Best Paint?

[Phelan]

I want to do a custom set of NECA turtles based on the White ones, but this will be my first time painting this type of plastic. What's the most durable paint/prep combo for this? Any tips?

[Archon_Turtle]

I want to do a custom set of NECA turtles based on the White ones, but this will be my first time painting this type of plastic. What's the most durable paint/prep combo for this? Any tips?

Personally I used Games Workshop's Citadel Paints almost exclusively. They're expensive, but amazing.

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/landing.jsp?catId=cat150004&rootCatGameStyle=paints-tools&_requestid=5488343

[Phelan]

Cool, thanks! Do they hold up well? And brush or spray? And good prep work suggestions other than cleaning? Also, I noticed they have resins here. I have a limited amount of experience with these, any good recommendations on which to get and how to use them? My first set of customs will be repair only, but eventually I want to good more custom work too.

[Plasticplayhouse]

Ditto on the citadel, they are the best. They hold up well. You can use brush or air brush. Their green stuff (2 part sculpting compound) is good but imo aves apoxie sculpt is the best. You can Google it to find it.

[RayH]

I always use liquitex and tamiya paint. But if your gonna paint up the turtles, tamiya won't work on bendy plastic like the head band, and kneepads. unless you put down the proper undercoat.

[Walkabout]

Personally I used Games Workshop's Citadel Paints almost exclusively. They're expensive, but amazing.

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/landing.jsp?catId=cat150004&rootCatGameStyle=paints-tools&_requestid=5488343

I would highly recommend GW paints too.

[psychoandy]

After much experimentation, I now use the $1 bottles of acrylic paint from Michaels almost exclusively (FolkArt, Americana, Apple Barrel, and Ceramcoat brands are the most commonly found there), and have for the last 10+ years.

Especially if you're just starting, I STRONGLY recommend going with less-expensive paints. Not that I think you're going to bail on the hobby, but it doesn't make sense to spend a lot of money on a new hobby that you're not 100% sure you're going to stick with.

After you make a few figures, if you really dig customizing, then definitely go ahead and pick up some more expensive paints and brushes. But keep your costs low, at least at first.

[Powder]

Don't those all scratch off with ease though?

[Discogod]

All paints will scratch & wear off if you're not careful. You'll need to thoroughly clean the figure first with warm soapy water, and it's always a good idea to disassemble the figure to make painting a little easier.

If you want to retain posability, then it's also a good idea to sand down the joints & anywhere else there'll be parts rubbing together, else the first time you move anything the paint'll just come off.

Personally, I use mostly Citadel & find them fantastic, if expensive. But I've also got decent results with Tamiya, along with cheaper acrylics. It's more about technique than anything else - it might be worth finding a couple of old figures to practice on before starting on the NECA figures...

[psychoandy]

Don't those all scratch off with ease though?

If you put thick layers of paint on without giving them time to set, yeah. But that'll happen with all paint.

I've got toys I painted over a decade ago that still look exactly like they did when I painted them. It's all about taking care of your artwork.

[TheMasterTurtle]

Personally, I use mostly Citadel & find them fantastic, if expensive. But I've also got decent results with Tamiya, along with cheaper acrylics. It's more about technique than anything else - it might be worth finding a couple of old figures to practice on before starting on the NECA figures...

I absolutely agree with practice... until you learn your own technique and how to work with the paints and brushes I wouldnt use the actual figures you want to work on.

[Dragnskull]

on the note of "practice", i would suggest anyone interested in this type of hobby to start off with models such as cars etc found at your local hobby store.

Growing up I was into model cars (though knew nothing about cars or had any real interest in them, lol) itll teach you a great deal about painting without making you stress your creative side trying to figure out what to mod next, and without ruining figures you want to make look nice.