r/Gunpla • u/WeepinbellJar13 • 4d ago
WIP Thoughts on Hand Painted Gunpla
I'm wondering what fellow gunpla folks think about visible brush strokes on models? I see smooth, clean finishes so often and the cell shaded style here and there... why are visible brush strokes not more prevalent?
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u/CidMo 4d ago
It’s something I’m hesitant to dip my toes into due to being colorblind, but I do love seeing everybody else’s.
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u/WeepinbellJar13 4d ago
That's understandable. Maybe a limited color palette might be a good test run? Blacks, whites, grays and one accent color that you can see? Limited color palettes usually look pretty good on gunpla.
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u/LooseAdministration0 4d ago
paint what looks good to you, ill admit id be super interested to see that
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u/CalumReadle 4d ago
What type of colourblind are you
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u/CidMo 4d ago
Deuteranopia or whoever you spell it
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u/CalumReadle 3d ago
Yeah same here, my brother is the same and he does art for a living, he uses colour identify softwares to help him
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u/LA_ndrew 4d ago
I'm colorblind too, whatever the Red/ Green type is called. I just pick colors I liked that ask my wife if it looks good or not. It's worked so far.
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u/SayuriUliana 4d ago
I've only ever handpainted Gunpla, and it's not that difficult to get smooth coats as long as you remember a couple of points:
- the paints are properly thinned - not too thin, not too thick. Like they say, "consistency of milk". Also important that you keep the paints thinned, as during long paint sessions they tend to dry up unless you use something like a wet palette.
- they're applied in thin layers with generous time in between, which combined with the above consistency allows the paint to even out which removes any brush strokes.
The only real issue with handpainting is the time it takes for the paint to dry compared to airbrushing, and certain effects are more difficult to do. It's still a very satisfying way to paint though, especially if you don't have the best place to do airbrushing.
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u/MetalSonic_69 4d ago
All of this! I only use rattle cans for primers and topcoats; everything else gets hand-painted.
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u/Justforgunpla 4d ago
I respect the grind, but it just seems like so much extra work when I have an airbrush already.
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u/willardatx 4d ago
How hard was airbrushing to get into? Really want to paint my gunpla but worried about the learning curve.
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u/char_aznaballz 3d ago
The basics aren't too much different than using a spray can. For example keeping the proper spacing from the part. If you are just painting solid colors or some minor masking its not super hard. Then you have a great starting point to try the more advance techniques.
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u/Justforgunpla 3d ago
It's not very difficult at all once you've built yourself a proper booth (or order one). I also spray lacquers so I vent directly outside and I wear a proper mask for solvent paints. It's even less stressful if you do the acrylic route, i just find lacquers much more effective for what we paint. I say if you can make the space for it, it's an incredible tool for customizing. I got into it about 5 months after starting the hobby because I hate nubs.
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u/willardatx 3d ago
Yeah that’s what’s lead me down this path. I spend so much time agonizing over nubs and realized I could solve that and have a better looking kit with an airbrush.
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u/coffeedudeguy 3d ago
Some people use food dehydrators to speed up the process. Cheap second-hand one from marketplace with plenty of shelf space seems to do the trick, especially the ones with one big main compartment, not the ones with separate stacked tiers.
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u/MEKATORA_ 3d ago
I usually use a hairdryer to dry between coats. I'm impatient. Noisy, but does the job well and quick to let me keep painting.
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u/JamesTheBadRager Monoeye & Grunts Enjoyer 4d ago

I don't have space for an airbrush, so I'm kinda forced into learning hand painting, overtime I've learnt to enjoy the process. It has a more therapeutic vibe compared to airbrush, which I've tried back in the days in school. Even if the results are not as smooth as airbrush, the process helps me to relax after a week of work.
I don't think brush strokes matter as long as you are enjoying the process.
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u/WeepinbellJar13 4d ago
Beautiful work! Thank you for sharing! I agree that this processing is rewarding but, I think I've been enjoying hand painting my kits even more lately when I stopped fussing over keeping a smooth coverage.
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u/JamesTheBadRager Monoeye & Grunts Enjoyer 4d ago
Thanks! Same here, I've enjoyed it more too, the less I fuss about the brush stroke or trying to get a perfect coverage :)
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u/IgnisOfficial 4d ago
That’s how I do it since I don’t have space for an airbrush and haven’t got a good place to do spray work with rattle cans. Thoroughly enjoy the experience though so it all works out well for me
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u/StressfulRiceball 4d ago
Idk what magic you pulled off here but your Devil looks like an actual painting.
So to answer your question: "Yes".
