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Was thinking of tryign to see if I could find a redish color spray paint to base coat my models. But past experiences with spray paint, tried base coating necrons silver with a silver spray can can and then use black ink to create shadows to complete a army for once quickly. But the silver seemed to assorb the ink rather then it falling into the reccesses.

So my question is, is there any type, attribute, or brand of spray paitn I should be look for when trying to find a color for base coating? I may resort to buying a air brush, but that will have to wait for a month so I can save enough extra cash for such an expensive kit and compressor.

GW has their basecoating spray gun, with compressed air cans.

Their new line of 'base' paints are heavily pigmented so you can thin them down and get good coverage.

The consensus seems to be that the GW Spray Gun isn't terribly good, and anything that uses canned air is a recipe for frustration.

You would be better off with an airbrush and compressor. In the meantime you should be able to find colour primers at auto suppliers.

As always, test if first on a mini or sprue before spraying en masse. I wouldn't recommend using a metallic spray paint as first coat. Try looking for acrylic sprays that says "matte" or "flat" or "dull", meaning they're not gloss and paint would adhere to it better. Quality of the prime will depend on the brand, unfortunately, so it's a trial and error process. Personally, I use RJ London (dull black and flat white) but I don't know if it's available in your country.

I had a GW spray gun, it broke on the second use. The quality of the airseals are so terrible it's unbelievable, but what can you expect for a 30 dollar airbrush. After that I moved up to the professional line right away. IWATA makes superb airbrushes and I ended up getting an IWATA HP-SB, which is an amazing airbrush. The best bang for your buck would be an IWATA HP-CS. It's got a .35mm diameter needle so it can spray thinned GW paints pretty nicely. You can get one off TCP Global for about 120 bucks. You will also need a compressor, which you can get an IWATA clone from Harbor Freight for about 60 bucks, and it even has a moisture separator.

Honestly a good airbrush is a must when you're serious about dealing with 40k minis, because a cheapo one sprays way too much paint, which causes a mess and makes you waste a lot. With a double action needle airbrush you can control how much paint and airflow are coming out and get a much smoother coat. If you're serious about this join an airbrush forum so you can learn what's up before you make any purchases. They've also got all sorts of paint thinning and technique tutorials.

Yeah, not going to use a aresol air brush due to the fact I've heard that you can go through the cans rather fast, bringing up the costs. So in the end the costs of a aresol air brush is more then a compressor one.

Got myself a GW spray gun the other week and I actually really like it. Makes it a lot easier to base coat models if that's what you're after. So long as you maintain it properly it seems to work just fine. Base coated a squad of dire avengers, a squad of guardians plus a wave serpent and I've still got loads of air left in the can and the gun has performed flawlessly since setting it up. You do need to tweak it a little when you first start spraying but that would surely be true of a proper air brush as well?

Got the taste for spraying now though so I'll be on the lookout for a decent airbrush setup in the near future, just love the effects you can get with them.

Look into either Tamiya or Army Painter, both of them do coloured primer spray cans.

Tamiya is generally available from most local hobby stores and Army painter is readily available online.

Failing that as someone mentioned previously looking into matte/flat automotive primers/regular spray paint.

I wouldn't recommend Army Painter - it runs out rather quickly and does not give even coverage on plastic.

I however, would recommend Tamiya, great paint in that there can. Though it is expensive compared to some

DODcrazy wrote:I had a GW spray gun, it broke on the second use. The quality of the airseals are so terrible it's unbelievable, but what can you expect for a 30 dollar airbrush.

GWS does enough stupid, ill considered, and badly thought out things that they hardly need us making up malfeasance and attributing it to them - more specifically, GWS never claimed, stated, advertised, or implied that their spray gun is an airbrush or could be used for such. It's an overpriced, poorly made, and cheaply produced piece of garbage, but it's not a misrepresented one.

Games Workshop's spray gun IS an airbrush. The nozzle is EXACTLY like that of every other vacuum feeding needleless airbrush in existence. The only reaon they call it a gun is the fact that it has a plastic handle and you hold it as such, but it's the mechanism that counts. You're right about the quality of it.

@ Gijouhei the seals and quality of the parts are absolutely atrocious on the GW airbrush/spraygun. No matter how well you maintain it, the failure isn't going to be in the nozzle were you feed paint, but inside with the valves and seals. I've seen the inside of one, almost everything is plastic and nothing is lubed. It also chews through paint like crazy. A needle airbrush can regulate paint flow and eliminate all the wasted paint that gets sprayed past the sides of the model, and allows you to coat more evenly.

DODcrazy wrote:Games Workshop's spray gun IS an airbrush.

Technically it is, but it's external mix, so not really what most people envision.

I notice that both GW and Badger describe them as spray guns.

