Marvel Kotobukiya Bishoujo Dark Phoenix Re-Paint

[Astounding]

Thanks jy90274,

It just comes from a ton of experience really.

I was intrigued by the silly putty idea, but have not tried it. I have used Elmer's School Glue as a liquid mask to satisfy tough contour from time to time. It's not always a perfect solution, but I have had it work well at times, usually for small areas. Apply it thick, in a couple coats to make it easier to remove - can be pesky if too thin. But most times I can make the tape do what I want, even if I have to cut it into small pieces, thin strips, buckle it, wad it,... again practice and experience. Cutting it also gives me a sharper edge than the tape comes with. I use a craft knife and cutting mat, then pick up and place tiny pieces with the knife tip. However you mask, watch for leaks - it can be a real pain in the rump to find that some stray paint has snuck through to your perfect base color.

Cheap garage kits will certainly give you practice, and you may end up with some nice pieces along the way. Even cheaper for your first attempts would be any old action figures that may be lying around. Or pick some up at a garage sale or thrift shop for a cheap set of test subjects.

[jy90274]

I just received a mint condition Dark Phoenix in the mail today, and I must say the surface area that needs to be painted is absolutely TINY. It's less than a square inch overall, and I'm starting to think that it just may be possible to paint this thing by hand. But what do I know? I'm a newb. I'm also thinking of going through the garage kit route to try hand-painting, then deciding whether to replicate that attempt on a Kotobukiya original Dark Phoenix.


Edit: Nevermind, I must be on crack. A hand-paint will more than likely end up like this:



Best to avoid such folly, I think.

[Astounding]

Believe me, hand painting is not the real issue here (wow)....

With your project the real concern with hand painting is that it's a transparent color - not very forgiving. You will see what I mean once you start experimenting with your new airbrush. BTW, let me know what you get and how you like it.

[jy90274]

I was also thinking about doing taking this dark phoenix bishoujo statue and painting it in the regular Green Phoenix color. The gold details would stay the same, and I would only re-paint the red, green.



Will the underlying red coat affect how the green turns out?

I was thinking of Vallejo brand paints - a clear metallic medium paint, and a clear green. The exact green I want to go for is pretty much the same shade of green as the Bowen Green Phoenix statue - only of course, the end result will be metallic/chrome instead of flat/matte like the Bowen statue.



Thanks again (in advance) for the advice.

[Astounding]

It depends on how well the metallic covers. I personally would apply an opaque green as a base (so I can see the red is well covered), then the metallic and transparent. Your metallic will easily cover the green and if anything does show through there are no issues - it will make a great sounding board. If I was doing the project, I would probably use silver or yellow gold for the metallic coat. I would want all the richness of the green to be in the transparent top coat. The only other concern I would have with the red below would be if you were using solvent based paint (I use lacquers) you could very well get bleed through from the red.

This is certainly a project to spray (do you have your airbrush yet?). You will also have a challenge getting your paint applied under the tendrils of hair. You may have a nice tight and thin mask over the hair, spray it, think it looks great, take off the mask and then see a hideous red aura that the mask was concealing. Sure would be great if you could remove that head...

[Sithlord32]

Yay for artist and artists helping artists and yay we all have somewhere to form a collective consciousness.
Good luck with your fixing up the lady. Let us know what you decided on for a airbrush and supplies when and if it comes to that I have been thinking of getting one as well and laying down my paintbrush.

[Astounding]

Oh, don't lay down your paintbrush. Or if you do remember where you put it, because as great as an airbrush is you still need to do the detailing with a small brush. I always spray as much as I can but a brush is a must.

[Sithlord32]

Originally Posted by Astounding

Oh, don't lay down your paintbrush. Or if you do remember where you put it, because as great as an airbrush is you still need to do the detailing with a small brush. I always spray as much as I can but a brush is a must.

Yeah it was figurative in the fact that a airbrush will be time consuming in the learning factor which will mean less of the paint brush for a while but id never lay it down for good.

[Astounding]

I get it!... figureative!...
umm,... nevermind