| Geoffr | 26 Dec 2015 7:52 p.m. PST |
I am finally getting around to a project I've long wanted to do, Aztecs vs Conquistadors.
For cost reasons I've decided to go with 1/72 soft plastics. Trouble is, I've never painted soft plastics before. How should I prep these figs? What sort of undercoat or primer works best? I have heard that it is thought to keep paint from flaking off soft plastics, and the figs will be used for gaming, so this is a concern.
I'd be very grateful for any advice! Thanks! Geoff |
| Onomarchos | 26 Dec 2015 8:03 p.m. PST |
I have always heard that you can paint a coat of white glue on them and that will act as a good primer. Files will not work on the soft plastic, so use a sharp X-acto blade to shave off the mold lines. Mark |
| raylev3 | 26 Dec 2015 8:07 p.m. PST |
Wash them first in warm water and dish washing detergent. |
 PaulCollins  | 26 Dec 2015 8:42 p.m. PST |
I just use a white acrylic brush on to prime my plastics. It works fine. I spray with a gloss when I'm done, followed by a matte spray sometimes. I've had the paint on some for a decade with little to no paint loss. My Mayans and Conquistadors are some of my favorites. Have fun painting. |
 Milhouse | 26 Dec 2015 8:57 p.m. PST |
Rustoleum does a really good plastic primer. Cleaning and washing off mold release is important too |
| wrgmr1 | 26 Dec 2015 10:46 p.m. PST |
Our local hobby shop as a soft plastic primer, not sure what it is called, but it stops paint peel. |
IGWARG1  | 27 Dec 2015 3:17 a.m. PST |
You paint them just as you would your metal figures. Washing in detergent or priming with special primer makes no difference – paint will flake off anyway. To stop paint from flaking there is only one solution. Plastidip Clear rubberised coating spray. Use it as varnish. It goes clear and flat on your figures. |
| Cerdic | 27 Dec 2015 4:28 a.m. PST |
I've always given them a good wash with washing up liquid followed by a thorough rinse and a thorough dry. Prime/undercoat with a cheap acrylic. I've never had any flaking problems! |
| Bob in Edmonton | 27 Dec 2015 8:31 a.m. PST |
Spray primer (pretty much any brand from your local DIY store will work) paint and then seal (again, pretty much any of the usual techniques will work). Having a good base for gamers to grab will reduce wear and tear on the figure itself. |
| Hafen von Schlockenberg | 27 Dec 2015 9:35 a.m. PST |
Milhouse is on to something fairly new here--I only recently noticed a line of sprays for plastic at a Walmart;several years ago I could only find a couple of colors. This may be old news--I'd like to hear from more people who've tried them on figures hard and soft. A friend turned me on to another technique some time ago:undercoating with Hob-e-Tac,the stuff Woodland Scenics makes for gluing foliage to their trees,followed after it dries partially,with a spray primer. You can bend spears in a circle and they won't flake. And they don't need an overcoat. He uses it uncut,how I'm not sure,it's really viscous stuff. I dilute it about 3 to 1 with water,sticks fine and is easier to work with. But he's used it on hundreds of figures,both 1/76 and 54mm,and run games with them at cons without any problems that I've heard of. Maybe he can come on here with more details abut this. How about it,John? |
 Bobgnar | 27 Dec 2015 7:44 p.m. PST |
Get a rock polisher, with fine sand. Put in a few figures at a time and tumble for 10 minutes (maybe less, depends on a number of variables). Check it the surface has become roughed up and so will accept paint better than the original smooth plastic skin. Prime with a flexible paint and dip with minwax polyurethane at the end. |
| PeterH | 28 Dec 2015 7:29 a.m. PST |
what i do:
1. wash with simple green (soap) and water, brushed with toothbrush – you will notice a difference in how they feel after, confirming that the mold release is gone. In my younger days I painted straight on, found that the paint didn't stick as well, sort of floated around, and flaked super easy once dry. 2. spray prime – I've used enamel with no flaking down the road – have had problems with acrylic primer – I may be the only one because many seem to love them 3. paint as usual 4. wash with tinted varnish – i have used Army Painter, Minwax Tudor Satin with varnish and tube oil paints (W&N) mixed with clear satin varnish – all work well and the last two are cheaper, more available options for me 5. spray with matt coat to knock the shine off No problems with flaking yet and it's been awhile. This may be overkill, but if you are going to spend time painting why not ensure the job will last. I have also used Plasti Dip clear as a sealer on some Caesar German infantry instead of matt coat and that seems to work very well too – can't feel/see it. |
| Geoffr | 28 Dec 2015 5:22 p.m. PST |
Wow! Thanks, gents for this goldmine of techniques. Can't wait to get started! |
