1240 - FAQ: Steps for Painting
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ก.ค. 2017
- I've often been asked about the specific order of steps one should take when painting, panel lining, topcoating, etc. So hopefully this video helps clear the air for some of you guys! Here's my general guide to the steps of painting Gunpla!
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Thanks for watching!
remember to top coat your top coat to protect your top coat.
I'm always scratching my kits by accident, so that's good advice for me!
I top coat my top coat, top coat that top coat, top coat that top coat, top coat that top coat, top coat that top coat, and top coat that top coat. My kit then turns milky white because of all the protection and I am comfortable with leaving it on my shelf. It doesn't move because of all the protection and I never have problems with a joint dropping down because of gravity. I just hate it when I want a different weapon and or different pose because then I have to buy another kit and do it all over again. The kit ends up costing $500 and most of the cost is top coat. Lol. Don't be like me, enjoy your possibility. The reason why I know some of this stuff, I put 4 coats on a figure as a kid and it's still a statue, next to my TV and it's a funny conversation starter. It's special to me and I wanted to protect it and it's still special to me but it's not a figure anymore and I learned to put on very lite coats and I usually only do 2 coats now. For metallic, I use gloss and I sometimes add a 3rd coat but buff wax with a Dremel pad. Then I get the song shinny in my head from the movie Moana and look at my reflection in the paint. Chrome I do the same thing but I only did it to 3 kits for the gloss and everything else is flat top coat and easy. I don't recommend the shiny process but I like it on my 1/100th Kampfer and my Iron Man custom Bearrguy and Pikachu custom Petit right next to each other. Car wax seems to be working for tightening joints but I only tried it a month ago and I always have car wax around, that's why I tried it.
If you topcoat your kit too much
BURN IT
@@ihavethehighground8697 Mecha approved!
With primer?
As a guy who's attempting to paint his first kit, this is greatly appreciated. Even though it's just a $10-12 HG, I still get all nervous at certain steps that I'll mess it up. Good stuff, my man.
Been building my first kit too. Some parts are very nerve wracking.
Its been 3 years, so how'd your first project go!
99% of people are just using HGs. Or at least Japan for that matter considering most kits they make favor HG.
I'm just starting out with Gundam. And you my friend probably just saved me a load of time and screw ups! Thank you sir!
Gamer Vince that pfp made me hit my IPad
@@fused481 I guess that his plan worked.
I have to say your tutorials are amazing for beginners. Thank you for all the good information you provide.
Very useful video. Not sure if you've used lacquer paint before, but I can confirm from at least two kits worth of experience that enamel thinner doesn't affect lacquer paint at all. Neither does acrylic thinner. Enamel thinner on bare plastic is also highly destructive, so don't ever use it to panel line a straight-built kit. When in doubt, try something on a piece of spare runner or the back of a plastic spoon.
yeah I use lacquers for painting all my kits.
Jeran Korak you can try isotropc alcohol (rubbing alcohol) less than 90% . It will thin the paint with out damaging the plastic
Thank you Nunya Bidness, this is really useful information.
I would like to add that the type of plastic (PE, PS, ABS) is also reported in the instruction books that come with every Bandai kit.
However, I have a question: where did you get the information that Enamel thinner is fine on polystyrene (PS) plastic? Is it by experience or you have also other sources? I am asking because in other forums there are people that say that this thinner is bad on all plastics.
I know I’m a bit late for this, I’ve been building for three years now and I’m going to paint a custom I made, this is my first time painting and this video really does help, thank you!
Your tips are helpful for painting any hobby, military, airplanes, trains, cars, etc. Very good video!
Thanks!
Thank you for posting this video. I found the Primer part particularly helpful as i'm about to start an attempt at my first painted kit. I appreciate the insight and detail you put in, thank you!
This is an awesome video, basically an essential springboard on painting. I haven't painted a kit yet, but have been doing random bits of research that hasn't really formulated a concrete "ok I can do this" thought in my mind until I got to this video.
Glad it was helpful!
I would squeeze in sanding down nubs, gluing and seam removal parts together between step 1 and 2, otherwise a good breakdown of the process.
Thanks for your amazing guide! It was really helpful and I was able to paint my GM sniper 2 orange. It came out really well and I this guide cleared up all of my questions
Thanks for the video and thanks to all the others that gave their recommendations too. Read quite a bit of them and I took notes for myself and my 2 kids and my brother and his 2 kids that we got into Gundam model kits. This made it so much easier to explain to them that range in age from 8 to 17 years old. With this whole pandemic it’s been difficult to keep them & ourselves busy with things to do at home besides video games & surfing the net. It also gave us all a creative outlet to do together. 😁
As a newb to Gunpla, I say thank you sir.
