Anima

Flickr is a photo sharing community I've been messing with for awhile, and once I realized that there were a few Nerf-minded people around, I started a group to collect them and their photos. If you aren't on Flickr already, it's an okay site, though not as good for image hosting for posting elsewhere as imageshack is, for instance. The best part is that if you have a Yahoo account, you pretty much already have a Flickr account too.

The group's here, http://www.flickr.com/groups/nerf/ and yes, it's still dinky. Join us and share your favorite Nerf photos,

I don't know how many of you have tried using highly-reflective silver/chrome paints yet, but you may have noticed that spraying on the usual protective clear coat will absolutely ruin the look of it. What was bright and shiny chrome becomes a dull pot-metal gray when clear-coated.

I discovered recently, reading prop-replica forum threads, that this is a well-known problem. The solution? Floor wax. Future Acrylic floor polish can be brushed (or airbrushed) over a chrome/silver paintjob, and not interfere with its look. I gather this is because it's an acrylic, and not a lacquer or enamel like the usual spray-paint clear coats are.

There's a thread here with more tips concerning use of the floor polish:
http://www.j-aircraf...loor_polish.htm


I recently made a blue/chrome Maverick for a friend, but the clear-coat ruined the beautiful shiny chrome and filled me with fathomless sorrow. :K( (Fortunately, the friend didn't care. :KD ) Now that I have this tip in my arsenal, I can create wonderful gleaming chrome pieces that won't get chipped or fingerprinted at the drop of a hat.

I'm working on an Expand-a-Blast, because I think it has a lot of potential for a nice looking prop weapon.

I also need to modify it for more power, because as it is...it's pretty sad. The color scheme is the problem at the moment, though.

Before the clear-coat,


After the clear-coat,




I haven't reassembled it yet, just put the folding handle back on. The black is just Rustoleum flat black, over a coat of plastic primer. The silver is the Metalcast ground coat, because I find it simulates bare metal nicely.

There are lots of accents on this gun. There are tick-marks common to the Hypersight toys, some peg-shaped bits, a knurled wheel near the front of the gun, etc. etc.

That big fat marquee-like space where a sticker used to rest is going to contain a sticker again I think, but something more appropriate and realistic. A warning label, or somesuch.

But what about the rest? The extending barrel, if I leave it in, will probably get a chrome coat. The rear extending stock will probably get a coat of Plastidip on the stock itself, though the stock's 'stalk' will go unaltered.

I was thinking some red might work well for hilights. I'm open to suggestions; let's hear 'em.

Anodized-simulating paints have gotten popular lately, so I thought I'd share what I've learned with you all after painting three or four guns with it.



First and foremost, I learned patience. >,<

The can tells you to use light coats. THEY MEAN IT. If you even try to get full coverage on the gun with each coat? There will be runs and drips. For a Maverick, you do four passes on the left and right sides, two on the top, two on the bottom, one from the rear and one from the front...per coat. Move the can smoothly back and forth, taking about a second and a half in each direction. Always trigger the spray off the gun to avoid spattering, and pause to shake the can frequently.

Before you apply anything, you want to make sure the paint gets good adhesion. Clean your gun thoroughly and make sure any residue left over from removed decals is scraped off. Lightly sand the plastic. Wipe it down with a kleenex. Then apply either a plastic primer, or an 'adhesion promotor', a product Duplicolor also uses. I used the latter; trying to use the same brand of paint throughout a project is a good idea, reducing the chances of weird compatibility problems.

Then of course you have to apply the Metalcast 'ground coat', which lays down a color that simulates bare metal, which the paint requires to let its anodized qualities shine. Follow the directions on the can carefully. I've found that using the ground coat alone can give you some nice effects, since it really does look a lot like bare metal.

When you start applying the Metalcast color paint, wait ten minutes between coats, and apply all coats within an hour's time. I recommend, if your gun has a trigger guard, sticking a broom handle or other suitable object through it to hang the gun and let it dry between coats.

With every gun there are places that are awkward to spray, and that won't get the same coverage. You'll have to touch these areas up, but be very careful. The more of the Metalcast color you spray on, the darker the hue gets. You can go from a light sprinkled-red to thick fresh-spilled blood very quickly. The trouble-spots on the Maverick are the 'floor' and 'ceiling' of the rectangular area where the cylinder rests. Paint doesn't settle well there, and these areas must be sprayed quite directly.

Let it dry for a good day, then mask as you need to, and apply *at least* two coats of clear-coat. I used a clear enamel spray, but I don't like it much. The resulting texture is displeasing.


The clear coat is essential. This paint is 'thin', and fragile. You lose none of its lustre by clear-coating it.

If you do any masking, make certain the edges of the tape have been pressed down *hard*. This paint seems to love leaking under your tape. If you've gotten leaks, well, don't just try to spray over the messed-up area with the Metalcast color. You'll have to spray the ground coat again first, then recoat with the color. Try your best to match the rest of the gun, but chances are it will still look wonky. If you don't get it perfect on the first try, it'll be hard to recover. Practice on something you don't like much, first.

I had a can of the red Metalcast paint (the same kind I used to make my earlier green Maverick) and thought some kind of Tribes-type paintjob might be nice.

So Red Metalcast + Flat black accents + Gloss black cylinder + Plastidip rubber grip =

Draconian Measures

The pictures aren't too great, I'm afraid. I'll try and replace these with better ones later. What doesn't come through in these images is how gorgeous this paint looks on the gun. It really looks like a sports car, or fresh-spilled blood.


The slide is actually flat-black, but the protective clear coat leaves it looking like gloss...though somehow darker than gloss black. I still don't have the Metalcast stuff down cold yet. There are a few darker areas where paint ran.


Here's a closeup of the grip. It feels a bit sticky, but leaves no residue on the hands. It's just that nice of a grip. I used it on half of the butt as well in an experiment, but it's been a pain in the rear ever since I came up with the notion, and I won't repeat it with the Plastidip. The grips however, I'll continue doing with the Plastidip.


I've recently been experimenting with the seal-tightening method of placing a spring beneath the front fitting on the cylinder, (the rear fitting already has a spring) and I've had mixed success. Sometimes it seems to improve performance; other times it seems to halve the original range of the gun.