Paints & Supplies, recommendations on what materials to use for customs!

[MAJOR BLOOD]

Thanks for the info guys. I've been wanting to try some customs and now that I see what the goods are I'll have to get some supplies.

[PathFinder]

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[PathFinder]

Originally Posted by Pyroclasm

Doesn't matter what plastic the vehicles/figures/weapons/accessories are. The only glue you need for toy plastic is CA. Get the Extra Thick stuff if you can.
1) It takes a little longer than SuperGlue or the thin CA to set, allowing you much more precise placement of parts.
2) It fills gaps.
3) The two parts you are gluing don't even have to line up. With Superglue, the parts need to match.
4) It will even glue the soft or rubbery plastics without a problem.
5) You can glue your parts with a small drop, or put several to fill in a gap. But I've never seen it melt any toy plastic.

Note, that not all repairs can be done with just glue. Sometimes you need a combination of glue and a peg for stability and strength.

Last year I used enamel thinner on a TF figure, and the chemicals literally caused the TF plastic to fragment and fall apart. I had a bunch of tiny little fragments that formed an important joint. I thought my custom was ruined. I took each individual piece and reformed the part with a bit of CA between each piece. Not only did the CA hold, but it is as strong as ever. As some of you can attest to (especially those who have tried to repair glasses), Superglue doesn't always hold up to stress and will eventually fragment.

In reference to paint:
I'm one of those people that can attest to the issues involved with oil based enamels. They will not cure on softer plastics. I have a custom that is still sticky after 2 years. You know those jar enamels sold in Wal-Mart's car model section? They can eat through some plastic models. There must be a trick to them because I've had plastic models warp and smaller parts dissolve from their use. Be very careful of your enamel thinners! They too can break down the plastic. I would also steer clear away from plastic model cement. It's been years since I turned away from it, but back then the way it bonded your plastic was to literally weld the plastic together. (i.e. melt the two plastics until they were one piece)
For a while I was using craft paint and did not understand why my custom figures were having problems. Craft paints work fine on metal RPG miniatures, but not so much on action figures. I then found a tutorial by Jin Saotome, and it turned me on to quality acrylic such as Testors Model Master Acryl. Those are the paints to use, hands down. No need to prime, just wash the figure with warm soapy water.

What kind of problems were you having with the "craft paint" that you mentioned? I have been using some inexpensive craft paint(like FOLKART or DELTA CERAMCOAT) and I like the finish, but the joints of the figure will quickly scrape off the paint in that area, revealing the original plastic color.

Then again, maybe this happens with any paint... What are your results here, or do you just have to kind of not pose the figure so much to avoid ruining the paint close to the joint areas?

PF

[Nirvana]

What's best to seal a paint job to prevent chipping?

[Pyroclasm]

Originally Posted by PathFinder

What kind of problems were you having with the "craft paint" that you mentioned? I have been using some inexpensive craft paint(like FOLKART or DELTA CERAMCOAT) and I like the finish, but the joints of the figure will quickly scrape off the paint in that area, revealing the original plastic color.

Then again, maybe this happens with any paint... What are your results here, or do you just have to kind of not pose the figure so much to avoid ruining the paint close to the joint areas?

PF

Problems with the inexpensive acrylics:
1) Not wanting to bind to the plastic without having to prime the figure first.
2) Coming off at the joints even when primed.
3) Lack of color retention over time. Colors change.
4) Even when sealed and primed, over time the paint just starts to chip and flake when you try to pose the figure.

With the good stuff, it appears those issues are different:
1) I can paint a figure without priming. (I just wash it with warm soapy water.)
2) The thinnest paints tend to almost stain the joints. With a little sanding, they tend to chip very little if at all.
3) As I understand it, they hold better color retention over time. I'll know for a fact if that's the case in a couple of years.
4) So far, I haven't had any flaking or chipping and I have yet to seal any of my Joe customs.

[TheLongestDay]

Originally Posted by coreyrc

Paints: can't go wrong with Tamiya, and Model Masters (by Testors) is also good, and easier to find than Tamiya! but BE SURE you get Acrylic... it's water based, so it dries faster (enamel, on the other hand, sometimes doesn't dry at all!!!), and it's easier to clean up spills... you don't even have to buy thinner... just use a jar of water!

Glues: Super glue works fine, but I personally use "Extreme Power" Cyanoacrylate glue, found in the model car section at Hobby Lobby in a clear tube with a green label.

Tools: decent paintbrushes (not those crappy Model Car brushes... get one of those $7.99 Leow-Cornell brand brush packs at Hobby Lobby and you should be fine), X-Acto knife (and plenty of blades), small Philips head screwdriver, flat-head scrwedriver, and pretty much anything you may have laying around...

Putty/Sculpting stuff: GreenStuff! I haven't been able to find any in stores... I get mine off e(vil)Bay.

what he said!!

[Wylde Weezle]

Anyone here ever use cel vinyl acrylic? Apparently the Mattel toy gods the Four Horsemen swear by it - I guess it's also used to paint animation cels.
And for anyone who may have used this stuff with success, where did you get it?

[Nathan92]

If you are painting styrofoam, do not use spray paint. It eats away at the foam really quickly.

Luckily I used a test piece of foam before trying it out on my last dio.

[MAJOR BLOOD]

Great thread. Needed to post so I can check it later.

[PathFinder]

I am using some Tamiya Flat Military colors, and am noticing some areas after drying, that have a "shine".

Is this due to the paint maybe not being mixed thoroughly, or possibly accidently "buffing" the surface by touching it?

Also, would using some Flat/Matte clear coat reflat the finish?