I have a solid resin VP70 which I'm working on, and to which I want to do a custom paint job - I want it to match my PR (my Spulse MKIII when it arrives). I'm planning on using Aervoe #999 Earth Brown, but I'm curious as to what other paint colors are folks using for the materials and metals used over the rest of the the PR? It's obviously not all one shade of black, there are subtleties. The SPAS cage is not the same black as the pump, for example.

Also, anyone have a good black primer they recommend?

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i think the main shroud of the pulse rifle is suppose to be humbrol brown bess, which is discontinued ,however i found a website that says in order to make brown bess use { matt forest green # 150 =32 drops /matt scarlett # 60 = 7 drops / matt blue # 25 =6 drops / matt white # 3 = 3 drops} ,and that is supposed to get you the proper color ,as far as the black i used standard flat black (and theb wash it with silver}for the spas cage and a satin black for the grips

You're absolutely correct about the Bess Brown - and thanks for the break down on mixing paints to "create" a Bess Brown. After reading through the archives I came to the personal decision to use Aervoe 999 Earth Brown, for the shroud and such areas.

And thanks for the suggestions for the use of black. That helps. My main concern is I don't want the black areas to all look like they're same material.

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I've made differences with black on black by using satin black and flat black:



This A2 (with the exception of the magazine, pistol grip, and stock) was entirely clear to begin with:







I used satin black for the foregrip (to represent the "plasticky parts") and flat black for the receiver (the metal parts).

So on the SPAS cage I would use satin black for the pump grip and flat black for the cage itself.

As for brands- Krylon Ultra Flat Black is a good flat black. I've used Tremclad rust paint for satin (do you have Tremclad in the US?). The rust paint takes as much as 24hrs to cure, however it's as hard as a rock when it does, and can be handled without fear of fingerprints becoming embedded in the paintjob.

Hope this helps!

Oops! Just read a little closer that specopsdet1 already suggested what to do with the SPAS cage!

Well at least you have some visuals now.

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

When I've painted resin guns in the past, I've used Humbrol metalcote colours here in the UK.

They are thick and need a lot of thinning down and mixing to ensure a good even smooth coat before you spray it on, but once you've let it completely dry, you just simply buff the paint with a soft cloth. It does a pretty good job of replicating a metal finish. The pic below was painted with Bess Brown, stock, receiver and spas cage parts with Gun Metal Metalcote and the Spas pumpgrip with a satin black.

The barrel vent was made out of real metal so you can see it matches the painted parts pretty well. I'm sure there must be an equivelent type paint in the U.S so it's worth looking at as an option.





Chris

Mucho gracias guys.

The visuals really help. I have a better idea how much of a difference lies between flat and satin finishes.

Kevin - Did you primer your A2 before paining? It looks like you didn't. Just curious.

Chris - Nice work on the PR! What kit is that?

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No problemo.

No I didn't primer it first- the Krylon practically acts like a primer. The Tremclad paint doesn't really require primer either. However I did put on three coats with a day in between each coat to dry.

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

That humbrol forest+green+blue+scarlet+white mix is way too green



The humbrol 170 is the brown strip to the left.

Use 3 parts tamiya XF-7 to 10 parts tamiya XF-51 for a better match to humbrol 170 - see here for pics:

http://forum.alienslegacy.com/viewtopic.php?t=2896

As for blacks - I use tamiya semi-gloss black and flat black and I've had really good results with tamiya metallic-black for more of a dark gunmetal finish. Also flat black rubbed with graphite powder works really well for gunmetal like on the slides of these resin VP70's:

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Jon

'Do not go where the path may lead: go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.'

Here's what I did when I re-worked my Marco PR. I wanted mine to have the same finish as the screen used weapon, so I painted mine part for part. Whatever was a real gun part, I painted it so. Whatever was aluminum, I painted it accordingly.

After the traditional cleaning and priming, I gave the shroud several coats of Krylon chrome. When that was dry, I gave it several coats of acrylic gloss sealer. Then on to my brown bess alternative, Testors "brown earth". I followed this up by giving it a sealer of Testors dull coat. This allowed me to chip away at the uppercoat to show the aluminum color under it. The acrylic gloss coat I had over the aluminum caused the brown to have a weak hold, making it easy to get the "chipped look".

The gun parts all received Testors graphite. Once dry, they too received Testors dull coat. Rubb N' Buff silver was then used to get the worn gunmetal look. This is sooo much more subtle than using a dry brushing of silver.

The pump got several coats of krylon ultra flat black, sealed with Testors dull coat. The same process was applied to the hand grip.

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"Awww, someone tell me that's a boot!

It's a boot!"

III drops

Thanks, Kevin.

And thanks for the additional visuals, Jon. Very nice. Actually the VP70 in the upper right looks to be the same model I'm currently working on. Is the model in the lower left a SidKit?

Nice work on matching Bess Brown! How long did it take you to come up with the mix? ...BTW, You wouldn't happen to have any samples of Bess Brown (or your custom mix of it) and Aervoe #999 Earth Brown? The image links in the Archives are broken, and I'm curious as to how close the are, or aren't.

One last question: After the graphite powder rub down, do you give it a coating of clear coat?

Thanks again, guys.

EDIT: Thanks, Dropshipbob. Looks like we were posting at the same time. Actually, I had a similar idea for weathering: I was thinking of using ultra fine sand paper and 'rubbing' edges to let silver show through. I like your 'chipping' method too. Great idea.

And thanks for the tip on the Rub n' Buff silver. I've been a little leary as to how well the dry brushing would work. Which is more a question of my own ability, as opposed to the method.

Just to verify: this is what you're referring to for the Rub n' Buff, correct?

Excellent. Thanks, again.

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Ok, I will be using the Humbrol 170 for the Spat parts of my new PR. Do I have to prime the resin parts?

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