Hi I am new to the hobby world here. I just bough a 1/48 Corsair model. I just finished washing it in dish soap and warm water like the book said to do. I have some questions regarding the paint. I have enamel paints with a brush. I also have a gray primer to put on before that. In addition, I just purchased a can of ultra gloss clearcoat. My question is when does the gloss clear coat go on? If I want my plane to be blue, should I get a clear primer to put on then a spray paint can of blue to paint it, THEN put the gloss clear coat on? Furthermore, what about sanding? I am under the presumption that sanding happens BEFORE the painting to smooth out the plastic imperfections. Is this correct? thank you for any helP! :) :wave:

Generally speaking, the gloss clear goes on after the painting. You need a glossy surface to ensure that the decals will adhere without silvering (trapping microscopic bubbles under the decal and messing up the appearance).

Grey primer works perfectly under blue. The correct order is : 1) Prime the surface, 2) Paint it, 3)Gloss coat, 4)Decals and 5) another clear coat...gloss, satin or flat depending to blend the decals into the finish.

Sanding can serve multiple purposes. It is not really necessary to sand the full surface to ensure paint adhesion. However, if you have used any filler putty or if you want to otherwise smooth out the seams, sanding is required for those areas.

Consider getting a cheap airbrush. A beginner doesn't need a $150.00 Iwata. Try a $20.00 airbrush from Wal Mart. Brush painting an aircraft can be very frustrating and finding military colors in a spray can is almost impossible.

My 1/48 Tamiya early Corsair...a nice kit that requires virtually no filler.

http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/888/bc2hr.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I appreciate your input, I'll save this. Yes I brush painted my first model which was a Japanese Zero and it was frustrating needless to say. :(

Ouch, brush painting, reminds me of the first car model I did. Thing weighed a good pound or so by the time that Testors enamel dried. What brush marks? :lol: rr

Brent is right about the process and about getting an airbrush. I would go about it another way though, if you have a Harbor Freight store in your area, or even on line, you can get a decent single action airbrush for $10, $5 when they are on sale, plus you can buy a compressor for $50-100 depending on the sale and features your looking for. It's worth a look, the are at www.harborfreight.com (http://www.harborfreight.com)


The airbrush is a Badger 350 clone....

And here is my Tamiya Bird Cage kit....

There is another Harbor Freight-like store called Cummins Tools that carries very similar items.

I don't have a Corsair to show :(.


Anyhoo, yeah, the best improvement to one's modeling skills is the moment you get an airbrush. I used to hand brush everything as a kid. Didn't get an airbrush till I was in art school, then decided to try it on a model instead of bristol board. Holy cow, what a difference it makes!