How to paint LEGO?

[Darth_Legois]

Hi i have a mutt hair piece i love it but theres one thing, i want one in Tan/Blonde [same thing ]

So i was talking to my sister [she does lots of artistic stuff] and she said i'd probable need a small can of spray paint, but she took one of my other mini-fig hair pieces [Normal one] and said she'd try normal paint or something on it. So i was wondering what should i do? And what kind of paint and is there an exact colour thats the same as the normal tan/blonde LEGO colour?

Sorry mods if this is the wrong place

[Axel]

Use any sort of acrylic or spray paint with a paint sealant over it after you finish.

[UniqueBuilder]

I have no idea about the paint itself, but if you can't get it in a spray can, I'd reccommend an air brush:

You can get some cheap ones that run on compressed air cans instead of a compressor. Worth the money, especially if you're going to do this more than one time..

[Darth_Legois]

Well im only planning on doing it once, but then again i might get addicted

If/When i get a can of spray paint i will have to go with my dad or someone, they might will think im going to go graffiti someones wall

[¹²³←]

I usually use warhammer colors...

[JopieK]

I also would be nice to paint the yellowish white bricks white again. I have a bunch in chlorine at the moment but we really don't like it that quite some bricks become tan themselves. At 1000steine I heard that it could be caused by the influence of cardboard but I'm still not totally sure about that.

[Squeaker]

There is a dye used for car interiors (plastics) called vinyl dye, Brent Waller used it to great avail:

the dye actually is absorbed by the plastic so it won't rub off easily. I heard somewhere you can get it at NAPA auto parts.

[exxtrooper]

I use the german E-MAIL colors, they are very effective but need to dry 1-3 days.

[Tinn-man]

Sorry for bumping an old topic, but I have recently found myself wanting to paint a few pieces for minifigures.

Would this be ok to paint minifigures with? Or is it better to stick with spray paints?

[Stash2Sixx]

I've used the Testors brand before and it works fine. Just a few tips...If you are going to paint a large area, spray it if possible. It will look much better than if you had used a brush. Also stick with acryllic paints. They are so much easier to clean up!

For small details, I have been using the paints from Games Workshop...no complaints so far.

I know a few other people that use Krylon Fusion, which is designed for plastics. I believe the Krylon is only available as a spray can though.

[DJ Force]

There is a dye used for car interiors (plastics) called vinyl dye, Brent Waller used it to great avail:

the dye actually is absorbed by the plastic so it won't rub off easily. I heard somewhere you can get it at NAPA auto parts.

Is that a paint, a spray or what exactly?

I´m wondering since I do a lot of customizing and always wondered how to recolor actionfigure joints without having the paint rub off again when moving the joints....

[Hound Knight]

I've used the Testors brand before and it works fine. Just a few tips...If you are going to paint a large area, spray it if possible. It will look much better than if you had used a brush. Also stick with acryllic paints. They are so much easier to clean up!

I too use Testors, with great results. Please don't use acrylic though, it chips off LEGO pieces very easily.

[streifen]

so far i have used Games Workshop arylic paint. they are good on plastic.

[Stash2Sixx]

I use the acrylics, but I make sure to add some type of clearcoat. Semigloss is pretty good if you can find it. I find normal gloss to be way to reflective. Looking forward to showing off some work in here soon. Brickworld is just eatin' up all my time right now.

[Mraz Skintas]

I know, Darth Legois, that you posted about a specific hair piece, but in general, if you are painting something small, I would recommend what UniqueBuilder posted - a small airbrush. If you want to paint something large one solid color (i.e. a baseplate), I would recommend a can of spray paint. I went to Walmart yesterday and bought some of the $1.12 cans for a baseplate, and it turned out nice and green.

[Oswald the Rabbit]

What should I use if I wanted to paint the yellow on a minifig torso flesh.

[Ratshot]

Sorry for bumping an old topic, but I have recently found myself wanting to paint a few pieces for minifigures.

Would this be ok to paint minifigures with? Or is it better to stick with spray paints?

NO, I have tried that stuff before on my minifigs and it is terrible. It is very see through and blotchy/globby.

[Dave Shaddix]

I'm a purist, but I will need to commit the 'infamous crime against LEGO' for a project and do not want to take the time or expense to have elements chromed so I have resolved to paint the elements. A few questions though...

- Does the paint/clearcoat impede or impact the ability to stud-down a brick onto another?

- How many coats are typically used to get an even color?

- Will I feel as dirty as I think I will?

- If I do feel dirty, is it a 'good' dirty?

Gosh, I guess that's it, not really worth making a list. I'll think of something else!

[Eldervampire]

HAH ! Finally a topic I can help with. The B-E-S-T thing I have ever used on any type of plastic is the Dupli-Color brand paitn for plastics. I have used the dye an entire automobile interior, from a crappy bluish color to a stunning Black and white combo. I have even used it on leather and fabric seating areas and steering wheels. This stuff is amazing. To prove to a guy that this is the way he should go with his resto-mod 70 Chevelle, I had done my door panel and then scratched it with my keys and that area was still white underthe scratch. It comes in a spray can, but I have used a cup to spray into and then small brushes to do fine detail work. It goes on smooth and dries pretty quick. It all comes down to prepwork though. So educate yourself on model car painting and real auto painting as they will help here I am sure.

Mike

[Flobnomdob]

Personally I would use Airfix paint, I'm sure it does come in that kind of colour...

I must say, though, why don't you get the Racecar Driver from Collectable Minifigures series 3? It'll save ruining a, as you say, a great peice?

[Lord Of The Fries]

Well, if you want the Mutt Williams hairpiece in Tan/Blonde then just get the Collectible Minifigures Series 3 Racecar Driver 'cos he has that colour hair and hairpiece .

This will also save you buying some painting materials if you're only doing this once .

[prateek]

I hope you guys know that the original post is more than 3 years old, so a tan hairpiece didn't exist back then.

But, on the topic, I've seen Bosny and Tamiya being used to great success, mostly in KielDaMan's MOCs.

[SerenityInFire]

I used to use Testor's enamel paints for painting model kits but I've since switched to Games Workshop acrylics because I got sick of getting buzzed all the time. They are also some of the highest quality acrylic paints out there and I would highly recommend using them.

[Lego Man Can]

I'm no expert on painting LEGO, but I used to do a lot of Airfix, and I used Humbrol spray paint, it may be a little bit overpriced, but trust me the finish is amazing and it comes in loads of colours.

Here is a colour that I would use for tan:

http://www.humbrol.com/paints/modellers-spray-paint/ad6063-63-sand-150ml-matt-modellers-spray/?searchguid=20111028123455&resultspage=

And you can get gloss for the finishing touch:

http://www.humbrol.com/paints/all-paints/ad6997-enamel-varnish-150ml-gloss-modellers-49/?searchguid=20111028123455&resultspage=

Edited October 28, 2011 by Lego Man Can

[Wardancer]

Would it make sense to establish a sort of database, in which customizers could record which paint they used to match the original LEGO colours?

Or is there already such a thing? Color matching is surely every customizers problem.

I just spend 15 Euro for trying to mix a paint that matches LEGO dark blue. Then it didn't. If someoe had already tried that and recorded it somewhere, I could have saved my money. One could go "Ohh, let's see how others mix reddish brown?"

What do you customizers think? Is this too specific a thing? Would it be giving away secrets?