Painting?

[ULTIMATESKYLINE]

Hey guys, I'm new here and just joined yesterday. Well hello everyone. This week is thanksgiving and i basically have no school for 1 whole week! I would probably be outside riding my BMX bike, however weather did not allow me to do so... So i wanted to do something inside, and decided I should try to make a model car. That's when decided to get one. Recently, I bought a Hummer H2 Model and a Ferrari Enzo Model both from Revell. I build the Hummer in a matter of 3 hours. Nice and simple. However the Ferrari was quite something....

My main question was that how do you guys paint your parts? The Ferrari basically came in many MANY tiny parts. I have to build the engine, suspension, and almost everything, and it was all overwhelming. Today, i literally painted every single part, from engine parts to wheels, and i numbered them and placed them on a peice of wax paper to dry. I put the number next to the part so i remember which part it was. It took me about 10 hours or so..... my main question is, is there any other way to paint it quicker and more effeciently?

[MrObsessive]

Hi and welcome!

First, I should tell you that you'll need to put your full name in your signature area.....(done in "My Controls") so we know who we're talking to.

When I paint my parts, I really don't do so until the part is needed. If it's a kit I'm not familiar with or one that has a TON of parts (like your Ferrari) I'll connect them to something and then paint it. That way parts don't get lost or damaged.

Also, especially with a kit that has a lot of parts, you'll definitely want to test fit your parts before painting. It'll never seem to fail that you have that part all prettied up and painted, only to have it not fit when it's time!

I use various types of paints......ranging from water based acrylics, to lacquers. I strongly recommend that you DON'T paint your parts with hobby enamels! You can grow old waiting for them to dry completely adding to the frustration. The only exception might be if a certain shade is only available in a hobby enamel, then you may have no choice.

At this point I recommend a food dehydrator to speed things up..........especially for enamels.

10 hours for painting actually isn't that long if it's spread out over a period of time................I just couldn't do it all in one shot!

HTH!

[bandit.93]

i have built this kit too. i thought it was a little overwhelming too but i got through it ( althogh the body didnt fit good to the chassis). i use spray paint for the body, chassis, and interior. it goes quite quickly, just a day for the paint to dry and another day for the clear on the body to dry. and i brush paint everything else.

Edited November 21, 2007 by bandit.93

[Brendan]

David,

Sounds like you've done a great job of planning ahead. As for painting, I go along the lines of what Bill said.

Stay away from enamels as much as you can. I have a tendency to use more of water based acrylics. I prefer Tamiya Acrylics. The drying time is fairly short. Also I usually use automotive lacquers and primers for the body. But you will have to use a clear coat for the automotive paints.

For painting parts, it would be the same as what Bill said. Make sure you test fit parts. I paint parts as I go. Another thing that might help you is to read through your instructions to see what parts can go together, such as engine block halves and that sort of thing. A lot of times, they're all the same color. When you start doing a lot of models, you'll find what parts you can put together ahead of time and what parts you need to keep separate before you paint. I've know people who have spent over a year on one model kit. Ten hours may seem long, but that's actually pretty fast in gettng the kit painted.

Let us know how it turns out. If you can, post some pictures. If you get frustrated, just walk away for a while...and then come back when you're ready. The worst thing you can do is work when frustrated. That's when mistakes occur. I have ruined more kits that way than I even want to talk about.

[ULTIMATESKYLINE]

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. However, I'm sort of confused on what you mean by painting the parts when you need them. If you need a part and paint it, would you have to wait for it to dry? Anyways, I'll try my best to get some pics in however it might not look so pretty compared to some of the cars i've seen in this site hahaha This is a great hobby, and it's really fun to do when you're inside.

[Olle F]

Numbering the parts like that sounds like a great idea if you're dealing with a lot of parts. I airbrush most parts so in order to do this in a rational way (I hate to clean the airbrush...), I usually try to "batch" them and paint all parts of the same color in one swoop. Now, I usually build models of cars that I know fairly well, so I can pretty much cut 99% of the parts off the spue and still know where they go. If there are "mystery parts" that can't be easily identified without a number, I usually get around that by doing what Bill said: Take it off the sprue and paint it right before I need it.

Here are some methods I use to hold the parts while I paint then:

-Keep it on the sprue. I almost never do that as the parts are usually attached in a place that needs to be touched up after you cut them off. Some people swear by it though.

-Drill a hole in the part, stick a piece of wire or a pin in it and hold it in a "third hand" (like this: http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?M...ct&ID=21120 ). You can also use an eraser as a holder for pinned parts.

-Roll up some masking tape with the tacky side out. Stick it to, for example, a shoe box and stick your parts to the tape. This works best with parts that only need paint on one side, but I have used this method for pretty much everything with fair to great results. I just shoot one side, let the parts dry thoroughly, then I turn them over and paint the other side. It works well with dull finishes (chassis and suspension parts), but it's not all that great when you're painting a high gloss that shows dry spray etc.

