Custom paint question
 

Okay, full disclosure, this is not Turtles related, but it is custom action figure related. I recently picked up one of the Power Rangers Legacy Gold Ranger figures and used a really nice color of gold spray paint to cover over the shield that should have been painted gold already, but we won't go there...

Trouble is, while it looks very nice, the paint is still very sticky after several days, and when touched, if you're not careful, you can leave finger prints in it.

Any ideas on how to counter this? I thought about applying a coat of clear nail polish, but thought I'd ask my fellow Shellheads before trying that to see if there are other suggestions.

Did you use acrylic or enamel paint? If enamel, you're basically f*cked and have ruined the shield. You can try stripping it with acetone, but chances are you'll make it worse.

I wouldn't use nail polish for anything on an action figure, I'd stick to products designed to be used on plastic, like an acrylic varnish or sealant.

Yeah, I've only recently dabbled in customizing, but I read a lot, do a lot of research about it, and you have to be very careful with paints, especially metallic colors. Spray paint is generally not the best bet for action figures or their accessories.

I personally only buy and use Testors acrylic paints, because that's what the people who do the most amazing figures all swear by. They dry fast, are almost indistinguishable from the factory paint, and aren't sticky at all once the paint dries, especially if you gently buff the figure or accessory with a dry, lint-free cloth afterwards.

Testors makes some great metallic paints in a variety of colors, including silver and gold. But some people have another method for getting a nice gold color: Paint the piece in Silver, and then once it dries, apply several coats of "clear" yellow. I haven't tried it myself, but many people recommend this method rather than simply using Gold paint, both for a more textured look and also to get the "perfect" shade of gold as desired (in the event that the stock Gold is too light or dark). I haven't had a chance to get any clear paints yet, but it's a trick that seems to work great for making any color "metallic".

As has already been said, with action figures and the like, ACRYLIC paint is what you want, NOT Enamel, which will pretty much ruin your figure along with anything else that ever touches it. It stays sticky forever and rubs off onto everything. Always check labels, especially if buying at the hobby or craft store, because sometimes they stock both types of paint entirely too close to each other. Someone in a hurry could easily grab the wrong type by mistake. So be careful. Testors is what I recommend; everyone generally says that the generic craft store paints aren't as good as Testors, and some of the cheaper acrylics can even chip and flake off. Not every store even carries Testors, but they're easy and cheap to buy online. They're a little bit more expensive than the generic ones, but the colors really stand out, and you can buy several kits of multiple colors, including all-metallic kits. And by "a little more expensive", I mean literally "a little", like a few cents here or there.

For advice and tips from "the pros", I suggest going on www.figurerealm.com and taking a look at some of their many excellent tutorials. That's what I did when I picked up the hobby; I ruined several figures as a kid (MOSTLY with enamel paints :trazz:) so when I decided to get serious about it recently, I spent several days looking over tutorials before I even bought any brushes or paints.

Most people say that Testors dries well enough that a sealant shouldn't be necessary, but that's up to the individual. It shouldnt hurt anything, but may not be necessary unless the piece is going to be actively played with often and you're worried about scratches.

Good luck. I agree with discogod, it sounds like an enamel situation, in which case you may be stuck searching eBay for a replacement shield to start over with. But even in a worst case it's a learning experience. Hope it works out.

Ok, so, here's what I've learned:
enamel = :tmad:
acrylic = :tgrin:

Thanks guys! I appreciate the advice. Looks like this was an enamel situation, so that's the bad news. The good news is, Gold Ranger is not hard to find in my area. I appreciate the advice and will take another crack at this, and will post results when finished.

Thanks again, friends!

Happy to help. Hope it goes well, and be sure to check out that website! They even have stuff about making dioramas for displaying your figures.

Just be sure to have time set aside. Very often I go on there to look at "just one thing" and lose an entire afternoon.

next time you want to spray paint anything put on a base coat with a Automotive Etching paint them the other paint it can go on softer plastics but still is a crapshoot when putting on the other paint after

I have you covered, jump into my guides and tutorials. The basic painting guide explains what kind of paints work, why certain ones don't, and how to prep your figure. http://jinsaotomesdangeroustoys.com/guides.html