Color Matching with Paint

[Dark_Stranger]

As part of my project to MoC up a line of pseudo-sets for 2017, I find myself needing to commit the ultimate heresy...

 

PARTS MODIFICATION.  AIEEEEEEEEEEEE.

 

Simply put, I'm going to be painting several parts, both official and from Shapeways, and I need help finding the closest matches possible for the following colors from Lego's palette: Bright Red, Bright Green, Dark Azure, Black, White, Sand Yellow/Dark Tan, Silver Metallic/Flat Silver, and Warm Gold/Pearl Gold. (Yes, finding perfect matches for Lego's exact black and white is relatively low priority, but I want everything to be as close to official as possible.) I'll be using something along the lines of enamels or hobbyist's model paint, so I'd appreciate it if any recommendations could stay along those lines.

I'll also be looking for a finish or sealant that matches the gloss of the official parts.

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

[ToaTImeLord]

Try dying them.

Open a Sharpe and put the ink in a pot of boiling water.

Cut the water off let cool tell its like warm put your part in for 15 to 20 minutes.

[Iruini Nuva]

Try dying them.

Open a Sharpe and put the ink in a pot of boiling water.

Cut the water off let cool tell its like warm put your part in for 15 to 20 minutes.

Out of sheer curiosity, what happens to the pot in this situation?

[Tuuli]

 

Try dying them.

Open a Sharpe and put the ink in a pot of boiling water.

Cut the water off let cool tell its like warm put your part in for 15 to 20 minutes.

Out of sheer curiosity, what happens to the pot in this situation?

Possible stain, but it's going to get washed anyway

[Dark_Stranger]

Try dying them.

Open a Sharpe and put the ink in a pot of boiling water.

Cut the water off let cool tell its like warm put your part in for 15 to 20 minutes.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that won't work for me, because I'm not just changing the colors of certain parts--lots of them will actually have various patterns added. So it's basically paint or nothing, I'm afraid.

[ToaTImeLord]

 

 

Try dying them.

Open a Sharpe and put the ink in a pot of boiling water.

Cut the water off let cool tell its like warm put your part in for 15 to 20 minutes.

Out of sheer curiosity, what happens to the pot in this situation?

Possible stain, but it's going to get washed anyway

You just have to say good by to cooking out of that pot.

I tried cleaning it, long story short

I made blue pasta noodles.

So if you do this method that pot becomes your dying pot.

 

Try dying them.

Open a Sharpe and put the ink in a pot of boiling water.

Cut the water off let cool tell its like warm put your part in for 15 to 20 minutes.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that won't work for me, because I'm not just changing the colors of certain parts--lots of them will actually have various patterns added. So it's basically paint or nothing, I'm afraid.

I don't know what type of paint design your doing but if you put carefully cut pieces of duct tape on the mask while dying it. It can leave a interesting pattern of the original color with the new color.

 

For painting I recommend nail polish.

Get a high gloss of your color and a thin clear coat for sealing.

This works best for 3-D printed parts it gives them the smooth surface close to a real part.

Edited August 23, 2016 by ToaTimeLord

[Lemony Lepid]

You just have to say good by to cooking out of that pot.

I tried cleaning it, long story short

I made blue pasta noodles.

Did they taste okay?

 

I personally use citadel, you can get some very close shades there.

[Xboxtravis]

If you want high quality colors I am going to steel a page from the scale model world. This would be a pricey option, but it will offer the best results.

 

Equipment needed:

 

Airbrush

Compressor

Paint Booth (or paint it outside, ventilation is key)

Brushes (for finer applications)

Paints

Paint thinner

Clear-coat paint, with a shiny finish

 

Honestly the only book I have read on how to use an airbrush is Kambalch Publishing's "How to Paint Model Trains." It has a good segment on airbrush tools and tips. Perhaps a book on painting scale cars would be a better help though. Scale cars are painted to retain their plastic shiny appearance, something that would suit the way Lego pieces look far better (in comparison model trains are purposefully painted to look grungy and worn. Good technique if you want a G2 infected mask...)

Edited August 23, 2016 by Xboxtravis

[ToaTImeLord]

 

You just have to say good by to cooking out of that pot.

I tried cleaning it, long story short

I made blue pasta noodles.

Did they taste okay?

 

I personally use citadel, you can get some very close shades there.

I didn't eat it. It was Sharpe pasta it would have killed me.

[Dark_Stranger]

Man, I've been gone way too long. Sorry about that.

Unfortunately, airbrushing is probably not an option for me; I'm already dropping huge amounts of money on the actual parts, so I can't afford to spend too much on equipment that I'll probably never use again outside my current project.

 

I personally use citadel, you can get some very close shades there.

Any specific ones you can recommend? Just a cursory search showed me scads of varieties and colors, and I'm at a bit of a loss for where to begin.

[Lemony Lepid]

Nothing specific, no. Sorry.