you've brought up very useful countermeasures against ABS cracking. In addition to what you suggested, I'd like to add that painting in thin coats and letting them dry thoroughly can help avoid cracking as the solvent dries quicker before it's fully absorbed by the plastic.
yep! thin layers to help dry sooner is another idea as well. I would however be careful of stress being applied still esp if there is a lot of thinner mixed with the lightly coated paint. i used to do light coats but added more thinner to do avoid roughness and ended up breaking some parts anyway. i probably could’ve let them dry more sufficiently as well. I like to do wet coats to maintain high gloss so i like to emphasize more on mitigating stress so I don’t have to worry too much about that. Thanks for watching 😊
Yes! Always avoid stress even with the thin coats! Agreed also on the thinning ratio when you're doing wet coats. This is where the balancing act of spraying technique is important: spray it thin enough that the part won't break, but still ensure that the coat applied should be even and wet enough to level. I myself have also learned to do wet coats and still screw up sometimes with too heavy coat. But for ABS I think it's best to prioritize risk mitigation and adjust the aesthetics with practice. :)
True story: i didnt know about abs plastic thay time, so i bought a second hand hg nadleeh and it was painted, i didnt like the colour so i left all the nadleeh joints part dip in thinner for a day, the next day when i came to get it they were all soft, moral of the story study chemistry
I’ve seen that Gaia has a primer specifically designed for ABS, the Gaia Multi-Primer. However that primer is near impossible to get anywhere outside of Japan
Thanks for watching. If you’re talking about Tamiya Panel Liners those are enamel paints, not lacquer. From experience those are much more volatile and harsh on bare plastic in general (not just ABS). Enamel paint is a whole different beast…
Also if the head was partially or fully built already when the liner was applied, it could have made the damaging effect of the liner EXTRA worse in my opinion.
This is an excellent video and ill keep this in mind if i ever work with lacquers. Now i wanted to ask since im new to airbrushing, would tamiya acrylics that require a solvent be dangerous to ABS kits like goodsmile and flame toys kits? And more importantly, since action figures like the robot spirits figures are made of ABS, Im assuming all this will be applicable to them as well? I and if i should use those types of paint, what kind of face mask and catriges would you recommend? Thanks in advance.
Hey thanks for watching ! I would say this should also apply for GSC and Hot Toy’s ABS model kits as well. I think it’s good to be careful. I’ve never painted action figures so I can’t really say much or offer advice regarding that… sorry. As for respirators, I use this. I think anything is good as long as it keeps organic vapors out of your lungs but 3m is my usual brand of choice www.amazon.com/3M-53P71-Cartridge-Respirator-Assembly/dp/B000BQ8DJI/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?adgrpid=62914651864&hvadid=580830271574&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9031045&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=4633080628222749220&hvtargid=kwd-301336726270&hydadcr=3737_13537019&keywords=3m+respirator&qid=1700071679&sr=8-14#aw-udpv3-customer-reviews_feature_div
What type of panel liners do you use when it comes to painting with laquers? I've just gotten into the Gunpla stuff the last couple of months. I'm primarily an a 1/35 armor builder that uses Tamiya, AK, Vallejo, and Mig's acrylics and with using acrylics when it comes to decaling and using panel liners, I spray whatever it is with acrylic satin varnish (usually Vallejo) and use enamel or oil based panel liner. I know it isn't wise to use enamel based washes on solvent based paints or varnishes. I'm going to assume one would use an acrylic based panel wash then? As for the ABS plastics, I've used solvent based primers including Mr. Hobby 1500 Surfacer mixed 50/50 with the Leveling Thinner and Krylon on the Gundams I've done so far with no issues of damage. I never include the poly type parts and I mask off the pegs and round parts like where the legs and arms snap in. This avoids the issue with fit when it comes to assembly. I'm currently building the older NG 1/100 Astray Amatsu Golden Frame Mina kit which so far has been a mess. Definitely not the good Bandai fit nowdays and I've had to melt down sprue in liquid glue to make plastic filler to fix some issues with this kit...Also, I stripped this kit of all of it's gold plating and chose to respray them once cleaned of nubs and sanded of sink spots with Krylon primer and gold paint. So far no damage from solvent based stuff. I did everything with light coats etc.
If you’re using lacquer paint then enamel based panel liner is okay. It won’t hurt the lacquer paint underneath. And I’m glad that your method for ABS has been working out! Masking pegs is definitely smart too.
Also to add, I use a lot of Tamiya panel liner and Tamiya enamel paints for panel lining and small detail painting on top of lacquer layers on all of my builds.
