Vallejo ModelAir

1) Prepare your material and make sure that your Airbrush, your ModelAir paints and your brushes are in perfect usable conditions. Use an absorbent paper for cleaning.

2) Apply one coat of acrylic primer of neutral or middle grey colour. The primer can be applie with spray or airbrush. Let it dry for 4 hours or follow the instructions of the primer.

3) Select the Model Air color that will be used as base colour for your model. Shake the bottle well. We always recommend starting with the palest colour.

4) Once you unscrew the top of the bottle of ModelAir, clean the eyedropper with an absorbent paper. The eyedropper must always stay clean and free of dried paint.

5) Repeat exactly the same cleaning process with the “thinner” and pour directly into the airbrush 1 drop for each 3 drops of Model Air colour you are adding. In order to obtain other effects, change the proportions of thinner.

6) Add now the corresponding quantity of ModelAir colour directly into the colour cup of the airbrush.

7) Then use a clean and soft #6 brush to mix the paint with the thinner in the airbrush.

8) Adjust your compressor to a pressure of 1 to 1,5, practice airbrushing lines on paper, varying the applying distance between 5 and 15 cm untill you get the desired line.

9) Clean the airbrush deposit with an absorbent paper moistened with cleaning alcohol every 2 or 3 minutes in order to avoid that paint dries and obstructs the needle.

10) It is very important to paint the model with transparent coats, letting each coat dry or helping it to dry with the airbrush itself. Do not try to cover the surface with the first coat if you want an optimum result.

11) For a quick cleaning between each colour, empty the remains of unused paint into a recipient, turning the airbrush upside down.

12) Then add the special ModelAir Cleaner. Pour a small quantity directly into the airbrush deposit.

13) Next use a soft brush to remove the cleaner from the airbrush, in that manner eliminating remains of fresh or dried used paint.

14) Empty the contents without pulverising air, as the mixture could contain solids that might harm the airbrush’s nozzle or needle.

15) Now, fill your airbrush with Airbrush Cleaner and spray on a cloth or drying paper. This will clear and clean the internal mechanism.

16) During the quick cleaning process, unscrew the back cover of your airbrush.

17) Slightly loosen the back screw that frees the needle and take the needle out with care not to bend it due to a brusque movement.

18) Finally clean the needle with the ModelAir Cleaner and carefully put it back in its place. This entire quick cleaning operation should not last more than 2 minutes since we started, and is imperative if we always want to obtain the best results from our work.