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That plastic Vostok...

Discussion in 'Nomads' started by Lucian, Oct 5, 2021.

  1. A Mão Esquerda

    A Mão Esquerda Deputy Hexahedron Officer

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    I know something on the order of 95% of our locals put down a gloss coat before coming back with their matte coats. Seems to do the trick.
     
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  2. Gwynbleidd

    Gwynbleidd Non asto coram malo

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    Harsh. It usually doesn’t go wrong. I use battlefoam too so I think it unlikely that it’s this. Do you make sure to shake the bottle each time you use it? Other than that it must be a rare bad batch. I will pray to the varnish gods on your behalf. There’s nothing worse than seeing your mini all done up only to be ruined by varnishing.
     
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  3. Elric of Grans

    Elric of Grans Well-Known Member

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    I've stuffed up, twice. Same way. The first time was my four Jaguars (at the time, the best minis I had ever painted: shiny piercings, tattoos, etc); the second time was two Hollow Men (very high end finish, for my skill level). What did I do? I grabbed the wrong can and sprayed primer on their front arcs.
     
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  4. Gwynbleidd

    Gwynbleidd Non asto coram malo

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    So harsh. I’d have probably rage binned them. I hope you managed to salvage them, either via a sonic bath or the primer didn’t go on too thick so you could just paint back over.
     
  5. chromedog

    chromedog Less than significant minion

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    I've done the accidental varnish with black primer thing ... twice in about 20 years. I just pick them up and while the paint is still fresh and wet, pop them into the "killing jar" (glass jar of acetone), strip them back to bare and start over. Happily, I'm not a perfectionist, so it never has to be "as good" as it was (it usually turns out better 2nd time around as there were usually things I did wrong the first time anyway).
     
  6. Gwynbleidd

    Gwynbleidd Non asto coram malo

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    Ouch. It’s got to be heartbreaking when it happens. I’d be annoyed at the time lost I think. I’ve used acetone in a jar myself on minis I want to repaint. Stubborn ones get put in the nitromors jar…
     
  7. psychoticstorm

    psychoticstorm Aleph's rogue child
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    In theory Gloss varnish due to its surface structure (one homogeneous layer) will provide the ultimate protection as a base, each time I tired it (or better had someone do it for me, because me and spray cans do not mix well) it worked, unfortunately this adds an extra risk of fogging or other varnish accidents when you add the mat varnish on top.
     
  8. chromedog

    chromedog Less than significant minion

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    It's not so much "heartbreaking" for me as "Oh crap." I'm not devastated by it or anything - I paint so I can put the dollies on the table and play games with them, I'm not doing it because I want it to be adored from afar like a Pollock (and with Pollock, the further, the better. :D ). It's just another "The closer you are to finishing something, the more likely you are to miss something and screw it up." thing - a concentration lapse because you just want to get it *done*.
     
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  9. Mob of Blondes

    Mob of Blondes Well-Known Member

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    The thing is that by going gloss then matt you have 2 coats of varnish. You could do two coats of matt too, but the matting agent (gloss, satin and matt carry different quantities, from zero to a lot) can make things go wrong, so better go with the less troublesome one until the final layer (gloss = not agent). You could go with even more layers, gloss all minus one, then matt (or satin, depends what you like, or even apply this final "for the look" only to some places, remembering that the others will have one coat less).

    Also, not all varnishes are the same. You can get plain acrylic from Vallejo (even a removable version from the art range), but also polyurethane (in art shops if not avaliable from hobby ones). Other brands, like Marabu, have acrylic and lacquer types.

    Ah, yes, primer also matters. Maybe the varnish is strong, but if the "hit" manages to pull all the layers as a block...
     
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  10. Hachiman Taro

    Hachiman Taro Inverted gadfly

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    Do you wash your models before priming? Apparently the mold release agent they use can still be on the model (or dust or oil from your hands) and this can prevent the primer from bonding securely, making chipping more likely.

    I don't know how true that is but I used to have frequent trouble with chipping until I started washing the parts in warm soapy water, scrubbing with a tooth brush, then rinsing in cold water and allowing to dry on paper towel before building the model.

