Creative Roundup, August 4, 2013

"Keep Calm and BLEEP BLOOP" That made my day!

I really dig some of these customs. People worked hard on them and you can tell. I do have to say this about xaviercal's custom. I cannot have much respect for someone who disassemblies a transformers and just spray paints it. People who hand paint thier customs have alot more definition in thier custom work. And looking at his/her Roadbuster it looks like someone used a can of spraypaint on it. I could be wrong, but it appears as such.

xaviercal definitely went and picked out all the details, even giving Roadbuster a subtle camouflage effect. I think the red/orange kind of drowns it out, though...

I dig that Roadbuster. I knew exactly who it was supposed to be on first glance, and the spray-apps still look better than some manufactured products. Works for me Xavetc.

shockblast2 wrote:I really dig some of these customs. People worked hard on them and you can tell. I do have to say this about xaviercal's custom. I cannot have much respect for someone who disassemblies a transformers and just spray paints it. People who hand paint thier customs have alot more definition in thier custom work. And looking at his/her Roadbuster it looks like someone used a can of spraypaint on it. I could be wrong, but it appears as such.

With all due respect to you, the kind of definition you mentioned is usually achieved through subtle dry brushing. While it also involves the use of a paint brush, the method of paint application for the base coat is irrelevant.

The biggest difference between spray-painting and hand painting is that the former more easily achieves an even and smooth coat of paint, which is what a "hand painter" also strives for, anyway.

Whatever definition that's brought out by hand-painting a base coat is probably due to poorly applied paint where the brush strokes are apparent on the surface. That's not something you want on a paint job. As I mentioned above, dry brushing is the proper way to bring out the definition of a figure, because it brings out the definition of the panel lines, but doesn't leave brush strokes all over the surface.

Obviously, Xaviercal opted for a cleaner, glossy look, and avoided dry brushing the figure. In this case, a panel wash using either thinned enamel or powdered pastel chalk would bring out the panel lines and give it the definition you mentioned.

TL'DR; Hand brushing a base coat doesn't necessarily bring out definition on a figure; dry brushing does.

Just my two cents' worth.

Air brushing is superior.

If you know how to properly control your brush stroke then you will not have lines when you hand paint. I fully disagree that it is "inferior". It is all in the person who is painting it. Anyone can disassemble and spray paint a figure. Any line worker at a plastics factory knows how to pull pins and remove screws. Let alone aiming a spray can. Only a select few can hand paint a custom and make it look good. That is why you have so many customers that use air brushing. Because it does not take much skill to do so.

To each his own, but again, I can't have much respect for some one who can operate a screwdriver and a spray can as far as customs go.

shockblast2 wrote:...but again, I can't have much respect for some one who can operate a screwdriver and a spray can as far as customs go.

I think this is really the language that we were trying to respond to. It sounds pretty harsh and, well, mean-spirited.

Xaviercal is obviously proud of his work and wanted to share it with us. It's taking a risk to share work, and we should be supportive of other people in fandom who are willing to take that risk.

Your sentence attacks the artist saying you "can't have much respect for some one." But you have no idea who this guy is, his background, or his level of experience. Written as it was, the criticism could be discouraging or hurtful.

It would be better to say, "Hey, that's a neat idea...and I bet you could achieve even better effects if you used a hand-painting technique." Then you could have provided some links to instructions on how to improve hand-painting approaches.

shockblast2 wrote:If you know how to properly control your brush stroke then you will not have lines when you hand paint. I fully disagree that it is "inferior". It is all in the person who is painting it. Anyone can disassemble and spray paint a figure. Any line worker at a plastics factory knows how to pull pins and remove screws. Let alone aiming a spray can. Only a select few can hand paint a custom and make it look good. That is why you have so many customers that use air brushing. Because it does not take much skill to do so.

To each his own, but again, I can't have much respect for some one who can operate a screwdriver and a spray can as far as customs go.

I understand the point you're trying to make, but airbrushing and spray painting aren't nearly as easy as most believe it is.

Distance, angle, the speed of each pass, preparations, and in the case of airbrushing, the ratio of paint to thinner--all these things are essential to the making of a good paint job. Trust me, I've seen plenty of figures that look like ass when AB'ed or spray painted by unskilled hands.

Skill is especially essential to users of airbrushes, as it can be a nightmare to put on a smooth glossy coat of paint, especially red or white. You have to spray at the exact distance between being so close that beads form on the surface, or so far that the finish becomes matte. The speed of each pass as well as the thickness of the paint is also very important.

While easier to use that airbrushes, spray cans also require a certain level of skill, or the paint job will flake when dry, or get an "orange peel" effect.

BTW, a figure doesn't always have to be taken apart--in fact some actually discourage this, because of the risk of screws getting lost or parts getting damaged during dis-assembly. Masking is a viable option, and that also takes skill and patience.

Now I have great respect for those who paint by hand, but airbrushing is no cakewalk by any means.

Let's put it this way: an MMA fighter can talk about a boxer being limited to his fists and making life hard for himself, and the boxer can talk about the skill it takes to take down an opponent with just his fists. At the end of the day, it takes skill for either and it's all about accomplishing the same task.

