Topic: Help request - painting recommendations

[Mr. Black]

Those of you who repaint your customs, how do you go about it and what paints do you prefer?  Do you wash your figs first?  Do you paint parts before reassembly?  Do you prime parts?  Do you prefer acrylics or enamels?  What brands work best for you?  Spray paints?  Airbrushes?

Yes, I always clean my figures first. You'd be surprised how much dirt comes off a figure, even when it's been kept in "a smoke free and pet free environment".

I don't paint parts before assembly, at least not on figures. I really haven't found a need for that, but it could be better to do so, in some situations.

After assembly, I always take a can of Citadel's Games Workshop Chaos Black primer. I've got five of those (bought them for half price at a store that closed out). Just a coat or two to totally prime the figure.

After letting that dry for 24 hours or so, I start painting the figure with Citadel's Games Workshop paints. I apply multiple thinned layers, instead of one thick layer. Recently I also tried Reaper paints, which work like a charm as well. Both brands are acrylic paints. I really don't recommend enamels for SW figures, because enamels just don't work on the type of plastic used in the figures.

As for sealing the figs, I use Testor's Dullcote. Gives a nice matte finish to the custom. However, I brush a high gloss coat on things like visors, Rodian/Sullustan/etc. eyes, rifle scopes, etc.

But it's even better to first coat the custom in a high gloss varnish (which is tougher), than the matte varnish, and then detail with gloss again.

[flaccideagle]

Thanks so much for the advice.  This is great.

I plan on getting a flat grey and/or white, to spray vehicles & figures with a flat, base color.  Then building up colors with some miniature paints like GW, some of my print acrylic inks (they've worked well with plastics and metals, has some thickness to it to build texture if needed, or you can thin them out for weathering/regular painting to do thin, clean layers)- a dull coat, then weathering, then maybe another dull coat (if needed)

I'd rather stay away from black primers, as in the past with some tiles I've painted, it was too hard to get a clean lighter color to "pop" overtop of that. 

I've found with tile, which has the same adhesion problems as hasbro plastics, that a flat light grey or flat white, then with a second or third coat of flat white over that, will let colors like yellow orange, the lighter colors, will really "pop"- add glossy paints or finish, and it pops really nicely.

Maybe this approach doesn't work for vehicles or figures?  Am I on the right track?

I'm really close to buying one of those Testor's spray sets, am I throwing my money away?

[flaccideagle]

so I got some of the paints you guys recommended as well as a few others.

I'll post some pictures tomorrow of my WIP  in this thread too so you guys can see the difference between the different brands.

[Mr. Black]

A black primer will tone down any colour you put on top of it. Works great for muted tones, like browns, greens, greys, but if you want to apply bright colours, a white primer is indeed preferred.

[flaccideagle]

Ok, so only a month later, and here are some photos of my experiments with some different spray acrylics.




Here are the three different paints I'm using:  Army Painter Spray ($14); Krylon Fusion Flat White ($5-7); Rustoleum Plastic ($5) (also had a blue can of Krylon, not shown)

I'm painting a vintage 1980's GI JOE Conquest X-30 Jetfighter:



Here's what they look like when they've been hit with some of each color:










Overall, the Fusion seemed to adhere well.  Rustoleium was OK to paint over but it didn't seem to fill in the gaps (meaning a 2nd or 3rd coat when you only want to do one).  The fusion held color overtop of it well, but the Army Painter spray seemed to hold paint to it the best.  But in the future, if I simply wish to respray a vehicle a flat color, I'll use the Fusion.  I'll use the Army Painter when I need to cover over any painted details.  I used the Army Painter on my first custom, a landspeeder.