I have 1/72 figures from Revell, Airfix, and Pegasus.
What kind of paint works best wth these soft plastics? Enamels or Acrylic?
Besides washing in a detergent solution first is there any other special undercoating needed or a sealing top coat to help protect the painted finish from chipping and peeling from the flexible plastic?
Thanks for your suggestions.
30+ years ago when I used to paint those, I used standard enamel paints and Polly S acrylics. I do not know how todays acrylics would do with those figures. But I bet they will flake off just as well…
I’d like to know the answer to this, too. Can’t keep a decent coat of paint on those pesky Airfix (and other) soft figures.
A wargamer once told me that painting a layer of white glue over the entire figure as an undercoat acts as a flexible “sealer” after it has thoroughly dried. It then allows acrylic or enamel to be applied and the paint will adhere without flaking off.
I am somewhat skeptical about this because the layer of glue would obscure the fine details molded into the figure.
I haven’t done 1/72 scale figures in ages although I’ve only ever had success with enamel paints, mainly Humbrol.
I used enamels and acrylics on Airfix figures, you can even use oils, there’s really not much you can do about flaking or cracking that is caused by bending the soft plastic–if the piece bends far enough, the paint will flake.
However, if you use the usual prep techniques that you’d use for styrene, resin or metal, you can reduce the likelihood that the paint will flake or wear.
I wash them in warm water, used to use a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid, but now I use the de-greaser Super Clean, dry them on paper toweling, and then prime with my usual automotive primer (Walmart’s store brand du jour).
Hope that helps!
Brad