General Painting Questions for Newbie! (3 Viewers)

[Aggie99]

I use to paint some of my toy soldiers when I was much younger. However I have forgotten a lot of what I use to know.

I have a couple of general "getting started" questions that I was hoping someone could help me out with.

(1) I was thinking about practicing a little on some of the cheap plastic green army men that I can purchase for fairly cheap. I know I did this years ago but at that time I used the wrong kind of paint. Is there any way to effectively paint "plastic" toy soldiers and have them look good? Or is it a lost cause and mainly just a good way to practice?

(2) I have some Britains that are made of rubber/plastic (?). Here is a photo of (not mine) but the kind I am talking about.

Some of them are chiped or banged up. And some could just use a better detail job (as they are not highly detailed when they come straight from Britains).

Is this something that can be done? If so, what is the best kind of paint to use!?

(3) I also use to paint metal figures from scratch. I am not sure exactly what kind of metal they were, but I remember that I had to start by spraying them with a base coat of some soft white substance. I am not sure what that is called, but is that still a necessary thing to do before painting? Is that just for metal soldiers or any soldier?

Also, what kind of paint is best?

If I want the "shiny/glossy" look:

And what if I want the matte look?

(4) Finally, I have some hard-plastic toy tanks that are all one-color and I was thinking about painting them (with a lot of detail) to make them fit more with my collection. I am guessing the technique used to paint the soldiers would be the same with the tanks, but just thought I would ask about this as well.

Sorry for all the questions, but I need all the help I can get. I appreciate it.

 

[kilted vampire]

I use to paint some of my toy soldiers when I was much younger. However I have forgotten a lot of what I use to know.

I have a couple of general "getting started" questions that I was hoping someone could help me out with.

(1) I was thinking about practicing a little on some of the cheap plastic green army men that I can purchase for fairly cheap. I know I did this years ago but at that time I used the wrong kind of paint. Is there any way to effectively paint "plastic" toy soldiers and have them look good? Or is it a lost cause and mainly just a good way to practice?

(2) I have some Britains that are made of rubber/plastic (?). Here is a photo of (not mine) but the kind I am talking about.

Some of them are chiped or banged up. And some could just use a better detail job (as they are not highly detailed when they come straight from Britains).

Is this something that can be done? If so, what is the best kind of paint to use!?

(3) I also use to paint metal figures from scratch. I am not sure exactly what kind of metal they were, but I remember that I had to start by spraying them with a base coat of some soft white substance. I am not sure what that is called, but is that still a necessary thing to do before painting? Is that just for metal soldiers or any soldier?

Also, what kind of paint is best?

If I want the "shiny/glossy" look:

And what if I want the matte look?

(4) Finally, I have some hard-plastic toy tanks that are all one-color and I was thinking about painting them (with a lot of detail) to make them fit more with my collection. I am guessing the technique used to paint the soldiers would be the same with the tanks, but just thought I would ask about this as well.

Sorry for all the questions, but I need all the help I can get. I appreciate it.

I paint all kinds of plastic with terrific results. The key thing is going to be primer. Another painter I know prefers the cheapest flat black paint you can find. The solvent bites into the plastic. I use Vallejo acrylics and the paint according to the level of detail that is appropriate for the figure.Flat or glossy? Up to whomever. For me all I do is use a flat or glossy sealer.

Hope this helps Tanks see my repaint thread for the Panzer II

 

[theBaron]

Hi, Aggie, I'll second KV on priming. I use cheap automotive primer from Walmart, it covers well, gives me a good base for the finish coats, and costs much less than primers made by the hobby paint companies like Tamiya or Testor's. I use it on my toy soldiers, and I also use it on my scale models, which are made from styrene plastic or resin.

You could paint without priming, but as KV noted, a primer coat is intended to give the upper layers something to stick to, other than the bare surface. I don't know of anyone who paints metal figures who doesn't prime.