Great video. This actually helps a lot for my new projects.
For any model, prep is the most tedious (but most important) part. sanding, dry fitting, priming, and then repeating necessary fixes. Everything that can be done before painting is better than after a piece is painted!!!
Nice breakdown on painting kits.
Good video - it'd be cool to have pictures for the steps.
I just started getting into painting my gunpla kits. This video helped clear up a ton with the order of the layers. I've been hand painting + spray can painting currently. I might look into a nice airbrush someday. Thanks for this video though. Very helpful.
I wished you made a video about the types of topcoat..i am in 4 videos and its still confusing as hell and reddit is not really helping much....like Mr super clear and mr top coat and its applications....please do that video to sort it out once and for all
Man I have been looking for this information for sometime now thank you man
I am glad you uploaded this, I have been thinking of doing a custom paint job on a MG Kampfer.
Melvindog 8
Doooooooo ittttttt! Do u have an airbrush set up already?
John Smithens ehh, no. I am planning on doing the over all color with tamiya spray paint and then the finer details will be done with hand painted details and gundam water slides.
John Smithens oh oops, that might have come off wrong. I will do the custom but I don't have a airbrush kit.
Thank you so much man this has really cleared up all of my questions
I needed this in my life
thanks for the video Zak
5:42 voila! Unintentional RG-style paint job accomplished 😂😂
not really... because it still looks super ugly when it is asymmetrical
Extra note: if you are using metallics for scratching effects that should be the last thing you should do after the final topcoat.
Is another topcoat then required though?
@@Netrole I think it would be optional. Basically the top coat will dull the metallic look that you're trying to achieve, so I think that's why he's saying to do the scratching last.
I'm a beginner builder, just learning to use the airbrush. Painting was an anxiety-inducing activity for me at first because there's so much going on in my head about getting even coats, spidery-runny splotches, correct air pressure, how much to thin etcetera etcetera...
All that pressure is gone once I found out I could easily strip unsatisfactory paint results with isopropyl alcohol.
Really helpful thanks!
Awesome video. Some additional notes below:
-After the initial snap assembly you can remove seam lines, do a bit of scratch building, pla-plating, and customization.
-After priming, you can do some pre-shading using an air brush prior to laying down your base paint. It will add depth to your finished kit.
yep yep! Since those were kind of extra stuff I omitted those steps, just to keep it to the basics. Like I said, the main point was for folks to understand the reason for different steps, then I think they can figure the rest out!
Ya a vid like this was missing, nice overview to plan from. Thank you.
Thank you for all your videos you are amazing with gunpla
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for this handy advice
Can you do a vid on the pledge clear coat?
THANKKKK YOUUU ZAKUUU
wow. i already know some basic steps or customising model kits. but man im so glad to learn and discover more. thanks a lot hehehe
Would you be able to maybe make a video about pre-shading. I've never found a really good tutorial on it and I really liked how your kits have turned out
Hey there awesome videos and love your channel. Quick question as, I would like to start painting my kits and have decided that I’ll be hand brushing with enamel paints (lack of an airbrush). Now, when it comes to panel lining with an enamel wash... what sort of top coat should I use to prevent the the original enamel paint job from being effected when cleaning up the panel lining process?
im currently planning to custom paint an entire model, can i just use a primer(First) along with just some model paint(last)?
I'm new to painting and this was pretty helpful. Because of how expensive airbrushing is, I usually just do spray cans, but my issue is getting into top-coating. Seems like no matter how I do it, it ends up rough. is spray can top-coat just inconsistent, or am I just doing something wrong?
Question... I'm planning on painting my gunpla with acrylics, should I still use lacquer gloss coats ( or whatever finish I choose ) or would it be fine to use acrylic based coats to protect the paint job? I'm asking because I plan to panel line my painted pieces and was curious if I could still clean up the panel lines without damaging the paint underneath. Hope this makes sense and thanks for the great content.
Hey man , thanks for the information. Quick question though, I recently painted my first kit and after a bit of weathering and detailing i applied the top coat which then caused the detailing and panel lining to run, is that a common issue?
Great lesson! What was the product you use from U.S. for coating??
Hey Zak what do you use for your final topcoat? any recommendations? thanks!
Really helpful
Question,
I've seen a lot of painting montages here on TH-cam but I don't see them making modifications on joints and other parts that may scratch the paint due to tight joints.
