Painting 1:72nd scale plastics

[pixelgeek]

Hi all

I am going to be painting up some 1:72nd scale Italeri Napoleonic figures and was wondering if there was anything that I needed to know before starting or can I just do my usual basecoat/wash/highlight technique on them?

Thanks

[sukhe_bator]

I'm sure its been said elsewhere, but washing the plastics in soapy water first to remove the grease that is present to improve separation when injection moulding is crucial to preventing anything that is added to the figure from flaking off.

[Vintage Wargaming]

All time top tip for soft plastics is after painting spray with Plastidip clear spray. This forms a flexible rubberised coating which will stop any paint loss. I even use it on metals now.

[Cubs]

On a similar note, I paint (clear drying) pva woodglue onto the model after painting, then let it dry fully before giving it the matt varnish spray. This also acts as a flexible protection and prevents flaking when bendy bits bend.

[pixelgeek]

So is the problem with the paint that the plastic bends more than 28mm plastic figs and causes it break?

[Cubs]

One of them is. Washing off the oily stuff is a good tip (one I keep forgetting), but yeah, the softer plastic combined with more slender details (rifles, ankles, etc..) make it more bendy and the paint usually flakes off unless you take some measures to prevent it.

Giving it a flexible coating won't stop the bending, but it does help the paint to flex with it, instead of coming away.

[pixelgeek]

On a similar note, I paint (clear drying) pva woodglue onto the model after painting, then let it dry fully before giving it the matt varnish spray. This also acts as a flexible protection and prevents flaking when bendy bits bend.

How much do you water it down?

[Cubs]

How much do you water it down?

Hardly at all, just wet the brush really. I don't gloop it on, just spread it thinly over, especially on the vulnerable bits. I've not heard of that Plastidip stuff before though, but it seems like that might do the same.

[rebelyell2006]

I primed and repainted some Revell, Italerie, and Airfix 1:72 minis with gesso, and used a matte varnish over the paint, and the paint has held up pretty well.  They were also stripped and cleaned with Simple Green beforehand, with difficult paint scraped off with a dental tool.

[Verderer]

I dont' have issue with painting them, Vallejo primer brushed on works pretty good, it seems. With first washing up the soldiers, off course.

What I have a major issue with is cleaning the flash from the buggers. I have tried a sharp knife blade but all my results come up bad. What happens is that either I cut too much, or the flash just frays, and stays there. So the soldiers look fairly messy as a results. I got a couple of Strelets placcies (and some Finns too) under work, and they look simply bad. I really don't like plastics in general, but these Russians would fit really well in with some metal ones I got, so I made an effort to paint them. Results not so good.

How the heck do you get the flash off neatly? I am tempted to just leave it there.

[sukhe_bator]

Captain Blood uses liquid poly to melt flash off the Perry Miniatures hard plastics. Might be worth experimenting on some sprue to see it it would do the same for 1:72nd figures. I'm only recently into plastics so couldn't advise on whether the solvent would be too harsh and disfigure the models... worth a try though. I agree you could whittle away to your hearts content and never get rid of anything but the worst of the flash mechanically with a scalpel.

[Cubs]

How the heck do you get the flash off neatly? I am tempted to just leave it there.

I use medical scalpels. The blades are very flimsy, so no good for most craft work, but they're sharp as a sharp thing. It's not a complete solution, but they do tend to cut better than an Xacto blade on the soft plastic.

[Vermis]

Captain Blood uses liquid poly to melt flash off the Perry Miniatures hard plastics. Might be worth experimenting on some sprue to see it it would do the same for 1:72nd figures.

Tried that once. No effect. That was before I realised most 1/72 plastics are PVC, not polystyrene, and one of the reasons I don't touch them with a barge pole, these days.

[sukhe_bator]

I've seen acetone (nail polish remover) on the web used as a solvent to clean PVC pipes etc. You could try a small brush with that (but it requires a well ventilated room) as long as you don't use too much and wash it with soap and water/ washing up liquid afterwards it should do the same job as liquid poly. I would experiment on sprue/ flash offcuts first though...

[CarlLeyland]

Undercoat with spray as normal. Paint as you would any other figure then.....be brave. Give it a thick coat of kids PVA glue, this will look awful at first but dries and makes the figure hard.