How To Airbrush Acrylics.Perfect Every Time !! Scale Models & Gunpla 

Just got my first airbrush and after getting extremely discouraged with my painting my model, I discovered this video and learned I was basically doing everything wrong. I tried your technique last night and I was airbrushing like a pro! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was not thinning anywhere close enough, didn't know about drying each coat, or about drying the coats with air, and definitely didn't make my first coats that thin! Oh, it's so much easier now!!!

I'm not sure if everyone realizes the amount of work you've put into just this one video... Mad respect 🙌

This is one of the best intro to airbrushing acrylics that I have personally seen on RU-vid! You sir are a gentleman and a scholar thank you for taking the time to produce this content :)

It's great to see a simple demonstration of multiple brands in the same airbrush with no hocus pocus involved. I'm going to take the plunge into airbrushing and this has given me confidence in how to approach the process, with a little patience. Thank you.

Love how this guy jumps right in. No stupid intros.

Man, most thorough video I've ever seen without being annoying. Loved it. Thank you. Immensely helpful.

Wishing I could like this twice. Everything I needed to start using acrylics successfully was here in one video.

Mate! Maaaaaate! What a good video! No BS, really easy to follow and effective. I really appreciate the time you put on this, it will help me a lot with my airbrushing. Thanks a lot!

Mate, I owe you a sincere "thank you" for this video. Today for the first time in over two years I started painting again, and I followed the advice you laid out in this video for laying on the primer and zenithal layers. Getting a dry mist coat as the very first layer really does wonders. Not once did I have the paint run or spider, or or dry with an uneven finish. I also managed to get a gloss finish with Vallejo's Gloss Black primer, first time I've not had to go over it with a gloss topcoat!

One of the best airbrush tutorials by far. No beating around the bush, just helpful info here. Thank you for this. Thank you.

You're good......NO..... YOU'RE REALLY GOOD. I always enjoy watching your videos and learn so much along the way. Thank you you're a STAR. MASSIVE THUMBS UP ALL DAY LONG. Take care👍😷👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Good stuff. I'm glad you had satisfactory results with the Mission Models paints. I bought into their product line as they debuted. I followed their directions at the time (which HAVE changed since) to the T and was sorely disappointed. At that time, I had been modeling about 45 years and had used MANY different paints. The owner acted as if I was a newbie who didn't know what he was doing. That didn't sell well with me. Add to that the poly had a very short shelf life. I tossed the stuff in the back of a drawer until one day I needed a specific color and all I has was the MMP. Throwing caution to the wind, I thinned the stuff with the same thing I used to thin cheap craft store paints... FUTURE. It was like I has sprinkled pixie dust on the stuff. It sprayed and leveled wonderfully, and dried hard. Of course, now Future is no more, but I found a replacement in the form of Holloway House green label floor finish. Based on comparing the MSDS sheets between that at Future, the key ingredients are nearly identical and it performs the same.

Thank you so much. I have the basics, but you’ve pointed out some basic, inexpensive NEEDS. Your technique lessons are critical for me. I was totally clueless. Thanks to you I have a good place to start!!!

What everybody else has said before me ... absolutely the best, the most truthful, and most useful video on RU-vid. Thank you!

I have bought an airbrush this year. I am moving to a house with a garage soon so I will set myself the Airbrush booth. Since my stuff is packed in boxes, I am just watching Warhammer painting tutorials, and other painting videos just soaking the knowledge. And that crash course in using the airbrush and get even coats in no time is the exactly the way I needed to see in real time, no cut, process based informative video. Thank you so much.

every bottle acrylic sold should come with a link to this video, thanks for this!

Barbados Rex, thank you, thank you, for making this highly educational video. I’m getting ready to do my first repaint of an rc aircraft, I’ve been putting it off due to not having much experience in air brushing or technique. I’ve watched many air brushing tutorials, but IMO yours really sends it home. I really like your technique of using such light coats at first, I have one other person in mind which I also hold in high regard as an expert air brush painter and model builder, and he too uses very light first coats. That’s got to be one of the best pieces of advice. Thanks again, I’ve subscribed and looking forward to more of your techniques.

