Painting Conte Zulus - Help Please (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Winston
- Start date
Wraith
Major
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2006
- Messages
- 6,777
Winston,
As the Conte Zulu plastics are of the older 'rubbery' type plastic, they are a pain in the butt to remove any flashing. I can only recommend buting a bumper pack of Swan Mortan scalpel blades (ebay do them cheap) and changing blades often.
Once all the flashing is off, straighten out any bendy spears / rifles etc. using the hot / cold water method.
Clean the figures in warm soapy water, aggitating the figures with an old toothbrush or similar, rinse and allow to dry completely.
You'll then want to spray a primer on them. I'd recommend grey auto primer from Halfords. Halfords do a plastic primer as well, but I can't say I've noticed a huge amount of difference, and the standard primers can be bought in larger cans, therfore work out cheaper. The primer will act as a good key for the paint and it will also bring out any imperfections when trimming the excess flash off.
Give a coat of primer (outside!), allow 20 mins or so to down a coffee, then flip the figures over and spray the other side. Allow 24 hours or so, for the primer to harden.
Then, you can start to paint!
Paint choice is a personal one. I use mainly Vallejo acryllics or Games Workshop paints.
I usually work skin out, i.e. paint skin and face first, then under garments, outer garments and finally belts, equipment, weapons etc.
Get a few reasonable brushes. The Games Workshop ones are only so so. Hobbycraft have a good range. You'll need a few diddy ones: 5/0, 3/0 and the likes, plus a size 2 or 3 for larger areas.
Once you've painted the basic colours, you can choose to look at shading, washes and / or drybrushing if you feel up for it. There are loads of good how-tos on the web, so googling those phrases should bring them up.
Hope that's of some help.
Cheers
Simon
As the Conte Zulu plastics are of the older 'rubbery' type plastic, they are a pain in the butt to remove any flashing. I can only recommend buting a bumper pack of Swan Mortan scalpel blades (ebay do them cheap) and changing blades often.
Once all the flashing is off, straighten out any bendy spears / rifles etc. using the hot / cold water method.
Clean the figures in warm soapy water, aggitating the figures with an old toothbrush or similar, rinse and allow to dry completely.
You'll then want to spray a primer on them. I'd recommend grey auto primer from Halfords. Halfords do a plastic primer as well, but I can't say I've noticed a huge amount of difference, and the standard primers can be bought in larger cans, therfore work out cheaper. The primer will act as a good key for the paint and it will also bring out any imperfections when trimming the excess flash off.
Give a coat of primer (outside!), allow 20 mins or so to down a coffee, then flip the figures over and spray the other side. Allow 24 hours or so, for the primer to harden.
Then, you can start to paint!
Paint choice is a personal one. I use mainly Vallejo acryllics or Games Workshop paints.
I usually work skin out, i.e. paint skin and face first, then under garments, outer garments and finally belts, equipment, weapons etc.
Get a few reasonable brushes. The Games Workshop ones are only so so. Hobbycraft have a good range. You'll need a few diddy ones: 5/0, 3/0 and the likes, plus a size 2 or 3 for larger areas.
Once you've painted the basic colours, you can choose to look at shading, washes and / or drybrushing if you feel up for it. There are loads of good how-tos on the web, so googling those phrases should bring them up.
Hope that's of some help.
Cheers
Simon
9thHussar
Sergeant
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2006
- Messages
- 624
Good advise Wraith,
another good idea is to watch the films Zulu & Zulu Dawn to give some artistic inspiration....
My favourite character is Bob Hoskins in Zulu Dawn and his sparring with Private Williams (played by the actor who was in Kes - British forumers will know him)the Stupid Boy of the Regiment and their last stand together at Isandlwana
9thHussar
another good idea is to watch the films Zulu & Zulu Dawn to give some artistic inspiration....
My favourite character is Bob Hoskins in Zulu Dawn and his sparring with Private Williams (played by the actor who was in Kes - British forumers will know him)the Stupid Boy of the Regiment and their last stand together at Isandlwana
9thHussar