PAINTING

PAINTING SERVICE: I do encourage you to try to paint your own --- if you mess up, paint over it. You will get better with practice!

I will paint your figures (you pay the postage/insurance to & from) for the below listed fees.

Your toy soldier foot figures: $8 each, 6(of the same uniform)/$45

Your toy soldier mounted figures: $16 each, 3(of the same uniform)/$45

Your foot "model" soldiers: $20 each,6(of the same uniform)/$110

Your mounted "model" soldiers: $40 each,3(of the same uniform)/$110

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US Army Band

I have been painting small military figures & toy soldiers since the mid 1960s --- first the occassional pilot or tank commander for plastic models, then the plastic Marx Civil War figures to enhance those huge battles and campaigns waged in the dirt! (I remember that at that time we didn't care too much for the metal figures --- the poses were too"stiff".) We painted the plastic figures with Testors enamel paint and were heartbroken when much of the paint chipped off in the toy box, prior to the battle! Some lessons have been learned and I have attempted to state them below. If they can be of any use to you, I am happy to have helped. If the advice offered is of no help, please remember, it is free and you usually get what you pay for...

Various US Marines

My interest in collecting & painting metal toy soldiers began in 1980, shortly after reading THE WAR GAME by Charles Grant. Although the painted figures in his game photos were plastic (and the photos in black & white), I was reminded somehow of the older metal figures. Another inspirational book read at about the same time was TOY ARMIES by Peter Johnson. I was hooked! Unfortunately, I had no idea where to aquire the older metal toy soldiers. When I did happen across a few, I sufferred "sticker-shock" --- the prices were completely unaffordable if one were to amass armies! (The current Toy Soldiers, though not inexpensive, have brought the possibility of obtaining a nice collection back to a reasonable price)

Fortunately, at about this time I happened across an advertisement for molds to "cast your own toy armies". These were the PRINCE AUGUST series of molds. I sent for a beginner's kit, and approximately 20 years and 150 molds later, here I am. Of course, I had to paint them myself and I wanted to paint them correctly; consequently research, prints, and painting books all found their way to my shelves. I feel as though I have become an ingredient in my own stew.

My method for painting METAL FIGURES:

The cleaned & assembled castings are brushed with rubbing alcohol, air-dried and painted with a primer --- I use either gray or white spray primer. If I use gray, a base coat of white is often applied to the figure prior to any actual uniform colors as this helps to bring the true colors out. I paint the skin in the proper tone for the desired represented nationality first. While the skin color is still wet, I add a touch of color to the cheeks, lips, and shading to the hands or other exposed skin as needed. Next comes the large uniform sections in its base color. If shading is appropriate to the figure, or specifically requested, a lighter variant of the base color is used on the raised portions of the clothing and perhaps the shoulder area and fronts of the thighs and knees. A darker shade of the base color is used in the folds of the clothing, as the sculpting pattern dictates. Next, the boots/shoes are painted.

"The devil is in the details": Belts, equipment,& weaponry are painted (and shaded) in the same fashion, and the smallest details of eyes,buttons, lace, trim, rank insignia,etc should be painted with a fine brush and a steady hand. I personnally do not use a magnifier. I once read that if you are not going to view them with a magnifying glass, then they do not need to be painted with one. I subscribe to this theory,but I do use my reading glasses to paint the eyes!

I paint the base of the figure last, as this allows me to "flow" the paint up to the edge of the figure's feet--- I feel it is more acceptable for the ground to be slightly over the edge of a shoe or boot, than for the boot/shoe to appear to be "melting" and spilling over onto the ground.

After carefully checking and, if necessary, correcting the hand painting, all figures are sealed with a clear acrylic--- matte or gloss, as desired.

These figures are intended for collectors and are not recommended for children under 8 years of age. Having lead as an ingredient is only a safety factor if the paint is chewed through to the metal and ingested. ALL figures should be sealed with a clear protective coating, both for the preservation of the figure's paint and to prevent any (however slight the posibility) of lead ingestion.

My method for painting PLASTIC FIGURES:

Plastic Revolutionary War Figures

There are specifically formulated paints for plastics, but I have always used water-based acrylics and water based enamels. Basically, the method is the same as for the metal figures except that the plastic figures are washed in dish soap, rinsed and air-dried PRIOR to cleaning with rubbing alcohol.

Also, regardless of the color primer, I coat all figures with white acrylic water-based paint. This allows a layer of "flexibility" and I have found that the figures tolerate a greater degree of bending without the paint cracking.

I hope you have found something of use here. Please feel free to make inquiries about any figures you wish painted or to offer tips as I would like to hear from collectors and painters for suggestions. Consult your hobby magazines for many fine articles on painting figures. Imrie/Risley (IR) publishes a small sized pamplet with diorama & painting techniques --- check it out.

Happy collecting and keep in touch,

Gary P. Phillips