Thanks mate, hope it helps. I've heard that quite a few people also use a quick pass of hairspray as a salt fixer to keep it in place until deliberately rubbed off. I guess something like a proper sealant (dullcoat, purity seal, etc) could work too but, well, hairspray

That will make painting the stripes on my Gladiators a lot easier, though now you've got me interested in an airbrush for them. Any recommendations?

what PSI do you tend to keep your airbrush at? i feel like my patriot is being a little temperamental and I'm curious as to what you've dialled yours in to.

also, i know you use minitaire, too. have you had trouble with done of their paints being really really soupy?

Aye Destraa, I do like the Badger I have as Foas mentioned. Nice sturdy little airbrush that is pretty good if you can get it on sale.

Hmm, that depends. for the most part I tend to work at about 15-20 PSI for regular paints, and I cut minitaire with windex which is generally pretty decent. It's a quick fix, not nearly as good as something like a tamiya X20 thinner, but it works. Most of the time my problem comes with some really irritating working temperatures.

Urgh. Temperatures.

Its been the single hardest part of adapting painting to this environment.... I have an Iwata Neo, and although I've done some test sprays, nothng has actually hit a miniature yet... But I've also had to work with standard paints super-thinned to Airbrush standard...

Temperatures suck here for painting, no doubt about it. I still have to fiddle around with consistencies, and I'm not sure some paints are ever meant for use this far north. For the most part you have to deal with that infernal dry-tip so I keep an older brush and exta windex on hand as it simply happens, no amount of thinning will completely get rid of it.

I heard the Neo is decent, Patriot is nice as I like the grav-fed paired with having some good parts. I will admit that I soooorta broke the nozzel the other day, but a quick trip to Michaels with a 50% off coupon resulted in a sub $20 fix. It's worth it. Airbrushes won't do all the work, but they sure make things easier and open up a world of possibilities for effects (I actually like to just add a fine thinned ghost tint to most of my ships which gives them a nice distinct hue.

Temperature and Humidity ... Your lack of it... And this time of year, too, when stuff just gets so **** Inconsistent... (What do you mean, the Temperature is supposed to max out at 13c with a Risk of 10-15cm of Snow?! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!)

I mean, the best part of my Neo was that it, and its compressor, cost me all of a 4 hour each-way trip across town on a Day off, and nothing else....

Then a bunch in spare parts, but anyway.

Buying a pair of needles, a nozzle and a chucking nut, was still nothing compared to a compressor.....

So its something I'm going ot be experimenting with - I havn't used an Airbrush properly in 15 years, and back then, it was some old Tamiya monstrosity leftover from the TinSoldier Wars...

But I'm going to check out the Sentry Box when I'm up there, see what they have on hand for Airbrush.... Pretty sure that PM HobbyCraft up north will have it, being they're a Generic Hobby Superstore....

So thanks for little tips here and there, Vykesy... Gotta find the best painters to mooch off, anyway

And here 13C is still kinda boiling for me It's only when you get that horrible rain -and- snow that I get worried.... but then I'm really worried. Because rain should stop by the time October starts, as nature intended in preparation for real Christmas

Oh man, I remember hearing about those ones, along with the 'new era' of Testors integrated airbrushes which weren't meant to be properly taken apart. Oye. I don't like or trust that. But a NEO and compressor ain't bad (I'm using an old shop compressor as, well, farmboy's prerogative.) It's a good point really and I've seen some decent spots, though I still like Michaels. It's pricey every day of the year, but 50% off makes it pretty good.

Always glad to help, mate. I might not be much, but I do like sharing what lessons I've learned over a thrumming compressor, potbellied stove, and several minutes of creative cursing. Unsurpirsingly, there's been more issues cropping up in my painting since the temperature got right and proper.

We are in Florida, no temp issues!

I've considered getting an airbrush, but seeing my painting is now limited to detailing Armada ships, I decided not to. I did use one on some FoW panzers with good results.

We are in Florida, no temp issues!

Plenty of Humidity, too...

Oh, and Hurricanes.

Vykes, have you ever tried just having a big pot'o' airbrush cleaner on hand? Every couple sprays, I dunk my tip in there and "swig", as well as use a really old brush to swish around my tip. Doesn't solve it, of course, but it does help extend breaks between your "@##@&^% I need to disassemble" times- whenever I use my airbrush to apply firearm paint, I do this so I can actually coat the stinking gun before the epoxy resin sets in my cup.

I live in California, so I'm spoiled

We are in Florida, no temp issues!

Plenty of Humidity, too...

Oh, and Hurricanes.

way southwest, next to the ocean, humidity is fair and so far we are being missed by Hurricanes. I just moved down here from Kentucky, and I rather have this than tornadoes. Or ice, or snow.

We are in Florida, no temp issues!

Plenty of Humidity, too...

