Painting

Masking tape is an essential tool in scale modelling and the size you choose can significantly impact the quality and precision of your work.  Masking tape comes in various widths, ranging from as narrow as 1mm to as wide as 18mm or even larger....

Washes are highly diluted paints used to bring out the detail in your model and enhance the appearance of the base coat. Most paint manufacturers have a selection of ready made washes designed specifically for this purpose. Make sure that when...

Sable brushes are made from hair and are a lot softer than nylon brushes. As to whether they are better it really depends on what it is you are painting and the finish that you want to achieve. If you were to paint a model tank, a nylon brush...

The easiest way is to buy sheets of corrugated plastic. I have used the corrugated inserts inside an After Eight mint box in the past, but if you like to scratch build and require a large amount, I would suggest buying something called a tube...

Sable brushes are made from natural fibre, namely hair. This makes them soft to the touch and will apply the paint very smoothly, compared to nylon brushes which is a man-made fibre and has a more rigid feel to it and on applying paint it is...

This will depend on what it is you are painting and the colour of the top coat. Never forget that the colour of the primer will have an impact on the colour of the top coat. If you were to paint two of the same items with the same top coat but...

Microbrushes are very small brushes, made of thin round plastic, not dissimilar to the thickness of a cotton bud with a small bristled end. They come in fine, medium and large. These are ideal for applying a small amount of glue with precision in...

The principle is quite straightforward: as you are painting your figure or model there may be parts that you don't want to have to retouch if your brush should slip or take on a mind of its own. It is like masking tape but in liquid form. Simply...

The mistake some people make is to prime and paint their figures using the same or similar colour. But for the best results, add the shadows first by using a black primer; when dry, add two or three coats of an off-white colour by dry brushing...

Keeping your airbrush clean is very important and you need to do it straight after using it. Even a tiny bit of dried paint left can really mess up how well your airbrush works and make the paint spray come out all wrong. First off, clean out the...

When trying to produce a metallic look to your figures rather than just adding a silver colour, try building up the colour. With chain mail, first give the area a base coat of black making sure you get the paint in to all those dimples. Then when...

The main thing to remember about primers is that the brighter the primer, the brighter the topcoat. So if you want your model to really stand out when using bright colours, use a white primer. For example, if you were to paint a post box red, if...