So my current project is repainting DOTM Skyhammer's head to look like this: Photo courtesy of HK-TF's gallery. I've already put a coat of gray spray paint on the two halves of the head and will paint the face with some silver acrylics later but I've just been wondering if using paint pens or the "infamous" sharpie paint pens would be a good to paint his crest and the smaller vents on the side of his face. I've spent a couple of hours reading old threads regarding paint pens and sharpies and it's a mixed bag of: "I love them." "They're terrible and should never be used on Transformers." or "They're alright but if you're going to take the time to get into customizing your figures, you might as well use actual paint." So my purpose here is to finally get an answer as to whether or not paint pens or sharpies can be used for bringing out small details of figures. I put bringing out small details in bold because I understand that the general consensus is that doing a full fledged custom with sharpies and/or paint pens will not turn out right and will not be as good of quality as doing that same custom with real paint. However, I have yet to get an answer as to whether or not paint pens are useful when painting small details like the crest of a head, small gears, or vents on figures. From what I've read, paint pens (especially sharpies) aren't favored by customizers because they rub off, chip easily, and their color fades unless reapplied regularly. Are these factors still true when it comes to very fine details rather than larger areas of a figure? Let me also add that I am not advocating for the use of paint pens over real paint and brushes. I myself have just recently started customizing and painting my own transformers figures and agree that if you wish to customize, using real paint is certainly the best route. However, I bring up this question because I feel that many new customizers (including myself) see paint pens as a good way of bringing out the finer details of a figure and I would just like some other opinions as to whether or not they are a viable option.
i don't use sharpies anymore. they don't stay on for me, even after using future. my go to is "painters", even though most of the colors use bigger tips. i heard that gundam markers are good, though
for me i use gundam markers. alcohol based so much less stinky than sharpies. no fades after a year+ of application i only use sharpies if i cannot find a suitable color. but that being said, i find metalic color sharpies (silver and gold) work very well which i use over silver and gold gundam marker sometimes the only time i use a spray can is if i need to apply white or chrome
So would you consider metallic Sharpies to be a good alternative to Gundam markers for painting fine details?
metallic sharpees do not come in fine point. They are really chubby and would be terrible for detail work.
Hey SideSwipe29, I'm no expert at modding or painting, but since Hasbro often leaves their car-bot wheels unpainted, I discovered Pilot Silver Pens, years ago. The gold often dulls to a brownish/bronze, but the silver is chrome-like. They're about $8.00 for a two-pack, and I get them at HobbyLobby, but I think Michael's carries them too. It's more of an ink than a paint, but it is really shiny like chrome. It can sometimes be dangerously gloppy & runny, so great care must be taken, but I've used it on countless wheels and even on old rusty pin-heads on vintage TransFormers. With it's fine point, I've "chromed" faces, gun tips, sword edges, panel lines, fine details like vents and Prime's grill, and even MP05 & G1 Megatron' s forehead crest. It works best in small areas since pen-stroke lines show up on larger surfaces, but it does well in somewhat deeper groove/panel lines, vents, and wheel hubs. With a lot of handling, it does wear, but I'm generally happy with the look, and it's possible for it to last for years.
You are correct and that is my fault for not being specific enough and defining my terms I guess. I'm not looking for a metallic Sharpie. I own those and wouldn't dare use them for detail work on a transformer. They are much too fat. What I am referring to are Sharpie paint pens. This certainly has my attention. Does the silver/chrome application have any habit of fading over time? I understand it will wear if handled a lot but under normal circumstances does the "ink" hold it's color? Also do you have pictures of any of the "chrome" work you've done? I'd like to see it once applied to a figure.
I've been using these for years, they don't come in fine point but the have a great chrome like finish and are reasonably durable.
The ink looks like liquid mercury (though not actually mercury, its still dangerous to ingest), and stays shiny for a long time, especially in deeper grooves & vent areas, and does wear away when touched a lot. Hand oils seem to break it down and may make the ink come off on your fingers and smear the plastic with a lot of handling, and it can become a duller gray because of this. Though it's 0.5 mm point is impressively fine, I'm sure there are paint-pens and paints out there that an expert modder would find superior and permanent. I mentioned this only for a relatively quick, easy, and somewhat long-term, application without having to buy expensive paints, or without needing special equipment (like airbrush stuff) or skill at painting, for a simple chrome look for wheels & smaller confined areas. It does work, though it can be messy, and it can last, though depending on where on how often it's handled it may dull, smear, or wear off. I sometimes touch-up areas after some time. These Pilot Silver pens are best used as a quick & easy, more or less temporary fix for amateur modders, and might not be up to professional standards, but I like their look, price, and relative ease of use. I'm not well set up for making pics, but I may try and add some later with a few examples of what I've done. I'll preface any further testimonials for this by stating that your results may vary and that glops and runs are a danger. I've had some close calls almost ruining figures with runny silver everywhere, but immediate washing with hot water & dish-soap helped clean most of it off. I that found Baby oil can break it down to make wiping it off easier. I use these pens only sparingly and not in large quantities and blot often on a scrap of paper. The pen-tip needs to be pumped to get it going, but over-doing it makes it run out. As the pen ages this becomes more of an issue. So, there are definite pros & cons, but done carefully, in small doses it does OK. Good Luck with your projects SideSwipe29!
Wow. Thanks for all of that info. This certainly seems to be a good alternative. Especially that 0.5 mm fine tip. That would certainly come in handy when painting Skyhammer's crest as it's very narrow. However, Skyhammer is slowly becoming one of my favorite Transformers in my collection and as a result I like to mess with him and pose him differently. So that as you described might cause the paint to rub off. Since I'm repainting the entire head I was planning to put a clear coat sealer on it so maybe that would mitigated the rubbing off. I understand you may not have the set up for pictures but something simple would be appreciated just so I can see how silver/chrome the paint looks when applied to figures.
Update: So I've spent the past week applying coats of paint to the head and today I was primarily done. I had reassembled the head and was touching up some of the silver paint I used on his face and it all just looked really . . . sloppy. The silver wasn't clean and was bleeding onto the gray parts on his head and even the gray I used for his head was gloopy and cracking in some areas. I clearly have some more to learn about painting. Also, I managed to break off a tiny piece of plastic right below his crest. It probably won't look that bad but I might be in the market for a spare Skyhammer head if anyone is looking to sell. If you have any tips on how to make spray paint look crisp and clean and not so thick and cracked I'd really appreciate them.
Still need a DOTM Skyhammer head. I've posted in the junk pit and my wanted thread but if someone here has one please PM me. I really want to finish this repaint.
