Paints

Paint decides how a finished model looks from across the room. Planking quality and fittings matter close up, but at normal viewing distance the eye reads hull colours, the waterline and the sheen.

What the range covers

Primers for timber, brass and plastic. Hull and deck colours including traditional black, white, red antifouling and boot topping shades. Metallics and detail colours for fittings. Finishes from matt through satin to gloss, plus varnishes and clear coats for bright finished timber.

Four things that matter more than the paint you choose

• Prime and seal bare timber, or the wood drinks paint unevenly and raises its grain
• Build colour in thin coats, particularly on a planked hull where a heavy coat fills the plank lines you spent weeks creating
• Mask waterlines with a low tack tape and burnish the edge down. A wavy waterline is the most visible fault on any model
• Let each coat cure properly before the next, especially under varnish

Related

Brushes, thinners, masking materials and mixing accessories are stocked alongside. Adhesives are in glues. Naval subjects from warship kits need the most paint discipline of anything in the range.

Common questions

Do I need an airbrush?

No. Thin coats and a good brush will do it. An airbrush helps most on large flat areas such as liner hulls.

Should a wooden hull be painted or varnished?

Follow the real vessel. Working boats and warships were painted, classic yachts and launches were largely bright finished.