Customizing Help Needed(not covered yet in Tips and Tricks thread)

[Rjns-327]

does anyone or has anyone taking the figure total apart, I mean I can take apart the legs and arms, thats easy. What I mean is the chest, with out damaging it. I tried to cut at the seems, but I cracked the figures chest, and at $20 a pop, I dont want to mess up to many more.

[Son of Keldor]

sorry to hear that! i haven't tried it yet but i will try it very soon - i saw a few people say they drilled holes into the sides first then cut along the seams and popped it open but i'm guessing there is something holding it together in the inside like the 200x figures.

i'll post how mine goes.

=)

[Patreek]

Ok well i'll never make this mistake again. I bought paints in a mom and pop shop and the disply i took them from was mislabeled. I of course, being an idiot, didn't take the time to look at the little paint thingys and ended up buying enamal paint instead of acrylic. About halfway through painting my figure something just didn't seem right... sure enough enamel paint.

So what would you suggest I do? Will it eventually dry and become less tacky? IF I spray a sealant over it will it stop being tacky? UGH!

Also I was following online directions for acrylic paint so i was adding water... this seems to be the exact opposite of what you want to do with enamel as its like bubbling... *rolls eyes*

Anyway to save this project?

I'm hoping they'll let me exchange the paints i haven't opened yet, though i have this sneaky suspicion they won't.

also the brush hairs keep coming off as i paint and getting stuck in the paint *smacks head* is this just because I didn't get the right brushes? or is there something you can do?

[ethansuplee]

you could try spraying with testors dull cote and then paint over it, but if i were you i would try to use acetone to strip the paint that you've already put on the figure. the brush deal sounds like cheap brushes. try getting your brushes from the art section of your local craft store, and don't be afraid to spend a little more on 3 or 4 brush sizes that you will use the most.

[Neo]

Let's see.. I am breaking your post up and try to answer as good as I can.

Ok well i'll never make this mistake again. I bought paints in a mom and pop shop and the disply i took them from was mislabeled. I of course, being an idiot, didn't take the time to look at the little paint thingys and ended up buying enamal paint instead of acrylic. About halfway through painting my figure something just didn't seem right... sure enough enamel paint.

So what would you suggest I do? Will it eventually dry and become less tacky? IF I spray a sealant over it will it stop being tacky? UGH!

Also I was following online directions for acrylic paint so i was adding water... this seems to be the exact opposite of what you want to do with enamel as its like bubbling... *rolls eyes*

Anyway to save this project?

I had a similar problem a while back and the pointers I am giving you are the steps I took to save my figure.

I suggest you clean your figure off with something that doesn't affect the plasctic. You could see if soaking it in warm water for a day or so makes the paint come off a bit. You can probably remove the paint that is still left after that with nailpolish remover. Be carefull as this might affect the plastic so don't let it stay on the figure for too long. Put a bit on one of those disc shaped cothon thingies that ladies use to remove eye makeup and rub that over the paint. Then quickly use a wet towel to whipe the figure clean.

After that wash the figure with water so that you are absolutely sure the figure is clean. Don't worry about leftover paint though. If there is still some left that's no big deal because the previous steps were mainly to preserve the detail in your figure. If you use too many layers of paint the details will be lost.

Then what I would do is get the Chaos Black spray can by Citadel and spray the figure black. Be sure to apply thin films of paint and let them dry before you apply the next layer.

Once this is done you have a non tacky black base figure which you can paint over.

also the brush hairs keep coming off as i paint and getting stuck in the paint *smacks head* is this just because I didn't get the right brushes? or is there something you can do?

This is probably due to a combination of factors. They could be cheap brushes that aren't meant for the paint you bought and you might also be applying too much paint.

I am no expert in any way in this, but I see soooooo many customs on here with thick globs of paint on them. If you paint a figure you really need to take your time and don't expect to finish it in a day.
Apply really, really thin layers of paint and let it dry before you apply the next layer. You can do this by puting very little paint on your brush and use another soft brush with no paint on it to go over the painted areas one more time so the dry brush takes up the access paint. It might be frustrating that it takes so long before it starts to look like the color you want it to be, but trust me it does pay of in the end. It also reduces visible brushstrokes. I have painted a couple of figures now and none of them show any brushstrokes.

I hope this helps.

[Ulisses31]

Can you post photos?

[Ulisses31]

you mean the initial poster right?

I was asking Patreek to post pictures of the toys painted like that, I would like to see them.

[Patreek]

Thanks guys I really appreciate it. Sounds like I've got to strip the paint, I'll try the ways suggested starting with the least abrasive and work my way up. I have to work today so i'll put him in a soap bath while i'm there. With this hurt the sculptey that I sculpted on ?

I got up this morning and the figure was still as tacky as it was the day before so yea this enamel stuff definitely isn't going to work. I guess this will make my first figure much more memorable *rolls eyes* haha

Again I REALLY appreciate your help. I'll take pictures of what he looks like now and after so show you.