This is one of the most useful "how to" airbrush video I've ever seen. Thank you very much, it was really a big help, I struggled with some of them in the past months. Content creators often forget that the things most trivial to them (eg. the "right" air pressure, the "proper" thinning ratio, the small spraying techniques, etc.) are absolutely not trivial to somebody, who just now tries to learn them. Having exact details can work as a starting point for learning. Using them means that if the result is not good, the problem has to be somewhere else. Thank you for your thoroughness.

Brilliant, ty. Learned a lot! Been modelling now for 65 years. Started aged 8 on Airfix. That ‘urge to keep going’ on the airbrush doesn’t reduce with age, I assure you.

I'm just starting airbrushing and have watched 30+ videos on technics but this is by far the most usefull one. Thank you very much!

So down to earth, very knowledgeable, a wide assortment of paints & supplies and so many tips. The real gift in your videos is time, so valuable. You think out loud as you go and you encourage. You treat the viewer as if we are all on a team. BEST airbrushing video I've seen. Subscribing. Thank you for the lessons Sir!

I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. Just getting into airbrushing and your process will certainly help!

Thank you - that is the best explanation of using and cleaning my airbrush I have yet to see on RU-vid.

Amen on the whole sermon brother. The medical racket is a shit pie in the face every time I have to deal with anything. I hope you get your parts. Have a good one buddy.

Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video. You have helped me tremendously.

I watched your video with great interest as I'm relatively new to air brushing. I tried your system out today with various different acrylic paints and wow, immediate improvemrnts. Giving the finishing coats something to grip onto makes the world of difference and I now feel far more confident to use my airbrushes successfully. Many thanks for the brilliant tutorial.

Learning so much about paint and modeling i have never done Gundam but i so want to now for sure 😮

This was a huge help from me as I was having a similar problem trying to airbrush prime my WH40K minis.

Great insight on these paints! Thanks ☺️! Most acrylics do dry mat, if I need a glossy finish on my dark primer, that goes under the metallic or candy colors, I always go over them with a mist of simple enamel thinner, that retards the drying time and smooths out the paint. Becomes satin, almost glossy, perfect for that metallic shine. 😎👍

Man, I was about to give up figuring out airbrushing, but this answered so many questions

hot water! My god!!! that could be the secret. i've been having nothing but trouble cleaning my airbrush. thank you so much for this

Started airbrushing TODAY! saw this video yesterday, did i get a better result than expected for a first try? Absolutely! So thx, this helped me alot getting started.

Humbrol is from northeastern England. They got the name from the nearby Humber River and the fact that they make oil paint (enamel). I started with Humbrol enamels on tin soldiers as a kid in the '70s, and I still say their enamels are the best of any model paint. Their acrylics are good too; notice just how matte and uniform that blue finish is. I use Mission Models a lot now too. That's all I need. Thanks for the tutorial. You put a noticeable amount of work into it.

Really good video, done a fair bit of air brushing but struggle with spider webbing or speckling, especially now I have started using a smaller needle to try and do some more detailed stuff. The control of pressure vs viscosity is tricky. This was a great video. Also that cleaning technique will be used for sure.

You and boomer have convinced me to try my first airbrush to use on my o gauge trainboard, doing scenery and weathering bldgs and cars..an hk evolution 2 in one is purchased and in transit. The detail of your videos is especially helpful to a new user like me. You are an exceptional teacher. Much appreciated....gary j

Thank so much 4 being real about airbrushing! So many people show videos and make it look so easy and never a really show you the struggles you may encounter! Keep on keeping it real!

I was gifted someones old airbrush kit and a ton of paints. I'm really excited to start painting things, but wanted make sure I mostly understand the bare basics. this video answered almost every question I had about how to get started and how to clean the thing in the first 16 minutes. great job. I feel a good bit more confident about starting now.

New subscriber here. I just want to let you know I love the content and your easy going attitude. Not to mention, I am Boston raised living in Maine so hearing your vids reminds me of home and its nice to have a compadre with the same hobby. Thanks for all the product and tip vids. I have gotten a lot out of them.

