Firefly Mal's Gun(resin), Painting Help Needed!!

[DarKev]

Hello Folks

Well it took me a bit of time but I finally found a source for a "good' resin kit of Mal's Pistol from Firefly. Before I begin the thing (and it will probably be a while) I was wondering if someone has a source of information on or experiece with painting resin gun models. I have never built a resin gun kit before and well getting a "good" metal looking finish on the thing seems a bit daunting.

Here a picture of the gun for those who have never seen it;

CLICK ME!

Thanks for and Help and/or Information Forthcoming!!!

DarKev

[Mark Yungblut]

I'd start with a dark metallic coat. Let it cure a few days then give it a good blue/ black wash with oils and turps. Let that cure a few days and then start dry-brushing silver back in to mimic the highlighted (read worn) areas where the original metal is coming through.

Mark

[CaptBillD]

I would go a bit further -

Wash the gunmetal basecoat in a diluted flat black first to fill all the depressions and engraved lines, and dry brush a steel color (LIGHTLY) with a wide brush, sponge or paper towel over the base gunmetal coat on the worn areas before painting the bluing layer, just to give some of that tonal variation to the "metal".

After highlighting all the corner ridges with silver, you could blend and tone the bright spots down a bit with a light mist overspray of steel again before sealing your paint with a satin clear coat (Krylon).

For the grips, practice some faux wood-finish techniques in the colors you want. These tutorials might give you some ideas:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Steampu ... Mod/#step1

http://www.krylon.com/projects/paint-te ... /index.jsp

[Joseph C. Brown]

Wilco Models sent me details on how he did the painting on his gun models:

Post subject: Super-Secret Finishing Method for Distressed-Metal Appearance:

1. Spray-paint the pistol body flat black (the cheap 94-cent WAL-MART stuff works fine). Let dry overnight.

2. Get a tube of Antique Gold colored Rub-N-Buff brand craft paint at your local Hobby Lobby / Michael's crafts store. Apply a dollop to an old white sock or T-Shirt, then fold the cloth over itself and rub to spread the paint out.

3. Lightly buff the whole pistol body with the cloth; go light at first, then heavier where you want it to look more worn. The result will look like tarnished/blackened brass.

4. When satisfied with the looks of the piece, spray it with Testor's DullCote (available at hobby shops/Hobby Lobby/Michael's). This will keep the gold paint from rubbing off when you handle the piece.

I don't know why, but the Rub-N-Buff method is one of those old techniques that everybody seems to have forgotten. Back in the 70's, it was the industry standard for weathering models (especially wing/tail leading edges on aircraft).

Hope this helps--- Enjoy your model!