• Need help painting models
    4 replies, posted
A few months ago I 3D printed some models that I made or got online and started painting them, but ran into some trouble. The detail on the printer isn't incredible and the stepping lines are still visible in many places, and I can't sand them down for various reasons (I'd lose too much detail or it's in difficult to reach areas, etc.) but if I paint them with the lines visible, it'll look notably more awful for some parts than others. Specifically I'm thinking of armor on the models, which I wanted to paint metallic; the stepping lines aren't as much of a problem elsewhere but they'll be extremely noticeable with metallic paint. My question is, what would work well to fill in the lines in such a way that even when dry, no trace of any groove is left? And second, I need some recommendations for liquid metallic paint. It doesn't need to be super reflective or anything, just enough to convey the impression of metal, like here: https://imgur.com/eT5iGCO Thanks in advance
Green stuff would work, I suppose. And any model-paint for metallics would be your best bet for the armour.
Is there like a cheap, non-GW alternative I can get? (is it even a GW product?) I know they probably sell a ton of shit I'd find useful for this but I'm really hesitant to give them money considering how overpriced a lot of their stuff is.
green stuff as filler is a meme, especially for 3d print lines, use milliput or a dedicated filling putty like squadron/tamiya putty (though none of these will go on perfectly smooth and you'll need sanding afterwards), a spray-on filler like low grit mr. surfacer might also work depending on how prominent the lines are you could also try an acetone vapor bath, but that might dilute the detail too much for your needs alclad II is the end-all for true metal finishes, but seeing as it's an airbrush-only lacquer your best acrylic option would be vallejo metal color
Alright, I'll give those a try, thanks for the specific recommendations. I would've tried the acetone vapor but it's a PLA model so it's not acetone soluble and I don't want to chance it in the oven either (I've heard of people annealing prints in the oven at low temps which strengthens the model and softens some of the lines).
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