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Painting Tips

This items was kindly supplied by one of our customers, to help to improve your painting skills.

Painted hull
The Hull of HMS Hampshire – CNC machined hull part built for a static display.

When I start a new build I first clean the ships hull with sugar soap to de grease and remove any mould release agent/residue. This is available from any local decorators shop.

I then sand the hull using 400 grit wet and dry to create a good surface for the primer to adhere to. My next step is to spray the hull with a etching primer, when this is dry I inspect the hull for any blemishes and make any repairs needed using a Humbrol model filler again sanding with 400 grit wet and dry.

I then re-coat the repaired areas and let dry before starting to fix deck supports and bulk heads into the inside of hull. I find that using an etch primer gives better results for paint adhesion and lessons the possibility of any masking tape pulling off paint when being removed at a later stage of painting.

I also sugar soap on any flat sheets of modelling plastic and sand one side with 400 grit wet and dry before starting any superstructure building this avoids struggling to sand those hard to reach or recessed areas before priming.

Thank you Kevin for your tips.
If you have any tips or photos you want to share please drop me an email and we will add them to our website.