    Haven't had any trouble with chipping since.
     
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  11. Lawson

    Lawson Well-Known Member

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    This :point_up: - definitely multiple coats of varnish helps, and anything before the final coats should be gloss because too much matte finish will diffuse your colors. I think this is actually where the rumor that gloss varnish is "harder" that matte varnish comes from. People think you gloss first for strength, but to my understanding it's actually just to be able to safely get multiple coats without ruining the paint job and the layering is where the actual strength comes from. My fave varnishes that I've settled on are the Vallejo Mecha Gloss Varnish and their Premium Airbrush Matte Varnish (which I find fogs up much less than their normal stuff).

    I have also heard the claim that foam is abrasive and to avoid it. I've not had too much trouble with foam with my plastic minis, but my Infinity minis I carry in a magnetized case so they're not touching anything in transport.
     
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  12. Nuada Airgetlam

    Nuada Airgetlam Nazis sod off ///

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    Very true. Less so on with the release agent ("separator") on HIPS (high-impact polystyrene, essentially GW plastic), but definitely have to wash resin, metal, PVC or Siocast models just to be sure.
     
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  13. Gwynbleidd

    Gwynbleidd Non asto coram malo

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    I’ve not had any trouble with foam, but magnetising metal minis in an appropriate carry case is a time honoured practice and works well. Did you build your case using magnetic strips to store them or is the case you use pre built? Both varnishes you’ve mentioned are great, the airbrush one has a very low fogging rate.
     
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  14. Lawson

    Lawson Well-Known Member

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    I don't know where I got the tip but someone suggested the 4 Liter size "Really Useful Box" (which is designed to fit A4 paper) with a self-adhesive piece of flexible magnetic sheet (or alternatively "flexible steel" sheet) stuck inside the bottom. The ones I made don't have an extreme hold so I wouldn't recommend shaking the box around a lot, but it can be transported in the back of my car without too much worry.

    FullSizeRender 2.jpg

    My biggest figure is my PanO Cutter, which just *barely* fits in this height box (I've built the base up somewhat so he's 2mm taller than he would be flat on the raw base) but the same company makes options that are deeper if you had a lot of big TAGs.
     
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  15. Gwynbleidd

    Gwynbleidd Non asto coram malo

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    Very nice. This system works really well for other miniatures too, particularly 15mm or any metal that are based as units like historical. It’s really good for storage, though as you said; don’t shake it too much!
     
  16. Mob of Blondes

    Mob of Blondes Well-Known Member

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    You can also use rare earth magnets, stronger than flexible magnet sheet. Glue magnetic metal to the box (or get a box of the right material) and magnets under the bases (so you need 1 or more per model). Or the other way around with tiny nuts (as in bolt and nut) or washers for the bases (magnet placement in the box can limit how many models, but you save on magnets). Or magnets to both, but then you have to respect polarity (and pattern in box still applies).
     
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  17. Lawson

    Lawson Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, to be clear I use rare earth magnets in the bases themselves. The original sheet I bought for the box is something called "Ferroflex" which is a ferrous sheet. I switched to something being marketed as a "magnetic" sheet after I couldn't obtain the same material for my subsequent boxes. I was worried that there would be polarity issues... but somehow the rare earth magnets will stick to the sheet no matter which way they're facing, albeit not quite as strongly as the ferroflex. Certainly it works but most professionally built boxes use a more solid ferrous material shelves which I think probably works better for sticking magnetized bases to.
     
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  18. Gwynbleidd

    Gwynbleidd Non asto coram malo

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    Indeed. This is a good method too. It can get a little time consuming, especially if you’re doing magnets on both base and box but it works really well.
     
  19. Time Bandit

    Time Bandit Vulnerability (Total)

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    I'll never use this set up again. A very short drop caused havoc to one of my armies, I countrd 35 paint chips. Happy if it works for others but god, not for me.
     
  20. theomc

    theomc Well-Known Member

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    Size comparison, as an FYI.
    Paint job by Loss of Lieutenant.
     

    Attached Files:

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