Best paint to use when adding accessory detail?

[rocketguy2]

Is acrylic paint the best option for adding detail to accessories and flexibles like gunbelts, hats,etc.?

[caniswalensis]

I would say so. I have had good results using hobby acrylics on rubber boots & hats for some of my GI Joes.

Wash with mild soap & water, let dry completely and then paint it right on with no primer.

pro-tip: For painting lighter colors onto drab or dark pieces, fist paint the piece white, let dry, then paint with the color.

Hope this is helpful, Canis

[stewartsattic]

I'll add that if you are painting the soft accessories that you find the Sealer by dreamacoat and use that before and after the paint layer... This creates a 'skin' of paint that is more flexible so you can actually bend the pieces a little without it cracking and chipping off.
Scott

[mykol blackwell]

Alrighty then,,,, glad this topic came up!!!! I've painted a bunch of heads at this point,, & I thank the Ranchers, that gave me the heads up (no pun intended) about what type of paint to use, for the heads; like Scott, & Terri!!! Now,,, the question has arisen,,,, what about the bodies,,, my instincts tell me that we're talkin' something completely different,,,, like Testors,,( ya remember the kind of pint ya painted yer models with!) Am I way off base??? I guess I just think acrylic will chip easy on the bodies,,, especially near the joints!!

Can any body help me out here,,, I'd be grateful!!!
Adios,
Mykol

[stewartsattic]

Hey Mykol.
No paint will stick on the bodies and NOT chip around the joints. So any paint will work. One thing to do is to use many coats of a top sealer on whatever paint you decide to use. One paint I haven't tried yet is the vinyl paint they sell in auto parts stores for painting the dashboard and vinyl bumpers... It may work best but don't know....

[mykol blackwell]

Thanx Scott,,, I'd hoped you'd be the one to answer this question!! Cuz yer one of the experts, in my book!I've seen the amazing work you've done, both at the Old Ranch, & yer website!!! Hope yer havin' a great weekend! Adios, Mykol

[Lee]

We have had pretty good luck with some of the new 'plastic' paints sold in hardware stores, Walmart, etc. The target job for this is the plastic yard furniture. The paint bonds with the plastic (no primer needed). It actually does not bond well over regular paint. I said pretty good luck -- it can still be scraped off of the Marx bodies.
Lee

[stewartsattic]

Lee and his boys are fantastic customizers! They really know their stuff. I've tried the Krylon Fusion brand a couple of times on various projects as well.

One tip you may try... coat the 'fragile' areas with a small, thin coat of superglue - right on the first coat of paint, let dry and then second coat.

Scott

[woodysdog]

If you go, To a Shoe repair store. They sell spray paint. For leatherand vinyl shoes.This stuff comes, In many different Colors. IT has colors to match leathers. Also spray paint, use on vinyl dash boards. Sold auto supplies stores. it Flexable and durable. Ihave use it, To paint accersorys and boots for ,My Gi Joes.

[cobrasam]

Yeah, for the soft accessories, the vinyl spray paint you get for dashboards and carseats at the auto store is great. It sort of contracts as it dries, so you preserve the detail. It's extremely flexible so it doesn't come off even on things like belts where the painted surface touches itself. Even on hands wher the piece moves lot it doesn't come off - I gave my Black Knight black "gloves" with it. For the detail work you're talking about you can just spray some into the can's lid and use it as a liquid paint too. Also, for hair it does not come off on hats. I've always had some wear using acrylic paint on heads, but not with this. I'll tape off the skin and paint the bulk of the hair. Then, like I said, spray some into the paint can lid and just do the detailed painting on the eyebrows, mustaches, pupils, etc. with a paintbrush. It dries to the touch in less than 30 minutes and comes in a wide variety of colors, except, oddly, I have yet to find dark brown. I guess people don't have brown dashboards

For the hard accessories (guns, armor, etc.) the spot paint for car bodies is awesome. An 8 ounce can goes for about $8. This is paint formulated to cover spots on your car, so it comes in pretty much every car color there is. The ultimate test was a Blue Knight's armor I painted General Motors Silver. With the armor there are a lot of places where the pieces overlap, like the tabs and loops and gloves and such, so I figured that would start to scrape off. But it hasn't. The stuff is *extremely* chip resistant, since that's what it's made for, but also has enough give to it that it won't crack when bent. DEFINITELY only paint outdoors with it though, because it has a very strong toxic smell when it first goes on. It's dry to the touch after about 20 minutes and fully cured in about a day or two (when the smell goes away). I haven't tried it on bodies yet.

I hope that helps.

[woodysdog]

Good info!!! I use Rubber latex. To Mask off. the faces. Or some plastiline clay. ( CHILDRENS PLAY CLAY) for small areas. latex pleals off easy