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THE Idiot's Guide to Kitbashing


WraithVerge

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Alright, im considering a project where I will repaint an Alternators Smokescreen red.  I want to acheive a real metalic red as seen on the actual cars.  What materials would I need and what would be the process I would go about doing this project.  Thanks.

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Hey thanks for the link, but i still got a question. Is the clay one side of the mold or just a base to make the one rubber side? And what is the piece your casting actually made of? specific names?

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  • 3 weeks later...
Alright, im considering a project where I will repaint an Alternators Smokescreen red.  I want to acheive a real metalic red as seen on the actual cars.  What materials would I need and what would be the process I would go about doing this project.  Thanks.

 

 

to do an accurate red metallic, I would use a chrome silver undercoat as a base, the after that dires for about a week, go with a transparent red overcoat. this should give you the metallic appearance you're looking for.

 

-WV

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ok...I want to repaint Energon Starscream into Thundercracker and Energon Energon starscream into skywarp.  I already tried Skywarp and failed miserably due to bad materials. I tried to transform him and his arm broke..... I just have a few questions:

 

1. What kind of clearcoat would you reccomend for this kind of figure?

 

2. Is there any way I can make the clear green parts on starscream a clear blue?

 

3. For reapints of other toys, I normally use FolkArt acrylic paints but for skywarp I switched to Palmer acrylic hoping the results would be better...but they weren't.  Are FolkArt paints good for TF repaints?

 

4.  There is no way I can afford an airbrush at this moment.  What kind of paintbrushes should I be looking for and specifically what sizes should I use?

 

5.  What's the best kind of primer I could use and how important is it that I use it.

 

6.  After all the painting's said and done, how long should I wait before reassembling him?

 

That's all really.  The colors on Skywarp came out fine but it seems the clear coat is so thick the he can't transform right.  I also must stress to all of you

 

NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER USE TESTORS SPRAY PAINT ON MISSILES AND WEAPONS!  IT ABSOULOUTELY SUCKS!

I had the gun in sword mode and it broke when I tried to pull it out (that's how bad it turned out.

And for a clear coat, I used Treasure Crystal Cote.  I take it this stuff's no good?

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Ok...I want to repaint Energon Starscream into Thundercracker and Energon Energon starscream into skywarp.  I already tried Skywarp and failed miserably due to bad materials. I tried to transform him and his arm broke..... I just have a few questions:

 

1. What kind of clearcoat would you reccomend for this kind of figure?

 

2. Is there any way I can make the clear green parts on starscream a clear blue?

 

3. For reapints of other toys, I normally use FolkArt acrylic paints but for skywarp I switched to Palmer acrylic hoping the results would be better...but they weren't.  Are FolkArt paints good for TF repaints?

 

4.  There is no way I can afford an airbrush at this moment.  What kind of paintbrushes should I be looking for and specifically what sizes should I use?

 

5.  What's the best kind of primer I could use and how important is it that I use it.

 

6.  After all the painting's said and done, how long should I wait before reassembling him?

 

That's all really.  The colors on Skywarp came out fine but it seems the clear coat is so thick the he can't transform right.  I also must stress to all of you

 

NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER USE TESTORS SPRAY PAINT ON MISSILES AND WEAPONS!  IT ABSOULOUTELY SUCKS!

I had the gun in sword mode and it broke when I tried to pull it out (that's how bad it turned out.

And for a clear coat, I used Treasure Crystal Cote.  I take it this stuff's no good?

 

Well, don't be too hard on yourself; trial and error is how I learned about 99% of my skills. The good news is that skywarp is salvageable. (his arm is reparable!)

 

Okay, here we go by the numbers:

 

1: Krylon crystal-cote- this acryllic coating dries in 15 minutes and can be handled in one hour. It doesn't yellow or chip like the cheaper clear-coats, and can be recoated almost instantly, rather than waiting 4 hours. It's the only one I'll use on my projects. Accept no imitations; ask for the original. :)

 

2: That would be easier if they were clear instead of a clear color. The best I can suggest is to use a transparent blue (Tamiya makes a good acryllic one), but it's going to be a greenish-blue (if you can live with this, the cool.) otherwise, you may have to live with the green.

 

3:I used to use folkart acryllics, but now I generally use Tamiya acryllics. (these are found at the better hobby stores.) They are more resillient than the craft acryllics available right now, and thin using alcohol.

 

4: For paintbrushes, I generally go with sable-hair brushes. They are fine enough for detail work, and leave no paintbrush marks, provided you thin the paint right. I generally buy the multpacks that have the small flat brushes as well as small round ones. (sizes 1 through 000) The 000-round brushes are for fine details, while the small flats are good for covering small areas of color. BTW; a good airbrush (badger 600 is the one I use) goes for about 50 dollars at the store I patronize. Also, testors manufactures a "spray-cap" system that allows you to mix your own colors and spray them. (it goes for 12 bucks at wal-mart.)

 

5: Simple: Krylon grey primer. Like the crystal-cote, it dries quickly. IMPORTANT: for darker colors, use grey primer, but for the lighter ones, a flat white paint will do. All primer is is a flat monochromatic (one color) paint that allows you to spot imperfections, and acts as an interface between the plastic and the finish coats.

 

6: I generally wait until the spray paint is fully dry before reassembly. It takes a little longer than the acryllic. BTW, in the areas where the clearcote is interfering with transformation, use 440-grit sandpaper to polish away the excess clearcote (CAREFULLY, so you don't wear the paint away!), thenpolish with 0000-grade steel wool and carefully reassemble.

 

As for the missiles and weapons, let me guess: the paint is sticky. A lot of the weapons are made from soft polypropylene plastic, which enamel will not dry properlly on. The good news is that these can be recued with 91% isopropyl alcohol.(located in the HBA or pharmacy section.)

 

Rgearding the arm and gun: either try to post a pic or describe the damage to the pieces. I can guide you through the repair process. But what I generally use for a "glue" is devcon plastic welder system. This stuff makes super glue look pathetic. Not only is it strong, but also it is as durable and has the same resillience as the original plastic. A "syringe" of it costs  $2.50 at wal mart.

 

Finally, treasure clear cote SUCKS. I used it ONCE. NEVER AGAIN.

 

At any rate, I hope all this is of assistance to you, Hot-Shot!. If you have any other questions, please post here, or feel free to shoot me an email or PM me.  I'm looking forwards to hearing from you on this.

 

Good luck! :thumb

 

-WV

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