Beginner's guide to hand painting your first kit (Part 1: Cockpit and dry brushing)
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- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
- Hello all!! Right, I have had many fellow model makers complain that I never did a series about how to hand paint a kit. Well, I am sorry for the delay but here it is - a beginner's guide to hand painting your first kit. Enjoy :)
1. Daily Beetle by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommon...)
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3. Whatdafunk by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommon...)
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Like many of the people leaving comments, I was in modeling as a child and now in retirement discovering the hobby again. This is a great series (I've watched all four parts), but the title doesn't really reflect all of the advice and tips presented. There's tips on not only hand-painting, but glueing, sealing seams, applying decals, and much more. There's also recommended products (I'm about to place an order for all of them). One of the best how-to video's on the internet!! As I put together my models (I have 5 waiting to be built) I will surely view more videos from this channel to get advice and add to my skills. Thank you very much for these videos......and PS: the background music is fine.
I’ve decided to get back into scale model building after a hiatus of many years. I’ve found your videos to be very educational, easy to understand, and full of practical tips I can put into practice right away. Thanks for the awesome content!
I haven't modeled since I was 15. I'm 58 now and getting back into it. Lots changed! Your video was extremely well put together, left no stone unturned. Can't wait to see more. Thank you for your time!
G'day SMM, Thank you so much for these excellent brush painting videos. I have come back to modelling after a very long break. When I started aircraft modelling no one used airbrushes apart from professional model makers. I found your videos helping me to recall the techniques I lost many years ago. This was most helpful and very well shot.
You did not rush the processes you showed us and this was appreciated.
I know that here in Australia a large number of modellers, like me, do not use airbrushes. They are still expensive; require more exacting cleaning than brushes and, worst of all, make a noise.
I was in the RAAF and became interested in military history which I later studied at university, specialising in the histories of various air forces and WW2 in particular.
I have some fascinating photographs showing the so-called 'D-Day Stripes' being applied to Hurricanes and Spitfires, by hand using 6-inch paint brushes, outdoors!
By personal experience I can tell you that squadron, wing and group paint schemes varied widely amongst aircraft of the same type.
During WW2, properly painting the aircraft was way down on the list of the ground staffs' priorities so the variations were even more pronounced across squadrons etc.
In the Pacific theatre of operations, the RAAF and the RAF actually removed the red dot in their usual roundel designs. This was to stop the repeat of a tragic 'friendly fire' incident where several RAAF aircraft were shot down by inexperienced US pilots who mistook the red centre of our roundels to indicate Japanese planes.
The 'weathering' and chipping from over use was most common during WW2. Some types of fighters and light bombers had such bad oil stains and burns from exhaust outlets that they could never be entirely cleaned. Rarely was there time to remove aircraft from the line for new paint jobs, so ad-hoc painting and panel repair work made most aircraft look extremely 'patchy'.
To conclude, I think more UA-cam modelling experts, like yourself, should make more videos showing beginners, and older people like me who don't like using airbrushes, or can't afford them, the secrets of completing even the largest kits using brushes alone. This, after all, preserves the heritage of our hobby which started in earnest during the latter part of WW2 and boomed into great popularity in post-war years in the UK and US then spread around the world.
Thank you again for your efforts and I do hope you consider doing more instructional brush videos.
Cheers, stay healthy and all the best! BH Hobart, Tasmania
P.S. After seeing all four videos in this series, I subscribed and 'rang the bell'. Thank you!
I too used to build models as a kid, who knows how many. Now 60 and about to retire, thought this might keep me busy. By watching this I can see that my retirement years will be filled with learning how to paint a models. Thank you for the great ideas and the perfect way you explain things. I have a lot to learn!
Hi! Maybe the best guide for beginners brushed painting on the internet.👍
My 9 year old son is just getting into modeling and this video series is just what we have been looking for. I know you didn’t get many views on this particular build but I hope you do more brush painting videos/tutorials. Thanks!
Thanks buddy :) and yes I will do more hand painting and beginner's guide videos. It feels good to know that young people are also interested in what I consider to be among the best hobbies. Not only do you get to build with your hands, you also get to learn so much about history.
@@scalemodellingmadness4114 So true. That's exactly what I told my son. The first model he is building right now is the Airfix P-51D. I'm curious - why don't you prime your pieces first? I bought my son Testors acrylics and diluted the paint as you suggested but the paint just pools. The sprules were cleaned first in soapy water. Maybe Testors isn't the best paint? That's what I grew up using but of course there weren't a lot of options back then.