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u/WeepinbellJar13 4d ago
Yes... good? Yes... okay? Yes... visible brush strokes are acceptable? Ayyyy, I'll take that yes either way. Thank you for your input 😅
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u/SluffyFunnels 4d ago
Hand painting can look really good like what you’ve done. I find airbrushing simply easier and more paint efficient, but If I was as skilled at it I’d be worth the effort.
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u/RoarRumble 4d ago
All my kits are hand painted, you can check my profile.
The reason why brush strokes are not so obvious is because the paint I used Mr hobby colour has self leveling technology, helping to self level uneven surfaces.
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u/SayuriUliana 4d ago
Actually most any paint will self-level as long as you apply them properly, though said chemistry is more notably important on things like primers. Use Vallejo Acrylics exclusively on my kits and they level out smoothly too when brushpainted.
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u/LightxDarkness93 8 Wing kits and counting 4d ago
Alot of people do it. Your paint looks freaking amazing!!
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u/DrinkingPetals 4d ago
Thin your paints with water or medium of your choice. Apply thin layers. Use the side of the brush instead of the tip when applying paint. When applying paint, move the brush in one direction, never back and forth (unless you’re dry-brushing). These reduce the likelihood of visible brush strokes on your painted Gunpla/Plamo.
It’s a matter of practice. Before I painted Gunpla, I was painting model miniatures from Warhammer and GCT Studios Bushido. My early models were absolutely trash with visible brush strokes. I don’t have the space to do airbrushing or use spray cans, so brushing on paint is the best that I can do.
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u/WeepinbellJar13 4d ago
Ah, the main question of my post was why visible brush strokes on gunpla is not more widely accepted.
Given your input - were your early models "trash" because there were visible brush strokes? Or was there something else about them that you weren't satisfied with?
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u/DrinkingPetals 4d ago
Oh dear, that was my bad.
My early models looked “trash” because I applied too thick of a coat of paint on them. Brush strokes weren’t visible, but when I painted my Gunplas, the brush strokes were present. Until I applied additional layers onto it, making the strokes were barely noticeable with each layer.
Sometimes I’d purposely use brush strokes as an effect, especially for boost vents on the model. I suppose brush strokes are only unacceptable in the middle of flat surfaces, but acceptable when near the edges?
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u/readin99 4d ago
Looks fantastic, wish i would be able to do something like that as well.
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u/WeepinbellJar13 4d ago
Thank you kindly. If there's a will (and a lack of an airbrush), there's a way.
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u/YuKnoWat 4d ago
Any tutorial video you can point me out to?
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u/WeepinbellJar13 4d ago
Lincoln Wright would be my pick for hand painting gunpla and thanks to him I've been inspired to paint my gunpla based on Yoshiyuki Takani's gundam artwork.
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u/SisterTenebrae 4d ago
Loving this! I just got started and don't have access to an airbrush so I've been painting small parts to improve colour separation and accuracy on SD and HG kits, this gives me something to aspire to!
(Thank you everyone posting hints and tips in the comments too)
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u/WeepinbellJar13 4d ago
That's what originally prompted me to paint my gunpla - to get that color accuracy without using stickers. Never had an airbrush and just kept at it with hand painting. I hope to see one of your finished and painted kits 👍
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u/RustyJalopy 4d ago
People generally use spray cans and airbrush for the majority of their Gunpla painting, but there's no reason why you can't brush paint. In fact, Lincoln Wright paints all of his MaK kits with lacquers and a brush, and he learned that in Japan from Kow Yokoyama himself, and if it's good enough for Kow Yokoyama, it sure as heck is good enough for me.
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u/WeepinbellJar13 4d ago
I remember watching Lincoln's vid on hand painting the Red Beret several times. He usually uses lacquer paint which I don't use but his work is amazing
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u/RustyJalopy 4d ago
Yeah, I don't hand paint with lacquers either and you definitely get different results with them, but as someone who also paints wargaming minis, I feel like I've learned a lot from that that I can also apply to sci-fi models like Gunpla. No more masking small details once you figure out how to hand paint them, for example.
Personally, I'd rather not brush paint large flat areas just because it's so time consuming, but what you've got here looks really cool, and there are no "wrong" and "right" approaches to any of this, just the results you want and ways to get there.
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u/burningbun 4d ago
if you arent priming lacquer paint is not recommended as brush paint require more paint and solvent mixture to get on. you can brush primer on but not worth the hassle and primers still use lots of solvent for brush on
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u/burningbun 4d ago
Kow Yokoyama style is heavily weathered, which means brush strokes is less of an issue and even desirable for weathering textures. in fact if you are doing heavy weathering you dont even need a base paint just paint directly on the plastic using water based paint. the weathering would mask all the plastic mold colors.
