The Energon Pub

by **Raymond101** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 9:42 am

To make Leader Prime's grey plastic parts look more 'metallic', or shiny? I heard acryllic silver paint does well.

Then I hear about airbrushing. Waah? Keeping in mind I'm a novice and brushing figures (I've done 3 so far: Ratchet, Blackout and Vector Prime), I am looking for an effective technique that at the same time won't need me to take apart the whole figure.

Thanks for any advice on painting.

by **starhorse** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 9:52 am

This will probably just get moved to the Kitbash / Custom section, but I'll answer anyway to help you out.

Airbrushing is a technique that uses a painting tool of the same name. For a beginner painter this is probably not the route you would want to go, since it takes some experience and the tools required are spendy.

Acryllic paints are just a type of paint that seems to be preferred among hobbyists. It's pretty cheap and also water based, so it's really easy to clean up. You should be able to pickup some inexpensive acryllic paints at craft stores like Michaels or Joann Fabrics.

I'm definitely not an expert, but the best piece of advice I can give you is to thin down your paints with a few drops of water before applying them. You may have to put on a couple coats of paint but the end result will look much better since the thinned down paint won't result in as much visible brush strokes.

Good luck.

News Credits: 1 · by **Pontimax 01** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 12:36 pm

Try using Testors Model Master acryls line. They are very easy to clean up using just water, and you can thin them with distilled water, though I use Liquitex Airbrush medium to thin mine. You can get them at most hobby shops and chain stores like Hobby Lobby. MM dries quickly, talking a few minutes here and it's safe to touch. They make it in a huge number of colors.

The ships in my gallery here are done with Model Master acrylics.

http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html

by **n_tel_ekt** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 12:41 pm

I actually airbrush designs on t-shirts as a side hustle, so I have all the equipment I need. I didnt know you could airbrush it...

by **Raymond101** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 5:02 pm

starhorse wrote:This will probably just get moved to the Kitbash / Custom section, but I'll answer anyway to help you out.

Airbrushing is a technique that uses a painting tool of the same name. For a beginner painter this is probably not the route you would want to go, since it takes some experience and the tools required are spendy.

Acryllic paints are just a type of paint that seems to be preferred among hobbyists. It's pretty cheap and also water based, so it's really easy to clean up. You should be able to pickup some inexpensive acryllic paints at craft stores like Michaels or Joann Fabrics.

I'm definitely not an expert, but the best piece of advice I can give you is to thin down your paints with a few drops of water before applying them. You may have to put on a couple coats of paint but the end result will look much better since the thinned down paint won't result in as much visible brush strokes.

Good luck.

thanks. So I just buy some silver paint, thin it out with water, and paint over Prime's silver multiple times?

by **starhorse** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 5:26 pm

Raymond101 wrote:thanks. So I just buy some silver paint, thin it out with water, and paint over Prime's silver multiple times?

Ya basically. You'll also want to wash the figure with warm soapy water before you begin painting. This will remove any of the mold release residue that is on the plastic. Removing the mold release will help the paint adhere to the plastic much better. Also from my experience it's best not to load your brush up with a ton of paint. Just take your time and make sure each application is a nice thin even coat.