[RJWood]

Hi David,

Good to have you here. The main thing to remember is you gotta crawl before you can walk. meaning you need to stick to the hobby and not give up on yourself. You can learn to build as well as anyone else here, if you take your time and learn all the Techniques that will help you to build the quality of models you see here on this great site.

I have been back into car modeling for about 13 years, and my models don't come close to most of the builds here, but I really enjoy building. But every time I start a kit I know it will be better than the last one. I have learned alot from the members here. and my models are starting to turn out much better now since I joined this site.

Check out the TIPS, TRICKS, and IDEAS section for some interesting detailing tips and Painting Techniques.

Welcome to the Model Cars Mag. Forums David,

Ron

[Brendan]

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. However, I'm sort of confused on what you mean by painting the parts when you need them. If you need a part and paint it, would you have to wait for it to dry? Anyways, I'll try my best to get some pics in however it might not look so pretty compared to some of the cars i've seen in this site hahaha This is a great hobby, and it's really fun to do when you're inside.

When I talk about painting parts as needed, I start at step 1 of the instructions, paint the parts from that step. While those are drying, I go onto step 2 and paint those parts. As step 2 parts are drying, I go back to step 1 and start putting those parts together. When the glue is drying from step 1, I start painting step 3 and just repeat the procedure. This works best when using acrylic paints since they dry to the touch in under 30 minutes.

I use the other methods that have been mentioned and they work just as well. It kind of depends on what type of kit you're doing and how much detail is involved.

It sounds like you're new to modeling. Show your work and people will give you advice on how to improve. Have fun and experiment with stuff.

[ULTIMATESKYLINE]

Thanks Brendan for the great advice. I went to my local Craft store and got 2 more models, the Viper and 70 Chevelle from Revell. Hopefully these will turn out better then the other 2 cars I also just got a new digital camera from the Black Friday sale so I will try to get pics of my cars. (hopefully)

I know what you guys mean by Enamel paints being a pain!! They are!!! They take forever to dry and smell pretty bad. I also had to hand paint the chassis and body because i cannot afford a Airbrush + air compressor and all the other materials I need. One question i have is that i use Testors Enamel paint right now and when i try to switch colors (still using the same brush) is it possible to take out the paint on the brush? I have only 1 paint brush i can use and when i try to switch colors from red to black, there would be a hint of red in my black paint!!! I tried washing the brush with water, soap, and just about everything, but still the paint will not come out!

[kurth]

One question i have is that i use Testors Enamel paint right now and when i try to switch colors (still using the same brush) is it possible to take out the paint on the brush? I have only 1 paint brush i can use and when i try to switch colors from red to black, there would be a hint of red in my black paint!!! I tried washing the brush with water, soap, and just about everything, but still the paint will not come out!

First of all welcome to the hobby and this message board.

If you are using enamel paint, you'll need something a little stronger to clean your brush. Testors sells "brush cleaner" in a 1 3/4 ounce bottle. I swish the brush around in the brush cleaner then wipe it off with a cloth or a paper towel. I also use lacquer thinner in an brush bottle with a cap. you can wash your brush with soap and water if you use acrylic paint. You might want to get some more brushes so you have some different sizes for different situations. I'm sure others can chime in with their suggestions. I've used enamel since I can remember. remember to stir your paint very well for best results. I use it because it is what I am used to, but I frequently use Acrylics and Lacquer too.

If you have any more questions please post them !

-Kurt

[Aaronw]

It sounds like you are using the Testor's paint that come in little square bottles? That stuff will work but you will eventually want to get something better.

Since it is enamel you will need paint thinner to clean the brushes, you can get a quart at a hardware store for a couple dollars and that will last you a long time. Just pour it into a small jar with a lid baby food jars work great, when it gets too dirty just clean out the jar and add some fresh thinner.

Personally I like the Testor's Model Master Acryl, it is an acrylic paint that you can clean up with water, it also dries much faster than enamel paints. Model Master also has a line of enamel paints so you have to be careful when you buy paint that you have the acrylic, the only difference is a small Acryl across the label on the acrylic paint so its easy to grab the wrong stuff. You will probably need to go to a real hobby shop to get this, it usually isn't in craft stores or Walmarts and such.

Most of the better quality paints are in slightly larger bottles (3/4oz vs 1/2oz) an cost more, usually about $3 a bottle so getting started with a decent selection of paint is a bit of an investment, but it will last you sometime.

If you have a Michaels craft store nearby they have sales on brushes quite often, 25-50% off and they have a large selection to choose from including some decent inexpensive brush sets.

Good luck, and try not to get frustrated, worst case you can always strip the paint and try again.