Advice for painting Armies in Plastic Figures (1 Viewer)

[Emmo7474]

Hi, I've currently purchased a few boxes of Armies In Plastic (Sudan War) for my young son to play with. Can anyone advise me on the best paints to use, which prevent the figures from flaking? I've painted some Indian Army figures using an undercoat and Games Workshop paints but the rifles and bases just flake. Any advice would be very welcomed
Regards
Simon
Nottingham, England.

 

[theBaron]

They're going to flake, no matter what, if you're giving them to your son to play with. If you paint them, and you give them to him, the paint will flake and wear, and any time he touches a figure and then his mouth, as kids will do, he can ingest the paint. If he's any younger than a teenager, I'd just give him the figures as-is and let him play with him the way he wants.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Wraith]

Simon,
Although it won't stop the flaking altogether, a means of toughening them up would be to give them a coat of diluted PVA glue once painted. I've done this on painted plastics for my kids and they do fair significantly better.
And being from Nottingham, they should be hardened to the effects of acrylic paint ingestion {sm4}.
Apologies if preaching to the converted, but they'd also benefit from a good scrub with a toothbrush with water / washing up liquid prior to priming.
T'other Simon from Nottingham, me duck

 

[jomartvr]

I paint AIP for my son to play with and he is six years old. I typically coat the figures with a matte vanish. Nevertheless, the paint still chips and I have to repaint some of them, but that is fine. Rather see him play with soldiers than play games on the Ipad. He also has Britains Green jackets with Treefrog sold for 10-11 USD.

Benjamin

 

[Mirof]

No problem with resin, tin or hard plastic {sm4}

I painted some Airfix 40 years ago and had the problem, since I never painted anything soft plastic

 

[Emmo7474]

Thanks Guys for all the tips & advice. I will persevere until I win the Lottery then he can play with William Hocker sets

 

[theBaron]

I'd still be leery of giving a little kid painted figures to play with, even if he were a Yorkshireman or a Welshman. Besides, many of us played with "army men" when we were kids, unpainted but in colored plastic, whether they were the cheap Hong Kong toys in bags of a hundred, or Marx and other brands. I don't think we were any poorer for it. But, we must each choose for ourselves.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Obee]

Simon,
Although it won't stop the flaking altogether, a means of toughening them up would be to give them a coat of diluted PVA glue once painted. I've done this on painted plastics for my kids and they do fair significantly better.
And being from Nottingham, they should be hardened to the effects of acrylic paint ingestion {sm4}.
Apologies if preaching to the converted, but they'd also benefit from a good scrub with a toothbrush with water / washing up liquid prior to priming.
T'other Simon from Nottingham, me duck

Yes, I agree with Simon, because this is the same method that I have used on my AIP figures.

But, like the others say, if the figures are being used to 'play wars' with, there will be damage, and paint will flake when rifles/swords are bent, but much of the other paint will remain, so go for it, and let the young lad enjoy the figures.

Here are my Highlanders

John

 

[black hat miniatures]

I have painted quite a lot of AIP North West Frontier figures and none of them have flaked despite being used for wargaming. My steps are:

1) wash with warm soapy water and then dry
2) paint all over with PVA glue - I use the craft type glue undiluted - this will provide a flexible coating which won't crack.
3) undercoat with a spray undercoat
4) Paint
5) coat with Future/Klear gloss floor varnish - 2 coats
6) spray with a matt varnish

Hope that helps

Mike

 

[Oldallamerican]

My technique, which has almost completely eliminated flaking and peeling on my plastic collection in both 1/72 and 1/32 scale (though I don't know whether or not I give them the punishment your son will).

1) Wash with detergent.

2) Spray with a plastic bonding paint such as Krylon Fusion. (I prefer flat dark brown as I think it gives a good backdrop but is not as stark as black). Allow to dry at least 24 hours.

3) Paint with acrylic paints. I use craft paint rather than regular model acrylics as I believe they are thicker with more pigment than the model paints I've used in the past (I admit it's been awhile maybe the model acrylics have improved but if it ain't broke, don't fix it).

4) I paint one color at a time - usually in volume, several figures (30 - 50 1/32; 200 or so 1/72) - usually allowing a color to dry before going on to the next color.

5) When the figure(s) is/are done, allow to sit for at least 24 hours to dry or cure before "sealing." I use a matte or flat acrylic spray sealant available. For extra protection, I allow the figures to set about 24 hours and give a second or even a third coat of sealant.

Since I started doing that my problems with cracking and chipping have all but disappeared and I had ALL the problems one usually associates with painting soft plastic for years. I hope this helps. At the very least the craft acrylics are supposed to be non-toxic. I would be interested in hearing how well they hold up to your son's play.

And, as others have said, I played with unpainted toy soldiers for years. It has only been recently that I've begun painting my 1/32 guys; I've held off because of the imagination factor. My unpainted WW2 GIs can fight in any campaign and represent any division. Once I paint them, though, they are "frozen" depending on the paint scheme to a given campaign or period in the war. I think this can apply to just about any era or war. Growing up, Napoleonic French were blue; British red, and so on. When I began painting... It's a tradeoff because when I finish a large group of troops painted up they look soooooooo good...

Best wishes in getting your son involved in toy soldiers - and the history they represent.