Painting a Webley MKIV resin kit...Help

[morethanatimelord]

Does anyone have any tips regarding painting a resin kit for a webley MKIV? Ive had the kit sitting here a box for nearly a year now and i really think i should make a start on it . Im just not sure what kind of paint to use because gloss black or a stardard matt black just wont look right in my opinion.

[Wade Egan]

Well, the absolute best paint to use would be a semi flat black with no gloss. That being said, it's the hardest color of paint to find in the world. I would use a nice flat black over silver to get the best looking wear spots and see how that comes out. Several coats of each. That or mix your own paint and airbrush it on there. But that's the hard way...

W

[Long John Tinfoil]

Actually, I'm in the same boat. Is there a good tutorial out there that anyone can recommend?

LJ

[Wade Egan]

Here's the one I made up. Maybe it'll help?

Wash the piece with warm (NOT HOT) water and regular dish soap. This is very important to remove the mold release agent or the paint won’t stick properly. You may choose to use rubbing alcohol to get a good dry clean.
Using a hobby knife, cut off and scrape any protrusions or raised seams and ‘trim to fit’ with a rough edge before sanding.
Sand the pour stub at barrel end and along the seam at the top and bottom. You can start with a fine metal or wood file and mover to finer sandpaper.
After rough sanding, fill any holes or bubbles with regular painters putty (available at any hardware or paint store), Bondo Glazing Putty does a nice job and dries quickly.
Using fine sandpaper (700-1000) sand down all the putty marks and go back over the seams and fixes until smooth.
Remove any dust or small particles with a damp cloth and let the piece dry thoroughly. Again, using rubbing alcohol will get the piece clean and dry.
Apply a smooth and even primer coat (any normal primer works) on both sides and make sure to get in the nooks and crannies.
Apply spray paint (Rustoleum High Performance Semi Flat Black is nice) evenly on both sides and again check the hard to reach places twice. To achieve greater detail, use a shiny aluminum paint to coat the primer, then finish off with the semi flat black. This will make the scratch marks metallic looking if you are going to distress or weather the piece. (Note: not necessary with the S&W model as the piece was cast with aluminum under grey for this same effect.)
To add accents (metal scrapes, wear marks, etc.) you can use a small brush with acrylic model paint in Aluminum or your choice of metallic hobby paint. You may also use sandpaper or a scouring pad to scrape off the paint in target locations to reveal base color.
When the piece has the look you like, apply a coating of Testor’s DullCote or similar to finish off the paint job. Let dry, then admire your work.
Make sure if your holster’s collar stud backing is exposed to cover it with a small piece of tape or glue some fabric or leather from Michaels over it to protect your new Webley from scratches from the holster. Nothing ruins a good paint job like a screw head.

Note:

This is but one way to finish your piece and is in no way meant to be set in stone (other than the washing, that’s set in stone). Feel free to get creative or use your own proven techniques. There are many great ways to finish a model kit. More tips and tricks of the trade are readily available online and can be easily referenced. Most of all just have fun with it!

[Long John Tinfoil]

Thanx. I'd looked around a bit for "how-to's", but now I have something to check them against.

LJ

[morethanatimelord]

Thanks Wade.

Ive now sold this kit on in favour of buying one of yours . So i'll be looking forward to getting my hands on it in due course and getting started on the kit

[Mr_Vader]

I didn't know you could get Wade's gun as a kit, I thought only completed, what does it usually run?

[Wade Egan]

I only sell the WG model I had done recently as a kit for $75. It's a 5 piece kit and very clean and nice. The nicest one so far. I only have a couple of them and then I'm getting out of the replica game so I haven't been advertising. I have another orange kit available for shipping overseas and one gray kit for US buyers. The S&W's are the only kits I sell in their completed form. I've dropped the price of those to $125. If they haven't sold by Halloween I will spend the slow season fixing up the WG kits I have left and selling them in their completed state.

W.E.

[auntsugar]

Since I've been building a ton of classic BSG colonial lasers, I've found the best paint for resin kits is Rustoleum--it sticks the best.