Do they/you not adjust joint/fittings that are too tight and might scratch the paint?
Very nice
Very informative and interesting video. Unfortunately I'm so uncoordinated I'll never be able to paint...
Question: I've never tried this but will putting gloss coat before a matte coat effect the matte effect? Because I usually just use one layer of matte coat at the end.
Great Video. what order would i do my painting in? panel line before base coat?
Have you/do you use Mr Color Flat Base Standard or Flat Base Rough? I just spoon-tested both tonight and I'm highly impressed, but I'm surprised more people don't seem to use/know about it.
Tamiya spray can as base paint, Tamiya spray can top coat, and then Tamiya Panel Line wash, would it have any combo with the following paint used? In especially to cleaning up the panel lining process, thanks!
is there any specify color i need to get for the sealer , top coat & primer ? im afraid if i choose the wrong color it will affect the progress
How would I paint a clear GM visor? I wanna use a clear green for the visor and chrome silver for the part behind the visor
after all those layers of painting and coating, aren't the gunpla movement gonna be more limited? such as armor parts and joints, gonna end up scraping the paint?
How long between coats do you recommend we should wait before applying another coat.
Example: primer with 1 coat of blue, how long should I wait before adding more blue?
Question: if you have a dry matt coat (in this case Vallejo acrylic), can you put a second coat on top of that or will it risk the frosting effect?
Stryderprime would probably say it's stupid to build the kit and disassemble the kit for painting.
I already know the basic but I still watching this to remind myself about all this, thanks for the video BTW!
lol, you're welcome!
Is there a video with you using the Pledge Cleaner as a topcoat?
Since I panel line white parts with mechanical pencil, I make sure I do that before my gloss top coat, because it won't stick to the gloss. Then I do wet-look top coat lacquer. Then I do the rest of the panel lines with lighter fluid and enamel and then I do flat top coat. More people need to try mechanical pencil for white panel lines, it honestly is so easy!!!
Is acrylic gloss coat good before using tamiya panel wash(enamel)?
Hi there! I did find this video somewhat very helpful! But I still have questions that have trouble getting the answers to. Like for example; I have Tamiya Clear Coat, or basically clear topcoat from Tamiya---will that protect the paint or is it more for the finish look of the build? Like---sometimes I get stressed the f**k out cause I been a fan of Gundam & Gunpla for about 3 or so years now. And I been starting to get more into customising my builds, which would also mean doing painting. Anyways; I been planning out this nice HG, Gundam Barbatos Lupus/Lupus Rex, kitbash custom that I been also wanting to paint in custom colors---right now; it would be my 3rd time working on the same damn build, and for each different time I had to restart with a fresh brand new kit(s), cause of the fact that I just kept messing up. So knowing this is my 3rd time doing my build, I wanna be EXTRA CAREFUL if you know what I mean. Anyways! If you read this comment; than thank you very much for doing so. I do have a TH-cam channel called "Gundam Fandom". And I also have a Instagram & Facebook just for Gundam & Gunpla related stuff. If you can give some more tips than I would greatly appreciate it!
so at which stage do we start to work on the assembled kit ? the first layer of top coat ?
When airbrushing Tamiya Acrylic paints how long should I wait between base coats?
One good tip is to use clear transparent primer as it will still show you the colour you need afterwards.
That’s helpful thank you. I was worried about getting my pieces mixed up. Organization would’ve fixed that, but I’m not too organized
Hi @ZakuAurelius, I just went back to the hobby and most of your kit reviews and guides help me a lot. I am new to painting and now I am on a binder. I am now on the steps of panel lining but I use Mr.Hobby AQUEOUS HOBBY COLOR for my base coat which is an Acrylic based paint. I am also using AQUEOUS HOBBY COLOR gloss topcoat (which is acrylic as well) with my airbrush to top coat. Will this top coat helps protect my base coat from Tamiya Accent Panel lining which is an enamel base wash? Most I read online say enamel cannot go on top of acrylic paints. The pledge you mentioned is not available in the country I am in, and only find Pledge Revive it which I believe is acrylic based as well. I hope you can help me with this situation. Thank you.
I have a question.
I have a HG Destiny Gundam (Orange version) whose Wings of Light I want to use in a custom build, now the wings effect parts are clear orange plastic, but I want them to be clear yellow.
Would I be able to achieve that by simply spraying layers of Clear Yellow paint over the parts?
Thanks to this video is useful
What's the music in the background? Sounds mellow and soothing. ☺
Totally what I needed right now..too bad Can't purchase any top coat RN due to the Lockdown..
