Isnt It True That "acryllic" Paints Tend To Chip?

[Superduperninja]

Is this true?? I went to a arts/crafts store not too long ago and they said it chips easily.

 

Is this true???

[puddingstick]

My acrylic paint sticks to the plastic very well...but they may have been talking about another brand of paint or painting something other than figures

[undeadhepcat]

the trick is, you need (usually) more than one coat, AND some kind of clear top coat.

 

acrylic paint, essentially is plastic. It sticks great, but alot of times other plastic surfaces have been coated with something that keeps it from sticking the way it wants to. So, if you put one coat down of a primer color, or even a spray of acrylic clear finish before painting the color you want, it will stay on much better.

 

Then, there is a fair chance that wear and tear could dig through the layers of paint, and it would chip off. to prevent this, put a good coat of spray finish on after your last coat of paint has completely, completely dried (wait over night, trust me).

 

enamel paint, like model car paint, is "harder", but i think that it doesnt work well on action figures. its usually too "gummy" and never seems to dry very well.

 

if you're looking to do some custom painting, I'd recomend "apple barrel" craft paint. its available most places (like walmart), comes in tons of colors, and is super cheap. Its a thinner consistency than "art" acrylic paints, but i think that that is part of why it works so well for this purpose.

[Psycho_JOhnny]

I use the Americana brands, as well as Gameswork shop citadel or whatever is the name, and none of them chips, only when painting joints, and there are tricks to prevent joint chipping. Another way it would chip is to ram the customized figure through some other figures or a wall, obviously. @smilepunch@

 

JOhnny

[The Perennial]

yes, it depends on what paint you use. Brands like apple barrel and the cheap stuff can chip fairly easily and are not really worth your time if you're not a patient painter. The good stuff, I'd suggest Games workshop acrylic paints ann my favourite : Tamiya brand acrylic paints stick on really well and stick on the figure very well without any need of priming before painting or adding some dulcoat afterwards

[ARROW]

Most toy companies use acrylics in painting their products anyway, and any kind of paint enamel or acrylic will chip.

Lacquer based paints are supposedly the strongest tensile paints going, but the chemistry in them will craze most plastics making them unusable unless you take special precautions.

Enamels are the softest paints, especially the matte finishes and because they break down in turpentines, they can affects plastic like lacquers.

For toy hobbies, acrylics are still the way to go, and treating them with sealants can help strengthen them.

[wolvie]

well it depends how well u mix it and how many coats, acrylics are good for customising with.

[SentinelPrime]

I disagree on the Games Workshop citadel, at least. I just got back from the store with some, to customize some Joes.

 

The stuff is just scratching and flaking off at the slightest touch, and I washed them off first as well. I'm very disappointed. This is the 3rd kind of acrylic I've tried, but none of it sticks, and I've been advised that primer and clear coat just doesn't work on figures well.

 

Discouraging.

[wolvie]

I disagree on the Games Workshop citadel, at least. I just got back from the store with some, to customize some Joes.

 

The stuff is just scratching and flaking off at the slightest touch, and I washed them off first as well. I'm very disappointed. This is the 3rd kind of acrylic I've tried, but none of it sticks, and I've been advised that primer and clear coat just doesn't work on figures well.

 

Discouraging.

how did u apply it? it should stay on pretty well

[SentinelPrime]

I disagree on the Games Workshop citadel, at least. I just got back from the store with some, to customize some Joes.

 

The stuff is just scratching and flaking off at the slightest touch, and I washed them off first as well. I'm very disappointed. This is the 3rd kind of acrylic I've tried, but none of it sticks, and I've been advised that primer and clear coat just doesn't work on figures well.

 

Discouraging.

how did u apply it? it should stay on pretty well

I washed the figures in soapy water, let them dry, then brushed on the paint, two coats, let dry for 4-5 hours, and it just comes right off with the lightest fingernail touch.

[Psycho_JOhnny]

I disagree on the Games Workshop citadel, at least. I just got back from the store with some, to customize some Joes.

 

The stuff is just scratching and flaking off at the slightest touch, and I washed them off first as well. I'm very disappointed. This is the 3rd kind of acrylic I've tried, but none of it sticks, and I've been advised that primer and clear coat just doesn't work on figures well.

 

Discouraging.

how did u apply it? it should stay on pretty well

I washed the figures in soapy water, let them dry, then brushed on the paint, two coats, let dry for 4-5 hours, and it just comes right off with the lightest fingernail touch.

 

Weird, now I only and exclusively use Citadel paints for my customs, and non of them chips, BUT, I spray a small coat of sealer on the figures, that prevents from chipping. Try using a sealer on them.

 

JOhnny

[JoeRhyno]

depending on what type of figure and the hardness of the plastic, you may need primer to help it bond to the plastic, most primers will bond to the plastic and then when you paint the paint, you shouldn't have this problem I use Citidel paints and Tamiya... I love them both, I hate apple barrel, barf... I've had nothing but bad experiences with them...

 

Oh and to the original poster, the people at the hobby shop were most likely talking about acrylic paints intended for painting canvas or other materials like that.. it's a thicker paint and intended for that type of material, now, acrylic paints that are made for models like tamiya.... they're made for plastic, hell, I think some even are called... Acrylic for plastic, lol...

try those, and stay away for the canvas paints... unless you plan on painting an actual painting, or a T-shirt(which... I've made some kickass t-shirts in the past with them)!!!

[Jin Saotome]

I use almost exclusivly Testors Fantasy Series Acrylic paints and the two main colors Dragon White and Dragon Black are the best EVER! They not only won't chip, you can't remove the paint with alcohol! Here's a link to my painting guide. THere's a link to buy Testors and Games Workshop paints.

[h3llfish]

One thing that helps the paint not to chip is to sand the figure down a little bit, and give the paint a rough surface to cling to. That's not always easy or even desireable (like in the case of repaints) but it seems to help.

 

The other thing is, try to put on the thinnest coat that you can. If you really pile the paint on there, it seems to come off easier. If you do multiple really thin coats, it sticks better.

 

Shawn

[SentinelPrime]

Here's an update:

 

 

I experimented in many ways over the past couple of weeks, and have found my preferred method for painting Joes/Legends and and other details is to use Testors Model Master Acryl. Brush on 2-3 light coats, and after 24 hours it's super-resistant, after 48-72 hrs it's PERMANENT! It's awesome, like the "factory paint" I've been searching for all these years....of course follow Jin's steps of washing/prepping, etc.

 

Of course, I'd like to thank Jin for showing me the ultimate washing methods...

[Powermosh]

Whoa man!!! never saw such a detailed guide to everything!!!

I will try ur techniques, Jin!!! i have some spare figures i want to transform!

 

Question: With those painting techniques, i can change my figures poses (not too often) without scratching paint???