Question about the paints used for the MegoMeet kitbashes

[Bizarro Amy]

I've always used what I've considered to be "acrylics," but they're probably the cheapo brands(Apple Barrel, etc). What kind of paint was in those little jars on the kitbash table? I really liked the way they looked, and was thinking about starting to use them on customs. They seem to be a lot more durable. Can they be scratched or peeled off to fix an error? How hard is it to paint over them? Where is a good place to find them and about how much do they run?

[spamn]

I'm also curious about this - it was my first experience painting. I forgot to put the head I painted on the body first and expected the paint job to be destroyed by the effort of putting the body on, and it was completely unaffected.

[B-Lister]

I prefer Citadel Color and Tamiya.

both are formulated for plastics, and they cover smoothly. They're expensive, but the results are worth it.

and the #1 rule I give anybody who wants to learn how to do a professional custom paint job, and the one they're least likely to follow:

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS primer.......

Always.

In my younger days I was lax at this. I felt that it was only necessary on those that I really wanted to give that extra 'oomph' to, but fifteen years later, I can spot the differences in my earlier efforts. Those that got primer still look good, those that didn't are clearly amateur efforts. I didn't get as good as I am at painting, by half-assing things. I did it by screwing up so many times that I got good. And I'm always learning new tricks, but the basics are always important.

seriously, custom cast heads should be washed thoroughly in soap and water, and allowed to dry, and then given a quick shot of primer. I prefer Citadel Matte White, but I also keep a can of black handy, for darker basecoats. It gives the paint something to 'grab' onto, and allows that first coat to go on smooth.

some successful professionals will tell you that it's not always necessary, and I am not here to argue with them, but it's my experience that a good base coat makes all the difference.

and Jin Saotome (One of the net's premier customizers) agrees with me. I'm not one to speak for others, but read any of his 'how-to's and one of the key steps is basecoating. A basecoat will hide brush strokes on hand painted parts, and will provide smooth coverage for anything that is sprayed or airbrushed.

[Bizarro Amy]

Is there a brush-on primer for customs that only require small areas to be repainted? Sometimes I use vinyl heads and only need to repaint eyes, lips, or other small features. It's the enamel paints that you want to stay away from, right? I have a friend who customizes Star Wars figures and the enamels never seemed to dry right. It turns out that they melted the surface a little. They're basically made like nail polish and car touch-up paint.

[boss]

Del... David Lee brought those paints, so he's the man to ask. I used them Friday night to paint up the Nosferatu prototype and found they were pretty easy to work with once I got used to them.

[Cmonster]

I agree with the primer thing. Citadel or the like-- The ones used for those little lead, RPG miniatures. They work great because they're super thin and formulated for smaller stuff.

SC

[Bizarro Amy]

Are the Tamiya and Citadel paints easy to clean from brushes? Does soap and water work or will I need something stronger?
I'm going shopping for paint a little later to finish a project for someone, and will be taking the advice given in this thread.

[YANOULI]

I use Games workshop ( Citadel ) acrylics without a primer and have never had any problems.

Amy, i just run my brushes under the tap to clean them.

[rche]

fantastic tech thread here.

Do you all tend to get your paints from a local hobby shop or do you order them online.
I am about 35 miles from a decent hobby shop, and it is either best for me to browse an online vendor to get an idea of what I want before I hit the road or to just simply order from the interwebs.

[boss]

I tried to use primer when I first started painting. I could never get it right. I use the cheap acrylic paints from Michael's and wash the brushes under the tap. as long as the brushes are good and my flesh tone is thinned a little with water, I'm good to go.

Dave Mc's painting tutorial from megocon was a great resource. I think it's available here somewhere.

[Bizarro Amy]

What kind of primer works for acrylics, like Tamiya and Citadel? Is there something made especially for them, or can I use something else, like Testor's(in the model kit department) or even the Krylon spray? So far, I haven't been able to find any of the brands mentioned in stores, but I bought a sample pack of another brand to try.