Captain America--STRIKE Stealth Suit - Painting (IVbis) -The Shield

The shield has been stripped, and re-primed with Tamiya Fine Surface Primer (L)-Lt. Grey. My goal is to have the lacquers applied--and cured!--by next weekend.

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Captain America--STRIKE Stealth Suit - Painting (IV) -The Shield. . . FAIL!

With the weekend fast drawing to a close, I wanted to get one more thing done before calling it a day. As there really wasn't much time to dive into anything too involved, I decided to get Cap's shield off the work bench and on to the painting hutch. . .

To this end, I applied 2-3 light coats of Rustoleum Painter's Touch® Ultra Cover 2x Primer-Black. Some of you might wonder why I decided on using a black primer. In spite of it being all the rage, it is not an application I endorse. In this case, however, it is the right call as the primer will serve double duty as primer and undercoat: the lacquers can now be applied directly to the primed sur- faces of the shield.

More to follow. . . 

26.01.2015 - The shield has been lacquered--G-S Mr. Metal, of course! The face of the shield was lacquered with a 50:50 mix of Stainless Steel and Chrome; while the back of the shield was lac- quered with pure Stainless Steel. This creates a subtle tonal difference under normal lighting that will be enhanced as the back of the shield will be largely in shadow once mounted.

I will tackle the shield fittings next, along with the white star and the central dk. "blue" roundel. Once that is done, the shield will be permanently attached, and the concentric anodized pale blue roundels painted in-situ.

27.01.2015 - It was one of those days at work. . . so I needed to do something--hopefully, con- structive. After thinking about it virtually every spare moment I had to day, I decided to mask the shield save for the center roundel--with star, and prime this white. It actually came out surpris- ingly well--no bleed-through whatsoever, and unmasking was relatively uneventful. I then painted the center roundel with a 50:50 mix of Reaper's Midnight Blue and UM Blue. As of this writing, I am unsure whether this will serve a mere undercoat, or if I will even things up and use it as a basecoat. More to follow. . . 

29.01.2015 - It looks like Cap is going to challenge me even this well-into the proceedings. . .  I started painting the inner lt. blue anodized ring when I noticed that the metallic lacquer was 'lift- ing'. This is a new one on me! I pressed-on thinking--hoping!--that it was merely the uppermost layer of paint that had yet to cure, but it was soon apparent that I had worked my way down to the primer!! For some reason, the G-S Mr. Metal had failed to bond with the Rustoleum primer. So. . . into the stripper it went! 

The one rule I blatantly violated was that of immiscible layers: I painted a lacquer on a lacquer, rather than a lacquer over an acrylic. Duly noted. Round 2 will 100% "old school": lt. grey primer under a buffed, flat black acrylic undercoat under 2-3 coats of G-S Mr. Metal, with a minimum of 48 hrs. set-up between each step/coat. I'm just glad/relieved I decided to scrub Cap as an entry: a rather painful reminder that this late in the game, it is Mr. Murphy that is calling the shots!

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Captain America--STRIKE Stealth Suit - Painting (III) - Oils, pt.2a

The head's fleshtones (i.e., the face, etc.) are now done! And, IMHO, one of the best faces I have ever painted! 

One down. . . 

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Captain America--STRIKE Stealth Suit - Not happenin'. . .

This afternoon, I made an annotated list of the items remaining to be done on Cap. This is par for the course with me to make sure I don't forget/oversee anything, as well as provide me with cap- sule notes, etc. for any given item. 

There are 20+ items on the list. There are 26 days before "opening night", including three week- ends. In my book, that simply does not add up, especially dealing with the scale and medium of the figure, drying allotments--and yes, work. Could it be done? Even with work, it could be done. But why? I guess the real question is, "Should it be done?" And the answer to that is a definite no! Why jeopardize all the research, work, etc. simply to have yet one more piece on the display table? No show that I've ever been to is worth that!

And so, as of this writing, I will very reluctantly concede to time. Another week-to-ten days, and I wouldn't be writing this. But it is what it is. In the meantime, I will continue working on--and enjoy- ing!--Cap. And as soon as it is completed, it will be my pleasure to share my work with you. 

Now. . . if Mother Nature throws in a couple of snow days in the next four weeks. . . 

