haven't done dis, but heard fr some top malaysian sifu, after buffing the mr.metallic, topcoat with waterbase topcoat (blue label can spray).
expected to loose some shine but it can protect the scratch/touch..

u want shine shine but not the weak bond of mr.metal?
try gunze's mr. super metallic, but price tag 3 times more expensif..
can get fr HHQ..

Hey guys, I really need yr expert advice in painting that super glossy finish on model cars. how can I achieve that kind of realistic glossy finish? I recently bought an airbrush at hk which is the one that uses a spray can instead of a compressor since a compressor is wayyyyyy far from my budget. Can i achieve that glossy finish using this airbrush? All sifu's, please help!

super gloss finish never accomplish by airbrushing alone.
no matter how skillful or powerful handpiece or compressor u have.

a gloss finish is usually attained wt good combination of smooth and good paint coverage.

polishing and waxing will futher bring the depth and gloss of the finishing.
airbushing jus never stop there to get u the showroom shine u wanted.

i spent nearly 2 years on and off reading and experimenting just to understand the basics in getting high gloss finishing.

read more here:
http://italianhorses.net/Publications/MC/E...nt/Image-10.jpg
http://italianhorses.net/Publications/MC/E...nt/Image-11.jpg
http://italianhorses.net/Publications/MC/E...nt/Image-12.jpg
http://italianhorses.net/Publications/MC/E...nt/Image-13.jpg

if spraying wif out using surfacer will got wat effect ?

wide86: ok when u ask this question, is impossible for anyone to answer. mebbe first u should understand the fundamental first. So i m not answering your question directly, but to tell u a little about primer/surfacer, n u will understand why i said so.

the purpose of primer:

1. to check mistakes or imperfection. there might be many uneven surfaces, either due to the process of manufacturing (plastic injection) or our mistakes (careless sanding marks, knife accidently cut or slice create some fine lines etc.) on the bare plastic itself, sometimes it's very hard to see. However, with the little bit of body plus the gray color, any small mistakes will be enhanced, or sometimes if it's small enough, been covered or corrected.

So, after u sand and such, u spray a layer of surfacer, let it dry, then, u check whether there's any flaw on the surface, before u applyt paint onto it.



2. To help the paint to "grab" onto the surface. Try drop a drop of water on your plastic, and u ll find the water will not stick onto the surface. paint tends to have strong holding power than water, but it does too tends to find ways to "escape" from the surface. Primer does have a little, just very little ability to melt plastic, hence, when u apply surfacer or primer onto the plastic, compared to water or paint, it holds on the the surface much stronger.

After u spray surfacer on, the next step is u apply paint on top. so this time your paint is not applied on top of a plastic anymore. instead, your paint will be sitting on top of surfacer/primer, which is much easier for your paint to hold on to.

3. consistency in base coat. This is a more complicated stuff for more experience modeler which i think is too hard for my limited volcabulary to explain


so i hope u get your answer. i think u should be able to find the answer.


Anyway, the idea of primer is long practised in art, many forms of art. however, it's only widely been use during the 90's for modeling. So even without primer/surfacer (like those great modelers in the 80's or even earlier), u can still make nice coloring. only problem is it's tougher and more tedious. primer is just a extra helper to ease our job in modeling. this is the reason why it's so popular in modern modeling until it has almost become a "must".




P/S: whatever, i say, the best way to find out is just use a small piece of plastic, and try out, with n without primer's effect. Happy modeling!

thx rayloke.
i have find my ans. thx vry much

I m new here, being reading this thread for a while and i just got my first gundam set which is a Lucas Strike E + IWSP. and some basic tools for gunpla, one thing really interested me is air brushing or painting , how many of you here actually paint ur gundam or just assemble or ppl now already turn to gundam fix configuration? i dun really understand, what is decal?

any tai kor here willing to give some hands on tutorial on air brushing or color painting on either gundam or Zaku...

understood this thread is kinda lengthy for newbie who is more keen to spend time on actual kits than reading in front monitors..

before u wanted to learn anything.. always.. always..
read this one 1st if u haven't.. (u shud have i guessed)
http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/488910

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Added on November 27, 2008, 5:06 pmgetting back to ur questions..
well.. depend wat suites to ur need;

1) most of us will snap-fit our kit, painting or not it's a matter of when time allow us to do so.
bear in mind an MG kit requires somewhere from 2-3 weeks and can last up to 1-2 months (if u r rili one bz fella) to complete painting.. so i snap-fit the kit i want 1st and find when free then start painting
2) fix figuration is almost a figure, with movable parts and detachable armors, it doesnt allow u to "build the kit from runner". so it's diff. i like snap-fitting so i choose model kit.
3) money
u can spent min or alot depend again how u gonna spent ur money for tools, paints, not to mention airbrush handpiece and compressor. but i spent more on paints, thinners and disposable tools. airbrush n compressor is just one time investment.

so, u decide wat u wanna do after u snap-fit lor.

