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I have three large vehicles with a lot of smooth/flat surfaces on them. I have a baneblade, shadowsword, and an imperial knight. What are some techniques to use to achieve the best results without using an airbrush?

Thanks in advance.

Thinned out paints as to not leave the brush strokes behind. You could also try using small foam brushes on the bottom of he baneblade, this will also help keep the brush strokes to a minimum.

Drybrushing with a large brush (3/4") will work. Just get a good technique down to avoid streakiness.
Use slightly wetter paint and build up the layers.

Colored primers. Army Painter has a nice array of colors that will go over a primer coat nicely as well.

 Ifurita wrote:
Colored primers. Army Painter has a nice array of colors that will go over a primer coat nicely as well.

Agreed, be careful with AP sprays though as the technique is different when using them. You have to be much more careful when spraying as the paints builds up quickly and detail can be lost.

This topic has come up a lot as of late.

The easiest answer is to get a an airbrush. You can get an entire setup that will easily do the basics for around $150.

However, with no airbrush painting a large vehicle takes a large brush, thing layers of paint, and lost of patience.

This article has some good tips: http://fromthewarp.blogspot.com/2012/01/7-tips-for-painting-vehicles-without.html

3rded colour primer.
The only paint I used on this model, after I primed it, was on the brass bits.

Yeah, large brush, thin paint, avoid over loading the brush, mix up the direction in which you paint (I find going in circular motions several times over a location, moving the circle slightly each time, can get rid of brush streaks, otherwise do strokes in one direction, then go over it with strokes in a different direction, that can help stop reduce brush streaks instead of compounding them).

But yeah, it's annoying, I did this guy before I bought my airbrush and it took me the best part of day to lay down a smooth coat, from memory I did 4 layers on the light grey and another 4 on the dark grey, it's mostly good but in a couple of spots you can see brush streaks:

I'm going to mix it up. I painted my old storm raven by stippling with paint straight from the pot. Not loading it but use a little and dab on a tissue a few times like you are dry rushing but not quite so little paint. If this makes sense?