How to Airbrush a Model Aircraft
Model aircraft building is a hobby enjoyed the world over. Many hobbyists enjoy recreating their favorite aircraft, painstakingly piecing together accurate scale replicas. This construction is followed by applying a detailed paint job. Using an airbrush to do most of the painting is a quick way to complete the painting task. The airbrush also enables you to achieve a smooth even coating that's difficult to create with other painting processes. Airbrushing a model requires little experience. Even if new to the hobby, you can apply a nice-looking paint job that's good enough for display.
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Things You'll Need
- Dish washing soap
- Lint-free cloth
- Sandpaper (150 to 300 grit)
- Tack cloth
- Paints
- Paint thinner
- Airbrush
- Air compressor
- Masking tape
- Clear coat
Instructions
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Prepare the model aircraft for painting. Rinse the model parts in a mixture of liquid detergent and warm water to remove any residue left on the model parts from the molding process that may interfere with paint adherence. Dry the parts using a lint-free cloth. Sand the surface of the parts to be painted with wet/dry sandpaper, 150 to 300 grit. Sand lightly until the glossy coating on the plastic is removed and a slight texture forms on the model. Take special care with smaller parts, such as antennae, control panels or riveted sections, as details may be lost in the process. After sanding, run a tack cloth over the aircraft. The wax embedded in the cloth will remove any dust or plastic residue.
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Assemble the model aircraft beginning with the fuselage and wings, followed by the cockpit and auxiliary parts, such as landing gear and weaponry. For ease of painting, leave the wings and auxiliary parts unattached until all separate pieces have been painted.
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Choose a dark paint to serve as a primer coat for the aircraft. Pick either black or brown and dilute the paint to the consistency of thinned milk before filling the paint reservoir of the airbrush. The primer coat helps the final colors adhere to the aircraft smoothly, without the color of the plastic shining through, and adds depth to the paint being applied.
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Apply the primer coat to the aircraft by spraying the paint evenly across the aircraft's surface from 6 inches away. Spray the paint directly onto the aircraft, not at an angle, to prevent the paint feathering at part edges. To cover the aircraft, use multiple layers of paint lightly applied with full strokes across the surface of the aircraft, beginning slightly before the part being painted and ending slightly after the part. Cover detailed areas, such as control panels or riveted joints, with an especially light layer of primer to avoid painting away the detail once you add the final layer of color. Allow the primer coat to dry for two hours.
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Paint the aircraft with the final color scheme. The airbrush is most effective over larger parts of the aircraft due to the spray nature of the paint. Mask over smaller parts, such as wheels, cockpit controls or propellers, and paint them using a paintbrush. Allow the paint to dry for two hours. Many airbrush paints are opaque in nature; to add solidity to the paint colors, spray an additional coating of paint on the surface of the aircraft. Remove all masking tape once completed.
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Go over the painted surface using a fine grit sandpaper to create a smooth finish on the paint. Wipe the surface with the tack cloth and place a layer of clear coat onto the painted surface to protect the paint from damage.
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Tips & Warnings
Use multiple applications of the sandpaper to finish the model, after painting, with each sanding done with an increasingly higher grit of paper for a smoother finish.
Use the airbrush in a well-ventilated room to reduce paint fumes.