Finally, I can airbrush with some confidence that I know what I am doing

So grateful for this tut. Thank you so much!

Interesting video. I think I've been thinning my paint too much, and using too low a pressure. And sometimes the airbrush spits due to the air pressure being too low, and the paint run due to it being too thin. So I think I'll try upping my air pressure, and making my paint slightly thicker. Good tip about doing mist coats to start with. Normally it's Revel Aquacolor I use. Great idea about using hot water for flushing out acrylics from the airbrush!

Thank you. I’ve just watched the first 20 minutes of your video, then achieved the BEST airbrush results I’ve EVER had! You’ve really made a difference to my modelling. 🤩 I’ve just subscribed and now to watch the rest of this video. Thanks again, Bob.

I am another exceedingly grateful person to benefit from your generosity and act of kindness giving us this abundance of your wisdom and hard fought for knowledge. A very happy thank you, Baratos !!

So that's what I was missing! "Fight the urge to keep going". Thank you. Seriously!

Freaking great video man! I use those paints and you made me feel good about my choice man!! Really appreciate it.

Thank you for this video! I am new to this and you have me a lot of great tips!

Same here. I'll be starting my first Gunpla kit with airbrush painting after I do some spoons. The scene here online for Gunpla building is great. Thank you for getting my confidence level up and really diving into some great tips and tricks.

Ultimate Thinner is first cousin to Tamiya A20 "acrylic thinner" - figure 50% ISP, several additives to smooth flow and retard tip dry a bit. I would not use it on water based acrylics -if you do, you need to do what Barbatos does - several coats lightly applied. Far better in my view - I use water based acrylics almost exclusively - Golden High Flow, Vallejo Metal Colors, spare AK and Mission. If the paint is thin enough, then Vallejo Airbrush thinner will work well - that stuff is water with additives. Mission Models thinner does seem to work - it's water based but includes some ethyl alcohol because it's slightly toxic: but you don't mix more than 1:4 thinner/paint. If a water based acrylic is thicker you'd want something that wouldn't break down the binder which is probably a polymer. (Any painting instructor will tell you not to over thin acrylic paints for your canvas because they won't last. On plastic over-thinned paints don't adhere well.) If you thin the paint with Airbrush Medium (Liquitex or Golden) or Golden High Flow Medium you're in good shape because all of those are highly thinned polymers and allows your binder to "stretch." All thinners - whether water, alcohol or polymer base - decrease the opacity of the paint so you do need to build it up. But if you've got Medium you'll see adherence is very high from the start, instead of building up on an over-thinned bad surface and filling it out with extra coats. One big advantage of the Mediums is that you can thin them down significantly which you might to do for "black basing" or doing some kind of glaze technique: maybe 3:1 Medium/paint. Do that with Ultimate and it won't work. So the stuff above is all correct if you do as instructed and your aim is to create a base coat. (Might add that you most certainly don't need a primer if you're thinning with a Medium - I prime to get rid of scratches and cover seam work.) Water based acrylics are very neat when you get used to them - no odor, very easy to clean, non-toxic, not flammable. (That's why schools use them.) They're my paint of choice. But Barbatos is right that acrylic/lacquers like Tamiya or MRP or true lacquer paints all airbrush easier and lay down better - the reason is that lacquer solvents bind every so slightly to the plastic itself. (If you do want a super primer try Duplicolor Hot Rod Black - a true lacquer, bonds perfectly, is "sandable" and "fillable" - it's got a fan-cap on the spray bottle so that's how I apply it outside.) You might want just a little retarder in Tamiya - but probably not if you thin it with Tamiya or Gunze lacquer thinners. And Barbatos has a very nice airbrush - I use a ProCon for detail work and it's very well made.

Whow, thanks for this great tutorial! Someone from The Netherlands is now improving his painting skills. Question...what needle size and air pressure are you using?

This is by far the best video tutorial on spraying acrylic paints on RU-vid I’ve seen and I’ve been looking for the last five years, excellent, thank you I’ve learnt so much 👍🏻

This guy just has the best videos, and by like a huge margin at that.

