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Modelling tips and questions answered - Spring clean on your layoHello,

We never stop learning. Here is a weekly dose of modelling tips:

You can also access all the articles by clicking here.

Now the warmer weather is here, it is time to get out in the garden with those rattle cans or airbrush and start spraying those parts or kits that you have been waiting to do.

If you are just starting out or in fact a seasoned model maker and thinking of getting an airbrush, Expo have come up with the ideal starter airbrush kit with everything you need to get going on your painting projects. It even comes in its own carrying case.

This dual action airbrush is very versatile and gives you three pressure settings and has its own compressor.

Dual action means that both the air and paint are fully controlled by you with just the tip of your index finger: push down to supply the flow of air and slide it back to release the flow of paint. With a little practice the results will speak for themselves.

Once you have the airbrush, simply practice painting straight lines of various thicknesses on a piece of scrap card.

You will need paint and Vallejo Air is a good place to start as the paint is already thinned to the right consistency. It is possible to thin your own paint, but to start with, specifically thinned airbrush paint is a real time saver. It also saves all the guesswork about what consistency is the "right" one. The Vallejo Air range is very large but here are a few colours to get started, including black, blue and rust.

To ensure the smooth running and longevity of your air brush it is important to keep it clean. Reduce the build-up of paint by running the airbrush cleaning solution through the airbrush. Look after your tools and they will look after you for years to come.

A bottle a thinner will also be useful for when you want to thin your own paint.

Most people do not shake their paint enough. This means the pigments are not correctly mixed inside the bottle or tin and painting results are disappointing with a lack of consistency in the paint.

To save shaking your paint until your arm falls off, get some of these ball mixers from MIG.

Simply pop one ball in your paint bottle or tin to help speed up the mixing process. They are suitable for most paint, enamel or acrylic and from most manufacturers: Humbrol, Railmatch, Vallejo, Citadel, Tamiya, etc. As the balls are made of stainless steel, they will not rust.

Send us an email or give us a call to check availability or to reserve anything, whatever scale you model in. As usual, if we do not have in stock what you are looking for, we will order it for you and you will get it fast (usually within a week if the manufacturer has it in stock). We place weekly orders with most suppliers.

Remember, you can park for free for one hour on the High Street. So no excuse not to come and visit us!

Upstairs Downstairs is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am till 4.30pm and Sunday 1pm till 4pm. We are closed only on Monday.

Nikki, Carole, Mike and Max

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Upstairs Downstairs
3 Pier Street
Sandown, PO36 8JR
Isle of Wight
Tel: 01983 406 616
http://www.trainshop.co.uk or find us on Facebook

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