To produce a gloss or matte finish, you can either use gloss or matte paints, or use a finish coat of a gloss or matte lacquer, to achieve the final finish. A good gloss finish can be achieved with Future floor polish. A good matte finish is Testor's DullCote.

Hope that helps, prost!
Brad

 

[mikemiller1955]

Michael those are really nice...you do great work...

 

[Aggie99]

Thanks Baron (and everyone else) for the advice.

I have decided to start getting back into painting miniatures again (I use to paint figures, but it's been probably 15 years). Although I was only a kid then, I think I got pretty good at it. Either way, I really enjoyed the hobby.

So, after some advice here, I went out and got some of the necessary stuff.

I already had some acrylic paints and brushes (thanks to the wife) that I am hoping will work nicely (for now).

I went to Wal-Mart and grabbed a can of white primer (spray). It is not the auto primer, it is just regular painting primer. However, it was only $1 so I figured I would try it out.

I then tried to find a bag of cheap plastic "army men" that I could use as practice. These were harder to find than I thought they would be. However, I found some at a "Dollar Store," and figured they would work for now (as long as I am just practicing and getting back into it). They will give me a good warm-up and a way to practice different techniques (and I can just toss them out if they don't work).

I still need to pick up some of the Testor's DullCote for my matte finish, but I figured that can wait.

However, I (as always) have a couple more questions:

1) I was thinking about gluing a metal "washer" under the plastic stand of the figures I am painting. This would at least make them a little more "bottom heavy." Has anyone tried something like this, and is it a good/bad idea??

2) This 2nd question isn't nearly as pressing but I figured I would ask it now. Once I have gotten my "sea legs" back under me, I am going to branch out to a better quality of miniature. I prefer metal figures, but don't mind the plastic ones. I am currently in Law School and don't have a lot of money to spend on my newly acquired hobby and so I was wondering where a good place to pick up some decent metal or plastic figures would be!? (Decent in terms of quality of miniature). I am looking for as nice a figure as I can find, but I am also looking for an affordable figure as well (so I know there is a trade off). Either way, the ones I buy at the dollar store won't cut-it in the long run. (Oh and I would prefer 1/32 WWII - US or German Figures if possible).

Thanks for all the help! I can't wait to get started and will try to share some of my progress (if it turns out to be worth sharing).

Later

 

[mikemiller1955]

If you're undecided on the spray matte finish...try Krylon...they have it at Walmart...about $3.00 a can...great product...

 

[Aggie99]

Mike,

Thanks for the tip. I will give it a shot.

I think the primer I bought was Krylon as well. (But not 100% sure on that).

 

[theBaron]

Hi, Aggie, if you're looking for decent figures at reasonable prices, I'll recommend the companies that cater to the scale modelers. For example, you can buy sets by Tamiya that are decent-enough figures, and can be modified easily. The selection on the market is heavy on WWII, but there are figures for other periods available. The type of plastic used ranges from styrene, which is relatively hard, to softer plastic like Airfix uses for its figures.

Look at your local hobby shop, which may be an old-school, Mom 'n' Pop store, or a modern chain like Hobbytown or HobbyLobby. The craft stores like Michael's and AC Moore might also have bags of soft plastic figures that you could paint. I have seen some very nice Revolutionary War and Civil War bagged sets on sale at HobbyLobby. You can also look at any shows that are in your area, or online.

For metal figures, Imrie-Risley and Tradition are two manufacturers whose products have decent detail for the price. You can order their products online, either direct through their websites, or you may find dealers in your area who carry their products. They also cover a range of time periods, though I/R is heavy on Revolutionary War, Civil War and Napoleonic French.

Hope that helps, prosit!
Brad

 

[Aggie99]

Baron,

Yes, that helps! (As always).

I didnt think about trying Hobby Lobby for a bag set of Plastics. I checked all the toy stores and Targets in my area, and non of them carried plastic soldiers.

