Paint & Masking Choices
For painting you've got a number of options to consider,
depending on your budget and how annoying (in terms or odors and noise) you can
be.
- Paint type: enamel, lacquer, or acrylic - or a
combination
- Application method: brush, aerosol can, or airbrush
- Masking method: liquids, films, tapes, etched masks
Paint Type
| Type |
Brand Examples |
Solvent |
Pro |
Con |
| Enamel |
Model Master, Humbrol, Tamiya,
Gunze-Sangyo |
Petroleum-based |
durable finish |
requires ventilation |
| Lacquer |
Floquil |
Dio-sol |
very fine finish; durable |
can attack styrene; requires
ventilation |
| Acrylic |
Model Master, Aero, Tamiya |
water or alcohol |
minimal or no ventilation; easy cleanup |
less durable |
Application Method
| Method |
cost |
Pro |
Con |
| Brush |
cheap |
good for detailing small areas, easy to
switch colors & clean up |
large areas may show brush strokes; may
be "globby" |
| Aerosol |
moderate |
easy application; fine finish |
may require extensive use of masking;
can't mix colors |
| Airbrush |
can be costly |
fine finish; good for misting and
weathering effects |
may require extensive use of masking;
lots of "fussy" prep & clean-up work |
Masking Method
| Method |
example |
cost |
Pro |
Con |
| liquid |
MicroMask; latex |
cheap to moderate |
easy to make irregular edges |
paint may flake off when removing |
| film |
frisket; parafilm |
cheap to moderate |
easy to make irregular edges |
paint may bleed under |
| tape |
Post-It; masking; transparent |
cheap |
easy to mask shapes; clean edges |
may lift underlying paint; paint may
bleed under |
| etched mask |
brass; cut vinyl |
expensive |
saves time |
can only be used for one subject; paint
may bleed under |
Depending on your type of paint job - a gaming mini,
one-color model or multi-color/multi-shade model - you should pick'n'choose
the most-suitable methods. More on that as we delve deeper.
The Model Citizen's "Sprue U" pages are �2004 Roger Sorensen
last updated 04 December, 2007
