After gluing the underframe to the body, I put some blue painters masking tape over the inside of the window openings of the body. This will prevent exterior paint from coming into the already-finished body interior.

I then put the same masking tape over the under side of the car. This was quite a bit more difficult due to all the underbody details that were already installed. I first placed a strip of masking tape on a glass surface, and then ripped it up from there and placed it on the model. This removes a bit of the glue from the tape, so it won't mar already painted surfaces. I also put masking tape over the top of the open body to reduce over-spray to the interior. Again, this was a bit of a challenge, but I was successful by being careful with the aim of the airbrush during the painting session.

I airbrushed the exterior using ScaleCoat paints, a mixture of 5 parts "Bright Red" and 2 parts "EL Maroon". This came from the Bowser web site's HO-scale paint guide. This was the first time I used ScaleCoat. I think I like Floquil and Pollyscale paints better for airbrushing. The one big advantage of ScaleCoat is that it gives you a glossy surface, so you can start applying decals immediately after the paint is dry. Over all I am happy with the results, though. I do think, however, that the color is a bit too red. Yet, studying prototype photos, I have seen colors ranging from freight car brown to red and bright orange. After I let the paint dry overnight, I hand painted the grab irons and the step edges with Floquil's "Reefer Yellow". That required a very small brush and a very steady hand.