Spraypainting Lego bits?

[CPTPromotable]

So, is there any stigma against a nice glossy spraypaint going over Lego bits to tie the colors in when building? Or is that perfectly okay? I ask, coming from a TTG background, because when i start building soon, i don't want to worry with a patched up looking company, nor do i want to agonize because i can't find *this* particular brick in the right(or an appropriately matching) color.

I know of some model spraypaint for cars i've been wanting to try out, but haven't as i tend to use flat sprays as bases to paint over.

[Ced23Ric]

Heh.

My Carachadons, I basecoat with liberal amounts of Chaos Black, then painstakingly paint on with the tiniest brush in the history of tiny brushes.
But for MFZ, I'd stay far away from spraypaint. Just clay alone eats through the plastic and damages it, I am not sure I'd trust spraypaint to be gentle.

Hope this helps.

[zeekhotep]

I myself have never painted Lego, but I have seen it done to good effect. Lego is made of ABS plastic, and I know from other projects that ABS takes paint very well. Some paints will require that you give the bricks a light sanding for the paint to stick well.

To make this work well as far as game play is concerned, I would paint the sub assemblies separately so that you can "dissemble" your mechs as they get damaged, without hurting your paint-job.

[Joshua A.C. Newman]

Don't forget that you're going to want to disassemble your frames and turn them into new frames at some point. That means you don't know what parts of the pieces will be visible later.

I understand vinyl dye works well, though, and it doesn't change the size of the bricks the way paint would. I imagine you want to start with white bricks if you're going to do that, but you'll want to look around for advice.

Personally, I don't and wouldn't. I really like the creative constraints that LEGO colors (and shapes) give a builder, and that way I keep the flexibility of the bricks.

[CPTPromotable]

as far as spraypainting them, i was intending to paint them brick by brick, so that a damaged mech wouldn't have a half-yellow, half-red torso piece where his arm used to be. my whole problem is i don't want mismatched 'junkyard' frames if it turns out my big ol' tupperware container o' Legos has enough small parts for me to assemble some forces. it may all be for naught if i end up buying from a pick-a-brick service, in which case i'll be color matching anyways.

also, as far as removing the paint, i'm fairly sure an acetone bath will remove the paint without damaging the Lego, but i would obviously do that experiment on a block with nothing to offer me first.

good things to think about, and hopefully i'll either A ) have enough blocks it won't matter or B ) not have enough blocks and it won't matter.

Thanks for the replies!

*edit: for science?

[Joshua A.C. Newman]

Acetone attacks ABS. Spraypainting studs and tubes — or even the sides where they meet other bricks — will change their dimensions and make them attach poorly.

[CPTPromotable]

well fooey! i didn't know if the studs would attach poorly after being spraypainted. i also wasn't sure what kind of plastic Legos were made of, but i don't even need to experiment (you always put a 'throwaway' model in whatever paint remover you try, so you don't turn your prized battleship or whatnot into a pile of goop or a brittle explosion waiting to happen). looks like it'll be free colony junkyard dogs against some ordered stuff for SU chubs. we'll see! Thanks for the information rather than just saying 'frak that guy, let him try it and fail!'

[Joshua A.C. Newman]

Check out the vinyl dye possibilities! Report back!

[Wadmaasi]

also, as far as removing the paint, i'm fairly sure an acetone bath will remove the paint without damaging the Lego, but i would obviously do that experiment on a block with nothing to offer me first.

Simple Green works well on Games Workshop models and paints without damaging the plastic of the models.

[Joshua A.C. Newman]

The Internets all say that Simple Green works on ABS. I assume WH figures are polystyrene, which is a slightly different plastic.

[Mantisking]

So, is there any stigma against a nice glossy spraypaint going over Lego bits to tie the colors in when building?

I play MFZ so I don't have to paint my minis.

[Ramcat]

I play MFZ so I don't have to paint my minis.

Hear, hear!

[CPTPromotable]

spraypainting is SO easy though! i'll look into a local supplier of the vinyl dye and see if i can get the color(s) together for a nice, vibrant yellow. I'm a yellow/black kinda guy:





as you can see.

[Joshua A.C. Newman]

I love caution stripes!

Rummage around for info on dying LEGO. People do it a lot. I'm really amazed by how well it works.

[Axhead]

Perhaps a set of custom decals would be better for you?

[JasonM]

I have been meaning to reply to this thread for a while.

I inadvertently came across a way to add color (and character) to your Lego. A few years ago I was living in an apartment and my neighbors had a bit of a fire. The place was cheap and had somewhat-unified heating and cooling (it was REALLY cheap, and I was young), so I suffered a lot of smoke damage. Some of my Legos were actually assembled and setting out (Star Wars kits, an unusual exception for me in leaving things assembled, y'know, before MFZ), so they wound up not only being smoke-damaged, but where one brick was covering another, it masked the staining along very sharp lines. While I still mourn the loss of some of the things I had to throw out after that, the effect on a handful of my Legos turned out looking pretty cool.

So, I guess my point is... if what you'd like to do is add a smokey effect and/or simply darken your Legos a bit, consider sticking them in a cold smoke chamber and letting them soak up a good bit of that stuff (Note: COLD smoke chamber! Do not simply put your Legos in a brisket smoker, you will likely ruin your Legos, and not do anything good to your smoker either). Accidentally doing it lead to some neat effects, I'm betting if it were done intentionally instead, the results could be awesome.