Note:
Wear a mask, some eye protection, and gloves as the
paint fumes may be harmful.
To apply the top coats, I use a Badger Crescendo dual-action
airbrush [8]. Dual-action means paint and air are controlled by
the same trigger. My compressor is fitted with a pressure air
supply tank and water trap.
The air tank helps to main-
tain supply, and maintains
a steady flow of air without
pulsations that can be com-
mon in cheaper compres-
sors. The water trap stops
water coming through the air
lines to spoil your work.
Painting the color
coat
I use Floquil paints to paint
the top coats, starting with
the yellow/orange for the
car sides. Start with the
lighter color when possible,
because it is easier to cover
a light coat with a darker
one than the other way
around. I used Floquil Light
Orange as a good match to
the sides of the car. There
have been as many discus-
sions and arguments about
color as there are colors on
the palette. For color selection you have to consider your lay-
out lighting, and what time frame are you looking at – is the
car freshly painted or has it been in service for some time?
I mix the paint 50/50 with Testors universal thinner and spray
at around 20 psi. Keep the brush even and moving parallel to
the work. Spray several light coats rather than one heavy one,
to avoid the chance of runs. The paint should go on wet. If
you are ending up with something that looks like fine sandpa-
per, then either the pressure is too high, the paint is not thin
enough, or you are holding the brush too far from the work.
If you haven’t painted much before, then experiment with your
gear on something that is not as important. I have a couple
of clunky-looking old cars which I don’t intend to use on the
layout, and I always test on these before spraying the more
detailed model. In a pinch you can also test on a piece of white
card or other flat surface like an old piece of scrap styrene.
4. The Rustoleum primer
in a spray can.
4
Painting and decaling a resin car - 3
5. Trucks mounted on the holder.
5
MRH-Dec 2014