The reason I don't prime is two fold. Firstly, the paints today are very good, well most of them, and they grip the surface well enough without a primer. Also, priming while hand painting the kit adds another layer of paint which might cover some details. As for the pooling of the paint, do not worry about it, just keep the paint runny (so that it self levels) and apply very thin layers. Even if the first few layers are patchy, subsequent layers will cover the entire surface. What you want to avoid are deep prominent brush strokes, if the paint is smooth and there is some tonal variation in the end, I think that looks good. But if you want an even coat of paint, just apply thin additional layers of paint till it evens out. If you watch the third video in this series, where I paint the kit, you will see that the first layer of paint I apply is also patchy and pools up in places. But all that sorts itself out with subsequent layers. Also, once you apply the paint, do not keep brushing it as it dries. I hope that helps. Good luck with your build :)
@Dan that sounds like the paint is too thin. I would recommend using a test piece to experiment with different ratios
I really like how in depth you go with everything. Your videos don’t leave me with questions afterward 👍
When you can hand paint a kit like you do, it shows talent ,nice job
Outstanding! It’s hard to find good videos of someone brush painting to show us beginners but doing it really well so we know what is possible by just brush painting. Realistically I’m never going to get an airbrush so I appreciate these videos. Excellent series
Thank you so much!
I've only watched 6 minutes of your video, and already I can tell this is gonna be good, just by the fact how you properly explain everything
After so many videos it was refreshing to find this one, as a complete beginner I found this incredibly helpful, well explained and actually a lot less stressed about getting into the hobby. So thankyou! 👍 liked, subbed and alerts.
The one thing I liked about the finished model was that the weathering was good and not over-done I see so many guys go overboard with the weathering and it ends up looking like it has been sitting in a aircraft boneyard for 10 -20 years. Great build.
Thanks Shannon :)
I have been always thinking that these models should be painted with brush, but all who i know have been against me and said that its impossible to get anything work nicely without paintgun. When i was young, i tried and tried with several models but never succeeded.. Now after 20+ years later watching these again with that mood like im gonna do it, but im too afraid because i failed so badly in the past. I still think im not gonna get a paintgun, and true skill is shown by doing it like this, "manually". It is just hard to get over with, im good with painting things but scale models are so different world, and oh my the stickers.. But Im going to try it again, but the first step is very high. And yes, its only a scale model, but want to succeed so badly right in the first go. It looks so simple but... Aaarrrggghhh!!! But your work looks great! Keep on going 👍
Thanks mate and good luck with your first build, I am sure it will come out great :)
Thank you so much for actually covering the things that most people assume you would already know.
Yours is the most helpful for beginners video I have seen. Hobby shop here I come. Kudos and thanks.
As someone starting out, im glad with this tutorial any other tutorial and you’ll need and expensive piece of equipment within seconds into the video
Thanks a lot for the excellent tutorial for beginners! One of the best video guides to hand painting) Greetings from Russia)
Thank you very much!
Thanks for your great video. Just started modelling again after many years away. The quality that can be achieved is exceptional. Your video on painting by brush was really helpful. New to acrylic paints and the key requirement for a smooth finish is the dilution of the paint and multi-coating. Your guide covered this and I have been able to achieve the best paint job to date. Keep the videos coming please, really helpful.
Glad the videos helped Ric. Will put up another series soon. Thanks for watching :)
I loved this. Great work and pleasant voice
Thank you so much Travis :) Very kind.
I have been building for many years now, however, it is nice to go back and review with someone how they do hand painting. Thank You for the nice simple straightforward hints. The tip about deepening the panel lines before you sand and smooth out the glue is one I just had not thought of. I will try that on my current model I am building.
Glad you enjoyed it TM. Good luck with the build :)
No way ... it looks fantastic!
thanks buddy...very kind :)
Excellent series of videos for beginners such as myself with clear examples and verbal directions. Thank you very much, these are VERY helpful!
I am glad the videos proved helpful. Good luck with your build.
Stumble on this series, thank you very much, helpful to me as a beginner
Amazing detail and production quality.
Glad you liked it
Excellent tutorial. Can’t wait to get started as it’s been many years since I did this. Keep up the great work.
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent all round. Thanks!
Very instructive, the dry-brushing technique is very cool
Thank you for this video and the serie . I am coming back to scale modelling and your videos are full of tips and helpful.
You are a star in the making 👍🇬🇧
Thank you buddy. Very kind :)
Great vid man. I returned to model building 25 years after my last model during COVID19 where I challenged myself to build all of the Enterprise (Star Trek) models. Been having a blast with my son doing so and should have watched this video first!