Oh, and Hurricanes.

way southwest, next to the ocean, humidity is fair and so far we are being missed by Hurricanes. I just moved down here from Kentucky, and I rather have this than tornadoes. Or ice, or snow.

We are in Florida, no temp issues!

Plenty of Humidity, too...

Oh, and Hurricanes.

way southwest, next to the ocean, humidity is fair and so far we are being missed by Hurricanes. I just moved down here from Kentucky, and I rather have this than tornadoes. Or ice, or snow.

Gulf of Mexico you mean.

If you want to get picky...lol

Vykes, have you ever tried just having a big pot'o' airbrush cleaner on hand? Every couple sprays, I dunk my tip in there and "swig", as well as use a really old brush to swish around my tip. Doesn't solve it, of course, but it does help extend breaks between your "@##@&^% I need to disassemble" times- whenever I use my airbrush to apply firearm paint, I do this so I can actually coat the stinking gun before the epoxy resin sets in my cup.

I live in California, so I'm spoiled

Where about in good ol' CA DUR? I don't think I remember ever hearing that you and I were from the same fine state before.

Vykes, have you ever tried just having a big pot'o' airbrush cleaner on hand? Every couple sprays, I dunk my tip in there and "swig", as well as use a really old brush to swish around my tip. Doesn't solve it, of course, but it does help extend breaks between your "@##@&^% I need to disassemble" times- whenever I use my airbrush to apply firearm paint, I do this so I can actually coat the stinking gun before the epoxy resin sets in my cup.

I live in California, so I'm spoiled

Not a bad idea, but I'd have to pick some up. Golden or something, finding decent sized amounts of X20 is frustrating and my Wayland order with a goodly amount, still hasn't dispatched yet. I know that I typically have a windex dropper and brush that goes a fair way to get rid of that gunk. And it maxes mixing in the cup kinda nice. Man, I really wouldn't want to deal with that epoxy, even proper surface primer is a headache inducing affair.

I'm northern Alberta. Dras and his Hothgary boys are south-folk to me But I like the snow and cold, not a fan of ice (I would be if I didn't live in the country where I have to drive 50 miles to get anywhere of note).

Minor painting update (while I still wait for my new paint*)

Phoenix Squadron A-wings... because they're the best pilots the Alliance could find at the time

Some H6's... I need a third to make a flight, don't I?

Some B-wings are on the docket but just painting them up as Kenarthi Greys again. X-wings, Y-wings, and likely some ESBlue Ties to follow. I'll update the earlier '5 day fleet' with some more detailed pictures soon.

I think five of your phoenix fighters exploded right after taking the picture.

EDIT: Double post

I've been waiting for you to do Phoenix Squadron, although I miss seeing the green ones. They look beautiful!

Nice Mel, I got up and saw that and couldn't stop laughing.

Thanks a ton MPG, mate. I think now I have 3 CR90's painted up the part and those A-wings. I had one for a while but when I got my set in, I decided to go all-in and go for a 4 flight grouping with the potential of 2 of those to be 'aces'. I'm kinda missing the green, and the red for that matter, but I maaaaay end up with another Reb set to have some fun with them. That said, it would mean more X-wings and they make me want to cry myself to sleep.

Weathering the H6's was a bit of fun though. Turns out it can work, it just doesn't show up quite as well on red.

Thanks for sharing all the paint work Vykes (long time lurker, particularly your threads). I really appreciated the broken down tutorials you occasionally post and they'll helped some random guy who decided to paint his armada with 0 painting experience come a very long way (I think anyway). The red striped fleet is pretty stellar.

Edit: (I think I figured out the problem, darker glows helped a lot, the 'mustard yellow comment tipped it, threw a touch of sepia in and it went a long way, next part may be moot.)

I'm stumped (well, was stumped) though, and I know you've explained windows but I just can't seem to get it to 'click'. Either that or I just don't like what I am ending up putting down. I tried a light dry brush glow of say andrea blue (maybe too bright?), highlighted windows with a sky blue, gave it a 'wash' with fluorescent blue (very thing colour, quite nice, balanced the andrea well), rehighlighted and it just looks a mess. I feel as if I am missing something critical in execution (although you mentioned before you then shade over this? I just can't seem to get a glow that doesn't look like a hamfisted hack job (I do not have an air brush either, if that's it I'll just give up).

When I finish processing my photos from May (yeah... about that), maybe I'll try to bust out a macro and get some pictures of the works so far, least I can do to return the favour (albeit they won't be anything near the painters who hang around this place).

I think five of your phoenix fighters exploded right after taking the picture.

Phoenix Squadron: Rebels equivalent of Red Shirts.

Great work!

Thanks mates. Leeets see, bit of brush work, not all of it complete of course but I think I may be going for a fairly clean Assault Frigate. I'm thinking I'll need to counter shade just a little bit more to get the effect to the degree I want. And then we'll see about markings.

Oh, and I finished up those B-wings. Just a trio of flights, nothing special in the Kenarthi Greys scheme.