Dinosaur repaint 101?

[ruochuan]

Is there an existing link on the forum on dinosaur repaint? Difficulty level: newbie

I have a few dinosaurs that I don't mind turning into father/daughter quality time project...

[paintingdinos]

I'm not sure if there's a definitive guide floating around, but if you're wanting a family craft project vs a complex repaint the steps should be pretty simple.

1. Paint the selected figure with a single-color base coat. Many people use a dedicated spray on primer but if you want to keep 100% if the process interactive with your daughter, skip the aerosols and just use a white or grey acrylic paint.
-This step is useful so the new colors you apply aren't "competing" with the original colors of the model. Basically it gives you a clean slate to work on.

2. Make sure the base coat is fully dried then find some decent acrylic paint (avoid the ultra cheap "student" paints if you want them to actually stick to your model). Doesn't have to be dedicated model paint, can be something easy to find like Liquitex (Soft or Heavy body preferably).

3. Water down your paints! Acrylic paint is basically liquid plastic and if your paint is too thick, will dry on like a little shell and completely obscure the details of your subject.

4. Have fun, let your daughter work at her pace, no rights or wrongs here

Member Kayakasaurus has some great videos that show what the process looks like. Just remember a first-time repaint experiment doesn't have to look like his (that'll come with practice).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WleOkJ30Ac

[Halichoeres]

@paintingdinos knows what she's talking about. You might also want to check out this thread with tips from many members, past and present, in the "Customized Figures" board:

http://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=395.0