Thanks mate....and there is always the next model to have fun with :)
Dear SMM,
thank you for this channel and series of videos. My 12yo Son just started and we’re using your series as a reference. Really well done. Liked and subscribed. Greetings from the Netherlands 🇳🇱
Thank you so much mate. Very heart warming. It is so nice to see young people take to this hobby. I hope your journey with your son through this wonderful hobby (which has history, engineering and stories woven into it) is a great one and you make many wonderful memories. Good luck :)
Really well made beginners guide, easy to understand and easy to follow, thanks a lot.
By the way, I like your accent, reminds me of a friend in London.
Now that is how you handle criticism!
Fantastic descriptions and easy to follow. Great content.
Much appreciated!
Beautiful plane!
Well done as usual, sir. I never could paint worth a crap with a brush and I’ve been building these things for 50 years. I may try again now.
Thanks Bill. Hand painting has its own satisfaction, although I myself hand painted a kit after ten years or so.. lol.
Very helpful and clear explanations, thank you. 👍😊
This is a great tutorial! I'm just starting out on my second model and decided to do some research because I definitely want to improve on my first attempt 😂
Just watched all four parts. Well done. Will be going back over with notepad in hand because there were some questions I had...
Thanks for watching mate. Any questions you have please feel free to ask. I will be glad to help best I can :)
@@scalemodellingmadness4114 perhaps you could do an entire video as a companion to the handpaininting builds that covers tools and supplies used in them?
I mean I'll review the P47 and Hurricane videos to make a list but a video on tools and supplies would be great...
After getting back into the hobby recently this was useful to watch as I swapped from enamel to acrylic paints shortly before stopping as acrylic was easier to clean and smelled less. Definitely need to pick up new brushes and some tools though 😅
Thank you, wonderful instructional for a beginner like myself!!!
Just bought a revell f14a black tomcat for Christmas as my first kit. Cool vid
Thanks mate :)
Great stuff!! Keep up the great work these videos are great resources for modelers!!
Great video thanks! I find myself going back to it multiple times. Hoping you do follow-up videos
Thank you. This will be my first model. I am going to do this exact model and follow along with you!
What a fantastic tutorial!
Truly excellent 😁
Thank you! Cheers!
Another great video.............. must get some side cutters............. thank you..........
Nice progress my friend 👍
Nice video, will be watching the rest in this series!....Bill
I love the dry brush technique
Thanks Michael :)
nice vid , just getting back into modeling after 30+ years , im new to all these new types of paints , always used enamel paint in the past , like ur dry brush idea ,, think ive got a lot of catching up to do ! well done :))
I am glad that the videos proved helpful. Good luck with your builds and thank you for watching :)
I started scale modeling in early 2020 and I have some things thatcyou sayed but i watched this video and I knew I was missing something to make my planes better. Right now I am working on the Grumman Marlet MK IV. Thanks for the tips
Glad I could help!
This was so very useful. I will try it step for step on a similar model. Many thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Scale Modelling Madness
Do you have some material on how to paint Jet engins. I would realy apreciate if you could help
A simple yet useful technique.... good job...
Thanks mate :)
@@scalemodellingmadness4114 your welcome... I will perfect such technique if I had my first kit someday..
Very helpful video, thank you!
Fantastic video. Very well done! Thank you sir.
This is great info, thank you very much.
Thanks for doing this brush version!
Your welcome Rudolf.... I will paint the entire kit in the next few editions :) This series was long overdue.
@@scalemodellingmadness4114 Thanks!!! I have just started my first build in 45 years. It's an Airfix Hurricane starter set.... I hope there will be more after my first one! Greetings from Sweden!
Excellent video! I’m about to start on my first project and this is exactly what I needed to see. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Congrats on 5k subs
Great build as always
Thanks buddy...as always :)
great and helpful vidéo , i'm just returning to kit making bu tired of aérographes now i just use brush . the only i do more than you , is spray a base cote like AK light grey before paint it really help the job
THANK YOU SO MUCH! I am planning to start the hobby, but I am not able to buy an airbrush. Your video was very helpfull
Really great video. This will help a lot with getting back into the hobby! Thanks :D
I inwested into a small compressor and airbrush after watching your wideo. I tried painting using a brush and acrylic paint. I did not like the vay the paint adhered to plastic parts. It seemed I needed multiple coats to cover the plastic. Your wideo was excellent for beginners and wery informative. I also purchased some sticky tack vitch an excellent technique. Thank you for helping!
