[Snakeeyesisposh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueShirt

So just spray the entire figure lightly? How do I protect joints from seizing? Would brushing a matte / satin clear be a cleaner alternative or am I overthinking things?

If you insist on spray painting, you can always just tape over the joints or parts you don't want sprayed.

[HissHissFangFan]

You can deal with sealants/finishes later, really. You can risk messing up your paint job if not careful. The sealant and finish is really just a finishing touch, a last optional step that may not be worth its potential problems.

[RazorMurphy]

To seal in the colours I use a Tamiya matt varnish rattle can. Good for beginners. No disassembly required on the figure. It’s just a final dusting really. The rattle cans are extremely handy to use. Shake them up and away you go. Well ventilated area of course, and use a dustmask!
Lately I’ve been restoring ‘80’s Joes for recards for my own display. I’ve resprayed a Snow Job and a Storm Shadow back to white with good results. As the older joes have a ‘sheen’ to them the final dusting was with a semi-gloss clear.
For modern era Joes i went with a matt finish. Seems to look right.

[Goin' Commando]

From my experience spraying of any type is better suited for vehicles but I have sprayed a few figure parts. I’ve also found disassembling figures & Vehicles yield the best results.
I’ve seen a lot of people paint joints but I’ve never had any luck with it.

One other thing that I like about Citadel is due to a local plus.
I am near a Games Workshop that has a really nice guy running it.
I take in a part or example of the color I want (including skin tones) and he will pick out a good match. He’s pretty good!

I have not had any storage issues with their paints either. I keep them inside.
I’ve had jars of testor’s that dried up but I think they were in my garage.
To each his own.....good luck!

[BlueShirt]

Alright, I'll swear clear of varnishes for now. Thanks guys.

Is it possible to order a paint chip sample from these companies? I'm having a heck of a time figuring out what colours to get.

[bluemax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueShirt

Alright, I'll swear clear of varnishes for now. Thanks guys.

Is it possible to order a paint chip sample from these companies? I'm having a heck of a time figuring out what colours to get.

Depends on what your early/starter plans are. There are different kits. The vallejo 16 paint set is pretty much a great base color set (minus the metallic colors). You could mix paint easily but that is more an acquired skill rather than just buying the colors you want directly.

The easist and best way for me was truly going to a hobby/war gaming store locally and checking out the paints there. The Testor/Model Master displays generally come with paint samples. Tamiya does as well. You can also talk to the people there and see what they recommend depending on your project. There are also flesh color kits, ww II, NATO colors. So you can get some combo paint kits in a theme to suit your needs.

[BlueShirt]

If only the whole world was like America... we don't have hobby stores anywhere near here. Closest thing is a games workshop that has citadel paints, but sounds like I should stick to model master or Vallejo, which means ordering online unfortunately. I'll see what I can find for kits though. Thanks.

[Adventure Fun]

What type of figures are you looking to paint? In what areas? Playthings or shelf queens? Citadel may be perfectly ok depending on the usage. Brush on primer can be a-ok, but joints are always tricky,

Also, scratched paint is often a plus, think of it as gritty battle damage.

Craft paint with Klear as a thinner (mandatory) is also perfectly acceptable. But focus on opaque colors if that info is available to you (Americana lists it at their site for example).

[Breakerfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HissHissFangFan

Also to have or get:
[*]medium size pliers (if you are getting Testors--you'll find out in about 1 to 3 weeks).[/LIST]

HAHA. You speak the truth! Testors and Tamiya have both made me reach for pliers more times than I can remember. I think the Tamiya bottle is large enough that I use channel locks though.

[ozzie92]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Breakerfan

HAHA. You speak the truth! Testors and Tamiya have both made me reach for pliers more times than I can remember. I think the Tamiya bottle is large enough that I use channel locks though.

Egad, yes. I have tore through so many “husbands,” just trying to get a grip on the lid/bottle to open. :/