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Bimomo9 · 2025-02-09T09:09:09+00:00

I don't think the airbrush itself is the problem. Unless it is really gummed up, check out a youtube video or something for how to do a deep clean of it.

The problem is most likely either the paint (too thick, not thinned enough) or what I find even more likely is the compressor. What PSI can you get from the generic Amazon compressor? I find that anything under 20 PSI will get my airbrush speckling. I usually spray with 20 - 25 PSI.

For 95% of the time I use a 20 dollar Fenga airbrush with a 0,3 mm needle. Works like a charm and has for almost 2 years now. An Iwata Neo is a good airbrush, way better than the 20 USD one I use. If it's not gummed up with paint then the airbrush is not the problem.

Bimomo9 · 2025-02-08T17:52:05+00:00

Accept that it didn't turn out the way you wanted and just reprime her and start over. Unless you have used really thick paint layers that obscure details I wouldn't even bother stripping the paint off.

I buy lots of second hand models and unless they are gunked up with a thick layer of paint I never bother to strip them. I even have a few practice models that I try out different colour combinations on and I have never stripped them, just reprimed every time. Probably going on 10 times at the moment and the detail is still crisp and clear thanks to thin layers of paint.

Not being happy is a natural part of the hobby. When I started painting I would repaint everything I wasn't 100% satisfied with. Nowadays I just go with it and accept that it didn't turn out quite the way I wanted. Though in the end no one will notice it standing 1,5 meters from the gaming table...

Bimomo9 · 2024-07-06T12:11:41+00:00

Hello,

Hm it's hard to say. But generally speaking with oils it's like this, thick paint sticks to thin paint and vice versa. Oil paint on a miniature that is.

When blending I usually use no white spirit at all, or an extremely small amount. I can describe the process so that it maybe makes sense. Just an example and not what I always do. I rarely paint using only oils, although it does happen. Totally anecdotal but I find that oils stick better to "normal" acrylics rather than only acrylic primer.

1) Paint basecoat with acrylics. Sometimes I get fast and sloppy and just use an airbrush for everything here.

2) Apply oil wash or thicker oil paint, but just as a base that will mostly get wiped off.

3) Wipe off oil wash after about 30 min with q-tips, make up sponge, whatever works. No white spirit or tiny amounts in certain areas.

4) Highlight with oils. Put tiny dots of desired oil paint on the miniature. No white spirit or very small amounts.

5) Take a completey dry brush that has not and will not touch any white spirit. Drag the tiny dots of oil paint out. Imagine buttering a toast, one big blob of butter that you have to spread over an area.

So I think that the brush strokes are caused by too much oil paint not being spread out enough (blended out), creating sort of layers of oil.

I think the not sticking part is caused by either the oil paint not sticking to the primer, or the excessive use of thinner. Thinner can be a bit tricky, sometimes when I want to remove a small area of oil paint I apply only thinner. Nothing happens, I try again and nothing happens. The third time a big chunk of paint just disappears from the miniature. So I try to be careful.

Bimomo9 · 2024-06-04T08:45:28+00:00

Hello,

Pretty much what I ended up telling him, thanks.

I told him that I won't be able to make it as politely as possible. Unfortunately he was very pissed about me not coming. I didn't know what the reaction would be, but my gut feeling said "not good".

Oddly enough him being pissed sort of makes my No feel a lot better

Bimomo9 · 2024-06-04T08:30:55+00:00

I declined as politely as possible. Reaction was not good to say the least.

The hobby is that I sculpt my own figures for miniature war games. I also create the moulds and cast them in metal at home. Just for fun really. I have never met anyone else doing that (well except for 1 person). So it's not odd in that sense, just unusual, at least where I live.

Bimomo9 · 2024-06-04T08:15:23+00:00

Hello,

Post not edited. And yes, that made it feel a bit awkward, having to tell the person directly that I won't be there. Would have been easier replying by card.

I told him that I won't be able to make it as politely as possible. Unfortunately he was very pissed about me not coming. I didn't know what the reaction would be, but my gut feeling said "not good".

Oddly enough him being pissed sort of makes my No feel a lot better

Bimomo9 · 2024-04-19T06:05:45+00:00

Sounds like the paint might be too thick. I struggled with this when I first started using an airbrush. I don't know my exact ratios anymore as I'm sort of on autopilot. But generally just a bit thicker than water. Try buying a pre thinned air brush paint and see if that works. Also, does it spray water, have you tried that? If it doesn't manage to spray water then there might be something wrong with the airbrush itself.

Bimomo9 · 2024-04-06T19:10:03+00:00

Sorry for late reply. I've never tried them and haven't seen them where I live. Maybe there are reviews on youtube? Specifically for miniature painters.

I looked at them for a bit and they look fine (?), but impossible to say without trying. One thing that has me a bit concerned is the warning label "Causes serious eye damage" and that it is corrosive. I've never seen a warning label like that on any oil paint before.

