Paints to use for customizing a 1/48 valk?

[Dax415]

For those that have done 1/48 Yamato customs, I was wondering what paints to use. I have access to Tamiya spray paints and Krylon Fusion for plastic, but was wondering what would be the best method. I will be primarily be using blue and white....probably a small amount of red. I have the blue I want picked out, but which white paint would work best on a 1/48 and should it be flat or gloss? Thanks for the suggestions

[thegunny]

If you do a search I reckon you'll find heaps of topics covering this.

[leading edge]

If you do a search I reckon you'll find heaps of topics covering this.

There are a number of things you can do I'll list some sites and a few tips i myself use.

1. Prep the surface for paint that entails sanding at varying grits of sand paper and applying putty on uneven areas. I use Milliput fine it's used on porcelin and I ca guarantee a complete and smooth finish if sanded evenly

2. Primer from personal experience a good thinned primer with three coats of gray are what i use an with an airbrush. A lot of people use spray cans I recommend them if you have little money but if you want a custom coat( varying layers of lite and dark areas on the vehicle) then mix the paint yourself and use a airbrush

3. Painting: Painting is easy if you pay attention and make sure you know your paint. Paint can be tricky because if it is too permanent if you make a mistake you can"t easily remove it without damaging you model. I prefer a 3-4 coat spray the first 2 are about surface and color so get a grayer color than what you would normally use . I generally use this to see and test the surface to see if the color works and if the area is evenly sanded a must after you get to the painting stage. Once the paint is laid 2 coats and make sure it is fine and even so you can see a little gray through it. Remember the paint must not be too thick or when you finish it will look like the surface was warped. When you apply the 3-4 coat use semi-gloss if required and keep it even and a little thicker but remember keep it even. Finnally the finishing touches on the finish if it is a flat surface use some microscale flat coat or microscale gloss to finish. The reason for this is to keep you newly painted job an extra bit of strength and what better way to do this than by airbrushing with a transparent coat of clear plastic. This is something I like to do and take it if you want but lambskin on a low setting with a tiny buffer or nail polisher keeps a gloss surface looking sharp.

Here are some sites:

http://www.hobbyfanatics.com/index.php?/to...macross-models/

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index....p;#entry1624663

http://scope-eye.net/

http://themodelmakersresource.co.uk/articles/article003.html

http://www.tamiya.com/english/scale/beginner2/2.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7F8La1BgRE-video guide

[Dax415]

thanks

[mojacko]

for a transforming MACROSS valk....all i can say is....TAmiYa sucks!!! i used it before on some of my Gundam kits and some Macross toys as well ...they easily get scratched......even if u put multiple layers of top coat...i still wouldnt suggest using this paint..... although its non toxic....lesser evil....but i would suggest GO with lacquer paints...Mr Hobby Color....if u can get access on acquiring this.....get them....not only will it burn and stick into your lungs..... but will also kick the hell out your customs creations:D

Edited January 10, 2010 by mojacko

[Noyhauser]

Not having used it myself, I've heard that Krylon works as an excellent primercoat that you can use to cover any of the original paint remaining on the model. That way it also provides a good base for the actual painting that you will do. I'm actually debating buying a can of black for basecoating my natural metal builds. The problem from Krylon in a spraycan is that the nozzle is not the best (its designed to cover large surfaces, not small detail models) so some have taken to decanting it and then using it in an airbrush. Also its got limited colors available.

Tamiya is probably the best paint for airbrushing static models. Those last three words are key. its formulation makes it very versatile when applying it through an airbrush; you can use a thicker paint or a very thin one and it will go on with very defined properties that make it wonderful to use. It also is acrylic, cleans up really easy and can be masked with little fear of having it torn off when removing the tape.

That said it has several limitations; Its a terrible brush paint. I suffered through it for several years until I bought a airbrush. Its also not the most durable paint; it won't stand up to alot of abuse if you're transforming your model. In reality, with the possible exception of Krylon, few paints will anyway. Certainly none of the major modeling brands like Gunze, Testors, ect, can take that abuse. The most effective way is to use a future gloss coat over top of the tamiya and that will make it much more durable... but its not really the optimum solution. You won't be able to lay down any flat coat or semi gloss either in that situation.

Hope that helps.

If you do a search I reckon you'll find heaps of topics covering this.

Do you have any other purpose on this forum except to be annoying? As Far as I can see you aren't a moderator and you aren't being helpful at all.