mortimersnerd

Finally got out the new airbrush. This is only the third or fourth body I've painted in 20ish years of R/C and the first with an airbrush. It isn't perfect, as I had some problems with bleeding and cobwebbing, but I'm really happy with it overall. The body is all paint, and I don't plan on adding any decals despite some small smears and errors. You can't really see it in this pic, but I was able to get a really good wood plank effect in the bed. I'd love feedback, suggestions, etc. I learned some things I've listed below for anyone else starting out:

1. I love my respirator. This was painted with a combination of Createx and Pactra lacquers. I was surprised at how much the respirator kept out, and how strongly the Pactra smelled when I took it off. I'm glad I kept all that out of my lungs.

2. Thinning is your friend. The lacquers cobwebbed badly, but sprayed beautifully after being thinned 1:1. The Createx went on thick, and I had problems getting the masking off cleanly because of it. I'll thin it quite a bit on the next body I paint.

3. Shot glasses make great reuseable mixing cups.

4. Mix more paint than you think you need. I custom mixed the olive drab paint, and had to make more than one batch. The result was a subtle mottling in the color. It works really well on this body, but wouldn't look right on a more modern body.

5. A secondary regulator is a great tool. I installed one on my workbench with a water trap partway through this project. It made a big difference in the accuracy of my pressure settings and how convenient it was to change pressures.

6. Low pressure is your friend. This allows more fine detail and better control. I was surprised at the difference. More thinner, less pressure is the painting version of JRH's gear down, volt up mantra. Practice with 2 liter soda bottles to see what works for your style.

7. Clean often. All those little tiny holes in the brush clog quickly and can dramatically impact spraying performance.

I'm sure there is stuff I've forgotten and most of you probably already know all that. Thanks for looking!

t9dragon

My Feedback: (11)

Looks nice......................................

BudBud

Oh man, you really have that thing messed up. I guess you need an address to send it to, so it does not embarass you in front of your friends. I feel kind of sorry for you, so I would reluctantly refund your paint and body expense and take care of the disposal fees (freight) too. [8D]


It reall looks great, thanks for sharing it with us and the tips too. Bud

madmax22

better then i could ever do!!!! not a fan of the betty bodies IMO..... i think the green doesnt really go with the flames but again that my own opinion... very nice for a new airbrusher!!!

KID_EVIL!

I was thinking the same. don't really like the green.. (olive green) But the flames look pretty good. crisp lines and no bleeding under the masking. Looks good though.

KID EVIL!

BudBud

I need your PayPal address so I can pay that disposal fee....

How did you get that wooden bed floor effect, that looks pretty realistic. Bud

black mamba

Sweet bro!

mortimersnerd

Thanks for the kind words, all. I figured the green would be a matter of personal taste. I was shooting for a hot-rodded retired military truck kind of look. I really wanted to do flat green with gloss flames, but I'd have had to paint it on the outside to get the effect I wanted and didn't want the paint to get wasted in wrecks.

Bud-I'd be happy to paint you one if you'd like. I'd love a chance to do it again without the mistakes I made the first time. The bed was done by masking off alternating strips with tape and drybrushing it with brown paint. I then shot the entire bed with beige. The winch, grille and headlights were done in the same way, but with black drybrushed and backed with silver. I also dragged the handle of the brush diagonally through the black on the grille to recreate the wire. I think I'd do it with tape next time, as the lines would be more straight.

Justin
www.savagehowto.com