Blurrz wrote:Yeah - whatever you do, air brush or hand brush, a great amount of skill is involved. Even if one were to 'spray paint' parts it would take great skill to avoid mass clumping. For what customizers actually do - using an air brush is quite the skill that I respect and want to learn one day.

Not saying that hand brushing is inferior, I am able to bring out the details in alot of figures and I enjoy it. However when its figures like Animated ones that don't exactly have much detailing, or Prime figures for that matter, then a paint brush will have a higher chance of leaving paint strokes that are visible to the human eye, thus air brushing is superior.

Exactly!

Both hand painting and airbrushing have their place in model painting and customizing, but both take skill and experience to do well. Which one you choose to use and in which situation is largely a matter of tastes and circumstances.

This post veers off topic but I will bring it back around, I promise...

Gentlemen, stop feeding the troll. I'm not addressing shockblast2 so there's no need or desire for a response from him/her.

It's obvious he's/she's a dilettante.

Let's examine the evidence of three of his/her most questionable claims.

Statement 1:

shockblast2 wrote:If you know how to properly control your brush stroke then you will not have lines when you hand paint.

Wrong.

Avoiding leaving brush strokes in hand painted surfaces has little to do with control of brush strokes. It has to do with the rate at which paint dries and the paint's viscosity, which varies from acrylics to enamels to lacquers, the common paint types used by customizers who paint model kits and toys. It also has to do with the amount of paint you apply on the surface.

If you want smooth hand brushed paint, use a self leveler or some sort of thinning agent in your paint to decrease the viscosity of the paint and delay the drying process. The paint "self levels" regardless of what brush stroke control you have. As long as you don't put down a copious amount of paint in a single application, the resulting finish will be smooth.

Statement 2:

shockblast2 wrote:Any line worker at a plastics factory knows how to pull pins and remove screws.

This statement claims that any plastics factory employee will somehow know or be trained in removing pins from toys. Why? Plastics production does not have anything to do with parts assembly. Even if it did, it wouldn't guarantee a person would somehow know how to disassemble assembled parts.

This statement is tantamount to saying "Any person working in a software development company knows how to write debugging programs.".

The statement also doesn't recognize the difference in a basic pin and a capped or flat topped metal pin. They require different methods for removal. There is also no addressing of the fact that many toy parts are secured by an adhesive, which requires a different approach for removal(depending on if you want to avoid damage or not).

Statement 3:

shockblast2 wrote:Let alone aiming a spray can. Only a select few can hand paint a custom and make it look good. That is why you have so many customers that use air brushing. Because it does not take much skill to do so.

Let's not even talk about "skill", let's look at the technical understanding required to airbrush/spray paint.

Spray painting and air brushing require an understanding of particle dispersion for consistent and controlled results. This involves acute knowledge of the role of temperature and humidity in their direct affect on the behavior of airbrushed/sprayed paint.

Skywarped_128 already mentioned this but you also need to know how to manipulate the application of airbrushed/sprayed paint via angles, distance, and the rate of speed of your passes over a surface. It's not just a matter of "point and spray".

At this point, the person who has made these claims needs to put up or shut up. There's a lot of smack talking from someone who offers no customizing credibility or apparent knowledge of how high level customizing is carried out.

It's one thing to offer an opinion. That's fine. It's another matter to insert assertions of fact into opinions, especially when the assertions have flawed or a lack of understanding behind them.

Incidentally, I prefer hand brushing paint over airbrush/spray application.

Getting back on topic...

Gladky's Batman Beyond custom is an excellent use of the TFA DX Blurr toy. I've seen Bat-Blurr customs before but this is probably the most well executed example I've seen to date.

Mykletron's modifications for a more accurate BH Voyager OP is very nice, once again showing his scratch building skills and his penchant for using plastic ice cream tubs as a customizing resource.

xaviercal's Roadbuster is a great use of the FP Steelcore toy. It's a good fit for the character of Roadbuster. It's good to see a new Roadbuster custom as I'm working on a Roadbuster custom of my own but with a far less costly base toy than a 3rd party figure.

Predascream's Construct-Bot Deceptor is a great example of the customizing and play potential of the Construct-Bot toys.

Convolutedtron - This is just my OP. Just because I do not argree with the sovereign king of customs (you, self appointed) does not mean I am a troll. You create an essay style breakdown of your OP after trashing mine like yours is more important. I don't know how they do things in Canada, but this is the US and i can have an OP about anything I want. Like it or lump it. So, get over it and yourself. If you don't like what I say move on.

Skywarped - After reading your post I think maybe I was being a little harsh. While I still firmly believe that hand painting takes more skill, air brushing does have to have some talent as far as shading and the like. I personally do not like the look. It reminds me of those cheap tshirt vendors, you know what I mean?