Hey thanks I just decided to go with an airbrush over spray paint for my car models, this is invaluable advice. Very much appreciated.

Great video and very helpful thanks for taing the time to share your knowledge 👍

Great video. Love how you ACTUALLY walk through the entire process. So many other's just talk about it or cut pieces out like they are paying by the minute for RU-vid time. Also great idea to use spoons to learn and test.

Thank you so much for your tips and tricks video on acrylic airbrushing. I have started painting my models just a few months ago, and did not want to use lacquers or enamels because of the solvants and overall toxicity. So I first turned on the acrylics, mainly Vallejo, and damn I wish I could have seen this video before I even started, as it took me quite a while to manage the airbrush with this type of paints. I tried many times, compressor and airbrush settings, thinning more or less... And eventually discovered alone than I should better start with very thin layers one upon another. Your video just confirmed I was on the good path. I learned to work with higher air pressure than I did too, as I discovered that acrylics have much more viscosity than lacquers. I was regularly watching gundam masters painting their kits, it looked so easy, the flow was so good, the surface smooth and even. And then understood that they mainly use lacquer paint, which do not clog, which was another issue in my starting... I will give a try to lacquers, as I have already received Gpaint starter pack, but want to master acrylics first. Never forget to use a mask, protect your lungs, even with water base paints. Thank you again for your help. Excellent video. Simple, clear, pragmatic. And just as you do, I really appreciate when my workstation, tools and paints are clean. It helps me in my hobby as things are much more easy to handle when all is quite clean around. To me it's an important thing to do so that the end result will stay clean to the end too.

Awesome tutorial...thank you! I appreciate your attention to detail...a man after my own heart. It was very helpful seeing how the different paint brands worked, especially since I’ve only worked with a couple previously. Looking forward to trying some of the others. 😉

Thank you VERY much for this video! Now one of my top three videos on how to get great results from my airbrush. I'm a model railroader and go back to the old Floquil line, lacquers that used a very dangerous mixture of solvents, but it was a really amazing paint. (But boy, could it melt plastics without a barrier coat!) Now that I've come back to railroading again (about the only good thing that came out of Covid), I've had to "modernize" my paint selection. Using acrylics has really stumped me, but I think you've given me the solution I've been looking for. Once again, thank you!👍👍

not many want to wath a video for 1 hour plus, but i would highly recommend this to others. it was very well explained in straight forword terms. thank you so much. 5 stars

from a newbie : Your video is excellent, so well explained. Thanks for your share. Regards & respect ...

We need to badger Rustoleum! No pun intended on badger! LOL! Good to see what thinners and products work with what.

Thanks for posting Rex. When it comes to modeling techniques, most of the other YTrs post videos that are visually pleasing to watch but lack specifics. They seem more of a flex and less of a how-to. You do the hard work, the basics, the fundamentals, the foundation upon which all the rest is based. Keep doing what you are doing, there are a lot of us who appreciate it and learn a lot from your effort.

The bright blue meca is a great beautiful paint and easy to use. I painted a Impala this color and applied a matte clear. Love it!!!!

Just getting into scale modeling and this was very helpful information on the technique for airbrushing various paints. Just the demonstration of putting on light coats and drying them with the air in between was worth the watch. Thank you.

Thank you for making this vid. You helped out and old mini painter who is just getting into airbrushing.

Wow thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!

very useful video, thank you for the effort and time spent. Gotta go buy some spoons now.

I learned more in this in-depth presentation than I have in viewing many other RU-vid airbrushing videos. Thanks for your thorough explanations of your techniques and evaluations. Awesome.

Thanks so much for taking the time to make this video. I've had my airbrush & acrylics for a month and just been too afraid to use it, now I finally think I know enough technique to try and get started. Cheers from Oz!

I love your presentation. Very well taught. I learned a lot. Thanks for taking the time to share this with us all.

Really love the amount of detail and explanation put in the video; a LOT of useful tips for a beginner like me. I prefer to use the small stainless steel trays for mixing and thinning paint. At the end of the day I throw them all in a small plastic container with warm water and Fairy dish soap and leave them to soak overnight, and next day just take them out and give a quick rinse with cold water. This way I'm not wasting paper towels or paper/plastic cups that obviously end up in the bin. Keep up the good work my good man.

