My daughters' abbreviated school schedule has allowed us plenty of time to paint. I started the girls on 1/32 soft plastic figures, which they did enjoy. Now we have moved on (down?) to 1/72 scale. These figures are all from HaT Industries.
I am very glad to see that one manufacturer is making figures suitable for wargaming!
Very nicely done indeed!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks, Peter!
DeleteThose are rather nice paint jobs. Move over Scott-the kids can paint for clients.
ReplyDeleteAnd they really enjoy it too! Maybe we'll make a whole home business out of it. Although I have a feeling that making it into paid work will rob some of the fun.
DeleteI'm curious - how did you go about painting the soft plastics? I've wanted to do the same with kids (I'm a children's librarian) and looking for a way not to have the paint flake off.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you don't mind me commentating Scott?! You will no doubt have some more to add.
DeleteI get little flaking. It is chiefly about preparation before painting. Wash the figures in detergent and then rinse then thoroughly. Undercoat first (people commonly use white or black—I like Payne's Grey), then apply the colours. After painting apply a varnish (a matt spray is easy).
Regards, James
I don't mind at all, James! I agree completely with washing the figures. Plastics have a greasy mold release agent that will cause flaking if left.
DeleteI also use a plastic primer: Rustoleum flat white 2 in 1. Once the figures are painted, I seal them by brushing on Minwax polyurethane. I used "clear satin" on these figures.
After basing is complete, I spray Testors Dullcote from a rattle can. Otherwise the figures will stay shiny.
Jennifer, maybe I will do a full blog post on our process. We should have new figures coming in the mail this week.
DeleteFantastic painting of these Scott. They look fabulous! Marvellous that it was a family affair. Did you do some each, or form a production line?
ReplyDeleteRegards, James
The girls did most of the prep work and block painting. I did much of the detail work and highlighting, but they did some of that as well.
DeleteGreat work Scott and girls...I must get on to painting my 1/72 scale Hat Industrie American Civil War figures (plus many ACW figures and buildings made by other companies). Then there are all the figures and extras I have collected to represent aspects of the Napoleonic Wars, WW1, WW2, Rome versus Carthage, Greeks versus Persians and their allies, Alexander the Great versus Persians, The 100 Years War, The Thirty Years War, The Great Northern War, Wars between the Samurai, and more...collecting is fun, but painting and storing figures, buildings and other diorama accessories are tasks that still largely await me. I agree with statements above about first washing the figures in warm water with a good detergent added to it...once dry I prime the washed figures with a white water-based gesso, which seems to stick on well. I then use thinned acrylic paints, but painting all the details on small figures slows me down. Any advice on quicker ways to paint and store 1/72 scale figures would be much appreciated. Thanks, Robert - Brisbane, Australia
ReplyDeleteAnd P.S. - Yes, all the figures I collect are 1/72 scale plastic, from a wide selection of companies, but mostly HaT Industrie, Italeri, Zvezda, Revell, Strelets, Airfix, Imex and Pegasus...some 1/76 scale figures have also been added to the collection. Some plastic figures I painted when I was a kid have gone brittle, and snap quite easily. They were painted with oil-based paints, and I used turpentine as a thinner. I never washed the figures before painting, which would explain why some of the paint peeled off, but the brittleness? Has anyone else experienced that happening to their painted plastic figures? They were never left near direct sunlight...always stored in boxes. Maybe it's something to do with the turps reacting with the plastic? Any clues Scott?
ReplyDeleteI've experienced the brittle plastic issue, both with painted figures and new-in-box ones. It seems to be to do with the formula used in the plastic at the time they were made, but some vintage figures remain flexible while others become brittle.
DeleteThose Hat figures are nice though, and well presented! I am just doing some of the 'command' set to upgrade my Imex and Revell regiments, but just might replace those too with the hat guys!