I've been meaning for some time to add airbrushing to my arsenal of modelling techniques. It seems particularly necessary as I go further into building model aircraft.
My mate Mark P has had a cheap airbrush and compressor set for some time and we've discussed having a session to play with it but we've never managed to get it scheduled. Recently he dropped it off at Stately Counterpane Manor and urged me to have a go myself.
I had a fourth Airfix Folland Gnat kit in the stash (having already built Red Arrows, Yellowjacks, and RAF Valley trainer versions) and was casting around for a suitable colour scheme for it. The scheme used on the aircraft in the film Hot Shots Part Deux was an option but I wanted something that would use one of the airbrush-specific paints I already own so an overall aluminium scheme was the best bet.
In the end I recycled to decals from an Airfix Vampire T.11 kit to produce a fictional Royal New Zealand Air Force aircraft.
The model was rather rushed as I just wanted something I could apply paint to quickly. It was originally going to be modelled gear-down but unplanned violent contact with the workshop floor changed that!
For a first attempt I'm reasonably pleased with it. I haven't yet got the hang of mixing non-airbrush paint to the right consistency but I'm getting reasonable results with ready-mixed.
The compressor is a small, battery-powered job with only three pressure settings. I'm hoping to receive an airbrush of my own for Xmas at which point I may have a go with the one the Baroness uses to power her staple gun. It has a reservoir; usability will just come down to whether the pressure is sufficiently adjustable.
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