Mostly FBR Questions

[Tropical_Sunset]

Just some customizing questions. I hope y'all can help!

What are your favorite acrylic paint brands for full body repaints? Paints that won't make the pony body sticky?

Does anyone use those hobby paints for model cars or are they no good for ponies? I got some Folkart Colorshift paint and I'm worried the pony may end up feeling tacky.

Do you prep the surface before starting? If you use gesso, what kind? It doesn't make the surface of the pony lumpy?

Do you seal it afterwards? Does it make the surface of the pony sticky?

Is Rit Dyemore better and less fading for pony coloring or is it about the same as the regular Rit Dye in that regard?

Also, is there a hair color guide out there, a list of known colors used by Hasbro on ponies? I'm looking for a color match for a few G1s.

Thank you for your help!!

[MerryAnvil]

I'm fairly new to customizing/restoring ponies myself, but I'll try to answer a couple of these!

I'm probably not the best person to talk about paint brands; I use cheap acrylic paints from Hobby Lobby, just because I like working with them best and they're inexpensive and readily available. I just mix the colors to get what I need. I believe the brand I use is called 'Master's Touch'. I generally don't do much prepwork, other than doing one or two thin coats of white paint before I start applying the colored paint. This makes it easier to keep the original color of the plastic from showing through underneath the new paint. This is especially useful when you're going from, say, a bright pink pony to a blue one.

You should always use sealant IMO! Otherwise the paint/pastels/whatever you're using will come right off when you handle it. For sealant I normally use Testor's Dullcote spray. There are better sealants out there, but I've pretty much always used that brand, and I find that it leaves a nice smooth finish after you apply two to three coats of it. In general before sealing them, acrylic paint leaves the pony feeling tacky regardless of what kind you use, but once I apply the sealant, it feels smooth and actually just like plastic. Provided you were careful with your brushstrokes, you won't even feel the difference between a non-custom pony and your painted one.

As an additional thing I recently discovered, if you want the symbols/details to slightly stand out from the rest of the paint like they would on an original Hasbro pony, you can apply a very thin coating of gloss varnish over them with a small brush. That way it looks like paint over a matte plastic pony, rather than the whole pony being matte with no visible separation in finishes between the painted features and the body.

I hope that helps some! <3

[Leave a Whisper]

I use the cheap craft stuff from Wal-Mart called Folk Art. It works well. I find that pearly and metallic paints go on a lot easier. It depends on the pony plastic too. I'm almost done with a cross gen custom of Magnet Bolt and I'm using metallics to go with his theme

[Tropical_Sunset]

I'm fairly new to customizing/restoring ponies myself, but I'll try to answer a couple of these!

I'm probably not the best person to talk about paint brands; I use cheap acrylic paints from Hobby Lobby, just because I like working with them best and they're inexpensive and readily available. I just mix the colors to get what I need. I believe the brand I use is called 'Master's Touch'. I generally don't do much prepwork, other than doing one or two thin coats of white paint before I start applying the colored paint. This makes it easier to keep the original color of the plastic from showing through underneath the new paint. This is especially useful when you're going from, say, a bright pink pony to a blue one.

You should always use sealant IMO! Otherwise the paint/pastels/whatever you're using will come right off when you handle it. For sealant I normally use Testor's Dullcote spray. There are better sealants out there, but I've pretty much always used that brand, and I find that it leaves a nice smooth finish after you apply two to three coats of it. In general before sealing them, acrylic paint leaves the pony feeling tacky regardless of what kind you use, but once I apply the sealant, it feels smooth and actually just like plastic. Provided you were careful with your brushstrokes, you won't even feel the difference between a non-custom pony and your painted one.

As an additional thing I recently discovered, if you want the symbols/details to slightly stand out from the rest of the paint like they would on an original Hasbro pony, you can apply a very thin coating of gloss varnish over them with a small brush. That way it looks like paint over a matte plastic pony, rather than the whole pony being matte with no visible separation in finishes between the painted features and the body.

I hope that helps some! <3

Thank you so much for the reply and the valuable insights, especially about sealant! I've been so hesitant about FBRs after the first
one I made got all tacky. I'm not sure why. I made her so long ago I can't remember the process.

I use the cheap craft stuff from Wal-Mart called Folk Art. It works well. I find that pearly and metallic paints go on a lot easier. It depends on the pony plastic too. I'm almost done with a cross gen custom of Magnet Bolt and I'm using metallics to go with his theme

I'm going to have to try Folk Art. I'd love to see your customs!

[BlackCurtains]

A few words about sealing. Never use Mod Podge. It gets extremely tacky in humid environments. Customs in my collection sealed with Mod Podge get dust and cat hair all over them that I need to scrub off with a toothbrush. Each time I do it I'm so scared I'm going to ruin the painting. It's a nightmare!

For my own customs and the ones in my collection from other artists that are perfectly fine, used Testors Dullcote. I've also used Liquitex Varnish with good results, but I like the spray on convenience of Testors.

As for paint, I use an airbrush so I have Createx airbrush paints. They are very nice and thinned down already.

[pinkkittywinks]

What are your favorite acrylic paint brands for full body repaints? Paints that won't make the pony body sticky?
I use Vallejo, Citadel, Army Painter and Scale 75 acrylic paints

Does anyone use those hobby paints for model cars or are they no good for ponies? I got some Folkart Colorshift paint and I'm worried the pony may end up feeling tacky.
If it is acrylic based it should be ok. I use Green Stuff World Colour Shift painted on ponies with no problem.  Createx paints work fine on ponies as well. Colourshift paints often have to be used over a black, gloss undercoat to get the effect to work.

Do you prep the surface before starting? If you use gesso, what kind? It doesn't make the surface of the pony lumpy?
I use a polyurethane primer by Vallejo. I use an airbrush to get a smooth even coverage.

Do you seal it afterwards? Does it make the surface of the pony sticky?
I use a polyurethane varnish by Vallejo. It has not gone sticky or tacky.

Love pkw xxx

[Tropical_Sunset]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone! I really appreciate everyone taking the time to respond. I'm squirreling all of this advice away in my custom pony folder.

I have a couple more FBR questions.

1. I have a couple custom ponies I need to seal but they have manes and tails. How should I prep them?
2. Can you get acrylic paint out of pony hair?

[BlackCurtains]

Wrap the hair in tin foil.

Sure. You can wash it out or scrape it off. Don't use acetone, it will melt the hair.