I did find a bag of them at a dollar store (which is good for practicing on) but the quality of the figures is really bad.

I will go by Hobby Lobby and see what I can find.

As for the other ones you mentioned, I will just google their names and see what comes up! Thanks for the help!!

 

[Mister Dave]

Glad to see another newcomer to the painting scene.

Looks like you have already gotten a lot of good advice. I too have recently resumed painting and can offer you some reflections on my own experiences. The right materials will really make a huge difference as you get started and one of the most helpful things you might consider is to get your hands on some sort of magnifying device so you can actually see what you are aiming for.

I will attach a photo of something I picked up and it has really taken things to a previously unattainable level for me. This particular model is called an optivisor (sorry the company name escapes me).

In addition, go out and get yourself a couple of decent brushes. I mostly use fat handled 10-0 size brushes now.

If you want to do matte figures, consider using the kind of inexpensive craft acrylics they sell in most Hobby and craft stores like Michaels and Hobby Lobby etc... These will be readily available and in a lot of colors right out of the bottle. And make sure you are diluting your paint with water for easier and smoother application.

I always use a grey sprayed on auto primer.

Finally I like your idea about practicing on inexpensive models for a while so you can feel comfortable practicing without too much concern about ruining more expensive figures. At the same time I would also look for items that are detailed enough to actually allow for a halfway decent paint job. The Tamiya models that someone has already mentioned would be a great choice I think.

Will look forward to hearing how it goes.

MD

 

[fishead19690]

Welcome back to the Hobby! I have a few things to add to your plastic figure painting venture. Plastic figures are kinda hard to paint and have the paint stick and stay, if you don,t treat the figure the right way before painting the paint will flake off not long after you paint them. I suggest your first step is to wash them in hot water with dish soap before you try any painting at all. The mold for the figures is treated with a release agent that helps keep the figures from sticking but dosn,t help out with painting them and also oils from your hands, dirt ect.. dosn,t help either. Once cleaned You can either now prime the figures for painting once dry or you can add some problem plastic prep then prime I found a product called SEM 39863 wich is made to help addhesion to problem plastics or you can use plastic primer made for plastics.

The biggest problem is bendy parts like swords and riffles ect. that will bend and crack the paint and then it chips off! I,ve heard of guys coating the figures in watered down white glue before painting and also coating bendy parts in supper glue before painting. What we really need is a fexable paint that will bend with the figures.

There are a lot of good paints out there to use, I like Games Workshop, Tamiya, Floquil, Testors and a few others. Different companies have different colors and I tend to use many different brands to get the best color match for what I,m doing. Just make sure the colors are dry before mixing in different brands of paint and you should be fine mixing, I do it all the time.

Good brushes and lighting are also very important and a lighted magnifying glass is a god send for fine detail! Fine brushes with a good REAL FINE POINT are key to detail like eyes ect.. 000-18/0 are what I like to use, a few different sizes are good to have, abigger brush for larger areas and finer for small detail.

Another good idea is to have a brush set a side for just white paint or your white paint might turn out pink if you just used red or grey if you just used black ect.. I think you get the idea. White is a tuff color and its hard to get the brush really clean enough for white so a brush just for white paint can be a good idea.
And also get some tooth picks to mix your paints real good before using them. some paints can be real watery and others can get real thick in the summer heat with the lid off for to long. for watery paint! mix it real good and try to get the thicker stuff from the bottom of the jar on the tooth pick and put it in the cap and use that for thick paint you can thin it down a bit.

I base all my plastic figures on metal washers and then use 2 part putty to blend the figure base into the washer and then use a very small wire brush to add a grass like texture into the putty on the base, then after they are painted I flock the base with hobby grass or static grass/ moss for a natural look.

When your done you can also add a clear coat to the figure to help protect the paint, either gloss or Matt. I like my figures done in matt and just use all matt paints but to each there own. If you like gloss you can either use gloss paints or flatts and then just add a gloss clear when done.

