Hey, I am working on my first layout and I have started building structures, but when I put ehm togther theplastic colors look so fake, (walthers, and other high dollar models), do you guys paint them over top of the original plastic? I tried this on one building and the results were ok but i was wondeirng if there was a better way. Mike
I remember seeing an article in MR fairly recently about converting a barn, i think, into a schoolhouse. The results were really good, and the method was pretty simple. What they did was use some fairly fine-grit sandpaper to rough up the outside surface, and then they drybrushed some watercolors over it, i believe. I'm sure any paint would work; dry brushing is where you dip your brush into the paint, and then wipe off most of it before you actually paint the structure.
i'm sure someone can fill you in with more specifics of this article and better techniques/advice than i can
Before, during and after assembly!
Plastic and/or resin models of brick & masonry buildings, I usually paint brick color before assembly, avoiding painting surfaces that will be joined. I often use cheap flat primer spray paint in cans, and sometimes go over to vary the color a little using brushed-on acrylic. (Masking tape to keep spray off surfaces to be glued or bonded together.) When thoroughly dry, I paint on a thick water-base tempera or "muddy" consistency water base paint to get into the cracks and then wipe off the brick surface.
Small parts, windows, etc. I often paint on the sprue before separating them.
DeadheadGreg wrote:do you ever sand them down before painting? I think that the shiny glossy surface they come with wouldn't hold paint very well
It's not so much the surface itself, but what's on the surface. Any mold release or oily fingerprints (and you won't see these until AFTER you paint) will keep the paint from sticking properly. I usually wash all parts, especially large wall and roof pieces, that I intend to paint with an old toothbrush and dish soap under running water, dry them thoroughly (be careful not to touch them with your bare hands after washing), then spray the selected color with my airbrush.
Old addage in modelling..."ALWAYS paint EVERYTHING''.
I usually paint my buildings after assembly...leaving any doors or windows off till after it's painted. I leave detail parts like window awnings and a\c units off also, it's easier to install them after everything is painted.
If you wash your buildings in warm water a bit of soap you shouldn't have problems with painting. I've had some acrylics that didn't want to stick very well....mostly I use Testors Model Master enamels...not the new acrylics they have out. Floquil and Pollyscale are good choices too.
If you don't want to paint a building and you're satisfied with the colors as miolded....give it a good coat of Testors Dullcote laquer...that will knock the shine off and give it a more realistic appearance.
Most of my kits are brick structures. I've left a few in the original color, but mostly I paint them. Sometimes I use cheap rattle-can spray paint (rust primer, mostly) and occasionally I'll use an acrylic for a different shade of brick. I do this before assembly, because I add brick mortar after I paint it, and that requires having the wall flat. If I put the kit together first, I could only do one wall at at time, but in pieces I can do them all at once.
If this is a thin-walled kit, the first thing I do is spray the inside of all the walls flat black, to cut down the glow-through, Chernobyl Valley Railroad effect from interior lighting. Do this even if you don't plan to light the structure. It only takes a couple of minutes, and if you ever change your mind about lighting, you'll be glad you did it while you could.
Next I paint any trim that's molded on the walls. Again, I find it easier to do this before assembly, but that's just a handling thing. Detail parts like windows and doors are generally next, so that I can add the interior window glazing before assembly. I also put in tissue paper window shades before assembly.
If you're saying to yourself, "Gack. This guy must take a week to put together a DPM kit that's just 4 walls and a roof," then you've got it about right. I look at every kit as a starting point, little more than a blank canvas that insists that I do something with it.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Whether or not to paint the structure usually depends on what the building is 'made' of. If the building is wood, I'll most likely assemble the structure before painting, to give it that look like my little people painted it. My brick structures are usually either sprayed with dullcoat or inkwashed with india ink. I'll also use a technique I learned back in high school art class for shading: A charcoal pencil. I'll draw dark lines on the assembled building, then use my fingers to smear downward. I've been pretty happy with the results.
I would suggest giving a few different techniques a try on some less expensive models. Experiment. Explore. Have fun!!
Well thanks for the tips, so i guess its like the old sayin'
Puddy and Paint make a carpenter (or modeler) what he aint. Mike