I need painting advice!

[skybolt]

Hi, I am building my first styrene body (RC4WD BeastII) and have no idea how to go about painting the body.

I was lent a nice air brush kit (have never used one before...) bought some Model Master acrylic paint, and a sheet of plastic at my LHS to practice on. I prepped the plastic (be it right or wrong) by scuffing it up lightly with extra fine scotch brite, washed it down with isopropyl alcohol, taped off some quadrants, and got to work. The job came out fine, other than both colors I tried were not glossy (were supposed to be) I let the panel sit for about 9 hours, came home to find that with the slightest rub of a finger nail both colors would scrape right off--NOT very durable.

Can some one offer some tips? should I go out and buy some Krylon Fusion? use different air brus paint? use primer? prep the panel differently? I don't expect a powder coated tough kind of finish, but that seems a little too sensitive.

Thanks for any help, Troy

[Habanero]

I would use a primer. Wet sand it beforehand with fine sandpaper and dry well. Krylon works but test the primer with it first ( I actually used car paint on mine).

[new2rocks]

I've liked working with Tamiya and Citadel primers, in black, white and gray. I like white or gray when finishing with a lighter color, black when finishing with a darker color. As for paints, Model Master, Tamiya and Krylon spray enamels all work well.

If you were expecting a glossy finish and didn't get it, my guess is that you didn't get enough wet film build to get the sheen. When you spray very fine coats (which you should do for the first couple of coats anyway), the paint dries so quickly (almost on contact) that you won't see much sheen in the paint. After the first couple of coats, start spraying it on heavy enough so that it looks wet but not enough so that it starts to look like an orange peel or starts to run. That should give you a better sheen.

The acrylics won't be as durable as enamels, so you'll definitely want to apply a couple of clear coats when you're done. I've liked the results I get from automotive wheel paint (available at any auto parts store in matte, satin or gloss sheens). It's easy to work with and seems to be quite durable.

You're definitely doing the right thing by trying it out on a piece of scrap styrene first. Don't be afraid to experiment and mess up. Fixing the mess-ups will definitely help the learning process. I hope that helps. Good luck!

[scalemadness]

On my tf2 i made sure to wash and lightly scuff the body i used krylon colormaster primer and color sprayed in light coats as for durability i find it to be close to scale lets face it a full size willow bush will leave scuffs and scratches as well as bushes scratching and branches chipping the paint on a 1:1 truck so small shrubs scuffing the paint and small branches and rocks chipping and scratching the paint just adds to the realism imo so if you want more durability lay down some clear or like myself skip the clear coat and get some scratches and chips add some subtle rust and staining as it chips and scratches. Besides they make make paint everyday thats one of the best parts of a hardbody the ability to strip it down and start again with a blank canvas but as said before always test new paint types on some scrap before laying it onto your personal masterpiece

[skybolt]

Awesome stuff guys!

I think I'll pick up some various paints and see what suits me and give it a go.

Thanks!

[58_Willys]

On hard bodies, I like to use Duplicolor primer, base color and clear. Wet sand between thin coats, and clear coat to make it shiny to your taste.

[skybolt]

Duplicolor as in automotive "touch up" paint?

If so that opens up a bunch more color choices!


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[58_Willys]

Originally Posted by skybolt

Duplicolor as in automotive "touch up" paint?

If so that opens up a bunch more color choices!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes...touch up spray. Just make sure to give it plenty of time to "cure" before applying the clear. I will make it come out much nicer.

[Hoosierdady]

Testors Laquer finish and wet look clear are my favorites.