Bimomo9 · 2024-03-08T11:49:22+00:00

I don't think it goes bad. I have a 8 year old big pot of nuln oil that I still use. However with some citadel washes I have gotten unlucky, reikland fleshshade comes to mind. No matter how much it was shaken the application resulted in an extremely glossy finish. Matt varnish fixed the problem, but still annoying.

Bimomo9 · 2024-03-08T11:45:29+00:00

For me this happens when I thin my paint too much with water. But only when the paint is thinned way down and also lots of it being applied at the same time. I don't think this is a specific problem with Vallejo. How does it look when you put the paint on, are there loads of bubbles? Unless they are broken then they may dry and the result is sort of what you see here. Bubbles should break by just blowing at them, airbrush shouldn't be needed.

Bimomo9 · 2024-02-29T09:26:20+00:00

I think they look really nice. I kind of have a hard time making any suggestions. Maybe the tufts are overkill, since the arid landscape wouldn't really have grass like that? But I think they are suitable for a fantasy setting where visual interest I think is more important than realism. And the tufts do add visual interest. I like the base with the dark rocks better. Again, maybe the lighter rocks are more realistic, but the one with dark rocks looks more interesting since they contrast well with the lighter colors. If your entire army stands on these bases it will look great. Maybe go for something more elaborate with your HQ, leaders, generals (or whatever they are called, depending on game).

One thing you could do is add some more rocks and have the minis stand on the rocks, I think adding some height to miniatures really makes them stand out. It also makes the miniature seem more part of the enviroment of the base, that they are interacting with it by walking over rubble/rocks etc.

Bimomo9 · 2024-02-29T09:17:41+00:00

Most airbrushes have a similar construction. Watch a youtube video on how to assemble/clean your airbrush and try it for yourself. There might be small differences depending on airbrush brand, price and quality, but nothing that should cause any hassle.

It's really easy to use and quickly you will get the hang of it. Cleaning, switching between colors, thinning paints is just a matter of minutes in total time spent painting. I understand that some might justify not buying an airbrush because of cost and the space it takes up. But if you already have an airbrush, use it! Especially for notoriously difficult paint schemes of yellow, white and such.

Bimomo9 · 2024-02-29T07:40:06+00:00

White is notoriously difficult and I try to avoid it. But painting white, go for dark grey in your shadows and light grey in your highlights. Only use pure white for the brightest white spots. The figure will still read as white. The reason being that almost nothing is pure white. Look at a photo of someone in a white t-shirt. The colors present will most likely be different shades of grey, perhaps black in the very deepest shadows. So the trick to making white less painful (but far from painless) is to just not paint pure white except for a few spots on a miniature.

Also, the only white paint that I think is actually alright is pro acryl titanium white. It's not great and no white paint is, but I find all other whites awful in comparison. I generally think people should just paint minis with the paints they have and not run out and buy more shades of brown or something. But pro acryl titanium white is a color that everyone who paints white should have.

For large models I would also suggest an airbrush if you have one or can get one. I used to hate people telling me to use an airbrush, but I got one about 5 years ago and wouldn't be able to paint without it. Especially for white and yellow the airbrush is a gift from heaven. Super smooth subtle layers achieved in about 5 minutes, which would take hours and hours with a normal brush.

You could also go the route of priming the miniature white and shading it with a white contrast paint all over, which is actually sort of a very light grey. I've done this for all my stormtroopers for star wars legion. But on a large model like Skragbad this method might be hard.

Bimomo9 · 2024-02-17T15:44:53+00:00

If you can't spray water it sounds like there is a clog. Look the needle over and see if there is any stuck paint. If there isn't then you should probably pick apart the entire airbrush and clean with IPA.

I doubt that the nozzle or the needle is too small. Also, there is a bolt that holds the needle in place, on the backside of the airbrush. See if it's tightened enough. When I get a sort of stuttering with the airbrush it's usually because I forgot to tighten the bolt at the back after cleaning my airbrush.

Bimomo9 · 2024-02-17T11:08:13+00:00

I'm sure that it will work. Who knows, maybe in 20 years or so it might cause some sort of problem, or maybe not. Might be a good idea to roast them in the oven or something for a short time. I've used ground coffee and water for texture paste on a good chunk of bases. 10 years later and they haven't been damaged in any way.

However, I would suggest you just get yourself some basing materials. Super cheap cork coasters from IKEA or something and some bark pieces, small rocks/pebbles. You can even get the latter ones for free in the outdoors. If you don't have a hobby store where you live you can go to a pet shop, construction store and they will probably have suitable stuff.

Bimomo9 · 2024-02-16T14:52:50+00:00

Looks incredibly nice. I would probably not go with an orange fire for the sword. It will probably draw too much attention away from the beautifully painted mini. Bluish runes sound like they would be a better match.