To the other guy on the 1st page. I said someone because I was not attacking Xaviercal personally. You are right I don't know him and I didn't act like I did. That is why the comment is a generalization. Using this method, in my OP (did you catch that Convolutedtron, I said MY OP)it is an inferior form of customizing. Again, that is my personal OP and I am not the final judge, jury , and executioner on the subject like Convolutedtron obviously thinks. Because he valued mine so much he took time out of his busy day to write an essay to counter my OP. I actually feel quite honored that he cares so much that he would do that......

I guess i could have said it in a nice way, but I really couldn't because I would be sugar coating it. Which is basically lying. I feel the way I do because I do. If you do not agree, then good. You are exercising your right to disagree.

shockblast2 wrote:Convolutedtron - This is just my OP. Just because I do not argree with the sovereign king of customs (you, self appointed) does not mean I am a troll. You create an essay style breakdown of your OP after trashing mine like yours is more important. I don't know how they do things in Canada, but this is the US and i can have an OP about anything I want. Like it or lump it. So, get over it and yourself. If you don't like what I say move on.

Skywarped - After reading your post I think maybe I was being a little harsh. While I still firmly believe that hand painting takes more skill, air brushing does have to have some talent as far as shading and the like. I personally do not like the look. It reminds me of those cheap tshirt vendors, you know what I mean?

To the other guy on the 1st page. I said someone because I was not attacking Xaviercal personally. You are right I don't know him and I didn't act like I did. That is why the comment is a generalization. Using this method, in my OP (did you catch that Convolutedtron, I said MY OP)it is an inferior form of customizing. Again, that is my personal OP and I am not the final judge, jury , and executioner on the subject like Convolutedtron obviously thinks. Because he valued mine so much he took time out of his busy day to write an essay to counter my OP. I actually feel quite honored that he cares so much that he would do that......

I guess i could have said it in a nice way, but I really couldn't because I would be sugar coating it. Which is basically lying. I feel the way I do because I do. If you do not agree, then good. You are exercising your right to disagree.

Feel all you want. It's not going to allow you to impose your will on the realities of the physical properties of paint application via brush or propelled technology.

You stated assertions as facts, I called you out on their flaws, and you can't counter them.

The best you can offer is an unsolicited and emotionally fueled response because you're clearly out of your league.

This isn't about you, shockblast2. Get over yourself. You're just another faceless internet denizen who spouted erroneous information. This is about getting the truth about customizing techniques set straight.

Someone may someday stumble upon this thread and believe what you say about things like "brush control". It would be irresponsible to allow that garbage statement stand without correction.

I don't care if you're frum Murika. This is the internet. If you don't want to be called out for putting out opinion as fact, don't involve yourself in discussion forums.

To everyone else, including the mods, I apologize for taking part in escalating this thread further into an off topic route.

Convotron wrote:

shockblast2 wrote:Convolutedtron - This is just my OP. Just because I do not argree with the sovereign king of customs (you, self appointed) does not mean I am a troll. You create an essay style breakdown of your OP after trashing mine like yours is more important. I don't know how they do things in Canada, but this is the US and i can have an OP about anything I want. Like it or lump it. So, get over it and yourself. If you don't like what I say move on.

Skywarped - After reading your post I think maybe I was being a little harsh. While I still firmly believe that hand painting takes more skill, air brushing does have to have some talent as far as shading and the like. I personally do not like the look. It reminds me of those cheap tshirt vendors, you know what I mean?

To the other guy on the 1st page. I said someone because I was not attacking Xaviercal personally. You are right I don't know him and I didn't act like I did. That is why the comment is a generalization. Using this method, in my OP (did you catch that Convolutedtron, I said MY OP)it is an inferior form of customizing. Again, that is my personal OP and I am not the final judge, jury , and executioner on the subject like Convolutedtron obviously thinks. Because he valued mine so much he took time out of his busy day to write an essay to counter my OP. I actually feel quite honored that he cares so much that he would do that......

I guess i could have said it in a nice way, but I really couldn't because I would be sugar coating it. Which is basically lying. I feel the way I do because I do. If you do not agree, then good. You are exercising your right to disagree.

Feel all you want. It's not going to allow you to impose your will on the realities of the physical properties of paint application via brush or propelled technology.

You stated assertions as facts, I called you out on their flaws, and you can't counter them.

The best you can offer is an unsolicited and emotionally fueled response because you're clearly out of your league.

This isn't about you, shockblast2. Get over yourself. You're just another faceless internet denizen who spouted erroneous information. This is about getting the truth about customizing techniques set straight.

Someone may someday stumble upon this thread and believe what you say about things like "brush control". It would be irresponsible to allow that garbage statement stand without correction.

I don't care if you're frum Murika. This is the internet. If you don't want to be called out for putting out opinion as fact, don't involve yourself in discussion forums.

To everyone else, including the mods, I apologize for taking part in escalating this thread further into an off topic route.

The KING has spoken! Hail the self appointed king of customs!

What would we do without your wisdom?

Get over yourself.

... wow.

shockblast2, for the record, his name is Convotron, NOT Convolutedtron. You're treading a fine line.

There's a few people at fault here, flame baiting upon flame baiting. It ends now. Any further arguing will result in warnings.