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What is the easiest way for a beginner to create hilly or rugged terrain for a layout?
Posted in: Scenery
14th February 2023
For a beginner, one of the easiest ways to create hilly or rugged terrain for a model railway layout is to use...
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Which colour scatter do I use to represent summer?
Posted in: Scenery
12th July 2019
It would very much depend on what part of the summer you are trying to create. If it is at the beginning of the...
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Can I mix different media-based building kits, such as card and plastic on a layout?
Posted in: Kit building
20th November 2023
Yes, it is possible mix different media-based building kits on a layout. In fact, it can add a lot of visual interest...
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What type of switch is required to control a point motor?
Posted in: Model Railway, Power and control
25th June 2020
When turnouts are operated by point motors, they require the same forces applied to them as they would do operated by...
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What is a NEM pocket?
Posted in: Model Railway, Rolling stock
1st June 2020
NEM couplings are part of a universal coupling system for model railway rolling stock. They were introduced as a...
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Christmas and New Year

We are dispatching orders every weekday apart from Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

If you select next day delivery at checkout, please note deliveries are not made on public holidays or Sundays.

The shop in Sandown is open 23rd and 24th December, then closed from 25th December, reopening on 30th December.

What is an airbrush?

An airbrush is a small handheld tool powered by a small compressor or can of air, that provides an alternative to aerosol cans for spray painting models.

One advantage to using an airbrush is that you can adjust the nozzle. This allows you to easily achieve different effects, whether you are applying large areas of solid colour to your locomotives and rolling stock or weathering your trains, tracks, bridges and tunnel portals by applying faint washes, airbrushes are a very useful tool for the job.

Another benefit is that you can use any colour you like as you can mix it yourself and not be reliant of availability in the aerosol can range.

Despite the initial purchase cost, airbrushes are in the long-run cheaper than aerosols too. They can be used with either acrylic paint or enamel giving the modeller flexibility and choice when it comes to the finished effect.

It is always best to have a little practice with your airbrush on a piece of card before turning your attention to the subject to be painted. But mastering the art of airbrushing doesn't take long and the effects on your models are sure to impress.

Maintenance is simple too: acrylic paints can be simply flushed out of the airbrush using water while enamel paints are easily cleaned away using thinners.

Airbrushes have revolutionised how professional modellers paint their models and scenery. For anyone that is feeling a little apprehensive about using one we would strongly advise talking to some modellers at an exhibition. The realism that airbrushes can bring to a layout is priceless.

Posted in: Painting

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