Little bit of painting help needed

[Eazy D]

This may not be related to macross but I thought some of the ppl who do mods and modelling here could help me out since I'm a complete baby at this stuff.

This probably should be in the transformers thread but I wanted the modellers to see it.....

I want to paint the gun on my MP 01 prime from grey to black and I wanted some tips on

1) what paint to use to get a really good effect and make it look authentic

2) how to prevent the paint from getting on the silver and blue bits (which I want to leave as they are). If I use a brush I'm scared that I'll either accidently overshoot the margin or be too cautious and wont paint far enough to the margin

I know this request is pretty stupid but I'm a novice and I really don't want to f*** the gun up..

Thanks

Dave

[cokefiend]

For the best possible finish you need an airbrush. For an example look here:

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?...5881&st=240

scroll down a bit.

Of course if a brush is all you have, I dont know. Ive never been able to get a finish with a brush I was happy with.

[jardann]

You would probably get the best and most durable finish by using the Krylon fusion brand of spraypaint. It bonds with the plastic and becomes very scratch resistant. The best way to protect the silver and blue areas will be to mask them with a good masking tape. You can cut the masking tape to the exact size and shape you need with an exacto knife.(very sharp!!) Then spray the Fusion paint and let it dry to the touch, but not too long. Then carefully remove the masking tape and let the paint finish curing for several days before handling it. That will let it set to a very scratch resistant finish.

It would be a good idea to practice the masking and painting on something before trying it on your important piece. Empty 2 liter soda bottles are good to practice with. A can of the Fusion spray paint will give you plenty to practice a few times and then finish the gun.

Good luck!

[Guppy]

Jardann's right - if you are just doing a bit of painting go with spraypaint. If I was doing it, I would go for an acrylic matte finish. I like acrylic better than enamel, but enamel is more durable but it's oil based so can be messy.

Other tips - try lighting roughing up the surface with a light grain sandpaper before painting so the paint will bond better with the surface.

And one thing I do to mask little fiddly bits, I use blu-tak to plug the gaps. I think in the US it's called Fun-Tak? For me this is a lot easier than masking tape for very small areas as you can just squish it in and cover the area you want to mask without having to make small cuts with a scalpel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-Tak

And as Jardann says, practice first! I can bet you will be overeager (like I was) and spray too close and/or too much. And when you spray don't spray 'at' the gun. Make back and forth 'passes' - ie, don't start spraying when aiming at the gun, spray next to it then pass across the gun, so you'll get a nice even coat. And patience is important! You don't need to do it all in one coat. Do a light coat, let it dry, then do a second rather than soak it in paint the first try.

And last tip, take the gun apart before painting it. You will have a lot less mess and anguish if you can do it that way - it will be easier to paint and you can lay it down to dry on newspaper (I place my parts on a few match sticks first so the wet part won't stick to the newspaper).

[Eazy D]

Hey guys,

Thanks so much for the input. That's exactly the type of info I needed.

Just one more question

If I spray one side first while laying the gun down on newspaper......then let that side dry and flip it around to spray the other side...wont there be a tiny bit right on the top and bottom seams of the gun that may not get properly covered or might come out splotchy? Is there anything I can do to reduce this?

Also, Guppy, mate I'm in Sydney too....Can you recommend any places to buy spray paint from and a good brand for this type of work. I dunno if the Krylon Fusion as recommended by Jardaan is available here?

Thanks heaps for all your help guys

[Guppy]

re above - I rest my parts on match sticks so they don't touch the paper. Also when spraying I use some thin pliers (such as needle nose pliers) with the bent tips so I can pick up each part, spray it evenly and put it down again. most parts you can find a screw hole or something on the inside to pick it up with so you can spray the outside all over.