Glad the videos were helpful Mack. Thanks for watching :) Good luck with the build.
Awesome video
Great video. How long does it take paint to dry between coats?
I wish you mentioned the importance of washing off any excess chemicals leftover from the molding process
nice work
The blu tac is genius thanks!
:)
Lovely. such talent
Thanks Zaheer :)
Hello, nice video. Very informative. BTW, how long between coats? Acrylics and water-based?
Came for the tips, stayed for the tunes 👍
Really helpful video, thanks!
Hey, nice video. Can you do a guide about enamel paints and how to paint with it? I searched for a while but I haven't found anything that explain to much how to use it, I think you are the right person to do it.
Nice video :) I would just suggest that you add info about the time it takes for each layer/process to cure.
Thanks Stoyan. I have uploaded another hand painting video just yesterday. I have tried to address many questions raised by viewers in that video, including time between paint coats. I am in the process of editing even more detailed hand painting videos that I will upload shortly. But to answer your question, since I am using primarily water based paints (acrylic) it only takes a few minutes for the coat to dry. However, just to keep in the safer side I wait for about half an hour between coats. Thanks again :)
Thanks for the video. Where I live the hobby store are 99% R/C distributors and no plastic model's. It's very difficult to find paint to my aircraft's. What acrylic paints do yo recomend? We have Walmart's stores everywhere but no model's brands.
So many good techniques! Could you please explain why the varnish layer is needed?
Hey mate, thanks. The gloss varnish does three things. Firstly, it protects our work. Secondly, a nice glossy surface is ideal to fix decals on. It helps the decal conform to the surface better and prevents silvering. And lastly, It helps the washes flow better in the details like rivets and panel lines. The last coat of matt varnish, helps blend all the work together and takes away the extra shine from the kit, making it look more realistic. Hope that helps :)
@@scalemodellingmadness4114 That totally makes sense. Thank you!
Excellent!
Thanks Marc.
Excellent great intro!
Thanks!
Cracking video many thanks
Thanks Mark.
My ocd screamed when you tore the blue take like...🤣
Very nice!
Thank you🤗
What do you do with the paint leftover while the coats dry? Do you have to re-mix the paint every coat?
Fantastic video! Thank you!
Thanks buddy :)
Another example of how dry brushing is a modelers jewel in the crown. Will watch the other videos soon as I'm about to paint the Flames of War 1/100 Spitfire soon and I think air brushing that scale size will not be effective anyway. Your thoughts sir?
Well....it all depends on the paint scheme. If you are going for a single or maybe two colour scheme, then yes you can use the airbrush. However, a more complex scheme may mean really intricate and difficult masking. What I would perhaps do is, that I would use the airbrush for the two base colours, like the sky in the belly and the first top base colour. And then if masking is proving to be too big a challenge, hand paint the last camo patterns. Hope that helps....good luck :)
@@scalemodellingmadness4114 Thank you Sir. Yes indeed my strategy will be exactly as you suggest. Thanks for the guidance.
13:48, what a tip!
Quick question, a friend of mine was very good at painting lead figures. He always applied an undercoat of white first, would this have application here?
You’re never alone, not matter the hobby you choose. This is great. I last painted models when about 10 and they were a hot mess. I’m now going to build the top aircraft of world war 2 and want to do a good job
Maybe he used Gesso you use to plastic primer spray
Please do not stop doing models with brush painting. I mean I suspect you prefer to use airbrush, but there are people out there like me who use only traditional brush. I watch a lot scale modelling movies on youtube and every time a see someone is using airbrush I turn it off and look for another one. I saw few of your posts before, but never watched them to the end when I noticed you are using airbrush. I am just not interested in this technique. However I loved this one here and I learnt few new tricks from you. Thank you for that. Please do movies with brush painting from time to time. Maybe next time you could do some more complicated camo scheme like on spitfires or hurricanes. I always struggle with that.....
Hey Teddy. You won't believe this but I was just thinking that I should do a more difficult camo scheme. I bought an Italeri 48 scale hurricane for this. But, there are many builds in the pipeline before I get around to doing another guide. I was even thinking of doing a tank some time down the line.
Cool. Can't wait till you next movie. I would prefer to see another aircraft with camo than tank. I think painting aircraft is more difficult than tank. Tanks are more forgiving :) Anyway, choice is yours of course :)
Maybe you should just have a go with an airbrush.
Thanks great video - one question I had was how long between coats do you allow the kit to dry ? Mins ? Hours ? Overnight ?
