What paints work on nick turtles?

[Dragnskull]

took the plunge and started working on the custom figures I've always wanted

fully disassembled don and gave him a soak and scrub in soapy hot water

used acrylic paint (applebarrel brand), thined it a little and applied my first stroke...to discover it bead up like oil in water

thought maybe i thinned too much so tried adjusting the paint/water ratio but nothing really fixed it. tried a test paint on another piece of plastic and it applied as expected, so i guess acrylic paint doesnt work on these figures?

if thats the case what do you use to paint the nick figures? i have no clue what to go for now


EDIT: Nevermind, figured out the issue.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

So how did you fix it? Did it work? I'm considering doing some paint touch-ups on my figures, but I'd like to know what works.

[Powder]

The issue is you're using friggin' Apple Barrel. That sh*t should never go near any toy.

Get some Testors acrylic & thin it out with their brand of paint thinner, not water.

[Discogod]

The problem was probably that the paint was too thinned - without some kind of primer on the plastic, it won't adhere.

Personally I swear by Citadel acrylics, although they're expensive and the colour range isn't what it used to be. But any decent acrylic should do - just NEVER use enamel paints, unless you want to destroy your figures.

[Dragnskull]

So how did you fix it? Did it work? I'm considering doing some paint touch-ups on my figures, but I'd like to know what works.

i put the figure (disassembled) in the dishwasher for a cycle to be absolutely sure any mold release coating was removed (I know this was overkill and was aware that it could have potentially melted the figure, calculated risk in my learning experience)

a combination of that, and less thinning of the paints solved the issue. I have a feeling I was just over-thinning my paints



The issue is you're using friggin' Apple Barrel. That sh*t should never go near any toy.

Get some Testors acrylic & thin it out with their brand of paint thinner, not water.

I have actually just learned how apple barrel isnt good for plastic yesterday, and have since started from scratch using proper paints (Testors model masters acrylic), thanks for the tip about not using water though. Mind me asking why not use water? I thought acrylic paints do fine with it

to apple barrels defense though, the paint seemed to hold just fine, but due to the massive amount of advice against using it, I decided not to proceed further with them just to be safe. After I complete my project using the testors I'll chime in with my own experience using both. I kind of suspect all the advice against applebarrel is a lemming effect (One person said it sucks, so everyone else now says it sucks, without having any actual experience using it)

I know i used applebarrel to do a custom friday the 13th mask last year for halloween and a year later it has held up fine, granted it only got used one single night.

The problem was probably that the paint was too thinned - without some kind of primer on the plastic, it won't adhere.

Personally I swear by Citadel acrylics, although they're expensive and the colour range isn't what it used to be. But any decent acrylic should do - just NEVER use enamel paints, unless you want to destroy your figures.

I agree it was just too thinned more htan likely. i was considering citadel but hobby lobby only had testors model masters and other unheard of brands that i didn't see recommended anywhere. Sadly, the color selection was small so it looks like I'll have to get the colors i lack online now

Anyway, thanks for the advice guys. When I'm done ill be posting a nice big picture heavy thread to show what I'm up too

[kwalsh007]

Raw clean plastic doesn't really like brushed on paint. You don't have to fully prime paint it but you do have to at least prep it with a matte clear coat. You have to give the plastic surface a bit of "tooth" for the paint to grip. Picture painting a squeaky clean glass windshield with a small brush with paint on it. It won't really work. Gotta mist the windshield with coats of spray paint first: clear or a primer will do the trick. Make sure the cans are full,warm, and shook plenty before misting. THIN COATS too. I think that figure accepts a 1/8th inch dowel in the foot. Go buy one for 60 cents and plug into his foot hole. Hold by the dowel and spray him outside in the sun. At least three minutes between mists.The pigment to medium ratio in those apple barrel paints is terrible. Don't bother with that brand. That stuff is good for cardboard craft projects. Not much more.

[steve2477]

I have used Tamiya Acrylic water based paint and it stays on these figures with no problems. No need to water them down either. Works better if they are not watered down.

[Huzzah]

I don't use Apple Barrel on figures, but I in am not as opposed to it as others, they're terrible for smaller tyings, but I use the crap out of them for large things like my dios. Testors and Citadel are too expensive for large scale items like that. So they have their uses.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

The pigment to medium ratio in those apple barrel paints is terrible. Don't bother with that brand. That stuff is good for cardboard craft projects. Not much more.


The problem isn't the pigment ratio. The problem is the paint is actually intended for more porous surfaces, like ceramics. I know- I've used it for YEARS for ceramic bisque painting projects, which it is commonly sold for in shops for that craft, as well as canvas and wood painting projects. Plastic being a bit more slick would require a bit more preparation. The paint is thicker to coat ceramic surfaces more evenly, but with plastic, you have to adjust the thickness, but it's easy to get it TOO thin because it mixes so easily. It doesn't take much at all to get it the right consistency, but it DOES take a little experience with the particular paint brand/type.


I don't use Apple Barrel on figures, but I in am not as opposed to it as others, they're terrible for smaller tyings, but I use the crap out of them for large things like my dios. Testors and Citadel are too expensive for large scale items like that. So they have their uses.


Yeah, plus the Testors don't have very many colors, so if you need different shades, you have to mix them yourself, which is both costly in paint and means that you need that much more to have both basic colors and enough extra for mixing. The many color variations of Apple Barrel means you just buy the ones you need without any pre-mixing, and it's still cheaper than the Testors.