Preparing resin models

[crazyfeet36]

Hi All,

I just wanted to ask those who have assembled/painted darklands models what prep if any they did on the models?

I read about forgeworld resin that you should wash it in warm water and scrub it down with an old toothbrush.

i tried this on the kaairioc model i've got, but the spray paint didnt seem to stick well afterwards (though it could be unrelated)

was hoping to get any advice before my hoard arrives

Thanks in advance
crazyfeet

[warchild40k]

I always wash my resin or plastic minis in warm water with a little dish soap and an old toothbrush. This will remove any mold release left on the miniature. If you used just water it might not have taken off the mold release which can lead to primer not sticking. And make sure the water is just a little warm. If that water is too hot you can soften the resin and warp the miniature. As long as you get all the soap and mold release off the model, washing it should not cause problems with paint sticking.

[grefven]

I know that quite a few people use Simply Green to scrub their resin miniatures in. A word of caution though, that if you let them swim in it for too long, they will start to corrode and will be destroyed.

[Tim Fisher]

Aye, warm water with a bit of washing up liquid in there and an old toothbrush will do the trick.

Also, priming can be an art in itself. I never prime in high humidity, or when it's too cold as that can lead to issues with the primer - Also I always make sure my primer is at room temp and has been shaken for at least a couple of minutes before I let loose. It's not unusual for some folks to keep their primer cans out in the shed/garage and at this time of year especially you need to make sure they're nice and warm first.

[Rick_Boer]

Or...You can use an airbrush to prime your models and you don't have to wait for good conditions to prime in

[AndyS]

I washed my Trolls in warm water with washing up liquid, using a toothbrush, once they were assembled. This was to avoid getting any greasy fingers on the resin before priming. I dried them with a hair dryer on cool setting and primed them straight after. You can see the effect on my WIP.

[crazyfeet36]

Thanks all for the replies.

Im one of those people who keep spray in the garage, so though i shook it it was probably too cold. will let it in to the house

will clean the stuff as suggested, which shouldnt be long as first delivery is on the way ^^

[Tim Fisher]

Also I use Halfords car primer (this is a store in the UK) It's a car body primer so is a true primer and provides a nice and thin coat of paint that covers the surface without blocking details (as long as you're careful)

It's a true primer, and cheaper per ml than GW or Army Painter for example. Also IMO it's the best available. I use grey or if doing the pre-highlight effect I use black then a mist of white on top from above.

Here's a great guide to preparing resin minis & also one for priming from the awesome guys at Massive Voodoo (Ben Komets and Raffa Picca are members of MV who also have painted some of our studio minis)

Resin guide http://massivevoodoo.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... ature.html

Priming http://massivevoodoo.blogspot.co.uk/200 ... ughts.html

All the tutorials you will ever need! (bookmark this page!) http://massivevoodoo.blogspot.co.uk/200 ... rview.html

[Funkychef]

Tim, which black do you use? I've only seen Red, Grey or White in Halfords as far as primers go, I know they have several Black sprays, but have never been sure which ones are appropriate for priming

[Tim Fisher]

Sorry missed a bit off - I also use Vallejo air brush primers as well - that's the black I use :0) These primers are also very good and they go a long, long way!

[AndyS]

Yes Funky, the do not have a black primer to my knowlege. A matte black but not a primer. When using halfords I found that is was a little dusty and easy ro rub off when handling the model. Army painter uniform grey is the grey I would recommend. Can be touched up with the dropper bottle too.

[AndyS]

Tim, will you be showing us some of your work?

[Funkychef]

Cheers guys, it's another reason to get myself an airbrush I guess

[crazyfeet36]

Cheers for the links Tim.

Im a local chap (chesterfield) so know about halfords

been using there grey spray and found it pretty good so far.

got my bloodmaw and Polar bear today so looking forward to cracking on with them!

[Tim Fisher]

Tim, will you be showing us some of your work?

I'll have to get some pics up - way too busy for much painting at the mo though.

[Sacredroach]

Pretty much echoing the main posters here. I trim and clean the resin first, pin all the relevant joints and check for fit, then go in for the warm water and toothbrush trick.

I tend to let the bits dry overnight though before basecoat and assembly.

If you live in the US the cheap Wal Mart generic spray primer at $1.19 a can is my usual primecoat in either flat grey or flat black. AVOID the color sprays from them though. Too thick and too shiny.

Then I usually brush everything else...but the Mierce stuff is huge so I may break out my Badger to speed up the painting. I will also be trying a Pre-Val airbrush this week for work...and maybe able to adapt it for hobby use.

[AndyS]

What is a pre-val?

[Sacredroach]

Pre-Val is a company specializing in gelcoat and marine or automotive painting kits for the unskilled. But they are slowly branching out.

[zedmeister]

One thing I tend to use cleaning the miniatures is my sonic cleaner. Lukewarm water with lots of washing up liquid, put them in for a five minute cycle, remove and gently scrub. Works a treat.

One question I do have though is, how do you gents remove the awkward angled gates. You know the type, they are chunks of resin in awkward locations, usually at an arm joint or similar and removing them could end up removing some detail. Was thinking of getting a Dremel to help

[Tim Fisher]

For the gates/vents clip the bulk away down to a few mm then go in with a very sharp knife (exacto/modelling knife of your choice) and shave away bit by bit until smooth. Don't try and clip the whole lot off as you may take a bit of the model off!

Very sharp knife I stress. Most dangerous knife to use is a blunt one! Won't do much against resin but will do a number on you! Also just shave (whitle) off a bit at a time, don't try and cut through too much at once.

I

[bloodwars]

I have a file set which has some small/round files, and i can gently sand whatever off after clipping the big chunks.

[Tim Fisher]

I meant to add............

Personally, I'm not a fan of files on resin (unless you have some fine ones that work well for you) as I find they either chew up the resin or just get clogged up with dust quickly and are a pain to clear.

I use fine grade wet and dry sand paper (the sort that car body painters use) and once I've cut away any excess I go in with this stuff - if required you can get a lovely smooth finish and the paper is flexible for working around irregular shapes etc. It's also great for any mouldlines and that sort of thing.

Of course you should wear an appropiate dust mask - same as you would when working with any fine dust (such as MDF, filler, plaster etc) as that stuff can get on your lungs something rotten!

The same paper is also great for smoothing any GS/milliputt/filler of choice work you may do.

Another resin tip is the trusty hair dryer! Start on the lowest setting and you gently warm up any parts that may need bending a little for a better fit or for any conversion work you have in mind - it's easy to bend a limb a little to suit a new pose etc!

Or use hot water - same theory, once warmed up the resin becomes pliable - immerse it in cold water to 'set' once in the new/required position.

[AndyS]

I think I have used diamond files on mine. They don't seem to clog up. But you can't beat a good sharp knife!