Awesome video, really helpful. I do have one question though... for the weathering stage, is it ok to weather the model fully assembled, and then spray topcoat while fully assembled? will it not make parts stick together or affect joints?
Yep you can do that! Just keep in mind whether you plan on moving any parts later. If you weather and topcoat while it’s fully assembled I would plan to leave it in one pose
I have a kamiki burning Gundam and I want to paint the flames that looks like real fire what kind of paint do I need to get that look
I am painting my rg unicorn phyco frame green it's clear red do I do the same thing
Hi there! Can i use acrylic top coat to a laquer base paint
I still can't figure out how to get the painting process right. What kind of top coat can I put on this? Is spray paint (I know not the best) able to be topped and the panel lining done after that?
Also remember that to remove all the clear parts if necessary
Heya great in-depth explanation.
My only concern is what if I made a mistake in-between one of the steps?
For example, I don't like how my weathering turn out after I top coated it again.
I want to say load a point where I haven't put weathering effects on my kit. So I can save time and the hassle.
Should I do over from step one or is there a way to clean it up without damaging some details?
Well firstly, it depends on what kind of paint you're using for all of these steps. Usually, once you clear coat after a step, that step is done. You may have to strip it and start over at the primer stage. If you do end up having to strip a part to start over, I recommend using isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). It removes most kinds of paint, but doesn't hurt plastic at all.
If I'm using the Gundam Marker panel lining pens on top of a clear coat, would using Tamiya thinner to erase mistakes destroy that and the paint underneath??
Thanks man. I'll keep that in mind. :3
My process tends to be like this for weathering. Prime > Shading* > Paint > Shading* > Decal* (waterslide or dry transfer) > Gloss Coat > Decals* > Weather using pigments and/or ACRYLIC paint > Sticker Decals (almost never) > Matte Coat. (Steps with * are ones that are interchangeable and if I feel like doing it. Sometimes I'm too lazy to do it)
I use acrylic paint because it's easily accessible, cheaper, and easier to clean up than the other two types of paints. Once a clear coat is applied onto the paint color you desire and is dried it's harder to strip using plain water (unless you have one hell of a wrist), so when you are weathering you can clean off the weathering without ruining the paint underneath ( however it may ruin the decal if you applied the decal after the gloss coat). To clean off the weathering simply dampen (not wet) a paper towel (hopefully a decent one) or a makeup sponge and gently rub or dab off the weathering. Hopefully this helps.
I don't know which Tamiya thinner you're talking about and I don't know if your clear coat shell is strong enough (IDK your paint) but I used to clean off marker pen run off with an eraser or q-tip and isopropyl alcohol. Panel line marker is water based (last time I remembered using it) so a q tip with isopropyl alcohol will clean it off pretty well after drying. There is also gundam marker remover which works the same as q tip + alcohol if you want to use that.
When you are taking the kit apart after the snap fit, how much do you take it apart? Do you take it apart completely back to the way it started, or just like, take the arm off?
Also, if you take it apart, how do you know how to put it back together? Now that it is off the sprue you don’t know what number the piece is anymore, especially if you painted it and the color is now hidden.
take apart whatever you need to in order to paint it properly. and trust me, after building the kit and then taking it apart, you'll be familiar enough with the parts enough to be able to put it together again
When do I do seam line removal and gluing? Great tips btw I’m just curious when I should do that
Before primer
Thank you so much I appreciate it :)
I haven't done anything besides snapping up my kits yet and i'm not quite ready to fully paint, i just want to panel line. Is it legit to panel line while snapping up? I feel like i notice a lot of details while snapping up that i probably wont notice anymore once the kit is complete
If I were to snap build then decals and top coat,will primer be necessary?
Or is it just necessary when custom painting?
Primer is only needed when you want to paint the model, but you may still want to apply a gloss/semi-gloss top coat before adding decals (if they're water-slide) to help aid in application and then seal it all with another top coat after applying the decals
Not that anyone will listen but a tip for super clean masking lines.....after painting wait 10-15mins before its completely dry and pull towards ur line. This is only with lacquer i.e.:Gaia/mr.color.
If I use enamel paints isn't it bad to use a lacquer topcoat? Won't the lacquer paint damage the enamel paint?
Should i remove the seam line first or paint first ??
gonna wanna remove that seam line first!
I don't know what to get I would like to know what u use in equipment airbrush and compressor so I get the best I can
Hi there! Late to this video, and new to customizing gunpla! I have one question: when priming, do you recommend doing it straight off the runner?
