painting Painting TTQBs

[Paul Kian]

Hi all,

I have noticed that quite a few of you have painted TTQBs, and I really like the look. I have a couple of them arriving in the mail along with some prepainted Fab 5ers, so before I began painting the QBs I was curious if there were any tips, recommendations, pitfalls to avoid, etc. regarding painting them as opposed to painting regular Tudor figs. For example, do they tend to use (and have similar results with) the same type of primers and paints as the other figs?

Thanks in advance!!

PK

Edited July 16, 2020 by Paul Kian

[mccaber]

The painting process is the same.  I paint the figure and the leg separately and reattach it it once the sealer is dry.  The decals are more of more of a challenge, especially because there isn't a pants stripe specifically for the TTQB.

[Paul Kian]

42 minutes ago, mccaber said:

The painting process is the same.  I paint the figure and the leg separately and reattach it it once the sealer is dry.  The decals are more of more of a challenge, especially because there isn't a pants stripe specifically for the TTQB.

Thanks for the info, I'll make sure to paint the leg separately. That should mean I can use the same primer + coat 1 + coat 2 (if necessary) + sealer process that I typically use for most types of mini figs. Luckily the only decals I'm using right now are the Jersey numbers, but I'll get some customs if need be. 👍🏻

[NO Dave]

Try to avoid painting the inside of the fixed (non-kicking) leg, and the inside of the detachable kicking leg. The paint can be a hindrance to the motion of the kick. 

[RickLM30]

Yup.  I found that out the hard way!  Had to scrape the paint off so my kickers and punters could do their job properly!

[Paul Kian]

9 minutes ago, NO Dave said:

Try to avoid painting the inside of the fixed (non-kicking) leg, and the inside of the detachable kicking leg. The paint can be a hindrance to the motion of the kick. 

Thanks, Dave! I wouldn't have thought about that, good save. 👍🏻

Slightly off-topic, but speaking of kicker legs, do you have any tips for reinforcing the plant leg ankle? I already broke one of them off at the plant foot literally 3 kicks in, and I wasn't being super rough either- I think it was a plastic molding defect. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I'm reordering a batch of 6 more today for safety. I'm going to save painting for when it's not so humid here- 100°F and 75% humidity is godawful for paint.

[NO Dave]

Paul: 

Before I paint, the first thing I do to TTQB's is apply a drop of Crazy Glue to the fixed leg ankle. It helps a lot. 

If you are truly feeling ambitious, try the following:

Take a small straight pin and heat it. Once it's heated, stick the pin up through the bottom of the plastic under the shoe, attempting to get the heated metal up to around the ankle. Cut off the remaining pin from the bottom with a set of diagonal cutters. 

I had one of these work for me and that TTQB worked without fail for around 15 years. It was a spectacular kicker. 

 

[NO Dave]

The plastic used on TTQB's is polystyrene, which is what allows the TTQB to work well, but there's a lot of room for breaking. 

You can also use a drop of rubber cement with your drop of Crazy Glue. When the glue bonds and the cement cures (after about a day) you will have a very strong ankle. 

[Paul Kian]

30 minutes ago, NO Dave said:

Paul: 

Before I paint, the first thing I do to TTQB's is apply a drop of Crazy Glue to the fixed leg ankle. It helps a lot. 

If you are truly feeling ambitious, try the following:

Take a small straight pin and heat it. Once it's heated, stick the pin up through the bottom of the plastic under the shoe, attempting to get the heated metal up to around the ankle. Cut off the remaining pin from the bottom with a set of diagonal cutters. 

I had one of these work for me and that TTQB worked without fail for around 15 years. It was a spectacular kicker. 

 

 

27 minutes ago, NO Dave said:

The plastic used on TTQB's is polystyrene, which is what allows the TTQB to work well, but there's a lot of room for breaking. 

You can also use a drop of rubber cement with your drop of Crazy Glue. When the glue bonds and the cement cures (after about a day) you will have a very strong ankle. 

Excellent! I'll try both of these out as soon as possible. Thanks!

[Paul Kian]

 

NO Dave, I reposted your tips in another post, with credit of course. Thanks again for the help!

[The Major]

Paul,

  You opened up a whole can of advice here, buddy.  Here's some things that worked for me.  First of all, these have all been great suggestions.  But here's a few more to add to your toolbox.

