question about sanding/painting

[kasmichan]

will it roughen my kit? I'm kinda thinking of sanding my kits to remove some unwanted residue from the building process..since model kits are smooth plastics, will it become rough? well i want it to remain smooth..

regarding painting, is mr.color a good type of paint?I haven't tried mr.color yet since i'm fond of water based(hobby color) since HS days..I haven't tried enamel paint aside from tamiya but SRW kits don't recommend tamiya paints to be used(based on the color guide)..I wonder why kotobukiya recommend mr.color and hobby color instead of tamiya color...

I even saw gundam color paint somewhere in the net which is highly recommended for gundam kits...

[Gane]

For all your sanding and painting queries you could head to the Gundam Page and check the tips section on top of the collector's page...

For a short idea on what you want to know:

"will it roughen my kit? I'm kinda thinking of sanding my kits to remove some unwanted residue from the building process..since model kits are smooth plastics, will it become rough? well i want it to remain smooth.."

If you want to remove a detail, a bigger grit sand paper would do the trick. But for cleaning up those seam lines use a 1200 and above sand paper and do wet sanding. The finer the grit the better the result. Yes you will roughen the surface, that's the time when you will need clear paint to seal and cover that roughness. (I think I made some grammatical boo boos... ;D)

"regarding painting, is mr.color a good type of paint?I haven't tried mr.color yet since i'm fond of water based(hobby color) since HS days..I haven't tried enamel paint aside from tamiya but SRW kits don't recommend tamiya paints to be used(based on the color guide)..I wonder why kotobukiya recommend mr.color and hobby color instead of tamiya color...

I even saw gundam color paint somewhere in the net which is highly recommended for gundam kits..."

Somebody could probably attest to the plastic Kotobukiya is using on their kits when used with Tamiya Paints. Tamiya is a model kit brand as well so I believe it's safer for a company like Kotobukiya to promote Mr. Color and Hobby Color since these brands only produce the materials for your hobby and rarely do they come out with their own kits. (but mostly tank, planes, etc. but not robots).

Tamiya is often used by modelers since the brand that's sold in most hobby shop before Mr. Hobby and Gundam Color came around.

Gundam Color is design to match the colored plastic used primarily on Gundam kits, and most of the time they come out with a set for a particular model so you won't have to mix and match everything.

For further information check the Gundam Tips and Tricks section below :
greattoysonline.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=gunpla

[kasmichan]

I see..thank you very much for that..^^ I saw a vid in youtube earlier too showing techniques and tips on remodeling gundams..I just can't say that kotobukiya and bandai plastics are the same though they're both similar in many ways that's why I need a trademark paint to use on them..I'm getting scared that using other brands might ruin the kits...and I also know that most hobby shops don't sell hobby color or mr.color so I find these two brands rare in the phil..

[ghostecho]

i think tamiya paints(ACRYLIC) are safe for kotobukiya kits, i use them to hand brush my armored cores and they went out fine, so i'm recommending you to use them on koto kits...

hope this helps...

[kasmichan]

I used it before yeah and I know how good tamiya paints are but I'm more used to hobby color due to its soft texture(water based)..when I was in 4WD, I often use tamiya paints but I only put it as that(tamiya for tamiya brands)..

[Gane]

You can find Hobby color and Mr. Hobby in Best Toys ( I think that's the shop's name) in Virra Mall in Greenhills, Ali Mall in Cubao and SM North (near food court)

They're a bit expensive than Lil's but they also have more Gundam Colors to choose from... ;D

[kasmichan]

i see..the one in GH doesn't have the "earth yellow" that I need for R-Gun so I can't finish my kit..maybe I'll go to SM north first before going to ali mall since the terminal is in cubao..hehehe..thanks for the info..I haven't been in Alimall for yrs so I don't know the place any longer..

[Gane]

I don't really remember the exact location but it's on the second floor of the shoe store. I think it's on the left where there are shops selling cellphones and secondhand laptops. At the end of the corridor you can see a gun store "et viola" the hidden hobby shop... ;D

If the color is still not available, you might want to mix and match using the kit sprue for testing before making the final batch.

I don't usually buy the paint unless it's impossible to match the color specially when I will only use it one time. A lesson I got from making all those non-robot kits.

[kasmichan]

Gane: thanks for the tip but most kotobukiya colors are almost non mixable..every paint needed for mixing doesn't have a common name...just like the clear red I used for granzon, lemon orange that I can't find anywhere XD..oh and I found earth yellow on ali mall..thanks for the guide^^

[Gane]

That's the problem with some manufacturers, they use propreitary color variants that are hard to replicate... this is cheaper to achieve with Tamiya Enamels though and a good deal of knowledge of color pallets...

But then again enamel paint thinner has a bad reaction to the plastic after a few years so using it sparingly would be wise... I had some Gundams and Zoids crumble on the crotch and arms because of this...

[kasmichan]

ouch..I'm glad water-based colors don't have any effect on my kits after some months I painted them with it..the only problem though is that they're easily scrapped off the kit due to thier nature...

[delta408]

Water based paint like acrylic can be protected with a layer of dulcote. I think you can get better durability from enamels, but you'll need an airbrush.

[kasmichan]

@delta: I'm not really good at enamels...I often scatter the paint around even though I'm using the thinest brush tamiya has..that's the reason I switched to water-based and acrylic based since the 2 can easily be removed specially water-based since I only needed water..

[Gane]

Do a light sanding on all the parts you want painted making special attention on gaps from mold halves. It's best you glue the parts first then sand. Wet sanding in tiny circles work best with higher grit sand paper.

Why? Just like applying a primer, this will create enough surface area for the paint to "cling" into thus avoiding the unnecessary "chipping" or scrapping.

Yes it will take time but the results will give the best results...

For stubborn gaps apply a few brush strokes of primer (bottled) or spray the area with primer.

Why? Some gaps will always be visible specially on white plastic so applying a primer will seal and cover this properly, and allowing your paint to go over the area without showing where the gap was.

FYI
If you're applying white paint over red plastic, NEVER use enamel. Enamels allow the dye they use on red plastic to bleed on the paint. This is a situation you won't want to encounter when painting plastic. I believe Acrylics don't affect the plastic this much...

[kasmichan]

what do you mean "bleed on the paint"??