Hiya. Super glued stuff comes off pretty easily when applying force sideways. Super glue is very strong against pulling force but very very weak otherwise.
I was just thinking about this how am I going to paint abs without cracking good video. I know that people have issues with the panel line accent color and cracking because of how much thinner is in that too on bare plastic do alcohol-based paints have the same effect?
I’ll be honest I don’t have much experience putting panel liner on bare plastic or any testing so I can’t really comment much on that aside from the fact that I DO see it breaking a lot of people’s kits. So no, I can’t recommend it. I know that a lot of people spray a clear coat first on their kits to act as a protective layer/skin for the bare plastic before putting any panel liner on it. I do think that the factors that I mentioned in my video have a part in why panel liners break bare plastic but I think with enamel paint and washes especially there are a lot more factors to consider - so I think it might be safer for now to do what works for most others with the clear coat method.
I think if it helps mitigate enough force it’s good! But like I always say you should try it on multiple test pieces first before trying to be safe. Nothing is guaranteed but you wanna minimize risk as much as possible
never had an issue with ABS and Lacquer paints , to your point of priming the model (general with lacquer mr surfacer 1500 grey 1:1 with MLT) most people will spray the kit whole built or break it down into smaller sections or even single parts (i generally do the single part method) , I think the real issues are soaking parts in heavy thinner with pressure mainly, you are more likely to shatter a part pre painted or not with Enamel which is what the Tamiya panel liner washes are and that seems to break more kits from what ive seen.
thanks for watching ! Yeah 100% agreed with the pressure being the main culprit. There are some factors that I wish I touched more on like spray patterns (dusting, heavy coats) that might play a role in people’s experience with ABS. as for enamel I don’t have much experience with it (especially bare plastic) so I can’t say much about that haha.
Sorry I’m not familiar with using gundam markers at all. I would test on a spare parts to see how it reacts. If the marker is lacquer based however I think there is definitely some risk involved when spraying over water based paint like causing it to melt etc.
gundam markers are generally lacquer based and would remove the topcoat since its water based, remember to paint layers by strength adhesion Lacquer is stronger than enamel , acrylic resin, acrylic water based
You could try putting an acrylic based top coat on every part and letting it cure for a few days, then try painting it with the lacquer. Generally you wouldn't want to do this as acrylic paint can be weak to solvents. But, if you let it cure for at least two or three days, it should be fairly safe to do it.
Watching this AFTER I tried painting my RG Sinanju ABS leg frame with lacquer ... and saw it crumbles into tiny pieces :( Wish I knew where to order that whole runner. So I don't have to to buy entire kit again.
@@NexuJin oh no 😢 if u do end up finding a replacement runner I would suggest testing the paint on an extra part available or even a piece of that ABS runner just to be safe.
I found out that water based paint like Acrysion is safe on ABS. The only problem is that it's harder to find in stores compared to other brands and less available colors. I tried (manual brushing) it on two kits with ABS and I haven't had any problems with parts breaking or cracking.
Yep! Water based paint like acrysion is a very good option if you want a safe paint to use. I haven’t heard of water based paint ever breaking ABS at all
i think the reason they say primer is safe is because it usually dries way faster then paint as mine i can spray a part with primer accidentally drop it and its already dry enough to pick up and not need to clean and repaint
Thanks for watching! And yeah lacquer based paint dries really really fast which is why it sometimes just ends up working out fine. Now whether primer dries faster than paint? I’m not too sure about that but I think that would also depend on settings and how they’re both being sprayed.
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you've brought up very useful countermeasures against ABS cracking. In addition to what you suggested, I'd like to add that painting in thin coats and letting them dry thoroughly can help avoid cracking as the solvent dries quicker before it's fully absorbed by the plastic.
yep! thin layers to help dry sooner is another idea as well. I would however be careful of stress being applied still esp if there is a lot of thinner mixed with the lightly coated paint. i used to do light coats but added more thinner to do avoid roughness and ended up breaking some parts anyway. i probably could’ve let them dry more sufficiently as well.
I like to do wet coats to maintain high gloss so i like to emphasize more on mitigating stress so I don’t have to worry too much about that. Thanks for watching 😊
Yes! Always avoid stress even with the thin coats! Agreed also on the thinning ratio when you're doing wet coats. This is where the balancing act of spraying technique is important: spray it thin enough that the part won't break, but still ensure that the coat applied should be even and wet enough to level. I myself have also learned to do wet coats and still screw up sometimes with too heavy coat. But for ABS I think it's best to prioritize risk mitigation and adjust the aesthetics with practice. :)
I've seen you for a long time in Twitter, but I never knew you had a youtube channel. Thanks a lot for the helpful tutorials ❤.
