Tamiya KT painting help

[Awins]

Hi guys, as a newbie can anyone offer any advice on painting my model. Firstly which type and make of paint should I use, also do I need to prime it as some parts are metal while others are plastic?
Is it a good idea to paint the parts first prior to constructing the model or should I first build then set about painting it. I see reference to air brushing but at this stage don't have one so I will be using brushes to carry out this work. Do you think that I will be able to create a good camouflage pattern using a brush. Its the overlapping of the colours that concern me as it is likely to have a sharp edge rather than a blended line which maybe the airbrush would leave.
Any help or advice please, thank you.

[billpe]

King Tigers did leave the factory with hard edged camo so that isn't a problem (the real ones used a large air brush and templates), early models were painted by maintenance units. It depends on the scheme you want and what you're going to be happy with, how realistic you want it or if you're happy with an approximation, it's totally your decision to make.

I would say though do not use Tamiya paints if you're brushing. They don't brush well. Definitely prime, Tamiya fine primer does both metal and plastic but you can use pretty much any fine primer you want as long as you don't use an etching kind of plastic.

It's easier to paint after you've built some of it but leave the wheels and sprockets off and paint separately. Definately read the instructions and other peoples builds first though so you know what you're getting into.

[PainlessWolf]

Good Morning,
Should you prime? Yes. Tamiya makes an excellent plastic and metal primer that I use and it gives great results with no definition lost. Having said that, many on the Board here swear by Halford's red automotive primer, very nice if you are doing German armor and are looking for a realistic undercoat to do chip weathering with. Others will use a black primer and very light coats of the main color to get pre done shadowing effects. As for the add on parts, I paint tools and stowage after the main paint job is complete so they compliment the color. Anything that is permanently mounted to the tank should be painted while attached. Those pieces can be detailed with a brush after the paint and camo is applied. ( i.e., padding on the insides of hatches, etc. ) A good camo pattern is possible with a brush, it is called 'Hard Line' and is very cool looking when done right. No over lap of colors is possible using a brush, you just wind up with a weird third color or ridges in your finish. You will want to apply your primary color with an airgun or in your case, canned spray paint. Here is a basic set of photos as an example. The complete process involves a lot more detail and can be found in the build thread for this tank: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=12930 Good luck and take pictures so that we can follow your progress.
regards,
Painless

[billpe]

Yeah, leave the tools and ropes off and paint afterwards.

[ALPHA]

You've got a lot of good advice Awins... all I will throw into the mix is this
http://www.rctankwarfare.co.uk/forums/v ... .php?f=136
It's a reference for paint schemes on the board...

Choose one you like...if you like what Painless has done..and use an airbrush instead of brush...get some silly putty if you can find it... stick it on in whatever pattern you desire...and go for it

Just have fun with it...and remember ..you can never mess up paint...especially on a tank...and especially if it's for you to enjoy

Good Luck Awins

ALPHA

[tomhugill]

If your thinking of using the hairspray technique or chipping fluid it's worth using a red oxide primer. I used the plastikote stuff as my local b&q has it!

[Marc780]

Well I'm not an expert but plenty of experience with painting without an airbrush.

To be honest brushes are only suitable for painting small parts, or parts already installed that are too hard to mask. It is extremely difficult not to leave brush marks or to get even coverage, especially if trying to do an entire tank. My first time painting an entire model with brushes was also my last...even though you don't have an airbrush now, spray cans can also achieve a very good effect. You could create the hard edge camo that was used late war, just by masking your base coat.

To use a not really very good example - here's a storage box I sprayed with spray cans just to make it look more interesting then the boring solid green it was...



I used no masking and wasn't trying even to create any special effect. The box is a little bigger then your king tiger, and of course it's probably not the pattern you'd want either. the point is an airbrush effect can be duplicated with spray cans, with a little effort. With a few templates cut from cardboard it is possible to come close to an airbrush effect. I wasn't even giving it much effort just goofing around with this box and all the paint i have from painting my huge tank fleet (working on #5 now... ).

Also many people just paint their KT a solid color usually "sand gelb" which a lot of King tigers were painted late-war... or even just make it winter white. That would work well with brush only paint job.

[Jake79]

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