Brush Painted Bodies

[JunkPile]

Recent "How do I" paint car body with a brush was asked by Mick5s. Old-School way to do things. Lets give it a try. Our forefathers of modeling did it that way. Failure and success pictures would be nice.

[george 53]

AS crazy as it sounds, I once painted a 68 Barracuda with Kiwi Liquid Shoe Polish! Used a q-tip for a brush too. Came out pretty nice actually. The polish was thin enough to flow VERY smoothly onto the bare plastic, an left NO q-tip strokes at all. This was back in 68 and I no longer have it to show. But, as they say, "Adversity is the mother of invention", an you can come up with some pretty weird stuff when you have to. IF it works, all the better!!!

[59 Impala]

Here is the only model car that I have that I brush painted.

Now I did paint my models by brush way back in the late 50's and early 60's but this one was in the 80's I believe. It is the only one that I have now that is brush painted. Dan

[Casey]

Not mine, but I did get a chuckle out of the vintage Tetstors gloss purple bottle being pictured, and well as the gloss red(!)-painted interior tub.

[martinfan5]

Are you having fun bringing these long dead threads back to life?

[angelo7]

Looks like a good thread to me.

[Roadrunner]

Every time I painted in this fashion, it looked like I used a toothbrush,... or a mop.

[DrGlueblob]

It CAN be done, and well. The right combination of surface prep, good quality flat brush, sanding between multiple coats, patience, and a lot of practice.

[chunkypeanutbutter]

I must've brushpainted about ten or fifteen HO scale train bodies. They all came out nice, but it was with multiple flat coats with a large brush, and not to mention it's a square boxcar, not an automobile with rounded corners.

I've never brushpainted a vehicle in 1/24 scale, even when I was young. I spray painted them every time.

[disabled modeler]

I brush painted bodies as a kid with horrible results....not going back to there....LOL...

[Aaronw]

I brush paint a lot when I build other than car models, but usually rattle can car bodies.

I do have a couple of examples from " a few" years back when I was just getting back into models.

I even used the brush painters bane (Tamiya) on this one for the green color.

I really need to finish this one some day, started it around 2003 and the poor thing has sat incomplete for more than a decade.

[10thumbs]

I know a guy on a German forum who does only brush painting. His work is about the finest I've ever seen, just unbelievable.

Like stated above, good flat brush, good and thinned out paint. Sand, paint, sand smooth again, paint. Some guys though are just magicians.

[vintagercr]

Are you having fun bringing these long dead threads back to life?

I had not seen this thread before and find it interesting.

[JunkPile]

After some of the recent posts lately, old material has got to be waaay better

[martinfan5]

I had not seen this thread before and find it interesting.

I was simply teasing him if you will.

Edited January 20, 2015 by martinfan5

[doctor phillips]

When I was a little kid... I'd pour paint directly from the Testors or Pactra bottle onto the surface of the model. I called it "blob painting". It took forever to dry (if at all), and it looked awful. No paintbrush lines though.

Edited January 21, 2015 by doctor phillips

[Brizio]

I painted different models with a hand brush.

Harley Heritage.

Harley Springer.

Dune Buggy.

Rotabuggy.

Janis Joplin Porsche.

[Snake45]

Although I own four or five airbrushes, I still like to brush-paint the occasional model airplane, especially if it's 1/72 camouflage. There's something very satisfying about it. By the time I glosscoat it for decals, and then flatcoat after the decals, you can't tell it's brushed.

On cars, I'll always either rattlecan or airbrush the body and the engine block/heads, but still from time to time I'll brush-paint the interior and/or chassis. And of course many details.

If I HAD to brush-paint a model car body, I'd do it in flats, and then spray a glosscoat. I THINK I MIGHT be able to get away with that.

[BirdWatcher]

I just brush painted the inside of a 32 ford I'm working on. I was curious about Vallejo paints, and wanted to give it a try. I used a brush that was probably too small for the job, and it still came out great! I always rattlecanned the interiors, just wanted to see what all the hype was about. Would I try brush painting a body? I don't think so. If I were to try, I would probably do it like "Snake" suggested.

[chunkypeanutbutter]

I've almost always brushpainted interiors.

[Snake45]

I actually painted this Camaro with Model Master military flat (Aircraft Interior Green, FS 34151) and then clearcoated it for the gloss. I airbrushed the green, but could have probably brushed it if I were careful. I think this might work with SOME of the MM flat paints, but wouldn't guarantee that it would work with all of them.

[Jantrix]

Every time I painted in this fashion, it looked like I used a toothbrush,... or a mop.

Same here. Hated everything I finished.

[Tom Geiger]

I spray everything today. I even put very small parts onto toothpicks or tape to spray. I only brush details, and I use brushes during my weathering process.

Back when I was a kid, I had to brush paint everything. Living in Germany and mail ordering all my kits and supplies from AutoWorld, it wasn't possible to mail spray paints. So I had to paint my bodies from small Testors bottles. I do remember instructions from back then about compounding brush painted bodies with Colgates tooth paste.

I do own a bunch of old brush painted models in my Olde Kustom Kollection, some good and some downright awful!

[Zarana-X]

When I was a kid, I remember brush painting stripes and some hoods, and they looked like they were brush painted when I was done.

I think the worst thing that I ever painted was a Shelby GT 350 Mustang. I was trying to make a "Twisted Sister" car for some reason. I couldn't find any pink paint, so I brush painted the thing with hot pink nail polish. The nail polish melted the plastic a bit, so it ended up with an interesting texture.

[1930fordpickup]

I think almost all of us have brush painted a body or two. When we were young to trust us with the rattle can.

Hot Rod painted a car a few years back with a roller and a brush. Just to prove they could get a so so finish. Yes they sanded between coats.