Hi all,
There was a thread a while back with information on painting 1/72 scale plastic figures. It contained a lot of good information and links to great web pages, but – as with most things in this hobby – there was some conflicting advice.
Everyone advocates cleaning the figures before doing anything to them. Then, some people advocate using white glue as the first coat, while others say that Future works as well. One of these two products is supposed to be the final coat too.
Has anyone tried both methods? If so, which worked better?
I’ll be painting 1/72 pilot and ground crew figures to go with my model airplanes.
Thanks!
-Drew
Hi Drew,
If you intend to use those soft plastic figures, you need to wash them in a weak detergent solution to get rid of the mold releasing agents. Let them dry thoroughly. I find that the white glue takes longer to dry and remains more elastic. It is due to the elasticity of the figures that the paint seem to jump off. The figures contract and expand due to temperature changes. If you use future as a primer the figures do not seem to react to temperature changes as the future hardens when it dries. Paint a thin coat of future over the figures. The future does not obscure detail and forms a good base for the paint to bond to. Paint with enamels and seal the paint again with a light coat of future before you do shadowing and highlights. On completion spray the figure with a matt varnish to get rid of the shine.
I hope this helps. It works for me.
Thanks, Tappie. So you definitely recommend Future as a base coat. Right?
Regards,
-Drew
Yes, and it works well for washes, general finishes and even as a decal setter.