On the runner you mean? Or you mean cut the parts and the prime before cleaning up the nubs? Either of those would be a no-no. Cut the parts, sand/clean up nubs, wash, then prime
ZakuAurelius yes that’s what I meant 😅 thank you for the response! I’ll make sure not to do that!
hello. thanks for the video. it is a god guide. i hace a question about Klear and the airbrush. What do you use to clean your airbrush after painting with Klear? Thanks.
lacquer thinner!
hey zaku. In your previous tutorial video you showed the runners being washed before assembly but other people say that washing the kit after building is more preferable. any thoughts on that? TBH id rather forgo washing all together but I guess you cant skip that part if you're topcoating the kit.
It really is personal preference. Some people prefer to test fit their parts to see if they fit well before washing. There is no real difference in the two processes just that one takes a bit more time.
DankLord Popim
If ur doing a proper paint job you should be sanding entire kit 600-800 grit.... So common sense says you would wash after sanding. Don't do double work bro!
U will see a ton of people claiming u don't have to sand but the work shows
I think three layers of top coat is the same as anti beam coating right?
I don't know if you've done a video on this yet, but what about setup and cleanup for when you are painting. For both airbrush and drybrush. I've been kind of making a mess of things.
haha, I haven't done such a video. But it's basically just about keeping organized and clean up with thinner usually. Depends on the paint you're using.
What other coloring brands can be used?
Can i nominate you as the next Kawaguchi.. Just Kidding haha. Mr Kawaguchi would have been proud if he saw this video. Awesome and inspiring video , im sure you save alot of people from making mistake to their kits and also save urself from repeated questions. I shall use ur video as a good guideline haha
hope it helps!
only thing I didn't get is how to think and decide on matt or glossy topcoat. seems like you only talked about glossy on all steps but I usually see people using matt. I know the difference is literal but not sure how to think about it
i dont wanna do something and then realize i should have done something else
How much bulk do all those layers add to the kit? What steps should I take to protect peg holes? I can just put masking tape on pegs but how do I protect the inside of peg holes? Do I just scape out the layers after I'm done?
if you're airbrushing, the added thickness is miniscule. and yes, masking tape over pegs if you're worried they'll get too tight. But sometimes the paint works well to keep the joints stiff. Sometimes that's better for stability!
Can I do weathering after putting the decals before topcoating? Or do you top coat after decals because of being able to redo any mistakes on weathering?
This is a reply I answered from another comment:
My process tends to be like this for weathering. Prime > Shading* > Paint > Shading* > Decal* (waterslide or dry transfer) > Gloss Coat > Decals* > Weather using pigments and/or ACRYLIC paint > Sticker Decals (almost never) > Matte Coat. (Steps with * are ones that are interchangeable and if I feel like doing it. Sometimes I'm too lazy to do it)
If you are weathering and afraid of weathering mistakes topcoat after decals and proceed to weathering.
If you put all those layers upon layers of paints and coats, isn't it possible you screw up the very shape of your parts like filling up the panel lines with paint before you even get to panel line them?? I've never done this before
flat coat works best before weathering.
Do you do multiple thin coats of top coat too?
yeah, depends on how you wanna do it.
So will the pledge protect the paint from enamel thinner? Or will my mr hobby gloss coat work just as well?
Pledge is Acrylic/water but I don't see a problem if you're using enamel for panel washing on a dried clear surface. And yes Mr. Hobby gloss coat should work just fine but it is costly. If you want a flatter finish with Pledge, mix it with some Tamiya Flat base and you're good to go ( a bottle of Pledge can go a long way).
What to do on situations where you need to remove a seem line but that par needs to be disassembled for painting?
There are good tutorials on this, but a lot of times they cut an inner part and glue it together
I like to know if you clean the runner
I've never painted a kit before and I finally got the courage to try using Tamiya spray paints. I wanna matte coat the kit for its final finish. Should I still semi gloss and the panel line before the matte top coat?
Yeah, matte is basically the finishing coat, so just gloss and do everything you wanna do before you top coat it
@@IxXGoldXxI okay thanks! I'm would a semi gloss work? I've got that on hand and the matte top coat but not pure gloss
@@nicksteeves3652 i believe in the video he said it would work, just rewatch to confirm if it's ok.
instead of clear coat, can matte coating work the same? or I need to do everything at one shot, painting n panel lining, before using matt coating.
Matte coat is pretty much just a clear coat with duller (flat base) added to it. Top coats, whether it is gloss, semi gloss, matte, or flat, are pretty much universally added after everything is done once you are finished with your work to protect it.