Take a small scale drill bit in a pin vise and drill underneath that platform foot.  A Dremel is even better if you have one.  Drill straight up the leg.  Drill deep enough to reinforce the foot with some thin brass or steel rod.  The heated pin is not a bad suggestion, but you may find the drill and pin method easier to control.  

Next, you can reinforce that stationary ankle with 'green stuff' epoxy.  You may be familiar with it.  It comes in a ribbon (usually) of blue and yellow--knead it together and it becomes green.  This is a very durable epoxy and remains flexible after hardening.  Wrap a small ring of that around the ankle and smoothly blend it to the platform.  Between a steel or brass pin and the epoxy you will have one strong ankle.  Obviously, overall weight is a concern.  Plan accordingly.

Painting.  Here's some just good solid advice for all EF figure painting.  Seal, seal, and oh yeah seal.  I'm talking about varnish (spray and brush).  The legendary Steve Toth just put up a great tutorial on the MFCA FB page recently (he and I paint with a similar method).  But I'll summarize here.

1.  Paint the figure.  

2.  Prior to decal application, spray seal the figure--krylon clear coat is just fine.  Let this dry.

3.  Apply the decals.  The varnish you applied will protect your paint job from the decal solutions (like solv-a-set).  Ask me how I know this is necessary...:(

4.  Let the decals dry and apply varnish again.  Spray or brush is fine here.  Let this dry.

5.  Add facemasks, chinstraps, etc.  Modge Podge or glue these as normal.  After they dry, yep, varnish them, too.

6.  Steve likes to follow up with a Matte sealer.  I prefer them glossy.  

These same tips work for the TTQB, kickers or punters.  BUT....you must watch the leg socket.  NO varnish in there.  It will gum up the works.  You'll end up with a great looking and *durable* paint job that won't chip or rub off after many games.  Yes all that varnish adds a little weight.  Plan accordingly.

Anyway, I hope these tips help.  Would love to see your results!

Edited July 20, 2020 by The Major
additional information

[Paul Kian]

1 hour ago, The Major said:

Paul,

  You opened up a whole can of advice here, buddy.  Here's some things that worked for me.  First of all, these have all been great suggestions.  But here's a few more to add to your toolbox.

Take a small scale drill bit in a pin vise and drill underneath that platform foot.  A Dremel is even better if you have one.  Drill straight up the leg.  Drill deep enough to reinforce the foot with some thin brass or steel rod.  The heated pin is not a bad suggestion, but you may find the drill and pin method easier to control.  

Next, you can reinforce that stationary ankle with 'green stuff' epoxy.  You may be familiar with it.  It comes in a ribbon (usually) of blue and yellow--knead it together and it becomes green.  This is a very durable epoxy and remains flexible after hardening.  Wrap a small ring of that around the ankle and smoothly blend it to the platform.  Between a steel or brass pin and the epoxy you will have one strong ankle.  Obviously, overall weight is a concern.  Plan accordingly.

Painting.  Here's some just good solid advice for all EF figure painting.  Seal, seal, and oh yeah seal.  I'm talking about varnish (spray and brush).  The legendary Steve Toth just put up a great tutorial on the MFCA FB page recently (he and I paint with a similar method).  But I'll summarize here.

1.  Paint the figure.  

2.  Prior to decal application, spray seal the figure--krylon clear coat is just fine.  Let this dry.

3.  Apply the decals.  The varnish you applied will protect your paint job from the decal solutions (like solv-a-set).  Ask me how I know this is necessary...:(

4.  Let the decals dry and apply varnish again.  Spray or brush is fine here.  Let this dry.

5.  Add facemasks, chinstraps, etc.  Modge Podge or glue these as normal.  After they dry, yep, varnish them, too.

6.  Steve likes to follow up with a Matte sealer.  I prefer them glossy.  

These same tips work for the TTQB, kickers or punters.  BUT....you must watch the leg socket.  NO varnish in there.  It will gum up the works.  You'll end up with a great looking and *durable* paint job that won't chip or rub off after many games.  Yes all that varnish adds a little weight.  Plan accordingly.

Anyway, I hope these tips help.  Would love to see your results!

