sskunky

Hi, thanks and no problem. If this helps other troopers out then all the better. Right, sandpaper. It really depends on what you goal is. If you are removing paint then you will want to start with something more abrasive like a 80-120 grit and work down to a finer grit in stages untill you get to 800 wet and dry. Please remember that when using a rough grit paper the last thing you want to do is a back and forth action with a lot of pressure or you will end up with deep grooves a scratches that will be very hard to remove. A circular action with lighter pressure will be preferable. If you have already got a fairly good surface to work on the you will prime it and wait till dry and sand down with a fine wet and dry of about 600-800 which will take off any roughness and leave a good suface for glossing. Remember to wipe down all surfaces in between each sanding process before painting. If you feel the need to sand the gloss for whatever reason use the finest paper you can get, 1200-2000. If you are spraying abs then all you will need to do is take the shine off with a fairly fine paper 400-600 just to give the paint something to adhere to. When you have glossed which should be at least 3 coats, leaving about 15-30 minutes in between each coat and no longer than a few hours. Then you must let the gloss cure/ dry for at least 36 hours before touching it again with any kind of paint or lacquer or it will bubble and crack up. You have been warned! Patience is the big thing here and I have found out the hard way. Waitng the desired time will in the long run save you days more hard work. Then you can lacquer. After that you can add the details. All these products can be got from B&Q or any good hardware store. Always spray outside unless you have access to a spray booth with extractors. I hope this helps. Any more questions please post them here or pm me.

When you cut and paste you often get an add on of mailto: then the email address. if you delete mailto it should work? my addy is [email protected] but if I cut and paste I get mailto:[email protected]. Just a thought. try it?

Ok, I have put the ears on the right way again but the paint had chipped a bit so i will have to sand and respray it when it has cured properly. I hope it looks better when it's done? I managed to get a great finish on with the ears back to front! This HDPE is a nightmare to get the paint to adhere properly. the slightest knock and it flakes off. anyway some more pics of the corrected ear position(I think)!

Hi David, I am using Plasti-cote from B&Q . White primer, appliance white as it seems slightly warmer than most and clear coat lacquer

The ears look weird because they are on back to front/ wrong sides, I've switched them now and the vocoder is sharp as it is an HDPE lid and you get a much sharper pull than ABS. I don't think you can get too sharp can you?

Oh bugger! I'll switch them back. I took them off when I stripped it down last time and put them back on wrong. I just hope I don't mess the paint job up? Should I wait till it cures first?

Oops double post!

Of it crackled then you more than likely didn't leave the paint to dry for long enough. I had the same problem with this one. In fact this is the third attepmt at painting this! I have learnt that patience is a vitue! You must leave it for 3-5 days after glossing.

All Glossed up! Now just waiting to clear lacquer....... Thanks for looking.......

Thanks for your kind words. The vocoder is as sharp as I have ever seen before, none of my others have it this sharp!

It's a TE. Yeah, it looks great. I wasn't sure when it first arrived because it's so different to others I have but I really like it now.

Hi Guys, Well I have finally got around to completing my TE HDPE bucket that has been sitting in a box for months waiting for some spare time...... I had a complete nightmare upon the first paint job. I had a great glossy finish, left it on a pole in the garden and some pesky kids managed to put their grubby little fingers all over the newly painted lid! Finger prints in wet gloss everywere! I don't know how many of you have had the pleasure:lol: of painting HDPE but I can tell you it aint easy! I am using appliance white for the gloss as it is used on washing machines and fridges and it tends to have a flexible quality which made stripping off the old paint a dream, well almost! It just peeled off. anyway I re primed it and here are the updated pics. I'm going to ESB this one as I don't have one in my collection as yet. And one with a flash... More to come..........

Cheers John, I was thinking a little longer too. I think in the long run if I paint it now and it does go wrong then I'll have to wait again anyway.

Thanks Chris! Will do. I'll post some pics of it when I'm done.

Hi, I have just started painting my TE HDPE and got to a great finish with Wickes appliance white gloss and was leaving it to dry and some kids from the flats I live put there grubby little mitts all over it!! So I have waited all night and wets sanded it down to what I think looks good. Now how long before I can repaint it gloss without it bubbling up or crackling?

Thanks Steve!

Hi guys, can someone enlighten me about this ATA armor and lids. Where does it derive from? and who makes it? I've tried the search button but I can't seem to find any info.

As with most airbrushes you will need to thin the paint down and it is a good idea to have fine ground high pigment paint too.

You could always give me your name and address and paypal me the money and I can send you some? I'll just pick some up from my local model shop. Mark.

Thanks Marcus, I'll do that.

Hi Guys, I have someone interested in buying my deactivated new spec Sterling SMG but they are in Germany and I am in the UK. Does anyone here know if I am legally allowed to? I know I cannot send to the states but I am not sure about within Europe. It has the certificate with it. Any help guys would be greatly appreciated. Mark.

WOW great work Paul.

Well I have the Hyperdyne, Rom FX, Voice core and a couple of others and in my opinion the Rom FX gives the best no feedback sound nice , loud and clear, followed by the Voice core from Plecter labs which is another good unit. IMO the Hyperdyne is tricky to eliminate feedback and a little tricky to program. At least the one I have is which is the earlier model, they may have fixed that by now. So if you can afford it go with the Rom FX it rocks!

Nice one Pete. Looking good.