[Mordiganne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by snake5289

Any ideas on how to keep the paint from rubbing off on the joints? Specifically the elbows and shoulders?

I'll expand on this when I get to the tutorial but this is my method. Your results may vary and if you're at all hesitant about trying this, don't! I've been making customs for many, many years so this is second nature to me and I don't give it a second thought as I know what I can do and I know how the results will come out. I'll also preface this by saying that this method isn't for everyone as you can really ruin your figure if you're not careful (or slice the shit out of your fingers), so practice, practice, practice and practice some more if you want to give it a go. I developed this method when I first started swapping parts between bodies as some parts simply will not fit together without modification. That includes trimming away some of the plastic to achieve a good fit

That out of the way, this really only works if you disassemble and prep the figure prior to any painting. If you paint before testing the joints there's little you can do based on how the bodies fit together from the factory. For all the grief they get, Hasbro really does a great job in how the base bodies fit together. Anyway, let's just go with the shoulder for this....

You're going to need a SHARP x-acto blade, super glue and your base paint color.

The first thing to do is start with a THIN layer of paint on the shoulder ball. Let it dry completely then just roll the ball joint around and see all the places that the paint rubs off (remember to check the armpit area in case you want to elevate the arms when done). Those spots are where you need to trim, and I mean carefully TRIM the plastic. With a sharp blade you can shave off millimeters of plastic without ruining the joints or deforming the body. After you've trimmed, repaint and roll the ball around again. Keep doing this until the ball can roll without any paint coming off - this might take several tries before it's ready for the next part. If you're worried about jagged edges, slip a piece of sand paper in between the shoulder and the ball and work the edges until it's smooth. If the blade is sharp enough you won't need to worry about it, but it's a good habit to get into regardless.

Once you can move it around without paint coming off, paint the ball and the shoulder in your base coat, set it aside and let it dry for a couple of hours. Once it's completely dry put on your super glue - I use a kind that also makes a hard plastic coating when it cures so it's durable. After the glue dries paint over that with another thin layer and retest the joint movement - up/down/in a circle, etc. (The glue coating will preserve the base coat in case you didn't get all the rub spots. It also leaves a glossy shine so if you do get a rub anywhere you can see the gloss underneath. Makes it easy to fix/ touch up.) Testing the joint before your final paint job is important because each layer closes the gap between the joints and you don't want to undo all of your work.

Based on how you want to be able to pose your figure there's more tricks you can do. I'll show how pose-able my figures can be with Batroc (coming next batch) since I want him to be able to be "factory flexible" if I have him posed fighting Cap or whomever.

None of this is usually necessary for the female figures as the shoulder is completely outside of the body unlike the male figures. You just have to not glop the paint into the joint and it should move freely without any rubbing/chipping.

So, with all of that said, I can't stress enough that this isn't for everyone!! It does take time, patience and skill. Trial and error is ultimately the best method. Get/use some junk figures, experiment and find what methods work for how you want your customs to be.

And don't use super glue to seal an entire figure. It's messy and a waste of glue. Use a spray.

Ok, I'm going back to my customs. Have a great weekend all!