Model Painting

[Wolfman Walt]

I'm just getting reaquinted with making models and such however I forgot the aspect that drove me nuts. Painting. Not really painting in general, but detail painting.

<img src="http://www.splashpagecomics.com/model/0113404.jpg">
<img src="http://store3.yimg.com/I/getcollecting_1782_12650352">

This is my current project, yea I know its a Gundam, but I wanted to try them out since they look kinda neat. The PROBLEM I'm having is painting the damn sucker (As some of you may have surmised). Probably the HARDEST part is that each section of armor that folds has a black line outlining it. Any ideas I could use for this? Any sort of special brushes? What about spray painting?

Also, what type of paint is recommended, I just tried to do this with Acrylic paints which ended up disasterous. While we're at it, how can I take out the failure paint that I put on, just normal acetate will do it right?

[CloudNineGT]

You need to use fine tipped markers instead of paint, they actually make a brand called "gundam markers" though a fine point sharpie should work fine.

[ExtremeDrinker]

I find a splintered toothpick works good for small line details.

One thing I learned early on is to use watercolors for fine details..They're easy to apply, and easy to wash off from parts that you don't want the paint on...And watercolors stay inside those hard to paint grooves and lines.

As for actual paints for the model...Latex modeling paint seems to do the trick...Then use a clear-coat spray paint to seal it all in (especially the watercolors).

[Thor Kaufman]

some people use "car lacquer" for modelling, that is because it's harder and has better "gloss", I guess.
You might just ask at a car paint shop if they got some paint left.

I tried out modelling a long while ago, it always turned out shitty for bigger surfaces,
that was due to the poor painting / spraying, it had dust in it, was wavy and don't even talk about "deep brightness (?)".
I never got to learn that right.

[jetbaby]

Latex and a clearcoat are what a friend of mine did when he painted his BattleTech models. He made some incredible paintjobs. I'd post pictures but I lack the digital camera and image hosting.

[Calal]

Have you tried airbrushing with acrylic paints? It leaves a smooth and evenly layer. Try also severly watering down your acrylic paints. You' ll have to come back later to aply various more coats, but several light coats are still better than one thick obscuring one. Cloudnine got it right on the marker for blacklining, they come in all different sizes. Considering the scale of the model and the very fine armor foulds, I' d use an extremely fine marker. (although I tend to use a toothpick myself too)

Don' t bother with the shiney aspect when your painting, leave it untill the stage where you varnish the model. It is up to you if you decide to use a matt or a gloss varnish since I honestly have no idea if these Gundams are "shiney" or not in the cartoon series.


Just a tip for using spraycans when you do an undercoat (I assume you do basecoat and I don' t think you' re a morron, but nontheless here' s some advice): shake the can well, position it about 20 to 30 cm away from the model when you spray. Don' t spray in one go! You might go back on parts you' ve already sprayed and leave a thicker coat thus obscuring the detail. I find that small concentrated bursts do the trick better. (try also using two different sorts of basecoat; black, then white. It brings out the detail even more) When finished spraying hold the can upside down and push the sprayknob untill only gas exits. This prevents cluttering of your paint in the knob.

[trythebill]

to remove the old paint use brake cleaner, but do not get it on your hands and make sure to dispose of it properly.

to paint the model i would use http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/ they are pricey but probably the best on the market for model paints. also make sure to get some good brushes. you can use spray/airbrush for most parts but the details really need a fine brush.

link#2

to make the black lines you can also use an alcohol and ink wash. just get some of the 50/50 mix on a brush and fill in the lines and then wipe awya an excess right away. it takes some tinkering to find the right ratio but once you get it down it works great.

i also recommend you check out some of the armor modeling sites for painting and general info.

www.missing-lynx.com

www.track-link.net

www.armorama.com

www.starshipmodeler.com

[Megatron]

When I used to paint models I just used a paint-brush with one or two bristles for the finer details lewl? Acrylics all the way ababy.

I liked putting them together better as you could mix and match parts or something? Those weren't 'proper' models though, just plastic cars or soldiers mebbe. When I wanted all the wrinkles and shit too show up I just used a black acrylic watered down. Then I could just paint the whole thing and it'd go into the corners and stuff? It'd also make the whole thing look a bit grubby, which worked nicely for the kind of models I did.

[Tank]

For the lines:

Try the "inks" from Gamesworkshop (you know, the guys who make Warhammer ), they do wonders! When using them, first water them up in a 1:1 ratio, then add a VERY samll amount of dish-washing liquid. This'll make the ink spread easier, thus clearing off larger surfaces and "sticking" to the edges/grooves. Using a very fine brush, apply the ink to the grooves and watch it "run" through the groove, the job it does looks fantastic! I also use the inks in a more concentrated version (not watered down, but still with the soap) to apply to my Brotherhood of Steel soldiers' armour (modified Space Marines ). It runs off most of the large surfaces and into grooves, looking rusty (I use the "Fleshwash" variant, looks like rust when applied to metal-colors). Using the coincentrated version also leaves an extremely thin coat on the large surfaces, giving it a rusty "sheem". Hope that helps ya!

[Calal]

to my Brotherhood of Steel soldiers' armour (modified Space Marines ).

Haha, I had the same idea. Do you have some pics on those mini' s Tank?

[Tank]

nope, my only digi-camera sucks ass and and they shine too brightly for you to be able to see anything on the pics :-/