Repainting your ROTTMNT action figure -Master Post
I don't normally use tumblr, let me know if any of this is wrong/not working, lol
Will be updated as I go, most these are also posted on my X/Twitter under ckao_03
If anyone has any questions, let me know!
Part 1 - Cleaning
Part 2A - Hard Plastic Prep
Part 2B - Soft Plastic Prep
Part 3 - Priming (For keeping the default skin color)
or
Part 3 - Priming (For covering the skin color (ie, for an oc))
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Donnie Color Guide: Part 1 | Part 2
I had recently found you (like 2 minutes ago) and omg, WHAT HAVE I BEEN MISSING????!!!! 🤯🤯🤯🤩🤩🤩😆🥳🎉
Your recreational artistry is spot-on!!! 👏
I do have to know... What type of paint do you use??? 👀 🖌️🎨
I've tried to repaint a Hallmark Sonic Figurine with acrylics once and only made it worse 😭
The coating was textured thanks to the drying paint and brush strokes, and the layers only made it all the more unappealing.
What should I use for the right amount of time to apply colors, but not watered down too much, where it won't stick?
Please lmk, I aim to get back to doing more sculpture and painting said pieces...
But First! ☝️
I must obtain your knowledge of skill and resources!!! 🙏
Hello!!! 👋 Aaaah, and thank you so much!! 🥹🥹
Sorry for how long this took for me to reply, I got your message at the beginning of an extra hard work week! I also haven't handpainted in a suuuper long time, so I went and painted a little first, as a refresher for myself.
Alright, so almost all of my action figures are actually spray painted with an airbrush, to get those super smooth layers and nice color gradients (I can't actually use a brush or even a pen for very long, thanks to an old injury D: ). BUT I do still have some tips!
The paints I use are lacquers, enamel and acrylics, in order from most to least used (that's also the order I apply them in, if I'm using all three). I actually have a little write up on these you can find here, where I mention the pros and cons, etc : https://www.tumblr.com/ckao03/732539670237478912/okay-i-could-talk-about-each-of-these-topics-in?source=share
As for the tips...
- If your acrylics aren't sticking, whether water downed or not, the most likely culprit is your primer, or potentially lackthereof. Paint needs a surface to stick to, or else it'll run or flake off, and if you're applying it to the surface of a figure right out of the box, leftover mold release from the factory can be too slippery for paints. For acrylics, I use Citadel Color spray (available in White Bone, Grey Seer, Chaos Black. I stick with white or gray by default.). I've also used Krylon back in the day, which you can typically find in a hardware store. For lacquer and enamels, I use Mr Base White (or Mr Super Clear, if I want to keep the color underneath). Even though lacquer and enamel stick very well, you still need a primer.
That being said, I did my first model ever with enamels and hand painted it, and she still had some brushstrokes, lol, so the self-leveling can only help so much.
-It takes a little practice to know how much to thin your paints to where they really work for you, but the overall goal is you don't want the paint too runny to control, but it should also glide easy from your brush with little effort to move it. Start with a couple drops of thinner, test it out and adjust from there, and see if you can find that magic consistency that works.
Waterbased acrylics dry CRAZY FAST, so you'll want to add a drop or two of water to rethin every couple of minutes. Enamels and lacquers can self-level to a smoother surface, but the downside is they take up to 24 hours to fully cure.
-Multiple thin coats will always look better than one thick coat. Apply your first layer, wait until it's dry, then repeat until you get the desired coverage. Don't worry if you can still see your model through the paint for the first few layers.
This was Mr Base Coat, Two layers of Vallejo for the first layer of color.
-You can buy a product called acrylic paint retarder, which will slow down the drying process and make it workable for longer. I've never used this personally, so I can't attest to how well it works.
-Alternate your brushstrokes. Paint your first layer by applying it in one direction, like up and down. When you paint your second layer, go side to side and continue alternating for each layer. This will help smooth out any brushstrokes as you go.