This post has been edited by erh_teo: Nov 27 2008, 05:06 PM

wa u all snap fit 1st only decide to paint ka? i thought take out parts that wan to paint 1st then only put them into 1 pieces..( i know some will snapfit then take apart again, paint then put it back together again)

@rayloke, the forum link u give me like dead already... last post is like last year (OMG)
summore i still haven't get the verification to my id at that forum

This post has been edited by gaiachronicler: Nov 27 2008, 06:34 PM

how to fix loose joint of gundam?

Put a LITTLE super glue inside the joint hole and insert the joint. Wait for a few seconds and remove the joint. Once the glue dries it should it tighter.

thanx for the reply, i bought some basic tools from tamiya under ground already, and some instant spray on type paint. guess i will do the same, snap fit the kit then think about what to paint and when to paint. by the way, do you use air brush for ur gunpla? i check some online tutorial, dun really hav idea how to use it and i know with compresor and and different sizes of air brush it would be another hefty investment if i dun really use it often and at the end of the day, it will become and white elephant. where to look for those gundam marker or gunpla related material? i check few hobby shop, around one utama ( tamiya underground), mid valley XL sell some of the paint only, where can i actually scout or check out gundam related things and air brush stuff? any good recomendation? hope u dun mind from time to time i will ask u more if i go into paint and detail scaling of gundam. Thanx alot of the reply

I'm new here and I'm from Vietnam.

I want to ask you guys that how can you guys erase the original paint?


Well, simply put, my country is lacking a lot of stuff. MG model is about ten, nearly 5 or 6 model SD, no topcoat, ****ing expensive paint, ****ing expensive tool . So may be some mixing stuff will do the trick. Thnx ^^


Attached thumbnail(s)

wat do u mean by erasing the original parts???
u mean modifying them? the pic is for reference or it's urs?

kenot be his pic, unless he is azizol aka hyakushiki84

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Added on November 28, 2008, 10:07 amfor ball joint with pc joint (polycap joint) stormfury's method will works > BALL JOINT (esp those groin joint)
but for male peg with female pc, the male peg might got stuck and break > ROD JOINT (esp those elbow joint)

so for ROD joint, u may wan the supergle dry outside before putting back into the pc joint. less is more. sometimes a few drop will do the trick.

This post has been edited by erh_teo: Nov 28 2008, 10:07 AM

hehe i regonize that pic too... especially tat kyrios at the back

well we cant erase the original colour cuz it is molded with the plastic of that colour. but of cuz we can change the colour to out desire.

*if based on the pic, the kit's is resin conversion or maybe pla plate mods so the colour if definitely white or light brown... if it is layered by surfacer, it can be light gray...

if u wan to change the colour, get a white base and spray ur kit. then the whole thingy will looks white and u can start to choose the colour u desire by then...

"You can't erase the original colour because it is molded using plastic with that colour...."

depends, some experience modeller straight cut, sand, paint then assemble.
for rookie like me, it's always safe to test the "water" 1st.
y? if u encounter difficulty during assembling time, most prob u miss insert something or snap the wrong parts u will definitely get the paint scratch.

it's rili up to ur taste and standard dude.
again there's so many guys here willing to spent at least up to 3-4 mg kit every once and every month but complain that the only one time investment for airbrush n compressor is expensif.
airbrush + handpiece, to be safe let say it's around 650 to get a decent set to begin with. that's like only 5-6 mg kit (prob 4-6 months no buying kit)
some ppl go for quantity some go for quality.
for me, it's good to be somewhere in between.

if u believe snap fit collections are not ur taste, it's time to consider whether u wanna do more kits or just stop at where u r.
unlike cars or bikes, gunpla requires many color parts and can spray can't fulfil ur needs.
unless u r willing to spent time to learn handpaint, some ppl just stick to the easiest way.
sand, lining and top coat. it may look less complete but nonetheless it's still better looking than snap-fit dry kit..

there r more treat gundam injection kit as toy unfortunately, hence they dont really paint their kit. if u really see the kit as a model, u will definitely paint it, but not play it. however, fortunately there r still quite some people who still have the passion to treat a model kit as a model. hence u will still able to meet people who actually paint n make their kit nice. just need the right time n right place



That's the reason why most modeler who is more dedicated into painting and modding normally wont classify snapfit as modeling. snapfit to a lot of people is, as also called test fit, merely to have a overall look of the design, check articulation, deciding color variation n distribution, decide the final pose for display etc for the purpose of modification or doing something extra to make their kits to look nicer or customised to their own taste.

snap fit or test fit is merely that.

I think u should get it soon, cause i think the registration is open now. many new members coming in these few days


This post has been edited by rayloke: Nov 28 2008, 01:19 PM

can anyone tell me where can i get this?
these are called Hologram Sheets

bro, is tamiya lacquer thinner safe to mix with mr color?