Just by way of  FOLLOW-UP, the blue is matte-ing down beautifully!!! It looks every bit as I had hoped it would, which makes the decision not to complete him for the show all the more vexing. By the same token, it amply vindicates the decision. . . HASTE MAKES WASTE!

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Captain America--STRIKE Stealth Suit - Painting (III) - Oils, pt.1

IT. . . HAS. . . BEGUN. . .

With less than 4 weeks to go, I will be the first to admit that getting Cap done in time for opening night registration is less than a sure thing. So why start it? Well. . . 1) if I don't paint him now, he would more than likely never get painted; and 2) the three-day weekend gives me a significant ad- vantage: if I can get the blue of the suit done to my satisfaction, then there is a very good chance that the smaller bits can get done an hour here, an hour there. We'll see. . .

To this end. . .

12.01.2015 - Irises blocked-in. 
17.01.2015 - Legs (blue) done. The colours used to achieve my mix are as follows: 1:1 mix of Cerulean Blue (Liquitex) + Ivory Black + a touch of Winsor Blue + a touch of Neutral Gray (Li- quitex) [the latter two to taste]. For those using acrylics, I would recommend Reaper's Midnight Blue as your base. Finally, be sure you set aside a good 4-5 hr. block of time to paint the blue portions of the legs. And as with most dark blues, be prepared to revisit your hard work to punch up the highlights, the deep shadows, and the outlining once dry.
18.01.2015 - The Stealth suit (blue portions) is now done! I would set aside 3-4 hrs. for the upper body.

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Captain America--STRIKE Stealth Suit - Painting (II) - UC'ing, pt.1

Paints and brushes. . . ASSEMBLE!

07.01.2015 - Black portions of boots and gaiters done.
08.01.2015 - Blue portions of pants done (1:1 Reaper Ultramarine Blue and Twilight Blue, toned down with flat black to taste).
09.01.2015 - Blue portions of "jacket" done. More than likely, this will be the extent of uc'ing of the body at this point. By next weekend, the oils will be flowin'. . . 
10.01.2015 - Head primed and flesh areas uc'ed.
11.01.2015 - Carbon-fibre panels of helmet, and mock-turtle collar done.   

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Captain America--STRIKE Stealth Suit - Painting (I - Redux)

I got home from work today and I wanted to have something to show for the derailing events of last weekend--and the hell that was work this week!

When we last spoke, I had pretty much opted-out of the rattle cans. But I just wasn't in the mood to airbrush this evening; and, given the color of Cap's Stealth Suit, the "dark" grey color of Rusto- leum Sandable Auto Primer--Grey was a no-brainer. In fact, there will be areas that I intend to paint straight over the primer. So, I shook the can for a good minute and a half, and fired away. Less than 2 minutes later, I had a beautifully-primed, smooth, matte-finish figure--with absolutely no clean-up! 

Hmmm. . . there might be something to these rattle cans after all. . . 

As a final note, I will probably be priming the head with Mr. Surfacer 500. While I could probably get away with using the Rustoleum Grey, the very fine detail on the helmet and undercoating the skin tones would benefit from a lighter--literally and figuratively--primer. FOLLOW-UP 29.11.2014- After letting the primer cure for 24 hrs., I was most impressed with the results: no apparent loss of detail. . . ANYWHERE! And it dries significantly lighter than when first applied; not Tamiya or Floquil "light", but certainly workable. Hmmm. . .

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Primers. . . reconsidered

As some of you know--or might have guessed--I am not at all a fan of "rattle cans". They are wasteful in the extreme; and any control you think you might have is largely illusory. If there are any graffiti artists in the readership, my hat is off to you all! But for me, I simply don't like them. Different strokes. . . and certainly different canvasses!

So the research continued well into today during my break periods at work, and I've decided to stick with what I know. I still have a couple of bottles of G-S Mr. Surfacer 500 squirreled away, and while this is the coarsest of the G-S "liquid putties", it has the tooth/grain I have long missed in my primers. While the original Floquil primer could be applied silky smooth, by dialing back the pressure somewhat and increasing the distance, you could achielve a nice "tooth" that locked-in the subsequent layers of paint and broke up the sheen of the oils in record time (increased tooth increases the surface area of oxidation)!

According to some articles/postings I have read, the Surfacer number (500/1000/1200; with a Finishing Surfacer available in 1500) is roughly equivalent to sand-paper grit. I don't know the veracity of this assertion; but like I said, I like some texture on my primer. And the areas that require a smooth finish can easily be touched up post-curing with fine sandpaper or a finishing pad--or a coarse paper towel! 

