building a plastic model

[ed21x]

yup, i picked up a tiny 12 nchi plastic model of the m1a2 abrahm and so far have finished putting all the pieces together, cept for the paint job. Now I'm wondering, how the heck do people paint a plastic model so it looks like the box? I'm trying to go for a full camo decorbut it seems nearly impossible, like you have to be some sorta uber artist I really don't want to ruin the model with a bad paint job cuz i put it together pretty well

 

[her209]

Put a spoiler and some racing stickers on it.

 

[Kraeji]

patience? just take your time

doesn't it give instructions on what colors to use?

 

[deftron]

I think you're supposed to paint it before you put it together

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: deftron
I think you're supposed to paint it before you put it together

I don't buidl tanks, I build cars, but if you want it to come out at all decent looking you do paint the thing before you putit together. You simply can't reach into little nooks and carnhty on engines after they're assembled. For quality paint, you want to spray it on, and for camo, you really need an airbrush.

 

[deftron]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: deftron
I think you're supposed to paint it before you put it together

I don't buidl tanks, I build cars, but if you want it to come out at all decent looking you do paint the thing before you putit together. You simply can't reach into little nooks and carnhty on engines after they're assembled. For quality paint, you want to spray it on, and for camo, you really need an airbrush.

Nice View !

 

[Amused]

Yep, you really need to airbrush it. And you should have painted most of it before assembly.

The only thing is, with something like a tank, you do much of the camo airbrushing after most of the body has been assembled, and the cracks have been sanded down and filled with putty.

If you want it to look really good, you can add dirt and grease to the wheels and tracks.

 

[mellondust]

I've built an M1 tank and I had to paint most of it before it was put together. Ussually you build a model in parts and paint them then combine them together with a final touch up where you have glued parts together. For example and this could vary depending on the person: Built the turet and paint it, then the barrell and paint it, then the main body and paint it, next you would build all the wheels and paint them, and so on and so forth depending on the model. Then you would assemble them together touching up any places where glue has come through the joints. Just like mentions above, you cannot assemble the entire thing and paint it unless it is something that has no insides that are viewable. So good luck on your next model.

 

[ed21x]

oh yeah, i havn't put it together all the way yet, still need to mount the turret, put on the tracks, and all the lil 'extras.' yeah, i've built models before, but the painting always ruins it for me

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: ed21x
oh yeah, i havn't put it together all the way yet, still need to mount the turret, put on the tracks, and all the lil 'extras.' yeah, i've built models before, but the painting always ruins it for me

The most importnat skill to have when building these things is patience, followed by the ability to paint.