Now THAT is a great tutorial.

Nothing can beat an airbrush, but some good tips for using a brush is having nicely thinned paint (all paint should be thinned by a small amount) and keep brush strokes to a minimum, and in one general direction. Remember not to glob it all on as well, fill the brush half way up the bristles, that also makes your brushes last longer.

Thanks for the tips. When using Enamels, I like to place the parts under my 100 watt desk light. It lays the paint down nice and it bakes the paint onto the parts. 4 or 5 inches away for a minute or two, is all it takes. Too long or too close will burn the paint, so be careful

@daamardeep You have to thin the paints slightly if you can, and work very quickly.. I hardly ever use acrylics for any body work on my models.. I prefer to use enamel paints.. :)

ZOOM IN,ZOOM IN, ZOOM IN. We need close ups so we can SEE your  technique.

When you do the thin layer first,do you wait for it to dry and then do another layer over the top of that one?

You said you thin your enamels "as needed" how do you know if it is needed or not?

What make of varnish do you use?? I use the Humbrol matte coat, and it work well, but needs to be very well stirred and shaken to go on smoothly.. :)

Thinned paint is key, it allows many light coats, and doesn't hide detail. Though, I still trust my Badger Crescendo Airbrush.

I think that's how most people would do it, e.g. if applying the RAF Day Fighter Scheme, apply the Ocean Grey overall and then the Dark Green distruptive. If your top coat needs a bit of a key to cover well, then you might consider applying approximate shades of the green and grey in matt paint, separately to keep the coat thin. Horses for courses ultimately.

Hey Pard, they woyuld not ship the Lexington model direct, so I'll have to send it along when it arrives here. BTW I met another Lady Lex shipmate from the 60s

As you paint direcrly from the tin, means you do not use any thinner? Or you thin it but add it in the tin. Just see that you dip the brush directly into the can, then paint. I read on Humbrol's official website, that Hubrol enamels can be directly applied from the thin.

The primer is designed to stick to the surface better, and in turn it will make the paint stick better to the surface too.. if you do the paint straight to the handle it will probably wear and tear a lot easier.. then again, if it's nothing you're going to handle much it probably won't matter so much! But as it is an uneven surface and metal as well (I guess), it's probably best to prime it, regardless.. ;)

Because I have nowhere to use one... that's why! Also, a handbrush or 'hairy stick' can be used anywhere, it is quick and easy to use, always ready, it is quiet, easy to clean and easily replaced at little effort, in the unlikely event that it should break or otherwise become unusable.. so that's why I don't have an airbrush..

Not sure about the age.. as long as the pot is unopened the paint should stay ok, even if the pigments may sink to the bottom of the tin and it'll need an extra lot of stirring. As for the colour.. yes, that's definetely an issue... Yellow, orange, white and sometimes red are VERY difficult to brush by hand, regardless of brand of paint.. I prefer to use a spray can for those colours if I can! I have never used Testors, they're not easy to come by for me, unfortunately. :P