Painting the speedbuild kits

[Paul Cheeseman]

Hi

First post as requested here

What sort of paint do you use to paint the speedbuild kits? I am loath to buy rattle cans all the time as they cost a lot for the paint volume, and noticed on one of your videos that you seem to use bottles of acrylic paint.

Ones I've looked at seem to be just childrens poster paint and totally unsuitable, what make are your ones?

 

[FDS]

Cans work much better for large areas, since you want a very thin layer of paint. More paint = more weight.
Coloured packing tape can look very effective and many kits have printed “skins” available for them which you can print for not much cost that replace the paper on the outside surface of the foamboard.
On the new waterproof foam you will need to key the surface. I use a medium Scotchbrite pad to do that, or 400-600 grit auto paper on a block on all the parts, both sides, before assembly whilst they are still on the frames. That has the added bonus of giving the glue a prepared surface too.
You can use acrylic pots for striping and detail work over a spray base, but you don’t want to add too much weight and water based paints don’t stick well to the waterproof FB.

 

[Hai-Lee]

Hi

First post as requested here

What sort of paint do you use to paint the speedbuild kits? I am loath to buy rattle cans all the time as they cost a lot for the paint volume, and noticed on one of your videos that you seem to use bottles of acrylic paint.

Ones I've looked at seem to be just childrens poster paint and totally unsuitable, what make are your ones?

I use rattle cans almost exclusively now as a single can can do 2 or 3 builds and of course I use the cheapest brands I can obtain.
First I seal the FB with a Minwax equivalent and when dry I apply a couple of light coats from the rattle can. You will need to wait until the paint hardens off before handling for best results. Do not apply the paint too thickly as it can cause a range of FB problems.

If you want to use alternate "Bulk" paints then consider obtaining either an airbrush or a small spray gun and spray the sealed FB sheets before cutting out if possible, (Mask areas to be glued later of course).

Just a few thoughts!

have fun!

 

[mrjdstewart]

do some searching the diff types of paints have been discussed at length here. cut to the chase, all rattle cans are not created equal and can have some disastrous effects upon your plane. nothing worse than spending hours building only to have it all undone by 10 secs of paint.

in short, use Rustoleum 2X or Krylon Color Master and DO NOT start the spray on the FB, start off the piece you are painting then move onto it. the accelerant in the paint can dissolve the foam instantly. take your time and all should be good.

good luck,

me

 

[sprzout]

in short, use Rustoleum 2X or Krylon Color Master and DO NOT start the spray on the FB, start off the piece you are painting then move onto it. the accelerant in the paint can dissolve the foam instantly. take your time and all should be good.

And if you are in doubt of whether a paint will eat the foamboard? Test it on a scratch piece before you put the spray on the FB. No sense watching it eat the plane you just spent hours building.

 

[Headbang]

I use cheap apple brand Walmart acrylic for white foam board, apply with cheap airbrush. For brown ft board I use rustoleum x2 as others have stated. Acrylic will work, but you would have to find more expensive stuff and play with the mix. Either way sand before paint, lots of light coats,

 

[sprzout]

I use cheap apple brand Walmart acrylic for white foam board, apply with cheap airbrush. For brown ft board I use rustoleum x2 as others have stated. Acrylic will work, but you would have to find more expensive stuff and play with the mix. Either way sand before paint, lots of light coats,

What's your mix ratio that you use with the Walmart acrylic? My wife has a bunch of that stuff that she uses to paint rocks, but I've not had great luck with thinning it out for use with my Paasche airbrush...

 

[Headbang]

I use about 50/50 paint to windex. Works good with my dual action airbrush. @sprzout

 

[Paul Cheeseman]

Thanks guys

I'll try a few of the suggestions and see what works for me.
I would prefer the bulk paint as its lower cost, but of course not much use if it doesnt work or washes/peels off!
I cant get the apple brand here in the UK, but will try a similar.

I'll post a pic when this ones done (assuming it survives!)

 

[FDS]

I use Halfords and Games Workshop paints and Army Painter tinted primers on my FT foam, I am in the UK too.
I find one can does 2 medium planes or 1 simple series. If you want bulk buy paint then you would do better to get a cheap spray gun and compressor and switch to auto paints. You would save money vs buying lots of cans.
Many of the cheap DIY shop paint here is really bad, I would advise against using it.
For heavy colour graffiti cans are good.

 

[Headbang]

@FDS makes a very good point. Automotive paint in a airbrush is maybe the best solution for painting. I do not do it due to fumes and portability of the setup. But if you have a location it is possible, it might be the best bet.

 

[Paul Cheeseman]

I use Halfords and Games Workshop paints and Army Painter tinted primers on my FT foam, I am in the UK too.
I find one can does 2 medium planes or 1 simple series. If you want bulk buy paint then you would do better to get a cheap spray gun and compressor and switch to auto paints. You would save money vs buying lots of cans.
Many of the cheap DIY shop paint here is really bad, I would advise against using it.
For heavy colour graffiti cans are good.

Funny you should mention that, I still have some GW primers from years back, think I'll test them out

Most of the craft paints I've seen so far look pretty poor.

I do have an airbrush setup, and also have a bigger compressor should I go down the small spraygun route. TBH I'd rather pay £9 for auto paint than £9 for a small pot of hobby paint. Just need to either keep one scheme or make a lot more models!

My small model paints (Vallejo) would cost a small fortume to paint a big model!

Appreciate the inputs

 

[FDS]

My £11 mini gravity fed spray gun was the best tool I ever bought, made tens of times it’s cost back in work and painted everything from motorbikes to Nerf blasters and a few planes.