Thank you so much for the kind words ☺️
I hope to make more videos that can help
Very helpful. I had no idea about the properties of ABS being weak to wet solvents.
Thanks for giving it a watch!
Yeah I really love ABS as a material but it does have some infamy for breaking…
My mg rouge ootori just crack after priming during assemble state. Now i saw this video, helping me so much. Thank you for the tips!
oh no :(
I will be very glad if my video can help you with your next build!
True story: i didnt know about abs plastic thay time, so i bought a second hand hg nadleeh and it was painted, i didnt like the colour so i left all the nadleeh joints part dip in thinner for a day, the next day when i came to get it they were all soft, moral of the story study chemistry
I believe you… LOL. I did something very similar back then 😅
@@stebplamo lesson learn🤣
I’ve seen that Gaia has a primer specifically designed for ABS, the Gaia Multi-Primer. However that primer is near impossible to get anywhere outside of Japan
Yeah definitely… I don’t think I’ve ever seen it sold online or anywhere in the states
Good info. Thanks
Not sure if the pressure from the pegs were the cause, used some panel liner on my victory gundam, head crumbled to dust without being touched.
Thanks for watching. If you’re talking about Tamiya Panel Liners those are enamel paints, not lacquer. From experience those are much more volatile and harsh on bare plastic in general (not just ABS). Enamel paint is a whole different beast…
Also if the head was partially or fully built already when the liner was applied, it could have made the damaging effect of the liner EXTRA worse in my opinion.
Informative stuff 🤙🏼
thank you for watching :)
I hope it can serve as a decent guideline
This is an excellent video and ill keep this in mind if i ever work with lacquers.
Now i wanted to ask since im new to airbrushing, would tamiya acrylics that require a solvent be dangerous to ABS kits like goodsmile and flame toys kits? And more importantly, since action figures like the robot spirits figures are made of ABS, Im assuming all this will be applicable to them as well? I and if i should use those types of paint, what kind of face mask and catriges would you recommend?
Thanks in advance.
Hey thanks for watching !
I would say this should also apply for GSC and Hot Toy’s ABS model kits as well. I think it’s good to be careful.
I’ve never painted action figures so I can’t really say much or offer advice regarding that… sorry.
As for respirators, I use this. I think anything is good as long as it keeps organic vapors out of your lungs but 3m is my usual brand of choice
www.amazon.com/3M-53P71-Cartridge-Respirator-Assembly/dp/B000BQ8DJI/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?adgrpid=62914651864&hvadid=580830271574&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9031045&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=4633080628222749220&hvtargid=kwd-301336726270&hydadcr=3737_13537019&keywords=3m+respirator&qid=1700071679&sr=8-14#aw-udpv3-customer-reviews_feature_div
What type of panel liners do you use when it comes to painting with laquers? I've just gotten into the Gunpla stuff the last couple of months. I'm primarily an a 1/35 armor builder that uses Tamiya, AK, Vallejo, and Mig's acrylics and with using acrylics when it comes to decaling and using panel liners, I spray whatever it is with acrylic satin varnish (usually Vallejo) and use enamel or oil based panel liner. I know it isn't wise to use enamel based washes on solvent based paints or varnishes. I'm going to assume one would use an acrylic based panel wash then? As for the ABS plastics, I've used solvent based primers including Mr. Hobby 1500 Surfacer mixed 50/50 with the Leveling Thinner and Krylon on the Gundams I've done so far with no issues of damage. I never include the poly type parts and I mask off the pegs and round parts like where the legs and arms snap in. This avoids the issue with fit when it comes to assembly. I'm currently building the older NG 1/100 Astray Amatsu Golden Frame Mina kit which so far has been a mess. Definitely not the good Bandai fit nowdays and I've had to melt down sprue in liquid glue to make plastic filler to fix some issues with this kit...Also, I stripped this kit of all of it's gold plating and chose to respray them once cleaned of nubs and sanded of sink spots with Krylon primer and gold paint. So far no damage from solvent based stuff. I did everything with light coats etc.
If you’re using lacquer paint then enamel based panel liner is okay. It won’t hurt the lacquer paint underneath. And I’m glad that your method for ABS has been working out! Masking pegs is definitely smart too.
Also to add, I use a lot of Tamiya panel liner and Tamiya enamel paints for panel lining and small detail painting on top of lacquer layers on all of my builds.
Thanks for the cool video very usfull , I wanted to ask how do you get the super glued parts off when done painting ?