I hope this helps out!

FISH!!!<"))))))><

 

[fishead19690]

Oh! and as far as plastic figures go, skip the dollar stores they don,t have anything worth while to paint.
There are a ton of great looking plastics out there. Check out a few of these sites and take a look at all the great figures available! If your into WWII I,d suggest you check out the Conte WWII GIs! Maybe a bit more then you want to spend??? But Great looking figures with incredible detail and look even better painted up!

Here are a few links to check out!
http://www.hobbybunker.com/index.cfm
http://www.michtoy.com/michtoy_prod...astic&Scale=1/32 Scale (54mm or 2 1/4 inches)
http://www.sdsoldiers.com/
http://www.contecostore.com/plastics.html

 

[Aggie99]

Wow...so much info, and almost too much to respond too!! Thanks!!

At this point, I am just ready to get going. There was a good bit of info in each of those posts and I really appreciate it.

You guys are great; thanks! Ill let you know how it goes.

 

[Aggie99]

fishead,

Thanks for posting the links to the "plastics." Do you have any good links to some metal figures??

I know they are not hard to find on my own, but I am taking recommendations, as that is way to go when I am not sure what I am doing (yet)!!



I ask b/c when I use to paint figures, they were all metal figures and I am more experienced with that. Also, someone mentioned plastic figures bending and cracking the paint (once finished) and I would rather avoid that.

Thanks

 

[fishead19690]

fishead,

Thanks for posting the links to the "plastics." Do you have any good links to some metal figures??

I know they are not hard to find on my own, but I am taking recommendations, as that is way to go when I am not sure what I am doing (yet)!!



I ask b/c when I use to paint figures, they were all metal figures and I am more experienced with that. Also, someone mentioned plastic figures bending and cracking the paint (once finished) and I would rather avoid that.

Thanks

There are a lot of metal figure kits out there but most are not that cheap and you have to assemble the figures before you can paint them. There are also plastic figure kits also like historex/airfix and other hard plastic kits with plastic made of hard model type plastic that is not as bendy but tends to break pretty easy.
I,m not really familar with any WWII type of metal castings as thats not my area of interest(I,m a Napoleonic collector) but Those sites I posted for you! Hobby bunker and Michagan toy soldier also sell all kinds of kits on there sites in both metal and plastic. If you search on Ebay under kits and Lead you,ll also find a bunch of kits and castings also.

If you like Civil war or Napoleonics you can get some GREAT kits cheap at BLACK CAT MINIATURES http://www.blackcatminiatures.net/ The owner maker of the kits is a member here on the forum and he does a great job on them and they paint up great. I,ve painted Lots of his Napoleonics and I love them and you,ll have a hard time trying to get castings this good at a better price!!!
Here is the link to the Michigan Toy soldier kit page to get an idea of some of the castings available.
http://www.michtoy.com/Types-Figure_Kits_Busts_and_Accessories.html
Like I said there not cheap!
You might want to try some plastics first, if you prep them good and base them on washers you can save a lot of money and plastic is very easy to convert the figures to new poses if you like.

Check out the black cat figures if you want to try a few metal kits. He also sells on Ebay and you can get a break on price if bought in bulk!

 

[Aggie99]

Okay, after doing a little more research, I believe I may have found a solution.

I believe what I may be looking for are the "AirFix" soldiers?


Are these a pretty decent figure to collect and paint? I am primarily focused on WW2 (Europe) 1/32 Scale, and although I would like Metal Figures, most of them are pretty expensive (at least for a newbie).

My understanding is that Airfix are plastic, but they are a harder plastic than what other miniatures are made from. I understand their detail to be pretty decent, and apparently I can find them at places like Hobby Lobby, etc.??

Does this sound right??

Opinions, thoughts??

 

[johnnybach]

Hi Aggie from a very cold UK. I have been reading your replies - as I'm a keen painter too - some very good stuff there. Some tips from me concentrate on how to save some dollars and cents ( to spend on castings!).

