Distinctively, the pattern was also hard-edged, so if I was to recreate the drawing in miniature, I felt the need to sharpen the edges and not spray it on freehand.
28th February 2025
Friday. The end of the week. The end of the month. The start of a weekend that has my wife celebrating her 60th tomorrow, and then my mum celebrating her 85th on Sunday.
As you might imagine time has been very limited today modelling-wise. I only had a couple of hours to spend on the Centurion before taking my mum out for lunch and then spend time with her doing a little shopping, and then with Liz, relaxing, listening to music, and then popping out for a cocktail or two…
So this morning, I had a chance to carry on with the painting of the Centurion, painting that turned the clock back, as I swapped an airbrush for a kolinsky sable paintbrush, when the need for a camouflage pattern came calling…
The renders that I was using to create my model had it painted in an overall sand finish with a distinctive black camouflage pattern. Distinctively, the pattern was also hard-edged, so if I was to recreate the drawing in miniature, I felt the need to sharpen the edges and not spray it on freehand. I could of course mask it, but frankly that seemed like a bridge too far, so instead, I decided to grab a paintbrush and handpaint it on using AK 3G acrylic Rubber Black thinned with a little tap water. Honestly, this was so much easier than I expected, taking only an hour or so to complete. Several thin coats were applied to produce a nice opaque pattern, with little evidence of brush strokes. A layer of VMS XXL Satin and the job was done ready for detail painting next week.
Harking back to the days when I handpainted models a lot, this seemed to be a such a relaxing process, I wondered why I’d not done more of it over the years. The use of 21st Century acrylics certainly made the task easy, their quick drying times and ease of application allowing rapid progress and more than acceptable results. I will definitely be returning to this style of painting in the future.
So that’s been my day. I’m now going to spend more time with Liz, watch a little football and prepare for what I know will be a lovely weekend. I’d like to wish you all the best and I’ll see you again, tomorrow!
SPENCER POLLARD'S KIT BOX 
I think that is key Spence. Brush painting is relaxing. If, like me, you view modelling as an enjoyable pastime then brush painting greatly enhances the process. I know airbrush jockeys everywhere will be spluttering into their paint cups at this but I believe it’s an essential part of the hobby. That’s not to deny the wonderful results airbrushing produces- I have one and use it regularly. But I love to get some brush work on every model and, as you say, with modern paints the results don’t have to be inferior.
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