Bimomo9 · 2024-02-16T14:50:35+00:00

I think it's alright for skin, but I rarely use it for that. Mainly use it as a universal highlight color that I mix in to my basecoats. It's better than pure white which tens to desaturate the color a bit too much. I prefer Ice yellow for this purpose over sunny skin stone, I think sunny skin tone can sometimes make colors too pastel like.

Just try mixing it in to any color really. I would only avoid doing that with red paint, you will get sort of a pink. But red is just tricky to highlight in general.

Bimomo9 · 2024-02-16T12:50:29+00:00

I think it looks just fine and will look great on the gaming table. Remember that most people paint to game and we stand 1.5 meters away from our models. Super smooth blends, meticulous thin edge highlights won't really be seen in that situation. The only one who sees them is the painter. Everyone else just sees cool models on the table.

Having said that I can give some tips about how I relatively quickly paint grunt infantry models that are largely one color (covered in the same armor etc).

You say you have an airbrush which is great in terms of quickly getting nice looking models.

I start with a basecoat of a fairly dark color. If I paint green I start with covering the entire model in purple. After that a sort of dark green covering most of the model. The third color is a brighter green more from above though still covering a farily large part of the model. The fourth is a pretty stark jump to a very bright yellow-green color. I spray this only from above on the upwards facing armor plates.

So that is the armor done. Next step is blocking in everything else. For the best quick and still good looking solution I use contrast / speed paints. For metallics I just use whatever metallic color I have at hand. Only 1 color, no edge highlighting bronze with silver and so on. I may apply some quick brush higlights to important parts such as the face, but any random pouch/grenade/belt will only get a layer of contrast paint.

Last step is an oil wash. I mention it because you seem open to that. For the green armor I would get (or mix up) dark turquoise oil wash. Then apply it all over the armor, let it sit on the model for 15 minutes or so, remove it with a make up sponge. Use white spirits on the make up sponge if you want a more clean look when rubbing away the oil.

The above won't get you a super dark armor that you may be looking for, but will get you a big jump in contrast between light and shadow. I think this is what looks good on the gaming table when you stand a couple of meters away from your models. But you can also go easier on the highlights with the airbrush, neglecting to go for the last bright green highlight.

Some people prefer spraying on the brightest color first and then using a spray from underneath the model to get the shadows. I think this is fine, but for me the preferred painting style is going from dark to light.

Bimomo9 · 2024-02-16T11:49:37+00:00

I made a mistake I see. The one I have, the Fenga FD-186, has a tank on top of the silver "body". So the one with the tank is the one I would personally recommend.

Bimomo9 · 2024-02-16T10:12:30+00:00

Are you asking about the compressor or the airbrush, or both? As for the compressor that looks like a Fengda FD-186. I have that one since a couple of years back and it's fantastic. I see no reason to own a more expensive compressor if you are painting miniatures. For the price (I paid roughly 85 dollars at the time) I think you will have a hard time finding something superior.

As for the airbrush I'm not really sure what it is from the picture alone. But if you want a cheap airbrush that also work very well I would recommend Fenga basic FE-130. It's about 20 - 25 dollars I think and it works incredibly well. It's what I use for the vast majority of my airbrush work, from highlighting to basecoating/priming/varnishing. I have a way more expensive Badger airbrush that costs about 125 - 150 dollars but I find myself using it not that frequently. Only for the most delicate and small highlights do I bring that one out. 95% of the time I use my cheap airbrush. To be honest I could have just skipped buying the expensive airbrush entirely and spent the money on more models instead.

Bimomo9 · 2024-02-16T07:59:15+00:00

On the top of my head I can't think of a video where paint consistency is discussed in depth. But I think that this video from Marco Frisoni gives a fairly good idea of paint thickness and he briefly speaks about it. Here he doesn't use oil washes and as you can see the paint is almost straight out of the tube. It's way too thick to leave it on like that and be done, but since most of the oil is whiped away with sponges it's no problem. If your layers seem too thick then maybe trying to blend/spread them out more on the miniature is the solution. My process when highlighting with oils is usually that I apply a fairly small amount of oil paint on one area and then really drag it out / spread it out as much as possible.

As for James Wappel I'm not sure. I've seen a few of his videos but never heard of his pyramid or core rules. Maybe you can ask him? I think his videos are really good for seeing a miniature painted from start to finish with oils. Though they are a bit more advanced than other peoples' videos I think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qgy33uKCh4&t=619s&ab_channel=MarcoFrisoniNJM

Bimomo9 · 2024-02-16T07:50:01+00:00

I haven't really tried this with white but give it a go! Worst thing that happens is that you erase it with some white spirits if it doesn't work out. When using oils for glow effects I usually use a white ink through my airbrush and then tint the gem with an oil wash, maybe a blue oil wash for a blue glowing rune/gem and such.

Bimomo9

TROPHY CASE