So when I got home, I broke out the Mr. Surfacer 500 and conducted some test runs, using the vinyl neck post as my subject. I used both Mr. Color Thinner and lacquer thinner as paint thin- ners--each worked equally well. And I must say that once you get it thinned (start with 60:40 thinner to Surfacer; be prepared to go as high as 70:30!), and you let it sit at least an hour post- application, you have a hard, durable, matte surface that is scratch resistant, sandable, and does not compromise any of the fine detail of the miniature.

Downside? VERY aromatic. As in aromatic hydrocarbons. I would not spray this without a respirator and adequate ventilation. Well. . . I would--and do. . . but everybody should heed the warnings and prepare/proceed accordingly. 

And yes, once the Holidays are over, I will be ordering a bottle--or two--of Surfacer 1000 to add to the "palette". . . 

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Primers

In case anyone hadn't noticed, modelling life used to be much easier. Not only were there fewer products on the market (the redundancy and one-upmanship game has gotten out of control!), but there was little if any government intervention. This allowed the product to do what it was supposed to do nearly 100% of the times, as opposed to the current "roll the dice and take your chances" approach to products from which the government has felt compelled to protect us.

This vent/rant is by way of preface to my research into primers as a result of yesterday's debacle. I found this excellent summary on why primers should be used on one of the many sites I have visited in the last two days:

• Primers are the anchors for the new paint system. There are big differences in the quality of primers on the market.
• A primer is wasted if surface preparation is not thorough.
• Take time to ensure all surfaces are thoroughly clean and free from contaminants.

"Well, duh?!" you might say? I have repeatedly seen projects that have foregone surface prep, and not a few that have skipped the critical priming step altogether. In this day and age when we have nary a clue of how a piece was cast and/or the formulation of the casting medium, to not use a primer is the height of folly! And I would have to say that your favorite song is "Flirtin' with Disaster"!!

Before closing, I wanted to share with you that I will be priming Cap (and all subsequent PV figures) with a light coat of Rustoleum Sandable Auto Primer--Grey, followed by a final coat of Rustoleum Painter's Touch® Ultra Cover 2x Primer Grey. The reason for the latter is that the former is a rather dark slate grey, while the latter is a normal "primer grey". If it works as I hope it will, I will be buying at least 2-3 additional cans of each, 'cause with such goodies as xylene (Dio-Sol!!!) and toluene in the mix, I can't see Uncle Sam leaving these products be for long!



“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Captain America--STRIKE Stealth Suit - Painting (I)

A [CAUTIONARY] TALE OF WOE

The first coat of primer went on well, but it revealed two pesky seam lines that I had completely overlooked. I was very tempted to "fill" them with G/S Mr. Surfacer 500; but this was an oversight on my part, so I might as well do it right. The primer also revealed a couple of spots that would require putty intervention.

So far so good. I carefully placed the reworked, primed figure in the oven to accelerate the curing of the MS, and that's when everything went b***'s-up! I went to check the progress of the curing putty when I noticed that the primer coat was quite shiny; and when I carefully touched it, it was tacky! Now, everybody knows--or should know--that enamel paints will not cure on PV figures, which is why I was very careful in selecting one of my remaining bottles of Floquil lacquer-based primer. The joke--a bad one--was on me: the bottle had been mislabeled!

At this point, I had but two choices: dump the figure; or make the best of a bad situation. Three cigarettes later, I opted for the latter. I will have to very carefully remove all the bad primer (since it did not cure, it is readily removable using lacquer thinner), and then re-prime using a lacquer- based primer.

So I'm back to the original timetable--though whether or not I can start uc'ing next weekend is yet to be seen. My main reservation is that I will have to use a spray-can to prime. . .

FOLLOW-UP . . . THE SILVER LINING

98+% of the bad primer has now been removed, so, at worst, only a day was lost. The good news is that I discovered a very useful bit of knowledge: all PV (read: soft-ish vinyl) figures should be thoroughly wiped-down with lacquer thinner prior to applying any paint [NOTE: test on a small, inconspicuous part first!]. This not only removes any mold release and essentially degreases the figure, it leaves a semi-matte-to-matte surface sheen that effectively acts as a primer coat to reveal any surface blemishes, etc.

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003