1. Look out in second-hand stores - car boot sales - junk shops etc, for a magnifying lamp and fix it up. Mine is held together with elastic bands and wire - but it works. The better you can see - the better you paint! I also have another lamp to illuminate from the side - as this helps to get another anle on things and reduce shadows. Gets a bit warm in summer - but lovely in the winter!

2. Keep plastic tub lids ( e.g butter or marge spreads)to use as pallettes for your paints. Use until you can't see the top any more - then bin it for another (remember, its got two sides). I use Humbrol paints, mostly (gloss or matt) and varnish when done to seal. [I like shiny]. Always stir with cocktail stick before using - or for bsuper-economy, use a cut off piece of a metal knitting needle - and put a blob on your pallette. Remember to wipe clean the knitting needle on a tissue dampened with a bit of white spirit. I use the cheapest white spirit to dip in my brush and then work the paint (if its too thick. If its too thin - a few minuts of the pallette under the lamp will help thicken).
You can also work from the top of the figure down - and varnish as you go (when completely dry) - so you can hold on to (say) the top half whilst you paint the trousers. Don't worry about what the purists might say - if it works for you - do it!

3. I often give the figure an "undercoat" of thinned down matt in a suitable colour. e.g red coat wanted - I use thinned flesh colour first, then the gloss red covers better.
For pale colours e.g yellow, I always use a cheapo thinned down white first. Ivory often looks better than white - and covers better - I think. Try it out - it never hurts to experiment.

That's about it from me - but save your money wherever possible for what you really want to buy. In my case it's the best castings of what I like and can afford. Remember' a good paint job can always improve a relatively poor (and cheaper) casting, whereas a poor paint job will always show, even on the most expensive piece.

Hope that helps - Happy days..............johnnybach

 

[Mitch]

Aggie...

Have not painted the newer airfix releases as I was disapointed by them though, I have heard from others they are quitre good to paint. Some of the original releases I have repainted and must say they came out well so, try and get some older ones and newer ones and see what you think. They are certainly not hugely expensive and quite easy to get hold of
Mitch

Okay, after doing a little more research, I believe I may have found a solution.

I believe what I may be looking for are the "AirFix" soldiers?


Are these a pretty decent figure to collect and paint? I am primarily focused on WW2 (Europe) 1/32 Scale, and although I would like Metal Figures, most of them are pretty expensive (at least for a newbie).

My understanding is that Airfix are plastic, but they are a harder plastic than what other miniatures are made from. I understand their detail to be pretty decent, and apparently I can find them at places like Hobby Lobby, etc.??

Does this sound right??

Opinions, thoughts??

 

[theBaron]

Hi, Aggie, Airfix figures come in two types of plastic. The small scale (HO and 1/72) and 1/32 scale figures are in a soft plastic, not as soft, perhaps, as the Hong Kong makers use for the classic, bagged, green "army men", but softer than styrene. And they used white styrene for larger-scale kit figures, that were to be assembled, similar to Historex kits. So, you have your pick.

This is from memory, so I may be leaving something out. When I was a kid, I bought the smaller figures for dioramas, then I moved to the 1/32 scale Afrika Korps and 8th Army, to go with armor kits that I built, and I've seen the kit figures on the second-hand market. But I haven't made a study of Airfix, as I have with Revell and Monogram. Hopefully, if I'm missing anything, an Airfix fan will be able to offer corrections or completions.

Prost!
Brad

 

[kilted vampire]

Hi, I am not a big fan of Airfix plastics.Too soft for me. TSSD makes great 1/30-32 figures that take paint well. The winter Germans and Americans are some of my favorite. Also, the ACW figures are not to be missed. The Spartans in plastic made by Conte are real winners as well.

Black Cat make great metal figures. Very well sculpted and cast. There are plenty of figure kits out there. Or, have you considered casting your own figures?