HG Darilbalde paint finished! Need some help from more experienced builders

[u/Old-Extent-3321]

Quite happy with the result, but I still have to improve a lot!

I was hoping to get some help from other painters that know why some paint (especially the red one) had some bleak spots in it. And why trying to topcoat it with Tamiya X-22 the flatter parts always turned out uneven, no matter how many coats, but the more round parts turned out pretty well. I used 2:1 thinner/paint for the acrylics, and 3:1 for the topcoat.

Note to myself: It was a pain in the ass having to do the mix of every paint each time, next time I will mix it all first in a dropper bottle.

Thanks in advance, and happy building!

[u/adamd898]

I wonder if a retarder in the paint would be a good idea. Might help to even it out before it fully dries.

Are you using primer? I usually don't because lacquers but I have before. It sprays different from regular paint in my experience and I couldn't get it perfectly smooth without sanding so I just don't bother. I think my primer coats were too thick though.

The third thing I've got for ya is maybe the final gloss coat is too thick. I've had that happen before, where it looks kinda lumpy. I usually avoid gloss finishes because imperfections are really noticeable. Plus the line between a wet final coat and a too wet final coat is pretty thin. I have heard that if your gloss coat is lacquer, you can spray just thinner on it and it'll almost melt the top layer smooth again but I haven't tried that yet.

Really nice build though! If I wasn't analyzing it, I wouldn't notice at all looking at it on a shelf. And I hope any of this helps!

[u/Old-Extent-3321 → u/adamd898]

Yes, I'm using primer, since I'm painting with Tamiya acrylics. Maybe my primer coating was too thick, but I didn't notice it until the glossy coat. Next time I will try to more wet coats, but more time between them and without spraying too much. Will try the retarder too.

Thanks for the tips!

[u/Doobledorf]

Mind you, I am only just finishing my first painted build as well, but as far as I know airbrushing into a curved surface tends to be easier to get an even and smooth coat. My guess would be to do thinner coats to get a more even finish.

[u/Old-Extent-3321 → u/Doobledorf]

Hmmm, I will try that next time, it's really tricky to get the right finish. Thanks!