Customizing Tips for Beginners?

[Ninjinister]

Hey all,

I've recently been bit by the customizing bug, but am not exactly sure where to start. I know there are some here that are very proficient in customizing figures, so I'd like to hear what tips ye have for someone who's just starting out. I know there are a plethora of useful tutorials on the internet, but I'd rather get information straight from someone who has worked extensively with TMNT figures.

I've got ideas for figures, but I'm not entirely sure what are the best tools and methods. I'm starting out with just repainting and mild kitbashing with parts from other figures. Anything you can provide would help.

One specific question: What is better for prepaint application: sandpaper or nail polish remover?

Thanks!

[notebook]

hey i just started last month too.
i havent messed with sandpaper or nail polish remover yet, but nothing beats a thorough wash. priming with either black or white makes working with light colors much easier also. max strength superglue is awesome. it's like a green 1up mushroom.

i get my paints online from testors. they have good brushes too.

i just started using sculpey a few days ago, but it keeps cracking a lot. so...maybe use something better than sculpey? like apoxie sculpt.

[Ninjinister]

Wash and primer? I'm not an artistic dude, so I'm not sure what that includes.

[Bigfoot]

Hey guys. It's always good to see new people getting into the hobby. I personally started customizing TMNT figs about a year ago, and have picked up a few very helpfull tips.

Properly "prep" the figure that is to be repainted:
-Wash it with soap and water.
-Let it dry.
Depending on what you are doing, what effect you are after, and what color you are repainting, you may have to do none or all of these steps.
-Sand it.
-Smooth it.
-Prime it.
Sanding the area that is to be repainted almost gaurantees that any paint will stick, but leaves the plastic rough and textured. Good in some cases, bad in others. Better quality paints "stick" to the plastic better and require less prep work. After sanding, you should smooth out any imperfections with a high grit sand paper, steel wool, or even a heavy duty scrub pad. Clean away any dust and plastic particles. I learned the hard way about priming a figure. First of all, get the better paints, and you will have less problems in the long run. White primer works great for light colors...Exe. We want yellow paint on a green turtle foot. If we put yellow paint right on the green, we get a hideous mess. Prime it white, be patient and let it dry, then paint it yellow. Same goes with dark colors over black. I have recently started layering paints and thinning it out to be like a colored glaze... very cool effect.

Oh boy, Sculpey... Well, we all tried it. It's easy to shape, it's fun to play with, but is it practical for action figure customization? Survey says...NO! I have tried my hardest to be friends with Sculpey, but to no avail, I have moved on to Apoxie sculpt. The days of Sculpey are behind me, and I will tell you why. Who wants to boil or bake, and possibly crack something you spent hours making? Paint doesnt stick well to it. it cracks as it ages. Be sure to glue it in place over a roughly sanded area or it will seperate from the plastic. Okay, Im done with that. Try some apoxie sculpt, it's a 2 part mixture that is the perfect texture and can be sanded, drilled, and painted just like regular plastic. Make sure it is dry! (No baking or boiling needed.) I should stress how important it is to be patient when doing something like this. In each of the steps where you need to let something dry... wait. This is a project that will take time, especially if you want it to look nice.

One more thing before I leave you to torture your plastic lab rats, it is a good idea to sand down the joints of a figure before repainting. If you don't, the paint will rub away the first time it bends.

There is alot more to customizing, but I'm done for now, ask a particular question and I may be able to help. I know there are others here that have been doing it alot longer. I will post pictures of failures and and my finest figs when I get home from work.

[Ninjinister]

You folks have given me some solid advice. Thank you so much!

[notebook]

see, i've never sanded anything. the paints from testors go on really smooth for the most part, and there's never any brushstrokes.
also, removing ball jointed legs and arms makes painting them easier, and they pop right back in. a lot of tmnt figs are like this. pegged limbs are more of a gamble, so i just leave 'em in. if i'm painting things like removable shoulder pads or whatever, i rip 'em out and superglue them back if they don't go right back in.

some figures will require significntly more waing than others. i'm thinking mostly of hothead. beware- the paint will peel right off, no matter how good it is, unless you wash the figure thorougly.


what i'd like to find is some good air-hardening clay ideal for sculpting and shaping clothing

[Ninjinister]

I got my first batch of loose Utroms yesterday (three of 'em), and was surprised to find out that the Oots themselves are lil' squshy, sticky buggers (they look like standard plastic in the package). Is there some special paint or painting method to be used on material like the Utroms are made out of for painting? Or am I better off going in a different direction for a rejiggered Utrom?