Hiya. Super glued stuff comes off pretty easily when applying force sideways. Super glue is very strong against pulling force but very very weak otherwise.
I would test it out on a test piece to be safe :)
what is the 1st robots name that you showed? the orange and black one
Thank for the info!!!!!!!
Thank you for watching!
I was just thinking about this how am I going to paint abs without cracking good video. I know that people have issues with the panel line accent color and cracking because of how much thinner is in that too on bare plastic do alcohol-based paints have the same effect?
I’ll be honest I don’t have much experience putting panel liner on bare plastic or any testing so I can’t really comment much on that aside from the fact that I DO see it breaking a lot of people’s kits. So no, I can’t recommend it.
I know that a lot of people spray a clear coat first on their kits to act as a protective layer/skin for the bare plastic before putting any panel liner on it.
I do think that the factors that I mentioned in my video have a part in why panel liners break bare plastic but I think with enamel paint and washes especially there are a lot more factors to consider - so I think it might be safer for now to do what works for most others with the clear coat method.
hey can acrylic paint work on abs because I hand paint with citadel?
if it’s not solvent based I say it’s good 👍
but with everything u should always test on junk parts or runners. also make sure that it’s acrylic!!!
do you think wrapping the connection point in tape is enough to mitigate some pressure? great vid!!
I think if it helps mitigate enough force it’s good! But like I always say you should try it on multiple test pieces first before trying to be safe. Nothing is guaranteed but you wanna minimize risk as much as possible
@@stebplamo this makes lots of sense, tysm!!
never had an issue with ABS and Lacquer paints , to your point of priming the model (general with lacquer mr surfacer 1500 grey 1:1 with MLT) most people will spray the kit whole built or break it down into smaller sections or even single parts (i generally do the single part method) , I think the real issues are soaking parts in heavy thinner with pressure mainly, you are more likely to shatter a part pre painted or not with Enamel which is what the Tamiya panel liner washes are and that seems to break more kits from what ive seen.
thanks for watching ! Yeah 100% agreed with the pressure being the main culprit. There are some factors that I wish I touched more on like spray patterns (dusting, heavy coats) that might play a role in people’s experience with ABS. as for enamel I don’t have much experience with it (especially bare plastic) so I can’t say much about that haha.
Before this can I top coat water base then I use gundam marker for this method spraying of course sorry for my English sucks
Sorry I’m not familiar with using gundam markers at all. I would test on a spare parts to see how it reacts. If the marker is lacquer based however I think there is definitely some risk involved when spraying over water based paint like causing it to melt etc.
@@stebplamothanks for the reply 🦭
gundam markers are generally lacquer based and would remove the topcoat since its water based, remember to paint layers by strength adhesion Lacquer is stronger than enamel , acrylic resin, acrylic water based
You could try putting an acrylic based top coat on every part and letting it cure for a few days, then try painting it with the lacquer. Generally you wouldn't want to do this as acrylic paint can be weak to solvents. But, if you let it cure for at least two or three days, it should be fairly safe to do it.
Spraying lacquer over acrylic would make me a little concerned but that’s pretty interesting!
Watching this AFTER I tried painting my RG Sinanju ABS leg frame with lacquer ... and saw it crumbles into tiny pieces :(
Wish I knew where to order that whole runner. So I don't have to to buy entire kit again.
@@NexuJin oh no 😢
if u do end up finding a replacement runner I would suggest testing the paint on an extra part available or even a piece of that ABS runner just to be safe.
@@stebplamo Yes. That was something I realized after the fact: Test Test Test!
I found out that water based paint like Acrysion is safe on ABS. The only problem is that it's harder to find in stores compared to other brands and less available colors. I tried (manual brushing) it on two kits with ABS and I haven't had any problems with parts breaking or cracking.
Yep! Water based paint like acrysion is a very good option if you want a safe paint to use. I haven’t heard of water based paint ever breaking ABS at all
i think the reason they say primer is safe is because it usually dries way faster then paint as mine i can spray a part with primer accidentally drop it and its already dry enough to pick up and not need to clean and repaint
Thanks for watching! And yeah lacquer based paint dries really really fast which is why it sometimes just ends up working out fine. Now whether primer dries faster than paint? I’m not too sure about that but I think that would also depend on settings and how they’re both being sprayed.
But...why don't you just use primer ?
hey I mention later in the video but I do not believe primer to be some fix-all solution.
@@даниилпрохоров-о4е But of course if it works for you and haven’t had any issues, that’s very good!
@@stebplamo oh sorry , I think I accidentally skipped this moment ...