Plastic paint

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KCSSport

Member
Searched but didn't find what i was really looking for.....
What is a good plastic paint? I don't have an airbrush and i have a few structures i'd like to spray instead of brushing. Do i need to sand anything down or would it adhere to the plastics smooth surface.

thanks for any info or insight
 
Most plastic kits are going to be a little greasy from mold release on their surface. A wash in warm water and mild detergent will take that off - use the cheap stuff that doesn't have scents or scrubbing bubbles and stuff. You can actually see the oils float off the surface.

Let the piece dry completely before you try to paint.

With a little practice, you can get good results with Krylon spray cans and they have a lot of different colors. Light even coats work best, with a little time between coats for the solvents to evaporate and the paint to set up.

When the paint is thoroughly dry, like a day or two, you can brush paint in the details.

Anyway, I like ModelMaster and PolyScale for models. ModelMaster is a little better for brushing and has a very wide range of colors.
 
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In addition to Graham Lines suggestions Testors has a line of spray paints sold through hobby shops and some large retailers and Krylon has a line of paints specifically for plastics.
 


I'll endorse Krylon for rattle cans. Their acrylic line has a wide variety of colors and there's no worries that any of the plastic might get affected in unexpected ways. As Joe said, wash all the pieces first and then paint. I always use primer first, mainly because it helps show up any imperfections that need work before I put on the top coat. Acrylic primer will also help the acrylic paint stick better to plastic.
 
+1 for Krylon. Another great plus for Krylon is that is is somewhat "elastic". Great for painting handrails and such, too.
 




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