Modelling and Painting

[MissMarvelous]

Can you paint anything you want???

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

I suppose so, if I have the appropriate paint for the surface to be covered...
However, I must stress that I am not an artistic painter by any means whatsoever!

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

Todays shenanigans.
Bit of making and priming stuff is all. And with that said, here we go...


Teeny tiny, tiny headlamp to assemble...


Two teeny tiny headlamps...!


What are you doing Retro...?


Okay then...


Ready for priming...


Primed. Needs another coat, but that has to be preceded with a light rub down first. So, tomorrow for that...

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

My test spoon went a bit kaka after I sprayed too much clear gloss too quickly and it kinda bloomed and seemed as if it had thousands of tiny bubbles within. I didn't take a photo as I was a bit deflated for being too hasty.
However, I rubbed it down this morning and in-between doing the stuff above, I whacked on a couple of gloss clear coats, thinly and with at least an hour between each coat.

I don't think it looks too bad this time...


I'm working on a 2nd test spoon which has been primed and glossed as the first. This time I will be waiting until tomorrow to apply the gloss clear coat and will be applying a couple of thin coats with plenty of time between.
Currently it looks like this...


The more I realise just how hard it is to get an even, high gloss finish on a car model that makes the car look as real as possible. The more I am stressing about the end result and (almost) wishing I hadn't started it...!

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

Took a close look at the primer on K.I.T.T.s bodyshell this afternoon and I could see mottling all over the place.
It looked it had measles...
The paint still looked okay other than that, so I decided to give it a wash in cold soapy water and then see about laying down the gloss coat.
I have no clue what happened, but as I washed the body of the car, the paint reacted with the soapy water and the paint in places bubbled up as if I had poured paint stripper onto it.
To say I was pissed off is the understatement of the year. I couldn’t bring myself to even take a photo...
So I spent the next two hours trying to sand the paint off, gave up on that and ended up stripping the paint off with 99.9% isopropyl alcohol. Which worked well.
Decided to re-prime with good old grey primer, let that dry overnight and then try the gloss black primer again...

Here it is stripped, lightly sanded, washed and dried, ready to prime...


A quick blast with the primer, et voila...


I’m too fed up to do any more...

 

[MissMarvelous]

It looks very good and ready for round no. 2

Getting my hands on some Playmobil and Stormtroopers / Darth Vader plaster pots. That's not even close to what you do but I'll give my best!

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

Here we go again...

I put several light coats down and a final thicker coat. I found that I was getting some separation of the paint because of some contamination, maybe some dust or other particulates. Rather than leave it, I picked it off with a little sponge makeup brush and kind of smudged the paint around to not leave a gouge. After I'd finished that coat I blasted it with a craft heat gun to force the drying process and used a micromesh sanding cloth to blend the edges and went on with the other coats.
Here it is now...
I'm not too fussed about the slight unevenness, as I will hit it with 2000 grit wet & dry along with my microfibre sanding cloth in a couple of days...


Trying very hard to keep dirt and debris off of K.I.T.T. while his primer dries...

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

And in the meantime, while I am, you know, waiting...



A 3D printed phaser from Discovery, one of the few good things about this show!
This was bought way before I had my own 3D printer.
It is a monumental pain in the arse to get this anywhere near smooth. The Type 1 Phaser was difficult enough, the main body is a nightmare...

That's it for now Boys and Girls...

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

Irregardless of smoothness, which spoon has the deeper shine...?

 

[MissMarvelous]

No. 2 is the one that shines more but the surface of no. 1 is smoother.

There's some "Mottling" (i think you call it, like that).

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

Not ready (too scared!*) to paint K.I.T.T. yet, so...
*Actually that bloody primer is still not dry.



Will wait a couple of days for it to totally dry and touch up with more black where needed, then another day or two to dry. Then mask and paint the gold and silver bits.
Yeah, there are still some print lines visible, but it is such a monumental pain in the arse to do all that work to remove them all that I just can't face it!

 

[Flash525]

Damn @RetrogradeOrbit , I do envy your ability to 3D print. That phaser looks sweet!

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

Damn @RetrogradeOrbit , I do envy your ability to 3D print. That phaser looks sweet!

Thanks, but I can’t take credit for that one.
I bought it off of eBay at least a couple of years ago. Before I had a 3D printer.
But you are right, it’s quite a nice model. Hopefully my paint job will be reasonable!

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

I tried to knock back the orange peel paintwork on K.I.T.T.
But I just wasn't happy with how it was looking. So out comes the ovenware and 99.9% isopropyl alcohol.
Took all the gloss paint off quite well. That's the second time I've stripped this back!



Washed it, dried it and then back in the paint booth...


This time I thought I would go with red enamel primer as it is a bit darker and hopefully will make the gloss come up nicer.
Change of plan on the gloss, going to use Rustoleum gloss black out of a spray can. Even though the headlamps, side mirrors, nose cone and spoiler are done with an airbrushed gloss black. I am hoping that as they are quite small parts any difference won't show too much.
Anyhow, they will all be clear coated with the same stuff. So, maybe...?


Primed...

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

Slightly more success with the Discovery Type I Phaser...

Just needs a semi-gloss clear coat to seal and protect it.

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

Just a few bits to paint on the main body of the Phaser.
These are too small to bother with getting the airbrush out for. So it's tiny brush time later...



This might even be finished today, yay...

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

Knurly knob bit still left to do. Then touch ups. Then blast it with a satin clear coat. Then wait several days for all to dry and done!

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

I am not stripping it a third time. This is it, it will just have to do...
Apart from a high gloss clear coat.
Oh yeah, and the 8 led scanner light kit that I am waiting for...


It's hiding under a cardboard box while it dries...

 

[MissMarvelous]

Looks very good!!! Why are you hiding it?

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

To keep all the dust, hairs and debris off of it until it’s dry...!

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

Before...


After...


Before...


After...


Before, well, during...!


Aft... Oh, you get it by now...!

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

The Devil is in the details, I have heard them say...
Who are "They" and why are they in my head?

Nothing to report on K.I.T.T. apart from he is still drying and I am waiting for the arrival of assorted very fine grit wet & dry sandpaper 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, 5000, 7000 grit and that pesky led scanner!

 

[Flash525]

Can you paint anything you want???

You should see what he can do with a garden fence!

 

[MissMarvelous]

Have you seen "Death becomes her"?