Help!

[Primal]

I have a kit that I want to paint on my own and have read & been given advice along the way. But i'd like to see what the consensus is out there.

-I heard things like...washing the kit with soap. (is this right?)
-Fixing the imperfections, such as filling in holes (with what material I dont know)
-Using a primer before painting. Is this really necessary? If so, what kind?
-What kind of paint can I use? I dont plan on using airbrush. Just an old school brush so what paints would you recommend? Brand?
- Once the paint's applied & dried up...the paint has to be sealed? I heard of Dullcoat along the way. Is this what's used to not give it a shiny coat? And is this the same as a sealant?

Thanx for any help!

[Danno]

Hey Primal,

That's fantastic!!!!! I think it's great, the more painters...the merrier I say!

-I heard things like...washing the kit with soap. (is this right?)

Yes, always wash a kit first. Typically, when a resin kit is cast, a mold release is used onto the silicone mold before the resin is poured in. This mold release (many times) has an oil that makes primer/paint not bond well to the surface. Washing the kit in any degreasing soap (Dawn dish soap, orange clean, etc...) will remove this release and help get the piece ready for paint

-Fixing the imperfections, such as filling in holes (with what material I dont know)

Puttying seams/joints, and airbubbles/pin holes is standard. I use AVES Apoxie Sculpt for this type of work, very easy to use.
http://www.avesstudio.com/

-Using a primer before painting. Is this really necessary? If so, what kind?

Yes, primer is needed before painting any raw resin, styrene, or vinyl kit. Basically, primer is made to "bite" onto the surface and give your paint some "tooth" so that is will stick and stay. I prefer Duplicolor Light Grey "Filler" primer myself. Dries fast, sands easy, and covers nice and thin and flat.

-What kind of paint can I use? I dont plan on using airbrush. Just an old school brush so what paints would you recommend? Brand?

Any water based paint will work. But I do recommend that if you are hand brushing, pick up Floetrol. Floetrol is a latex based paint conditioner (you can find this product at any home improvement or paint store) that will work with any water based paint. It will extend your "wetlife" and allow for a better, smoother more professional finish and avoid those ugly nasty brush marks.

- Once the paint's applied & dried up...the paint has to be sealed? I heard of Dullcoat along the way. Is this what's used to not give it a shiny coat? And is this the same as a sealant?

I use Testors Dullcote and a flat finish sealer. Great stuff and can be found at any hobby store.

I hope this helps!

[Juggernaut]

Yes, primer is needed before painting any raw resin, styrene, or vinyl kit. Basically, primer is made to "bite" onto the surface and give your paint some "tooth" so that is will stick and stay. I prefer Duplicolor Light Grey "Filler" primer myself. Dries fast, sands easy, and covers nice and thin and flat.

When does a primer need to be sanded?

[Car50n]

When does a primer need to be sanded?

sometimes you'll get a drip that dries up. or a bubble. u can just smooth them down with some sandpaper. sometimes the primer will help you see defects in the cast that were less visible unprimed. you can then sand, fill, or correct. then touch up those areas with a bit more primer. and yuo're good to go.

[Danno]

sometimes you'll get a drip that dries up. or a bubble. u can just smooth them down with some sandpaper. sometimes the primer will help you see defects in the cast that were less visible unprimed. you can then sand, fill, or correct. then touch up those areas with a bit more primer. and yuo're good to go.

Car50n hit the nail on the head!

[Primal]

I use Testors Dullcote and a flat finish sealer. Great stuff and can be found at any hobby store.U use both dullcote & flat finish sealer on a given kit or did you mean "or"?

Yeah I wanna get back into creating & painting some of this stuff.
I used to work with the brush & acrylic paints back in the day. As can be seen here from a project I did over 10yrs ago. :redface:
http://www.statueforum.com/showthread.php?t=22065&highlight=papier

Thanx guys! You rock!

[Jack8022]

-I heard things like...washing the kit with soap. (is this right?)
I usually let a kit soak in a bucket overnight in a bath of Simply Green and then give it a scrubdown with a washbrush the next day. That usually does the trick.

-Fixing the imperfections, such as filling in holes (with what material I dont know)
I use Testors modelling putty and before it dries too much, smooth it off / remove excess with a q-tip dipped in nail polish remover.

-Using a primer before painting. Is this really necessary? If so, what kind?
On resin, I use Krylon Sandable Grey primer. Works pretty well. I tried a different primer on a new model (pics on the way soon) so I'll see how that turns out.

-What kind of paint can I use? I dont plan on using airbrush. Just an old school brush so what paints would you recommend? Brand?
Depends of the model. Airbrush does give you a smoother coat but overall, I prefer using a brush (because I hate taping). I use Model Masters enamels on everything except Vinyl models. I hear the enamels will eat away at vinyl (is that true?).

- Once the paint's applied & dried up...the paint has to be sealed? I heard of Dullcoat along the way. Is this what's used to not give it a shiny coat? And is this the same as a sealant?
I like to do a clearcoat as well but it depends on the model.

Hope this helps.

[Juggernaut]

Thanks for the info.

[Primal]

Thank you all! :buttrock:

[CKinSD]

primal pm me with your email. I've got a file of tips and hints for kits that I've sent to others and they say it helps. no very organized but there is some good info in it.

it is stuff I've found and copied into a master document.

oh and welcome to kit building :)