that comes in a spray can? Camo would be done with a airbrush. I know paints are lightened with white for scale effect but do you guys think the dark yellow from the can would be too dark or ok to use with a larger scale model. Would appreciate any feedback. Thanks.
An airbrush is better for any task than a can. The only time I'd use a can is for priming, that's only because the primers I like only come in a can.
User avatar
PainlessWolf
Lieutenant-Colonel
Posts: 7399
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2012 9:09 pm
Location: Southern Colorado Rocky Mountains

Re: Spray Can Painting

Post by PainlessWolf »

Good morning,
Airbrushes are great! No argument there, got one that I am learning to use myself. Before we pile on any more posts about how bad rattlecans are, I would like to say that a great paint job is possible using a spraycan and brush. I have several tanks painted entirely with rattle cans and detailed with brushes. I did this because I had too, having no airbrush or training in how to use one. Lots of modelers are in the same boat and turn out great work. We all know what opinions are like so to the OP I will say, try out the airbrush, primer the tank with a can, do what you can to give you an inkling of which method you would prefer and use that one. Until you _find_ what works for you, any and all solicited opinions are just that, helpful and well meaning advice, not carved in stone. We love to help out around here. ;o) Please remember to post pics of your work in progress.
regards,
Painless
...Here for the Dawn...
Post Reply

Return to “Painting and Weathering”