"Tips For Painting Soft Plastic Figures" Topic

I have a couple of plastic figures, equivalent to HAT, that I am painting for a friend of my daughters. I primed them a month ago and they are still a little tacky. A metal figure i primed at the same time is dry. I used rustoleum grey like I do on everything else (including resin and hard plastic0. Is this tackiness something to worry about? Is there something I can do to "fix" it? Any other tips are welcome.

I have never found anything to bond to soft plastic. Then I discovered Valejo soft plastic primer a few years ago. White. Works. Used it on 1/72 ESCI conversions and 12" Dragon stuff and once it's on, everything over stays on!

My usual method is

Wash with diluted 50/50 washing up liquid (dish soap), leave to dry

Paint with 50/50 PVA white glue, dry

Spray with primer

All soft plastics are soaked overnight in hot soapy water, rinsed off with hot water and left to dry.

Then I brush-prime them with a mix of PVA glue, craft store acrylic white and water. I paint with my regular acrylics, and seal with either Woodland Scenics Terrain Cement or a 50/50 mix of PVA glue and water. Never had a problem using this method.

My guess would be the primer is still tacky because it's reacting with some mold release compound. I'd start over.

Rinse them with warm soapy water and then rinsed again with water and dried. Prime them with spray paint primer that bonds to plastic (I use Rustoleum plastic primer). I paint with acrylics after that and use a clear varnish to seal. Have had no issues with this method.

Similar to the above

wash in warm water with washing-up liquid
dry
undercoat with either varnish or pva/water mix (I use both but not at the same time).
Paint as normal using acrylics
varnish

Done!

I did wash them used Dawn dish soap and a toothbrush. I'll try stripping them and using a different primer.

Krylon Fusion paint as a primer works for me.

I used to prep soft plastics with thinned gloss varnish, then when dry, I undercoated and painted as normal.

I've been painting the bendy Bones figures; Wash & clean, primer with gesso, paint, seal with a semi-gloss varnish. Seems to work… ;-)

It is a problem. Sometimes if it is humid, or too cold, or if the paint is not mixed up enough that can happen. Sometimes if you are using certain plastics it will stay sticky. Hat uses several kinds of plastics but I don't know of them not working with Rustoleum. My suggestion is to strip off the paint and start over. Make sure you shake the can a lot and keep shaking it while you work. Don't paint when it is humid.

Always test one figure when starting a new project. I had the same problem last week with the Rustoleum 2X gray primer on 2 of 8 items I painted. It was the plastic being a little different I think.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog

The temp was warm probably 80s humidity would have been under 50%, I don't primer or clear coat above that. I am using the Rustoleum 2X, and have for some time. I supposed the mix could have been off, not shaken enough. It was only 2 figures so testing one would have been weird. I am going to strip them and start over.

I've had problems with Rustoleum 2x failing to cure on 3D printed plastics. When I stripped and re-primered with Tamiya primer, it worked. I think the Rustoleum is just formulated for different plastics.

I haven't tried Krylon Fusion on soft plastic 1/72 figures yet, but that will be my first stop when I finally get around to it. Bill isn't the only one who has had luck with it.

I'm not a fan of the PVA priming technique because it's too many extra steps and too easily fills in details.

- Ix

If a coat fails to cure, I do not know of anything other than stripping.

With a metal figure, one could attempt to bake. But most likely this would not have happened in the first place.

For stripping, one can use Simple Green, Purple Magic, Pine-Sol. Which is in order of aggressiveness. Do not use that aircraft paint stripper with plastic!

This is something I discovered, but have not tried too often yet. That is sealing with Plasti Dip spray clear.
Here are some links about it:
TMP link

link

Many years ago, I learned of Aleene's Tack-It Over and Over glue, and how it can be painted onto soft plastic figures. It remains permanently tacky, and it adheres to the soft plastic surface, very well. You paint the figure with it, then let it 'cure' for 24-hours. After that, paint as normal, with acrylic paints.

The acrylic paint covers the tacky glue, eliminating the tackiness. It is difficult to avoid losing fine details, but for 54mm toy figures, it works rather well. You just have to be careful in handling the miniature before you get all of the glue covered in acrylic paint, as any exposed, unpainted glue, will be very tacky.

You may want to try one test figure, to see how it goes. If you need to strip off the Tack-It Over and Over glue, you will need to wash the figure in vegetable oil, to remove it; then you will need to wash the figure, and your hands, in dish soap and water, to remove the oil. Cheers!

oooh, thanks for that glue suggestion, Sgt Slag! I've been looking for something like that that stays tacky for doing flocking.

Not sure how well it will work for flocking. You will likely need to press it into the glue, strongly, using your thumb and fingers, to get it to stay. Experimentation is king, Baby! Cheers!

Washing with warm/hot dishwashing liquid and drying is key as the first step.
I have never had luck with Krylon Fusion or Rustoleum Plastic Primer so I use traditional primer.
Then paint as normal.
I wash one of two ways – "The Dip" made with Future/Actrylic Ink or gloss varnish followed by thinned enamels
Then seal with matt varnish spray
Then Plasti-Dip clear
Than another coat of matt varnish spray

I cannot prove it but the Plasti-Dip step seems to give it a good flexible seal which prevents flaking/chipping

Don't know why, but this method has not failed me -durable with no lost detail

I use Custom Rom gray primer or Vallejo or Badger air brush primer.

Seal with Plasti dip clear rubber sealer. I credible stuff.

Thanks

John

Second vote for Krylon Fusion (black for me) as a primer. It gives an even surface to paint on even when you have kitbashed several materials together (like I do all the time). Soft plastics, included. Never had it turn tacky.