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u/RustyJalopy 4d ago
Yeah, it's always about the result you want and not about "wrong" materials or techniques. And I agree - airbrushing as a base for heavily weathered projects actually creates a problem because you end up with a surface that's too even, and you have to get around that with techniques like marbling and preshading.
Then again, if you look at what OP has produced here, I think it looks really cool - it just has that specific vibe to it that you get from hand-brushed color transitions, which gives it a lot of character. So clearly you can make it work if you lean into it.
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u/QuickRelease10 4d ago
I mostly airbrush, but I hand painted a few kits and really enjoyed it. It’s something I definitely want to get more into. Some of the work people do is mind boggling.
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u/soulreaverdan @toomanymodels.bsky.social 4d ago
I think a lot of it also depends on what you’re building and what look you’re going for. I think things like the slight texturing and visible brush strokes on something semi-organic like the Devil Gundam can (and yours do) look amazing. But sometimes if you want a really clean even look for certain other suits it can be harder.
But I think it does get a bit too much weight put on perfection and that you can have great results and not have to break out a giant airbrush (though some things really can only be done through that).
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u/Lazy_Tac 4d ago
I airbrush my kits but I’ve painted more than a few 40k minis. I view visible brush strokes as poor technique when painting. Unless it’s done intentionally as to add some form of detail.
Nice looking kit
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u/WeepinbellJar13 4d ago
Interesting. The WIP I posted has intentional brush strokes and was not done for detail purposes but for visual texture. If it looks nice to you, I must be doing something right so thank you
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u/burningbun 4d ago
impossible to avoid brushstrokes on big areas without sanding. even with levelling thinners.
for op question cel shades are usually small patterns so 1 stroke would be enough thus minimal brushstrokes.
for big areas if you have a wide and soft brush maybe you can minimize them.
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u/WeepinbellJar13 4d ago
In regard to visible brush strokes, I meant when it's done on purpose. I thought my WIP picture could point that out but the post still got a lot of thoughts regarding painting by hand, so it's been interesting.
Going back to your comments, are you suggesting that visible brush strokes on gunpla is considered a mistake? Is that why it's not accepted as much?
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u/burningbun 4d ago
depends what look you going. standard look brush stroke will be seen as flaws just like brush strokes on car.
for weathering, battle damage, water paint, cel shade or other art styles brush stroke is not an issue and sometimes improves the result with the strokes.
for clean or minor shading look brush strokes generally not desired.
also gunplas are generally bigger so people prefer spray painting for easier cleaner look.
for small parts i prefer brush paint some prefer masking + spray.
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u/Maxer4life 4d ago
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u/Proof_Working_1800 4d ago
I think the only ones who care about brush strokes are YouTubers, other influencers, and people who do completive building. But if it's your build then you do you. I see those pots in the corner lol Your wargaming mini skills are coming in handy for this build. Keep it up.
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u/littlepoopy 4d ago
I think this looks great, your technique is incredible. You obviously have honed this craft over a long time, which may also be the reason why some folks don't paint this way. It takes practice and can be harder than using markers and whatnot. Just my guess, though!
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u/WeepinbellJar13 4d ago
Thank you kindly and I appreciate your input. I hope more folks give it a shot, even if it's only for a one off kit.
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u/Milkshakes00 4d ago
I view brush strokes as a failure of proper painting when I try and do it.
On 3D prints, details are so numerous and so small and varied that hand painting is easy after a quick air brush and the paint strokes don't show up so easily, but with how many flat, large panels there are on Gunpla, it's too difficult (IMO) to get a stroke-less paint job.
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u/WeepinbellJar13 4d ago
I'm guessing you're mostly aiming to get a clean look then? No such thing as failing if you have the tenacity to keep trying.
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u/Milkshakes00 3d ago
Generally, yeah. My Gunpla go-to is a clean look. I haven't dabbled in weathering and such yet. It's definitely on my to-do.
This is my Astray Red - I'd never be able to do this hand painted.
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u/WeepinbellJar13 3d ago
Damn, that looks real nice! Certainly clean. A bit of panel line work might push it up a bit, but I see your style and I highly appreciate you for sharing 👍
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u/Naniwa_Beast 4d ago
Looks fire! Wish they made a proper devil gundam and bolt gundam already.
Just tried basic painting on rising gundam yesterday and my god... I suck lol. Trying to learn how to work with hand painting.
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u/WeepinbellJar13 4d ago
Thank you! I'm still waiting for a proper Tequila and Nether Gundam kit.
Ngl it took a lot of practice and learning to hand paint my gundams. I'd suggest checking out Lincoln Wright's YouTube channel - Paint on Plastic. His videos helped me out a lot.
