I recently spotted some Kmart Armada gift packs {you know the one with those fugly gold/copper Optimus Primes} and am planning on repainting them. One as Ultra Magnus with a jet fire repainted in Skyfire's colors to go with him and the other optimus figure as Scourge.

 

And I was wondering how to best go about this. I was thinking of getting a paint gun to do the main job and then detailing with regular brushes, but I have no idea what type of paints would be best to use. Also if anyone can point me in the right direction to get a decepticon emblem to go on Scourge's trailer that would be helpful to.

Heres what I did for my custom Overload: Ultra Magnus

Used steel wool to rough up the plastic first. Then used Alchohol to clean off any residue and dust. I used an airbrush and Automotive paint, taping over areas that would remain the same colour, then went back with a ultra thin brush to touch up. Just be sure as in painting anything to get the tape off before the paint completely drys.

question. did you use primer? or was it just a straight paint?

Heres what I did for my custom Overload: Ultra Magnus

Used steel wool to rough up the plastic first. Then used Alchohol to clean off any residue and dust. I used an airbrush and Automotive paint, taping over areas that would remain the same colour, then went back with a ultra thin brush to touch up. Just be sure as in painting anything to get the tape off before the paint completely drys.

You have any photos of your Overload repaint, would love to see what you did?

To cover up the ungodly Orange Red I used a light gray Primer. Just regular caned spray paint. Since I was going metallic, I didn't want the under coat to be too dark.

was the fig left intact or was it taken apart and painted individually?(sorry for the q's, but i havn't doen this in years)

Snow man, I'll get ya pics as soon as I am completely finished, winter kinda snuck up on me and my garage is a disaster area.

 

SD, Yes I indeed took him apart. PITA bigtime

I recently spotted some Kmart Armada gift packs {you know the one with those fugly gold/copper Optimus Primes} and am planning on repainting them. One as Ultra Magnus with a jet fire repainted in Skyfire's colors to go with him and the other optimus figure as Scourge.

 

And I was wondering how to best go about this. I was thinking of getting a paint gun to do the main job and then detailing with regular brushes, but I have no idea what type of paints would be best to use. Also if anyone can point me in the right direction to get a decepticon emblem to go on Scourge's trailer that would be helpful to.

I have a lot of experience in this. Let's see if we can help you out:

 

First off, I saw the gold/copper Optimus you're referring to. If yours is the same one I'm thinking of, it has goldish-chrome plating. DO NOT TRY TO PAINT OVER ANY TYPE OF CHROME. IT WILL NOT STICK!! To do it, disassemble the chromed parts from the toy, and soak them in a bleach solution overnight. This will remove the chrome (Note: remove any soft plastic parts, or any other parts that are not hard plastic; the bleach will eat them.) After the chrome is gone, rinse the parts carefully in soapy warm water, then rinse clean and let dry.

 

On the subject of disassembly; when you disassemble the parts, put them all on a flat surface where they will not be disturbed (like a table or something out of the way). Disassemble only as far as components (arms, legs, etc) when you can help it. If it's a complex robot, make notes on the disassembly methods, as it will aid you in reassembling it later (like what goes where, and so forth). Group all the parts according to color to be painted.

 

For paints, I use Krylon brand spray paints. they go on smooth, dry tack-free in 15 minutes and can be recoated at any time, unlike most other brands. Also, the white and clear coat they make do not yellow with age, which is EXACTLY what you want to avoid.

 

As a base coat: use Krylon primer for darker colors, and Krylon white for lighter, brighter colors. I recommend gloss colors, unless you don't plan on putting on decals, or want a flat military finish.

 

A word of caution: 1) don't leave screws in their holes; I know it sounds silly, but a friend of mine , after removing parts, left the screws dangling in their holes. After painting, he had to use a power drill to bore them out. (OUCH!! And it was Fort Max he did it to!) Keep all your screws in a small container, as they get lost VERY easily. And keep them sorted by length. 2) Make sure you scrape paint from all joint areas ans screw holes before reassembly; you can always retouch them later.

 

On the subject of a spray gun or airbrush: unless you really need it for a custom color, don't bother. But if you must, go with the Badger 250. it's simple enough for novices to use, and does a pretty respectable job. For all my airbrushing, I use Testors acrylics. they come in a wide variety of colors, and thin with water or alcohol.

 

Also, for any custom logos or decals: use a program like Adobe Photoshop to generate the logo or symblo, and then print it out on either clear or white decal paper. This sells in most hobby shoips for about 2-3 bucks. Use white only if your design calls for it; otherwise i'd go with the clear.

 

Lastly, go to either Translabels, or Reprolabels.com for a decepticon symbol. They make them in all sizes and styles, from G1 right to Armada. And they make them out of durable materials, so they don't scratch or peel like Hasbro's.

 

 

I hope this is of some help to you. just be careful with the bleach idea; if anyone has a better way, go with that. But I've been using it without problems for years. it's your call

 

Best of luck!!

i've also heard of 409 being used to remove chrome from plastic. The gundam MG model Hyaku-Shiki comes to mind with this.

Great advice, thanks for sharing!