Where to Find It

Model Shop or places that have models

Hardware Stores

Name Brands

Testor's

Postives About the Paint

Very Glossy when Dry
Easy to Mix Colors to make other colors
Many different variations of paint (both flat and glossy, Metallic,
Great to use in a air brush
Some Companies make cheap air brushes to use with this paint.
Negatives About the Paint

Does not work well with some plastics (The paint will never fully dry with some plastics and will forever remain sticky)
Has Odor
You need a Thinner or paint cleaner to clean your brushes
Very difficult to clean up if you make a mess

Where to Find it

Most Craft Stores carry glass paints in the craft sections (Michaels, Wal-Mart, Etc.)

Name Brands

Plaid, Gallery Glass

Positives about the paint

Dries into a plastic
Easy to clean-up if you make a mistake, simply wait until it dries and peal it off.
You can layer it so that it gets darker in color
Negatives

You can use a brush, but it does not spread evenly that way
If you get it in cloth or your clothing, it is hard to get it off

See the Tutorial on Painting a Time Traveller with Glass Paint

Where to Find them

The same places you purchase paints usually, Hardware Stores, Wal-Mart, Car Parts Stores



Benefits

Fast method to deliver paint to a toy
Cheap to Buy
Great for Primer
Comes in Multiple Colors
Comes in Multiple finishes (Dull, Flat or Glossy)
Best used as a method to deliver a thin coat of paint over a large or small area (if properly masked off)
Negatives

Has Odor
Disposing of Empty Cans may not be easy
Difficult to remove if you make a mistake
Other

Please use well ventilated areas when using

The best method I've found when spray painting a toy is to hang it from a wire hanger and to evenly spray a coat of paint over the surface I want painted. For areas I don't want painted, I use masking tape to mask off the area.

I mostly use spray paints for vehicles and for priming toys.

Where to Find it

Most Craft Stores carry acrylic paints in the craft sections (Michaels, Wal-Mart, Etc.)

Name Brands

Apple Barrel, Deco Art, Aleene's (just to name a few)

Positives about the paint

Your brushes can be cleaned in Water
Paint can be diluted with water
If you make a mistake, let the paint dry and you can peal it off
no odor
Easy to find in stores
Works with most forms of plastic (in other words, it dries)
Comes in many forms (glitter, glow in the dark,etc.)
Easy to mix colors to make new colors
Large selection of colors and name brands
May be used with Varnishes and Sealcoats to make additional effects on the paint
Easy to clean if you make a mess (just use soap and water)
Negatives

Not glossy paint (all the paint dries to a dull finish) Varnish is needed to make glossy
If you get it in cloth or your clothing, it is hard to get it off

A primer is any paint that you use as a first coat of paint on the toy you are painting
Spray Paints make Great Primers
I recommend using a neutral color (Black, White, or Gray) and "Flat" Spray Paint.
Benefits

It gives your main paint a surface to stick too.
It allows you to see areas where more paint is need to cover the primer
It may point out areas on your toy that may not be smooth and needs additional sanding or work.
Other

I like to use spray can gray primer on my toys. I just go to my local hardware store and buy the cheap gray flat spray paint that they have.

I suspend the toys from a wire or string in a well ventilated area.

I have the spray can about a foot away from the toy and I spray an even coat over the entire toy.

I then allow it to dry

After it dries, I double check the joints afterwards to make sure the they still retain their movement, this also lets me know what areas may be problem areas when further paint is applied.

Any areas that need additional work I fix or smooth out before applying the main paint.

Any areas that I fix I touch up with a quick spray of primer

Where to Find them

The same places you purchase paints usually

Name Brands

Testor's, Aleene's, Deco Art, Folk Art, Apple Barrel

Benefits

The benefits for Sealcoats and varnishes are various depending upon what you buy. The number one reason though for both sealcoats and varnish is to protect your paint.

Sealcoats come in both dull, glossy, and in between finishes. They can make your paint appear to look some what like what a toy looks like out of a factory. Sealcoats are most often in spray cans and can be used with oil paint or acrylic paints.

Varnishes are another means of protecting your finished paint. They are usually brushed on like a paint. Most often they are only used with acrylic paints. Varnishes also provide a means to add special effects to your paint. (Glow in the Dark features, crackle features, shiny features, glitter effects, etc.)

Negatives

If you don't use a sealcoat or varnish, it may hurt you in the long run when your paint job gets damaged from a fall or some other accident.

You can still damage the paint even if you use a sealcoat or varnish, they just add an additional layer of protection

Other

Sealcoats are often in spray cans, please use well ventilated areas when using

If you have a toy that you have used oil based paint on, and the paint is not drying, then a sealcoat or varnish will not help it. The paint will forever remain tacky to the touch.