How to Paint a Realistic Scale Model Building
People create scale model buildings for a variety of reasons. Dioramas, dollhouses, model railroads and architectural presentations are just a few of them. Most of these creations have one thing in common: an attempt at presenting a realistic display of the actual building from which they're modeled. A large part of this realistic portrayal is the paint job applied to the model. A model that's painted as though it's the real thing has a better visual impact on the viewer than one that appears to be painted as a toy. Achieving the realistic look requires detail though, from preparing the model to receive the paint to weathering the paint once it's been applied. In the end, the model will appear as realistic as possible, giving the viewer a look at the real thing, only in scale.
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Things You'll Need
- Liquid soap
- Water
- Lint-free cloth
- Sandpaper
- Tack cloth
- Airbrush
- Air compressor
- Paint
- Paint thinner
- Paintbrush
- Matte clear-coat spray-paint
Instructions
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Wash the surface of the model with a mixture of liquid soap and warm water to remove any residue left on the surface of the plastic. Pat the model dry with a lint-free cloth.
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Lightly sand the surface of the model, slightly etching the plastic to provide for better paint adhesion. Take care not to remove any details molded into the model surface. Wipe the sanded surface with a wax-embedded tack cloth to remove any plastic residue.
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Prepare the airbrush for use. Connect the air hose between the compressor and the airbrush and test the connection by passing a small amount of air through the system. Prepare a dark primer paint for the model, using either brown or black paint. Dilute the paint to the consistency of thin milk using a thinner compatible with your chosen paint type. Pour the diluted paint into the airbrush paint reservoir.
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Cover the building with a layer of primer paint. Work the airbrush across the surface of the structure with smooth level motions, holding the airbrush about six inches from the surface of the model. Build up the layer of paint with multiple passes of the airbrush, taking care not to obscure any details to the molded plastic. The primer helps the final colors stick to the structure without the plastic shining throug, and the dark color helps add shadows and depth to the building. Allow two hours for the primer to dry before proceeding with the final color coat.
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Change the color in the airbrush to the final color of your building's surface. Try and match the color to those actually used on the full scale version of the model. Mask off areas of the building you don't wish to paint with the currently used color with masking tape. Paint the building with the diluted final colors using the same method as applying the primer paint. Allow the paint to dry for two hours before removing the masking tape and moving on to a different color for a different area of the building.
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Weather the building to represent the effects of exposure to the elements. Dilute black paint with 90 percent thinner. Drybrush the surface of the building with the diluted paint, concentrating on shadowed areas. To drybrush, cover the brush in the diluted paint and then wipe the brush onto a piece of paper towel, removing most of the moisture and leaving it slightly damp. Drag the damp brush over the surface of the model, lightly coating it with a dusting of the diluted paint. Allow the model to dry overnight.
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Spray the model with a layer of matte clear-coat paint to seal the colors without creating a glossy shine. Allow the clear-coat to dry for two hours before displaying the model.
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Tips & Warnings
Only use airbrushes in well-ventilated areas to prevent breathing paint fumes.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Gulliver"s travel image by Paolo Frangiolli from Fotolia.com
