When I first started gaming back in the seventies, I was a high school student without a lot of money to spend on "luxuries" like lead miniatures. So like most gamers on a budget, I started out using the Airfix line of plastic figures. These figures were good looking, detailed and best of all cheap! They do have one major drawbacks, being made of a soft plastic they bend easily, particularly around thin areas on the figures like arms, guns, swords, ankles etc. If painted with traditional materials and techniques the paint simply cracks and flakes at these points and eventually falls off, leaving you with a army of half-painted figures and a lot of bad jokes from your friends.
Now 20+ years later I find that some things just don't change. I am still in gaming and instead of being a poor student, I find myself as a family man still without a lot of money for my hobby and the soft plastic figures are still cheap. Fortunately there are many new products on the market that have improved painting techniques which has come to the rescue of budget minded gainers. Allowing us to create durable paint jobs, on these inexpensive figures without. Listed below is my set of instructions for creating a good durable paint job on these soft plastic figures.
1. The first step is to remove the figures from their tree and trim off the flash. Using a very sharp hobby knife, carefully removed and trim each figure. You may need to change the blade often in order to keep the trimming process clean and neat.
2.If you are going to do modifications or any conversion tu the figures, make them now at this stage of the process. If the pieces need some assembly (like MG, mortars and artillery) you may want to wait until after the washing process to put them together.
3.Fill a small container with hot water from the tap and dishwashing soap with a clegrease additive. Place the figures in the soapy water and let the soak for at least fifteen minutes. Rinse with clean water and let them air dry overnight.
This is very import step, because the mold release agent used during manufacture or the natural oils from your fingers tips is one of the biggest road blocks to a durable paint job on plastic (or metal for that matter figures. From the time you put the figures into the hot water bath until the finished coat of protective sealer is dry, you should avoid touching the figure with your bare hands.
4.Now mount each figure on a temporary stand for painting. It is very important that the figures be mounted in such a way that your fingers do not come in direct contact with the figure while you're working on them. I simply glue each figure to a craft stick, using water-down white glue.
5.After you have cleaned and mounted the figures, you need to prep them. The easiest way to do this is to use a product from Poly-S Corporation called Polly-Prep. Simply brush it on to the figure and allow it to air dry, after 20 minutes you are ready to start the priming and painting process.
(I have found that some qfthe older Airfix lines of figures, may need to repeat this step two or thee times. This may be due to the age of the models in my collection of a difference in the plastic used by the manufacturer)
6.Priming is another important step necessary for both a good finish and a durable paint job. Use only Acrylic or Latex type paints as a primer, do not use oil-based paints as a primer. I recommend using a product called Acrylic Gesso from Liquitex. It is used by artist for priming canvas, and should be available in any arts and crafts store. I brought my last 4oz. Bottle from Michael's for $5.50 and have primed approximately 100 to 150 figures with it and still have more then half a bottle left. Simple brush Gesso onto the figure and let it dry for 10 to 20 minutes and your ready to paint.
7. After you have primed your figures it's time to start painting. Whatever style of painting you use is up to you, the only important thing to remember is use only Acrylic paints! When oil based paints dry they form a hard inflexible shell or skin around the figure. If the figure should be bend in any way, oil based paint will crack and peel at this points. Acrylic paints are more flexible when they dry. So if the figure should be bend during handling, the paint is more likely bend then crack.
8.After you have painted your figures the last major step is to apply a protective coating. For this I highly recommend using a product called "Scenic Cement" from Woodland Scenics. (Available at most hobby stores) It's a "milky white" liquid, that usually comes in a 16 oz bottle and cost about $5.00. Primarily used by train hobbyists for attaching ground cover to model railroad layouts, it can also be used as a protective coating. Simple bush Scenic Cement over the figure and in about twenty minutes it will dry, forming a clear flat flexible protective coating that should stand up to years of gaming.
I have been used this method for almost two years now, for both my plastic WWII and Hundred Years War DBA armies and have had excellent results. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me via e-mail at rburke01@aol.com.
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© Copyright 1999 Hal Thinglum
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