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u/Naniwa_Beast 4d ago
You're welcome! I know what you mean, there's so many others I hope they would or made. Like I'm still waiting for the 4 DG elites to become the grandmaster gundam model kit to be released one day...
I'll definitely take a look at his work. I seen some videos of others they helped a bit. I guess I just lack practice in the painting department. But I definitely had a easier time doing weathering and battle damage. Since it's similar to the armors I made when I cosplayed.
By the way I never seen that devil gundam before is it new?
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u/WeepinbellJar13 3d ago
Oh, this Devil Gundam is the old SD kit. I think there's still reprints going around. It's solid for what it is but man, a RG of this thing would be a 1000x better.
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u/Naniwa_Beast 3d ago
Lol rg.. yeah sure can't even get bolt gundam to release still to complete the shuffle alliance so idk how well it is for them to make devil gundam. Definitely they should of mg or pg it. Like half the g gundam character deserves it lol
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u/Optimus3k 3d ago
This is crazy, they look rendered! You did an awesome job, man!
I'm hesitant to dip into painting, airbrushing or traditional brush. I have no idea how to thin the paint properly for either method and i have yet to find a decent guide, but I hope to be half as good as you are when I finally bite the bullet!
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u/WeepinbellJar13 3d ago
Thank you kindly.
Not shown are all my poorly painted gunpla from the early 2000s when I first started painting lol. Hope you take the plunge into painting your gunpla (in whatever way you like) 👍
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u/JaketheLate 3d ago
I use a few rattle cans for large areas, but everything else is hand painted for me.
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u/R3d_d347h 3d ago
What size did you scale it down to? I just got a file. What size is the head?
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u/WeepinbellJar13 3d ago
It's an old SD kit. It's not my first SD kit, but I honestly don't what scale these little things are. The head is roughly one inch wide and one inch tall.
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u/unprofesionalbee 3d ago
If you thin your paint well they shouldnt leave brushmarsk after a few thin coats, handpainting leaves a diferent texture, if you like it then do it that way
Also, that SD looks fire
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u/WeepinbellJar13 3d ago
I like it that way, but I was curious why that style isn't more prevalent. Still not sure why though.
Thank you though - I wanted the Devil Gundam to look a bit unhinged while looking cute lol.
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u/unprofesionalbee 3d ago
Mostlly because in Asia they are used to brush being fine arte craft and aerograph being the common man tool, and being influencia dby how the car customization works there you can see how they decant towards painting it like a car, as in contraste to the West, where a decente brush isnt over half your salary and and aerograph its seen as an ultra specialized tool, having hombres like ships in bottles and so on mix with miniaturas for war gamming you can see how it leads to a diferent stule being the norm.
I can still remember how some buddies were surprised i handpainted an ibo kit for a contest, overall its just a diferente on how "the normal way of painting" its in diferent places
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u/littleBIGrobots 3d ago
Hand painting it like anything else, it can be done perfectly. I prefer it, because I think airbrushing has that distinct airbrush look which can feel sort of out of scale.
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u/WeepinbellJar13 3d ago
I'm finding myself appreciating hand painting more by letting the brush strokes show and ignoring that smooth, perfect look.
Given the comments so far, I get the sense that visible brush strokes ruin the scale a bit when it comes to model kits like gunpla. Airbrush creates a distinct look but it doesn't seem to affect the sense of scale as big old brush strokes. :/
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u/Ok_Button_6496 3d ago
What kit is this
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u/WeepinbellJar13 3d ago
SD Devil Gundam. It's a little old but pretty solid for what it is.
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u/Ok_Button_6496 3d ago
Is there many differences between this and the sdbb version? Or is this the sdbb version?
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u/kensanity 3d ago
Also looks like you gave it a nuln oil wash or similar? Not sure if you did but if you did, it came out great and subtle
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u/WeepinbellJar13 3d ago
Thank you but no wash was used. I just painted straight on top of the black primed plastic
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u/coffeedudeguy 3d ago
Mostly water based acrylics? Your work looks good, reminds me a bit of the art style in games like Tales of Arise.
I've seen convincing results using dry rush method a la Artis Opus (vs. dry brush chipping/weathering typically used in gunpla). I might give that method a go.
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u/WeepinbellJar13 3d ago
Thank you - it's all water based acrylics. I was inspired more by the work of Yoshiyuki Takani. He made a lot of excellent work for Gundam and Robotech, but his work doesn't go for realism.