-Clean your brush frequently. Because paints can dry so quickly, it's important to clean your brush periodically (with water if water based, or the appropriate solvent), to stop clumps from forming.
-Brand of paint can matter, too. I successfully used FolkArt acrylics for about ten years with no issue, and you can find it cheap in department store craft sections. It has good pigments! Vallejo game color and Citadel can be found in hobby shops, and are great as well. These are the ones I used this week, and I have minimal brushstroke issues and they coated the model really well. Only needed two coats for a decent layer. Green Stuff World is hit-and-miss for me, but they have some cool products.
My small collection of acrylics:
-And a little trick from when I used to use acrylics: If you want really soft shading without using an airbrush, look into chalk pastels. They're little chalk bricks of pigment that flake into a dust when you scrape them with the flat edge of a blade. Then you can use a flat edged brush to apply it onto your model, kind of like applying makeup. It can rub off, so you'll want to use a matte or gloss sealant spray to lock it into place. These stick best to acrylics.
This Miku was done with airbrushed acrylics, but the shading in the cracks of her twin tails were chalk pastels. (OMG, this was 2011-2012 already... Time flies!)
Tamiya also makes 'Weathering Masters', which basically ARE little makeup kits for this purpose, but there aren't many colors available.
(And if you ever decide to try out an airbrush, I've found that the $15-$30 'Air-Goo' ones on Amazon are pretty decent to start with.They're cheap, but I still get good results, and I use it interchangeably with my pricier Iwata HP-C Eclipse. Just make sure you get a gravity feed airbrush. The compressor you would need to use it are around $100-300 though...)
I recommend checking around for YouTube guides on how to paint miniatures; even though figures are a different scale, a lot of the techniques they use for minis work great or the same for larger items, and there's a ton of resources, since mini are so popular. I've seen some of Paintman Journeying's videos, I've liked them so far.
Most of the tips and tricks I've learned are from garage kit forums back in the day that aren't around anymore, but I do also follow 製作代行 Aslan (旧MASKED MODELER), かりんとう Karinto painting, and Sideshow Collectibles will sometimes post behind the scenes paint tips and recipes.
Thats all I can think of so far!! If anything needs clarification, or if you have more questions, let me know! 😄
A melamine sponge (also known as a Mr Clean Magic Eraser. A regular sponge is also fine).
I'll be using #rottmntrepaint for all parts of this tutorial, also posted on my X/Twitter.
These ones were bought used. They've sustained some damage from extensive play...
The first thing to do is clean your action figure. If you bought a new one, you're removing residual mold release from the manufacturing process. If it's a used one, you're also cleaning off finger oils, debris and scuff marks. Either way, a good scrub will help your paint adhere.
Submerge your turtle in warm soapy water and give it a good scrub down. If there are scuff marks, a melamine sponge will remove those fairly easily. They are also able to strip paint, so if there's a color you'd like to keep, like Leo's markings for example, scrub with care.
Red eared sliders typically enjoy water temperature between 75-85F.
Looking better already
Rinse your turtle and dry them off for the next step. (If you're painting ones from the Giant line, they are hollow inside. Expect hidden water to escape for a while!)
This part is for the even you plan to keep your turtle's default skin color. You can use this if you are using transparent paints for shading.
But first we have to take them apart a little...
If you're painting a Giant model, then at this point, you probably want to remove your turtle's head for easier painting. Carefully dunk your turtle head down in a bowl of very hot water and let sit for 20-30 seconds as the plastic softens. Then with a towel to protect your hands and a fair bit of force, pull it off. There may be pockets of hot water that spill out, especially from Donnie's battle shell, so use caution.
Once your turtle is fully dry, we're ready to prime!
Primer is a clear or colored layer that allows your paint to stick and reduces the chances of it scratching and flaking off.
