Painting Techniques

I

WANTED TO SEEif I could build a high quality, eye-catching

model that would be competitive on any show table. That’s chal-

lenging enough, but I also wanted to see if I could finish that same

model using spray cans instead of an airbrush. Why? We live in an

era where many modelers think spray cans are amateurish and

imprecise, and that the only way to build a killer model is to use an

airbrush. I’m here to tell you, “It just ain’t so!” There are a lot of

good reasons to use aerosol paint.

Perhaps you’re a beginner who just wants to break through the

orange peel barrier and build consistently nice models you’ll be

proud to put on your shelf. Aerosol is for you. Perhaps you have a

family or demanding job and consequently don’t have a lot of time

for modeling. Aerosol is for you. Heck, you could be a burned-out

veteran contest winner who just wants to get back to the enjoyable

roots of modeling. Surprisingly, aerosol may be for you!

Today there are many excellent aerosol paints available for car

modelers, more than we’ve ever seen in the long history of our

hobby. Testors rules the roost with an excellent selection of both

stock and custom colors in enamels, and Tamiya’s

new lacquers have sweetened the pot

considerably. Adding spice to the

mix is the incredibly expansive array

of commercially available paints

offered by manufacturers such as

Great paint from

spray cans

Part I: Simple steps to a

glass-smooth paint job

by PAT COVERT