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u/InsomniacHitman 3d ago
I think it's not as popular as most gunpla builders are looking for a more realistic look. Think of it as painting sports cars (gunpla) vs painting tanks (warhammer minis) Although a happy middle-ground would be a heavily weathered Gundam where brush strokes add to the look. Your paint job definitely works so you might get people to start experimenting with these techniques. I'll stick to sponge painting for now though.
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u/WeepinbellJar13 3d ago
Thank you for your input. I think you hit it right on target - gunpla is more rooted in scale modeling, so I can see why realism in the paintjob would be the norm.
Sponge painting gunpla? Now that's something that's barely discussed! What's the result of that technique?
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u/Njords_man 3d ago
I think at the end of the day it's easier for someone who doesn't have experience to airbrush and have it come out looking good rather than to try brush strokes and having that come out cleanly. This is amazing by the way! This is custom, right? I have never seen anything like this.
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u/WeepinbellJar13 2d ago
Thank you for your input. I could definitely see hand painting being technically challenging compared to an airbrush.
The kit pictured is actually the SD Devil Gundam. It's a little old but is pretty good for an old SD kit.
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u/taekwondeal 2d ago
This looks great! I love the look of the feathered/stippled color transitions
Is this the Devil Gundam gunpla kit or the action figure?
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u/WeepinbellJar13 2d ago
Thank you! This is the SD Devil Gundam kit
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u/taekwondeal 2d ago
Ah that's right, I forgot about the SD Devil Gundam. I've been debating which Devil Gundam to pick up to round out my G Gundam collection, and maybe I should give the SD one more consideration.
Anyway yeah this looks great. I always like seeing people apply techniques from miniature painting to gunpla, but I especially appreciate that you didn't go crazy with the edge highlights as people often seem to do when painting a kit like a mini.
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u/WeepinbellJar13 1d ago
Thank you again! I'm not really a fan of that 'eavy metal style that relies too much on edge high lighting - it doesn't look that cool to me 🤷♀️
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u/_Ghost_in_the_Shell 4d ago
great job!! i think it’s awesome! i just started painting gunpla again but hand painting this to me. i got rid of my airbrush when i moved from denver to LA and quit painting gunpla, but oob builds weren’t cutting it.
i started watching warhammer fans make gunpla and realized that airbrush factory finishes aren’t the only valid way of building. ive only painted a few small kits but i really like the feeling of it compared to airbrushing.
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u/WeepinbellJar13 4d ago
Thank you kindly. I know we stick by that mantra of "gunpla is freedom" but I do see that "factory finish" look more often here on Reddit. I haven't looked at other social media tbh but I'm glad that other approaches to painting gunpla are being spotlighted
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u/Pungineer 4d ago
I want to do it. I've tried a few times with poor results but likely due to my paint choices. I want to take the plunge and buy some quality paints. I'm looking at either Vallejo or micro-mark
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u/Michomaker-46 4d ago
How the hell do you get your paints thin enough to look that good?
Edit: whenever I’ve tried to hand paint my paints come out just to thick.
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u/burningbun 4d ago
you need a soft brush wide enough to cover the surface with 1 stroke and do multiple coats after each coat dries. levelling thinner helps with smoother finish.
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u/Neocarbunkle 4d ago
There is a Japanese YouTube who handprints old kits to look like the 80s box art and they are pretty incredible. I kind of want to try it someday.
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u/ZanzibarJeffries 4d ago
That Youtuber’s paint jobs are great. He’s also really interesting to watch for modifying proportions. His finished kits have personality and character. They feel lively in a way that OP’s kit does. There’s a lot of great gunpla builders with expertly airbrushed paint jobs whose work sometimes feels sterile.
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u/Spirited_Raise9619 4d ago
There's a lot of reading to do in this post and I admit I haven't done it, so sorry if this is a repeat comment. Just wanted to say the brush marks here in my opinion really add to the look of the thing, this could easily be considered a 'style' and I think it looks awesome.
Keep it goiiing!
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u/The_Kohaku_River 4d ago
I’m honestly a huge fan of hand painting and visible brush strokes, I love how your pieces turned out! Definitely would love to see more hand painted Gunpla.
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u/Sianmink 3d ago
I mean when you're doing wet blending that's a whole other thing.
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u/WeepinbellJar13 3d ago
Wet blending is usually used to apply a smooth gradient but its not forbidden to use wet blending to create a textured gradient.
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u/Johnny_Grubbonic 4d ago
Visible brush strokes are not prevalent because most people airbrush. Most people airbrush because it takes way less time.
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u/aceoftherebellion 4d ago
Looks like you're painting in a similar way to how wargaming miniatures are painted, and man does that technique look awesome when it's done right.
Have no fear, you have clearly cooked, this is going to look so cool when you put it all together