Thanks Major, this is great stuff! I do have a Dremel tool so I think I'll do a compromise of yours and Dave's methods and heat the bit up with my heatgun first, then drill.

I've used something similar to green stuff for other projects, called "Sugru", but I don't think it's quite the same strength so I'll look into getting some actual green stuff. I know a lot of coaches use them on the bases for "weight gain" as well.

I'm honestly not too worried about weight, varnish nor green-stuff-wise, since this is my solitaire league and I'm basically letting the Kickers/QBs weigh whatever is necessary- they might end up with magnets in the base too, so definitely not tourney legal stuff going on at Chez-Kian. 😆 I'll keep it in mind if I do ever decide to try out though- 4 grams is pretty easy to get to without thinking about it.

Regarding varnishes, I have a can of this generic matte finish acrylic sealer I picked up a week ago for an unrelated project. They also make a glossy version as well; I tend to prefer matte for dark colors and glossy for brighter colors. However, I am a bit hesitant to use it on these figures as it contains acetone and toluene. Should I get a non-acetone version or will it work just fine?

[The Major]

Paul, I have never had a clear coat spray damage one of my figures.   The paint itself helps protect the plastic to a degree.  However, I am including the link below to Steve's video about the "triple seal" technique he uses.  I think you will find it very helpful.

https://www.facebook.com/steve.toth.355/videos/3249841965076844/?query=Steve%20Toth&epa=SEARCH_BOX

[Paul Kian]

Thanks, Major! I'll be watching it this afternoon once I get off work. 😁

[mccaber]

I agree with what has been said about taking care to not get paint and sealer in the leg socket.  However, once you start painting a TTQB, it's probably not going to perform as well as a kicker.  You can still pass OK, but if kicking is important, keep an unpainted TTQB around.  Here are some TTQBs that I've painted and decaled over the years.  They look good and match their teams, but they really don't kick very well.

[RickLM30]

mccaber, Wow! When they look that good, who cares if they can kick! 😊

[Paul Kian]

Thanks mccaber! I think yours were the first ones that I saw in fact.

 

What do you think specifically is the cause of reduced kicking ability? If it's paint on the base or kicking leg I can probably just avoid painting those areas. I can't figure out where else the paint would affect anything as long as it's not like 10 coats of enamel paint layered on. 🤔

 

10 hours ago, mccaber said:

I agree with what has been said about taking care to not get paint and sealer in the leg socket.  However, once you start painting a TTQB, it's probably not going to perform as well as a kicker.  You can still pass OK, but if kicking is important, keep an unpainted TTQB around.  Here are some TTQBs that I've painted and decaled over the years.  They look good and match their teams, but they really don't kick very well.

 

[mccaber]

Anywhere where there's friction between the kicking leg and the stationary leg will adversely affect its kicking ability.  You can still use it to throw a pass though.

[TOEPRO Football Kit]

I painted my TOEPRO PAK V3s and had no problems with them kicking.  Just be careful around the shaft of the leg.

👍🏾

[Paul Kian]

Thanks Coaches! Based off of what I've gotten so far, I think I'll detach the kicking leg first, tape off the plant leg, then just paint and finish up the tops of the TTQB figures and let them dry really well to prevent any drips.

Afterthat's done, I'll paint the OUTSIDES of the legs separately and entirely avoid the "loin" areas, for lack of a better word, and either avoid or at least lightly paint the base plate area especially around where the Tee and footlock things are...and now I'm craving some pork tenderloin biscuits. 😆

I'm not shooting for 100% perfect reproduction anyway, since I'm actually making custom teams not based on pre-existing teams so I can tailor my painting as needed. I bought a bunch of prepainted figs for prototyping but I'll most likely be modding them, at least a little bit. If I have to make them have white pants, at least on the inside, I can make it work. 👍🏻

[plastickrackin101]

Hi Coaches!

I would just like to make one comment to all the great ones already made and that is be sure to pick clear acrylic and Not varnish as varnish yellows over time and acrylic stays clear unless the yellowing is what you are looking for, everything else stated is spot on and excellent advice, there is great work being displayed here top notch you guys! thanks for sharing...

p.s.

I also would like to add since TTQB is of a poly type plastic using a flex agent in your paint is a great additive for battling chipping due to flexing of the figure, just be sure to get the flex agent for the type of paint you are using...