Not minifig but this forum is about customizing LEGO so I thought I'd ask here. I wanted to make red and orange leaves for a tree but since LEGO doesn't make them, I'd need to alter the existing part. Specifically the 6x5 leaf element.

Option 1 was to paint. Seemed easy except it'd be hard to thoroughly clean around 100 leaf elements because it's fairly large with lots of holes. New part often contain minute trace of residue LEGO applied to mold to make the part pop out easy. Used part may be worse with dust, dirt, grime, and finger print oil. Without proper cleaning, paint may flake off, especially since the leaf element flexes easily.

Option 2: vinyl dye. Except getting green to become red or orange would be a problem, it'd likely end up puke-brown. White leaf element cost a dollar each or more on BL so it gets expensive.

SInce the part won't get played with much, can I just ignore the cleaning part and go directly to painting? I already have access to spray primer and paint. My bro loves playing dice based RPG games a lot, and makes many custom play ground for pewter minifig, so he has plenty of good paint and primer.

Any advice?

SInce the part won't get played with much, can I just ignore the cleaning part and go directly to painting? I already have access to spray primer and paint.

Any advice?

Even it if it will not be played with much, I'd still suggest cleaning the parts before painting - that is always the most important part of any painting job and should not be ignored. This looks to be a tedious task painting 100 leaf elements which can be quite tricky, but I'd still go with spray painting as it will cover more surface area and you'll be able to achieve an evenly-coated and professional-looking finish (if done properly).

Could I just soak the pieces in sink full of dish soap and hot water (140F, 60C top), then rinse? Brushing every pieces would take too long.

Could I just soak the pieces in sink full of dish soap and hot water (140F, 60C top), then rinse? Brushing every pieces would take too long.

I actually do that quite a bit, some of the pieces may still be dirty afterwards but I have found that they generally are very clean. I do the same thing when I get parts off eBay or BL that are dirty or from a smoking home. I put them in a tub with some Tide and just let it sit for a day, drain the water, rinse and usually the parts are very good to go. Get an air duster to make sure the parts stay clean

Hmm... It's a tricky problem but usually you can get acrylic paint from craft shops in little tubs of 10ml.

I find it hard to paint weapons, because the paint is scratched off when the weapon is inserted in a minifigs hand.

Ist there a way to avoid this?

I am using "Revell" email paint with a clear coating afterwards, but it still happens.