It's like a Big Mac is 100% beef, but no one calls it a beef sandwich.

DODcrazy wrote:Games Workshop's spray gun IS an airbrush. The nozzle is EXACTLY like that of every other vacuum feeding needleless airbrush in existence.

A two-ton truck IS a Ford Pinto. They both have the same type of engine, as well as 4 wheels.

Pudding IS chocolate milk. They both have the exact same kind of milk as the base ingredient.

A rottweiler IS a chihuahua. They have the same number of legs as every other dog in existence.

Do you see how something can be similar, and yet not the same?

1.) Games Workshop makes a spray gun, explicitly and unambiguously designed and stated in purpose for basecoating and mass washing.
2.) This spray gun uses a lot of expensive propellant
3.) This spray gun is built using inferior parts which break easily.
4.) After using the spray gun for 2 weeks (and supposing it doesn't break in such time-frame) the amount you spent on propellant and the gun probably could have been put towards an actual airbrush, which covers all the functionality of the spray gun as well as having much more useful added functionality.

These undisputed core facts are more then adequate to deride this "offering", without making stuff up. I repeat, GWS never calls it an airbrush, claims it's an airbrush, implies it's an airbrush, or indicates it can be used an an airbrush, and yet in every thread, someone claims it's a shoddy cheap airbrush, which is only 2/3 accurate. Let us please perpetuating this inaccuracy.

Lol, I love how we're in like 99% agreement but arguing over what to call it. But alas, Games Workshop doesn't even know what to call their own creation

I use a few different airbrushes.

IWATA

Aztec

Paesche

I have just spent $700 replacing my old broke-down compressor with a brand-spanking new IWATA compressor. Top of the line. Braided hose; moisture trap; and cleaning kit included.

Each brush is for a different technique/job, but a single brush will do everything you want it to. I guess Im just lazy and when I get momentum I find it easier to have 3 brushes loaded with paint so I do not need to empty/clean and then refill/reattach with the next colour.

Also, not requiring needle changes between brushes also helps with upkeep and momentum when working.

I have not returned to spray cans for priming since they are unreliable for even layers and sometimes you will spend $20 and when you use it you discover its a dud.

That must be one hell of a compressor. The cheap harbor freight one I have is actually a clone of an Airbrush depot or real close to some of the IWATA ones, but it's got a moisture trapper, regulator, and the same goodies as ones double the price. Kinda ironic considering the airbrush I'm using costs probably close to 5x the amount it does lol.

I must say it would be nice to have different airbrushes. I only have one that I use so color changes are kind of annoying. Would you mind telling what models of brushes you have and what kinds of paint mixes you use?

That's your problem.

People swear by Harbor Freight's products, but...they're not meant for a hobbyist. They're made for industrial/home repair work, at best, not detail work like models.

Kanluwen wrote:That's your problem.

People swear by Harbor Freight's products, but...they're not meant for a hobbyist. They're made for industrial/home repair work, at best, not detail work like models.

Problem? I haven't had a single problem with it. I was saying while it's not ridiculously high end it works just fine. Sprays dry air at 30 PSI, about all I can ask for lol. Anyways it's not a generic compressor, it's listed as an airbrush compressor, hence why I said it's a clone part for part of other higher end airbrush compressors.

Phototoxin wrote:I wouldn't recommend Army Painter - it runs out rather quickly and does not give even coverage on plastic.

What colour have you been using of theirs if I may ask? I know some people have had real problems with Army painter but personally I can't sing their praises enough. I use the White primer and the Dragon red. Both I find give good coverage on metal and plastic, I would agree with you on the running out quickly but I think that is more to do with the fact I only spray one miniature at a time.

DODcrazy wrote:

Kanluwen wrote:That's your problem.

People swear by Harbor Freight's products, but...they're not meant for a hobbyist. They're made for industrial/home repair work, at best, not detail work like models.

Problem? I haven't had a single problem with it. I was saying while it's not ridiculously high end it works just fine. Sprays dry air at 30 PSI, about all I can ask for lol. Anyways it's not a generic compressor, it's listed as an airbrush compressor, hence why I said it's a clone part for part of other higher end airbrush compressors.

Misread your intent there then You made it sound like your compressor wasn't really that good, or at least that's how I read your comment.

I use a nice lil' Testors Mini-ICE compressor that I got for maybe $30 at a hobby shop that was going out of business while I was on a roadtrip.

Best.$30.I.Ever.Spent.

99$ can get you a half decent modeling airbrush.

I've never had a problem with compressed air cans, so don't listen to anyone that wants you to go out and buy a 200$ compressor. However, you are getting a far superior system if you do go with a compressor... But if you're a lowly private in the Canadian Forces, like myself... compressed air cans are just fine.

angrypanda83 wrote:99$ can get you a half decent modeling airbrush.