In fact ignore that I see someone below has asked the same Q - thanks !!!
How long do u wait before applying the next coat of paint?
Hey GK. I promised questions, so here's the first one...
in Part one you say you will use several brushes;
that includes a large flat one, was it synthetic or natural? size (width)?
then a rounded brush, but again no size given and no synthetic or natural fiber?
then a Narrower flat "stiff" brush for dry brushing. It looks about half the width of the first brush? but Synthetic...?
and finally you had too fine tip brushes for details. Again synthetic? Also one of the had a distinctive swell in the middle of the handle. Do you consider that significant?
Second, the paint you used to dry brush the instrument, you said could be Aluminium to Silver but also including grey. Which paint did you use? any dilution of paint in that task?
Thanks,
J.
Hey Jeffrey, first of all, apologies for the delayed reply, you know how work constantly interferes with more important things in life, like model making :) Right about the brushes. All the brushes I use are synthetic. Not the cheapest, but of decent quality that will not break the bank.
As for size. This is actually a function of the kit you are painting. Try to use the widest brush that the surface of the kit will allow you. However, the widest I would recommend would be about half an inch flat brush for a 72nd scale model.
The rounded brush I am using is, I think, Ashley A77 7 or 8 round brush. The fine tip brushes I use are a 0 and a 00, depending on the feature to be painted.
The smaller flat brush I use is a quarter inch.
But don't go exactly by what I was doing. As you progress you will develop a style and preference of your own and that will give the best results.
So, about what paint to use for dry brushing. If you are using reference pictures you can try and match paint with that. However, in case you are not, then go with the colour you like. A lot of experience model makers use metallic colours, some aluminium others silver, while others go with gray. Its really a case of the finish that you like. I personally prefer a metallic aluminium finish.
I hope this answer helps. I wish you the best with your build. Stay safe :)
At the 12:50 minutes, White, Black, Yellow and Red paint. Which kind of paint should I use? I guess stay with the Vallejo brand?
Hey Steven, these features are really tiny and actually required just a little bit of paint, so it ok to use any brand/type of paint. However, if you are buying new paints, then I would suggest acrylic paint, like Vallejo, since you can then use these paints for bigger surfaces if ever needed in subsequent builds :)
This just randomly showed up on my feed and I am so glad that it did! Great work, wonderful instruction and something I’ll share with my kids as they dive into their first kits! One question, are the plastics in these kits designed to work with no primer layer before the paint is applied? I usually put a light coat of white, grey or black spray primer on mine.
Thanks you Sameer. The thing with primers is that the quality of paints has improved a lot over the years and the old need to put a primer on for the paint to "grip something" is not there anymore. I have found that any decent paint these days sticks to the surface pretty well even without a primer. You may use a primer for other reasons though, like unifying a multi media kit (a kit with plastic plus photo etch and resin) or sometimes I use a black primer to help in making natural shadows. But still, some people prefer to use a primer. I guess its a personal choice, do whatever you think gives you good results, just make the layers light and misty. Hope that helps :)
when you apply the metallic paint is it acrylic, or enamel, or oil. I noticed you mentioned the citadel for the dry brush but wasn't sure what type of paint it was, sorry I am new as well.
Hey Devon, when hand painting I try and stick to acrylic water based paints. Oils are also good, but they take days to dry, even when you leach out the oil by drying them on cardboard. Enamels I would not recommend. They are aggressive and applying them with a brush will surely damage any underlying layer of paint or wash. So, I would suggest you use any acrylic paint that you can easily get, including Citadel :)
@@scalemodellingmadness4114 thanks so much I stuck with the acrylic
How many drops of paint and water do u mix with eachother (at 6:08) ? i can see from the video 4 drops paint and 3 drops water is that correct ?
Can you use water to remove the excess wash?
with a q tip moistened with what?? please tell me. :)
Is mandatory the use of water based acrylic paint? Or can i use another composition?
Hey, found this yesterday and discovered nice tips. Question : why glossy varnished to be sprayed in part 3? Why not always flat one like the last layer?
Hey Emmanuel...glossy varnish is helpful when it comes to applying decals. The decals conform nicely to the surface when it is smooth. Also, any pin wash or sludge wash you apply will run much better in recessed panel lines if there is gloss varnish. This is why we use gloss varnish the first few times and flat in the last. The flat or matt varnish helps soften the shine on the kit and make it look more realistic. Hope that helps :) Also, I have just uploaded another series on hand painting on the channel, do check it out :)