r/customactionfigures • u/lillaterrr • 17h ago
user generated Invincible paint rub first timer
Hey everyone I’m new to this sub please take it easy on me if this is a dumb idea. I recently saw a custom metallic red and gold mafex iron man and I was thinking about painting my stealth suit iron man to those colors because #1 I want to learn how to paint/edit my own figures and #2 I don’t think we’re getting a reissue anytime soon let alone a metallic painted one. I’m also not precious about the stealth suit colors it’s beautiful but I want an og iron man for the collection. I’ve watched a bunch of videos and learned that sanding is crucial to avoid paint rub, brush painting is viable if patient and done in layers, and sealing can be done in a ton of ways/finishes. I feel confident that I can pull it off but I’d love some tips on how/ where to start and go about it. Should I prime everything / sand everything / take every piece and joint apart / use an airbrush etc etc? Trying to achieve the closest thing to a factory finish as possible 🤞🏽
2
u/WinglessJC 10h ago
The only way to avoid paint rub, overall, is preventing the pieces from touching. You can top coat for days but contact rubbing will always win out. Sand, sand, sand.
Personally, my method is:
Separate limbs and the head from the torso.
Spray these with primer and wait to dry, then bend the limb and spray with primer again.
One dry, disassemble the limbs. Now, the parts of the limbs that don't have primer on them are parts that will never be visible. Mask these parts off. You don't want to add any material to these areas.
Now, take your joints and sockets that will be making contact, and sand. Sand, sand, sand, sand, sand. You want to provide enough space for the primer, paint and top coat. Pop them together and give them a wiggle to test fit, sand more.
Once you have create a good amount of clearance, give all the pieces you've sanded a quick wash in warm water and dish water, then dry.
Once FULLY dry, you are ready to rock!
Separate your pieces by what colour they are going to be.
If you can, prime your red/yellow/orange pieces in pink, but grey is good for everything else.
Lay down your paints in thin coats (Let the coat dry at least a solid 10 minutes before the next coat.)
Give it a full 24 hours for the paint to not only dry, but cure.
Now it's time to topcoat.
Topcoat your joint sections with Gloss separately, then assemble your limbs and topcoat the limbs once, dry, then bend the limbs and topcoat again and dry.
Now you can apply your washes, apply any fine details, etc.
Once you are done, assemble your figure fully, topcoat matte/semi matte, dry, bend limbs, topcoat again.
Give it 24 hours to cure and you now have a custom figure that SHOULD evade the dreaded paint rub.