I've never had a problem with compressed air cans, so don't listen to anyone that wants you to go out and buy a 200$ compressor. However, you are getting a far superior system if you do go with a compressor... But if you're a lowly private in the Canadian Forces, like myself... compressed air cans are just fine.

The compressed air cans aren't bad at all, it's just that you have to spray sparingly, and make sure you don't smoke while using them because they have propane in them lol. I think what most people are saying when suggesting an air compressor is that over a short time if you paint a lot you will spend more on the cans. I do some commission work to help pay for my own personal 40k crap so it isn't a viable option to constantly buy cans. You are correct though if it's just your own personal army that needs to be sprayed.

IWATA HP-CS - 120 dollars off TCP global. I know badger and paasche also have a few decent models for around that price, but I'm just a bit of an IWATA fanboy.

I may not live in Canada but thank you for serving your own country, maybe we'll serve together someday in the distant sands of Mesopotamia.

DODcrazy wrote:

angrypanda83 wrote:99$ can get you a half decent modeling airbrush.

I've never had a problem with compressed air cans, so don't listen to anyone that wants you to go out and buy a 200$ compressor. However, you are getting a far superior system if you do go with a compressor... But if you're a lowly private in the Canadian Forces, like myself... compressed air cans are just fine.

The compressed air cans aren't bad at all, it's just that you have to spray sparingly, and make sure you don't smoke while using them because they have propane in them lol. I think what most people are saying when suggesting an air compressor is that over a short time if you paint a lot you will spend more on the cans. I do some commission work to help pay for my own personal 40k crap so it isn't a viable option to constantly buy cans. You are correct though if it's just your own personal army that needs to be sprayed.

IWATA HP-CS - 120 dollars off TCP global. I know badger and paasche also have a few decent models for around that price, but I'm just a bit of an IWATA fanboy.

I may not live in Canada but thank you for serving your own country, maybe we'll serve together someday in the distant sands of Mesopotamia.

Omgz, yes!

And I agree, don't smoke while spraying anything pretty much... Learnt that the hard way... No eyebrows for a few weeks.

angrypanda83 wrote:

DODcrazy wrote:

angrypanda83 wrote:99$ can get you a half decent modeling airbrush.

I've never had a problem with compressed air cans, so don't listen to anyone that wants you to go out and buy a 200$ compressor. However, you are getting a far superior system if you do go with a compressor... But if you're a lowly private in the Canadian Forces, like myself... compressed air cans are just fine.

The compressed air cans aren't bad at all, it's just that you have to spray sparingly, and make sure you don't smoke while using them because they have propane in them lol. I think what most people are saying when suggesting an air compressor is that over a short time if you paint a lot you will spend more on the cans. I do some commission work to help pay for my own personal 40k crap so it isn't a viable option to constantly buy cans. You are correct though if it's just your own personal army that needs to be sprayed.

IWATA HP-CS - 120 dollars off TCP global. I know badger and paasche also have a few decent models for around that price, but I'm just a bit of an IWATA fanboy.

I may not live in Canada but thank you for serving your own country, maybe we'll serve together someday in the distant sands of Mesopotamia.

Omgz, yes!

And I agree, don't smoke while spraying anything pretty much... Learnt that the hard way... No eyebrows for a few weeks.

Lmao, I play airsoft and one of the gasses we use for our blowback pistols/rifles is called green gas, which is a mixture of propance and silicon. Now it hasn't happened yet but it's not gonna be pretty the day some guy's pistol explodes in his face because he thought it was cool to shoot and smoke. And that sucks about your eyebrows, at least they apparently grew back lol.

Lennysmash wrote:
What colour have you been using of theirs if I may ask? I know some people have had real problems with Army painter but personally I can't sing their praises enough. I use the White primer and the Dragon red. Both I find give good coverage on metal and plastic, I would agree with you on the running out quickly but I think that is more to do with the fact I only spray one miniature at a time.

I've used Army Painter Uniform grey before and I never had an issue with it running out fast. What I did find was that it kept giving me a textured finish almost like sand over my minis. I tried shaking it longer to see if it was a mixing issue, varying the distance from the models and even the angle I sprayed at but I couldn't get rid of the grains. I guess it's possible that I just had a dud can but I'm loathe to go back and find out.

Interesting, I know BrotherSRM had a similar problem with his yellow on a commission in his thread. Both the White and the Red give a lovely smooth finish. So I would agree a dud can if it was in one colour line but in two or more as I've heard, it does make you wonder a bit.

Phew I thought it was just me doing something wrong. Shame though because they do a wonderful range of colours.

Tamiya's sprays work great for me. I just don't paint in any kind of serious volume so the time it lasts isn't a big deal. If I was going to be painting up an entire 2,000pt IG army I might consider a good airbrush though.