Help needed: painting train doors

[Gianluca Morelli]

Hi all,

I searched in the forum but could't find anyting, so here's my question:

assuming that I have a plain train door (like this: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=4181) and I want to paint the bottom half in order to have something like this: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=4181p02, what kind of paint/tools should I use?

Lego paint on 80s doors looks so thin but is also very resistant, can I achieve similar results just with spray paint? Is an additional transparent layer needed for added resistance?

Finally, is there a way to know which commercially available colors match better lego colors?

Thanks in advance for your help (and yes, I'm a painting noob )

Cheers,

Gianluca

[Peppermint_M]

Well, varnish is always a good way to keep the paint tidy after it dries. A small amount of prep work is needed on a part first, lightly abrade the area before applying paint and ensure there is no grease/dust on the door. Then once it is clean, dry and the surface prepped, paint away (masking tape keeps things accurate).

I can't advise on paint colours though, the best way is to take a brick in the right colour and match it to a spray can lid.

Another much quicker method of decorating, especialy for lines, solid colour areas/logos is vinyl. You can get rolls of it and then cut to shape and apply.

[22kane]

Being an n scale modeler, painting is one of my specialties. First of all I have never painted an actual Lego piece but I know there is a protective coating on them. There are a few ways to go about this. You can try scrubbing the part with soap and water to help the paint adhere. I wouldnt use any toxic strippers like mineral spirits as this will change the color of the part most likely. An airbrush with an oil based paint would be ideal but you can use a can of spray paint. If you do, use modeling paint in the can like Testors and practice before you apply it. You will have to do swooping like motions and slowly coat the part. Don't just spray it directly. Also use blue painters tape to mask off the part you don't want painted.

Do not use common spay cans like Krylon or a store brand as many of them will not adhere to certain types of plastic. Remember, don't just spray directly on the part. Swing your arm back and forth like a pendulum at a distance of about 1 foot or a little closer. There are also a lot of painting sites out there with different styles and methods. Hope this helps

[frogstudio]

Well, varnish is always a good way to keep the paint tidy after it dries. A small amount of prep work is needed on a part first, lightly abrade the area before applying paint and ensure there is no grease/dust on the door. Then once it is clean, dry and the surface prepped, paint away (masking tape keeps things accurate).

I can't advise on paint colours though, the best way is to take a brick in the right colour and match it to a spray can lid.

Another much quicker method of decorating, especialy for lines, solid colour areas/logos is vinyl. You can get rolls of it and then cut to shape and apply.

I would go with this approach. You can ALWAYS step back whne using vynil, something you can't do if you paint. Vynil is really thin, so you wont notice it too much. :)