EDIT: OH i have another question. My roomie has old warhammer acrylic paints but they have dried up... if i add something to them can they still be used?

[Megalodon]

EDIT: OH i have another question. My roomie has old warhammer acrylic paints but they have dried up... if i add something to them can they still be used?

Nope once those dry up they are crap...And if they do take with some water they are just watered down dried up paints...

[Neo]

Hm, I am not sure how my tips will affect sculpy. :-s

[Patreek]

Hm, I am not sure how my tips will affect sculpy. :-s

its ok one ear already broke off when i was trying to remove his head.... lol i'll just redo them

Ok so I have this figure all painted and finished... FINALLY. He looks beautiful! ... so I spray him with sealer (krylon matte) and all hell breaks loose. First some of the paint like is coming off a bit and smearing within the sealer... mostly stuff I dry brushed on.

Second, the sealer is like pooling in spots and then drying in clumps... i noticed before it was totally dry and tried to brush it away and it made a freaking mess. :-( :-(

What am I doing wrong...

[LastEternian]

Hi there guys! I am new to customizing figures, and I wanted to know what is the best way to safely disassemble MOTUC figures. I want to mix and match parts to create a new character, but I'm afraid of destroying my figures in the process. Anyone experienced in this area that can give me some tips? Thanks alot!

[Megalodon]

I found out an easy way:

Put a small regular screwdriver behind the piece that connect the back, puss the back forward when you pry towards you (Slowly) and it will pop apart

I can post pics if someone wants them

[warrenpeace2012]

I'm workin on a little project and I'm looking for the best route to take. I need to make the Shredders shin & arm blades, shirt and cape, but I dont want to use sculpey. I need something that is more like the plastic used for action figures. If I totally strike out trying to sculpt them, are there any customizers that take requests if given a blueprint or design? And how much would something like that cost?

[hawggie]

If you have extra Shredders (or something with similar blades) you can use those and glue them in place. Or cut out blades from appropriately thick plastic or sheet styrene. Make sure you leave a little extra at the bases, and cut grooves where they attach to help them stay in place.

[Son of Keldor]

please do!

=)

[warrenpeace2012]

Coolness, thats a great idea. I'll give it a try!

[Rjns-327]

if u could, i would like some one to post pics or even better a youtube video would be cool.

[masterenglish]

Thin layers. Lots of em. You probably put it on way too thick from what I gathered by your description. Plus, dont use Krylon.

[ethansuplee]

yes. i would suggest using testor's dull cote spray. and you want to spray about 12 inches away from the piece, and just do light coating. it sounds like you probably got too close with your spray, which would cause it to pool up and get too wet.

[Patreek]

ok yea i think thats exactly what i was doing. CRUD! It really messed things up... I just did some painting and its looking better,though there are a few rough surfaces that used to be nice and smooth....i'm thinking about sanding them down but am worried about causing a bigger mess.

OK so i'm starting to see why people said to sand down the joints. Every time I move the arms or legs it rubs the paint off. So here are my questions...

1. Is it too late to sand them down now that its painted.. i mean obviously i'd have to repaint parts but is this going to just cause a big mess?

2. What is ideal... to sand them down while the pieces are poped and seperated right?

3. What joints need the sanding and what part of the joint do you sand. Example. THe bicep to should joint. Do i sand down the bicep part or the shoudler part orboth?

4. A BIG problem I'm having is not with a joint but with where the loin cloth hits the theigh... sanding something down isn't really going to fix this... what can I do... everytime I move the leg so it touches the loincloth is scraps off paint.

5. Waist... how exactly do I sand this down so that when I turn his waist paint doesn't come up...

[Soulfly]

I'll second the using of Testors dull coat to seal your figs. Make sure you always shake the can really well and ALWAYS test spray on something before you ever use clear coat on a figure. It at times has a tendency to come out grainy, or fuzzy white haze. Just depends on the brand and how old it is. Also, try not to clear coat if it is humid out.

[Faceless One]

First you ought to tell what kind of figure are you customizing, I suppose that it is a MOTUC. I don't usually sand down articulations, as I think it is kinda lot of work for little result, but you can try. I always try to paint the places where the articulation is with a very thin coat of paint. About the waist, it shouldn't rub off, unless you have applied too much paint or have sculpted something in that part.

I also have that problem with the loincloth, I haven't tried it, but perhaps applying oil, then in theory the leg should be able to move without rubbing.

[Patreek]

will a sealer prevent the loincloth from scaping paint of the theigh?

[Faceless One]

Some sealers are not adequate for water-base paints. Others simply never dry, making an awful mess. So I recommend you painting something plastic (a not used sword, or a broken up vintage figure) and then always try the sealers before applying them to the final custom. When I use sealer, I use Talent pastel fixer, which 99 % of the times seals well and I use it mainly for making a custom glossy.