If you plan to keep the default color of the plastic, you'll need a can of clear coat to smooth the surface, as well as deepen the color of the plastic. In a WELL VENTILATED AREA or OUTSIDE, arrange your figure in a t-pose and spray the clear coat from a distance of 10-12 inches. Do not spray a lot; just a light misting in a sweeping gesture. Wait until the clear coat has dried, then reangle your figure to get the other side. Repeat these steps until you have a smooth, dry surface (usually 2-3 sweeps per side).
For beginners, just a coat of this helps give the color of your figure more depth; if this is your only step for the skin, that is fine.
The brand of clear coat I use is Mr Super Clear Gloss. I use the gloss version to provide an extra layer of protection and really smooth the surface for the kind of paint I use (Which are lacquers, which adheres very well. Acrylics don't like to stick to gloss.). I later cut the gloss down with a layer of flat/matte clear coat. If you plan on using acrylics, chalk pastels (more info on these later), or aren't going to paint the skin, I would go straight to using a few layers of the flat version, to avoid the shine but still deepen the color.
Repainting your ROTTMNT action figure - Part 2B (Soft plastic prep)
You'll be doing the same kind of sanding in this step as the hard plastic, but soft pieces have some small differences in sanding and painting...
Action figures are commonly made with a second kind of rubberized plastic for parts that require extra flexibility (Rise/MM masks, mask tails, belts, Donnie's elbow/knee pads...). This material is a little harder to buff scratches out of.
The tiny molded eyebrows had to go.
Much of this can be filled in with Clear Coat in the next step, so don't sweat it if you want to skip this part.
Once you've gone through all your sanding grits, you can use a hair dryer or heat gun to VERY. SLOWLY. AND CAREFULLY... Heat up the figure. The idea is to very slightly melt the surface plastic just enough to smooth it out.
Never point the heat source directly at the piece. Instead, sweep over the area until it gradually warms up and begins to soften ever so slightly and the scratches begin to fade a little. Keep a bowl of ice water handy to dunk your figure to cool it down quickly if needed.
You won't see a drastic change and the tiniest scratches remaining will be filled in the next step, so don't aim for a completely perfect surface. If you want to skip this step, that's fine. It can be intimidating!
(Donnie's goggles can melt very quickly, watch out for this. And please don't burn yourself!)
Repainting your ROTTMNT action figure - 2A (Hard plastic prep)
Prep
Soft and hard plastics behave a little differently, hence the two parts to this section...
You'll need:
Beginner mode:
Sandpaper or sanding sponges in the following grits: 220/280, 600, 800
Advanced mode:
Sandpaper or sanding sponges: 180, 220/280, 600, 800, 1000, and a melamine sponge (roughly equivalent to 3000 Grit)
Note: The goal for advanced mode is to create an absolutely smooth and level surface required for painting with layered clear colors. The clear colors I use (lacquers and enamels) are not beginner friendly; they are toxic and require good ventilation and an appropriately rated respirator. Unless you are equipped for this, sticking with beginner mode is fine :)
Removing seamlines goes a long way in improving the overall look. Seamlines are the raised edges of plastic leftover from the molding process from when the figure was made. You can also remove the copyright stamps found on the belts on the 5" TMNT figures.
Finished Donnie on the left, untouched Leo on the right.
This Donnie is from the Mutant Mayhem line.
In a circular motion, lightly sand the seam down, moving from lowest number of Grit to highest. The circular motion is important; it will lower the raises edges from all angles. Sanding back and forth in a straight line will gouge grooves into your figure; you want to avoid this.
The lower grits serve to erase these line more quickly, while the higher number grits will polish out the roughness left behind and leave a smoother surface. So, yes, you'll be sanding and resanding the same areas multiple times to get an even surface. There will be some lighter colored scuffing left behind once you are done with your highest level grit. The clear coating in the next step will help with this.
This can be QUITE tedious, so for a beginner, I think it's fine to just use the three level of grits mentioned at the beginning; it's very easy to get burnt out and bored. A good podcast or playlist helps immensely!
