Hello folks,

 

I recently took on my first repaint, Universe Acid Storm into Thundercracker. It's going fairly well so far, but there's one thing I just don't get.

 

How do you paint the moving parts that scrape together? For example, the elbows, the rotating tail fins, and the like. It seems like when you move the figure, the paint will scrape right off. I know people must have some solution, other than just leaving the figure in bot mode all the time, right? How do you paint joints like this? I have been leaving some of the light blue hinge parts on Acid Storm unpainted so far, but obviously that's not possible with green elbows or the green part on the back of his head.

 

Any thoughts and advice are greatly appreciated!

Basically it comes down to cure time vs dry time.

Depending on the paint you use, you may need to leave it for up to a week before re-assembling/transforming/posing in order for the paint to be fully hardened. Enamel paints take longer to harden, but are tougher once cured.

Something else you can do is put a finish on it to protect the paint, something like Future Floor Finish. This is a VERY good idea, especially if using acrylics rather than enamels. The finish will also have a cure time, so be aware of that. It does mean a lot of waiting, but it's worth it not to wreck your custom.

Oh yeah, I forgot to add that you should thin the paint right down, the thinner the better. It dries and cures quicker, as well as adds less thickness to the joint so is less likely to interfere. If you can still see through the paint, then if you want to you can put another thin coat on after the first one has dried enough.

Did I mention the thinning?

Don't forget to thin the paint.

Oh, and thin the paint too.

lol

 

(sorry about the double post)