When it comes to painting your Gunpla I've found that one can achieve the best finish by air brushing. It's a lot easier to get a good even coat without markings or brush strokes. Even if it is a bit harder to set up and wipe down afterward.

Types of Brushes

My understanding is that there are two main types of air brushes, ones which suck the paint up and those which are gravity fed. A lot of people recommend the gravity fed ones but it seems as though they tend of be more expensive than suction ones. As far as the quality of spray goes, I can't comment from personal experience. Readers have said,

*waiting for someone to say something*

If you're picking up one, go within your price range and what you see yourself doing in the future. If you're planning on spending a lot of time with your brush save up and purchase a nice compressor and a nice brush. If you think you're only in for a limited engagement go with the packaged air dealies (see below) for a lot less.

As of right now I use this compressor and this airbrush. I picked up that brush after I lost parts to my first one and I like it a lot more. I haven't used that "propellant system" (aka canned air) which it came with, but I assume it works just the same.

Workspace
Air brushing has a tendency to get a lot messier than simply brushing. Especially if you're a klutz like I am.

The first thing you're going to want to do is find a nice place outdoors to paint. Spraying can create a lot of fumes which can be hazardous to your heath. Spraying outside and

in the sun can also make for a faster drying time. One should paint in a dry environment though. Humidity in the air can warp and wrinkle the paint.

If you're stubborn, or immortal like I am, you'll probably paint inside. At least make it well ventilated and put down some drop cloth where you're working to catch over spray. I like to pick up rolls of butcher paper for $10 which coat my work surface nice. Newspaper would also work well, but using a white paper will allow you to better see the color and volume you're spraying before taking it to plastic.

Prepare pieces

If you're planning on painting shapes, lines, or marking off new areas, the easiest way is with some tape. I imagine that using painter's tape would be the safest on other coats, masking and scotch tape should work just as well. This is something I will be finding out for myself with a future project...

After you've sanded down your nubs and cleaned them off you'll want to prep your pieces in a way that will allow you paint all the visible surfaces without having to turn them over between coats. The best way to do this is to get a surface which is easily penetrated by toothpicks. Toothpicks will allow you to elevate the pieces and get you a more even coat. To attach your pieces to the picks you can use anything from alligator clips, Play-Doh, or even just place the end into a connector hole. You should be able to get it just right that you won't need to reset the piece to finish painting it.

(From the Top) (Click for Larger)

Primer

In my experience primer is only necessary when your surface is poor or you're going to be putting a light coat onto a surface that's dark. If you find yourself in this situation just grab a spray can of primer and finish things off with ease. Make sure you let it dry before painting!

Proper Thinning

Thinning is very important to getting a smooth coat. Different paint types, companies, and thinner producers all have their own recommendations about the right mixture to use. This is as simple as reading the label.

In some instances you might find yourself in a situation where you'll have to thin more or less. (I had two colors of the same kind of paint from the same company. Mixed the same way per the instructions one sprayed great while the other was pretty weak,) Try to do a little at a time or you'll find yourself with the right mixture, but way too much paint.

Remember that if you use too much your paint will not adhere properly and will be more likely to create drips and pooling. Luckily, I haven't had any thinned paint eat away at the plastic like straight thinner tends to do.

Light Coats

If you've ever used a can of spray paint they recommend that you move across the object, never stopping while on the piece. Airbrushing works the same way. By continually moving across the piece and not stopping over it will help prevent uneven coats. Allow my 'masterful' artwork to help illustrate my point,

After you finish a coat comes the hardest part - putting down the airbrush and letting the piece dry. Many times have I been impatient and went back to apply subsequent coats only to have it create more work for me in the end. By brushing several thin coats you can achieve a great consistency over every piece. When you start to spray too much you'll find yourself dealing with drips and pooling.

Should you find yourself with these kinds of blemishes the only way out is to sand it down and start all over. Attempting to paint over them will only complicate things.

After your pieces have been colored to your desire wait anywhere between 24-48 hours to let it cure. While paint may appear and feel dry to the touch it's often not as strong as it could be.

Nifty Tips

Pre Paint:

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If you're planning a custom paint job for your model I find one of the best ways to start is to give your runners a nice base coat of the desired color. Doing so will help you better visualize how the colors look as you build your kit.

Of course, after you clip a piece from the runner and sand it down, you'll have to apply additional coats. To me it's a lot easier than having all the pieces disassembled and laying about.

Touch Ups:

It's likely that during construction you may have scratched some paint off. You could disassemble, repaint, and dry again, but it's much easier to just fix it while it's all together.

To avoid getting paint on other parts just grab a fine tipped brush and dab it on in small amounts. Try to use the same paint you previously thinned for air brushing to achieve the best outcome.

Alternatively you can carefully use a note card as a backdrop & separator to cover up other parts while air brushing. Note cards can also be used for crazy spray effects... if you're the creative type.

I'm fairly new at using an airbrush. I plan to paint a few upcoming projects; expect more pictures and extra advice in the future. Please contribute tricks and tips that only a seasoned professional could've found out the hard way.