Armor painting tutorial (or lack thereof)...

Ghostsoldier

Active Hunter
Now, I’m no dummy, but I am a bit thick at times…I’ve been surfing TDH, using the search function, looking for an easy tutorial on painting armor, and though I’ve seen quite a few “progress” threads, I haven’t run up on the one that explains the process clearly to me, as a noob…I’m getting ready to paint my custom Mando armor, and I was wondering if anyone knew of such a tutorial, and where I could find it (which would work for any BF/JF armor, too, I guess). To make this easier (and if such a step-by-step doesn’t exist), I’ve gone ahead and created a type of outline of what I gather would be the right steps...

1) Damaged armor – make sure the raw armor has the dings, dents and blaster holes already in it
2) Primer all pieces – use a self-etching primer as option (color of choice)
3) Spray base coat of silver or aluminum
4) Add masking fluid/toothpaste/mustard to damage spots with small brush
5) Spray color of choice
6) Add mask to this coat – leave on
8 ) Spray next color (this continues, depending on how may layers you want showing)
9) Wash all masking off pieces, using water and/or small brush or cloth to reveal multi-layers
10) Weather overall using carbon dust, over-sprayed paint or other approved topical method (“grime” and such accumulated filth)
11) When satisfied, seal with matte finish…

Keep in mind this is just my take on the process; feel free to add any steps I missed, or clarify the existing ones…it goes without saying that the coats of paint must dry between applications. Lemme know if you guys think I've got the basics covered…
Thanx,
Rob
 
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well, i think the lack of something that precise is probably because everyone does it differently.

some people do topical weathering, others layered. some mask their layers with latex, others mustard or toothpaste.

the way you prep the armor depends on the material it's made of. sintra, abs, fiberglass, sheet metal, forged metal... they are all different to work with.

some people seal with a matte finish, others don't (i never have myself).

so really, there isn't one super-clear way to go. the best thing is to read all the different threads, see what different people did, and then do whatever you feel most comfortable with.

and as far as your list goes... you wouldn't really want to mask BEFORE the silver. if you do that, you'll expose primer. the silver is supposed to be the metal the armor is made from, so you want that to be the lowest layer.
 
well, i think the lack of something that precise is probably because everyone does it differently.

some people do topical weathering, others layered. some mask their layers with latex, others mustard or toothpaste.

the way you prep the armor depends on the material it's made of. sintra, abs, fiberglass, sheet metal, forged metal... they are all different to work with.

some people seal with a matte finish, others don't (i never have myself).

so really, there isn't one super-clear way to go. the best thing is to read all the different threads, see what different people did, and then do whatever you feel most comfortable with.

and as far as your list goes... you wouldn't really want to mask BEFORE the silver. if you do that, you'll expose primer. the silver is supposed to be the metal the armor is made from, so you want that to be the lowest layer.


I agree, although I applaud you, because this is bound to help a lot of people. Personally I never really masked mine, but it doesn't look all that great either. I will definitely be using this list if I use the masking technique. :)
 
Thanks, Tk...I got carried away with the numbers!;) I fixed it!

Kash,
I'm a big "list" guy...I gotta have it spelled out in a logical form, or my brain shorts out...:eek:...I gotta have directions!
Rob
 
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Novall...what a dope I are...there it was, right under my nose, over on the Merc site...I feel like a total boob...THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKIN' FOR! (y)
Thanx a ton, dude...next time I need something, I'll go look over there on the Custom site and look around too, before I make a idiot of myself again!:lol:
Rob
 
Nah man, it's all good =D I was more afraid that it wasn't helpful to you then anything else. We're trying to get a good tutorial library made up over there so that people don't have to ask or search anymore...they can just go look via categorized list, cause like you I am a list guy =D
 
Kash,
I'm a big "list" guy...I gotta have it spelled out in a logical form, or my brain shorts out...:eek:...I gotta have directions!
Rob

I'm exactly the same way! Lists = order. No lists = chaos. That would be really cool to have a list for each type of armor painting. It would take a while, but then again you could learn a lot from writing the lists. I would love to see some put together. Thanks for you hard work because I know that this type of thing takes time. :)
 
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can anyone post the colors to use for the armor? I have a list of spray paint colors for the helmet, but I'm not finding any spray paint colors for the armor, is is the same green?
 
can anyone post the colors to use for the armor? I have a list of spray paint colors for the helmet, but I'm not finding any spray paint colors for the armor, is is the same green?


I'm not too privy on what brand you're using for your Helmet Spray Paints but here's the list for the Tamiya brand that both KidAkira and me have/are using on our ROTJ armor.

Tamiya Spray Paint Colors ROTJ

Hope it helps...

Stay safe,

Tim.
 
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