I am looking for a way of speeding up the mundane aspects of painting minis (like getting a good, solid base coat).  I’m not interested in purchasing an airbrush, as they’re really expensive and I’m not sure how much use I’ll get out of it in the long term.  Citadel miniatures has an alternative:  the Spray Gun.

Citadel Spray Gun plus Propellant

When it was released, this tool met with mixed reviews.  I knew there was a chance that I’d be purchasing a nicely packaged dose of frustration, but if there was a chance it could save me hours of dull, repetitive work then it just might be worth it.

I spent three hours playing around with the gun, and at the end of it I managed to take three models (primed in black) to this:

The Finished Result

Here’s what I think of the spray gun after my experience.

Pros

• When it works, it can quickly cover a model in any of the available “base” shades.
• It can be used indoors–a bonus for those cold winter months where I live.  It should still be used in a well-ventilated space, but it doesn’t reek of spraypaint propellant.
• When it works, ho boy!  I saved a lot of painting time on my helbrute and the two Chaos “command” figures from the Dark Vengeance starter set.

Cons

• Flow is uneven and difficult to regulate.  Adjusting the paint valve even just a tiny bit too much can change a good mist into something blobby.
• The model coat can be uneven, not that smooth finish that can come from manually painting.
• The paint nozzle clogs easily and needs constant cleaning.
• This uses a lot of paint.  Expect to cover less with a single pot than you normally would with hand-painting.
• Pressure drops noticeably once the propellant can is 1/3 full or less.
  • I did have some success keeping pressure levels up by frequently shaking the can.
• The instructions are basic, and consist mostly of spray gun assembly, maintenance and troubleshooting.
  • The section devoted to use really just consists of how far away the spray gun should be from the model.
  • There used to be a much more comprehensive article about using the spray gun on the Games Workshop site, but it (along with almost all the other articles) is gone now.
  • I don’t know if the Painting Citadel Miniatures book has any information on the subject.

The Lesson Learned

Did the spray gun do what I wanted it to do?  Yes.  But i

• t took a lot of fiddling, and wasted a lot of paint.  I was making a point of being patient with this, especially since if I could get it to work it would be a time-saver.

Would I recommend it?  I don’t know.  I’ve been reading up on other people’s experiences with this product and most seem to have gotten far more use out of the propellant than I did.  On the other hand, most people’s experience seems to be negative and tales of testing the spray gun usually conclude with “get a cheap air brush.”

I think at this point I may buy one more can of propellant and give it another go unless I can find a super-cheap airbrush+compressor that can do the same thing.  While waiting for the can to cool down at one point I did come out and start looking up prices and local availability for dual-action air brushes and compressors, but the best price I could find around where I live was approximately $250, which is too much more than I can afford at this point.  Unless I can find something closer to around half that price, I don’t see an air brush in my future.

Important to Remember

If you are going to use the spray gun, here are some tips that should help get the best results.

• This is not an airbrush.  Use it more like a can of spray paint:
  • Keep the gun about 20-30 cm from the model.
  • Paint in short, controlled sweeps.
  • If you have multiple items to paint, try to coat several at once.
  • Rotate models as they are painted so that they become evenly coated.
  • Leave the models to dry between coats.
• Don’t let the can get too cold.
  • The propellant is pressurized CO2, and the can temperature drops significantly during use.  As the can cools, the pressure drops significantly.
  • If I did let the can get too cold, it would start making noises almost as if something was falling off the walls inside.  The pressure would suddenly increase at that point.
• The paint/water ratio is critical.
  • Too much water and the paint runs freely on the model and collects in recesses and steep angles (the way washes are supposed to collect to highlight details).
  • Too little water and the paint becomes blobby and might not even flow through the valve.
• Check paint flow before starting, and frequently while painting.
  • Make sure to prime a few test sprues to use for the testing.
  • If you don’t have sprues, even just a piece of paper will give you an idea of the spray gun’s output.
• Clean regularly during use.
  • Have a cloth or a toothpick to wipe off the end of the paint valve.
  • At various times, run water through the spray gun.
    • Unscrew the glass paint jar.
    • Fill a container up with water.
    • Place the exposed paint hose into the water and spray until the water runs clear.
• Clean promptly after use.
  • If that paint dries in the gun, good luck getting it out.
• The usage ratio seems to be one can of propellant for one pot’s worth of paint.
  • Unfortunately, I still don’t have a good idea of how much specific coverage can be had with a single pot.  I spent a lot of paint on test sprues and playing with paint flow.