Brilliant demonstration. Concisely explained and demonstrated. Great work. You've taught me a lot. Thank you.

I watched this video 2 days ago, and after a few hours practice I am quite pleased with my ability. Thank you!

This is the best video for thinning a variety of acrylics. Thank you so much!

Such a great video. Tiptastic😊

This is a very very helpful tutorial. You showed me how to solve a lot of the problems I experience with airbrushing acrylics

I just got an iwatta neo kit to learn with, and there is not a lot of videos on it , so I say thank you for showing the information on paint, the hobby shop was useless.

Thanks for the demo, very useful and informative indeed.

Thank You for going into depth with this tutorial. I did as suggested and everything got better with the acrylics. Also, I hear a hint of Harvey Keitel in your elocution.

Still working on learning air brushing myself, really appreciate the info

Very helpful video, from someone jumping back into the hobby after a 20 year hiatus (I used to paint with enamels only).

Very informative video. I want to get started on air brushing small race car static models and your video gave me basic knowledge on spraying technique as well as thinning and cleaning your equipment. Basic stuff that a beginner really needs to know. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

Best thing I took away from this video...., ( your tips to clean the airbrush) stopped and ordered several things throughout this video .... Thanks for your video

Thank you for taking the time to show all those variations on your very thorough review found this really helpful especially for me as a beginner.

When you said "this drives me nuts" super relatable, also subbed up to learn.

I found another way to mix paints that may interest you. I have a Vortex for shaking the paint bottles. I bought some 2ml centrifuge tubes on Amazon. These are like little test tubes with built-in caps. I add a few drops of paint and thinner into the centrifuge tube, cap it, and place it on the Vortex. The Vortex does the mixing. I can pour the paint directly into the airbrush from the tube, cap and store what I don't use for that session. When I'm finished I throw away the tube since they are a few pennies each. It is very convenient and mess-free.

No more bad choices, everything is tested and validated, Long Live The King Barbatos Rex!

I’m sitting here watching you is like my fourth video I watched of yours today cause I just found you owe my God you’re setting me up for a great experience I’m gonna do my first airbrushing in a week and a half and I can’t wait I know I’m gonna make mistakes I know I’m gonna screw things up I’m gonna have to forgive myself I have no artistic talent and I can’t draw with shit but thank you for giving me so much hope that I actually will be able to do some thing with how easy you’ve made it to understand here

This is brilliant! Well worth a full watch. Thanks.

Thank you, especially for demonstrating the Mission Model paint line. Excellent job.

Thanks for this video. I experienced the same thing. the 1st time using an acrylic and shied away. going to give em' a try again.

This is awesome! I’m getting back into hobby airbrushing after almost 20years. This was exactly what I was looking for, as I’m starting over from scratch.

Thank you sir fantastic video, to the point no B.S. We need more of this on You Tube.

This is the best video I've seen on airbrushing acrylics yet! Thanks so much for sharing.

Thanks for this video, I guess this was the most instructive video I stumbled upon learning the hobby. There are a lot of things that you show that other ppl just assume you should know from the get go, but are not so intuitive, like your method for cleaning the air brush the consistency of the paint to use and even the method of spray. Most do just "Yeah, thin your paint, throw into the air brush and give it a few coats" which don't clearly mean anythig for people starting on the hobby, so I much apreciate this video.

Good advice mate especially for those starting out. I’ve been airbrushing for years and self taught and you would’ve helped me out immensely back in the day and saved me lots of headaches lol I use either an acrylic, clear sheet or a piece of toughened glass with polished edges on top of my desk to protect it and cleanup is a breeze.

Thanks, this is an immensely useful video - more dense in useful insights than many other entire channels

OMG! So blessed I found your channel!!

Thank you for making this make sense! Good to build good habits.

Thanks, for all the insight , good and practcal tips to a desperate newcommer in this art!

Thank you for this video! I learned a lot I can see where mistakes can be made and I know where I have to head to improve my techniques. Thank you again