Thank you! I've actually never used Tamiya paint though. I should really try it, since so many people on here use it. For the metal look, I used a combination of these 2 paints.

This for the gold accents

And this Testors blue

Sorry, I no longer have the red I used for the forearms, but Testors red should do the trick.

But you need both to complete the ROTF and DOTM casts.  

 

Wait, Dino's chest is supposed to be the hood of the car? And his collar is the parts that is attached to the side mirrors, I didn't notice that till now. I thought it was just a fancy chest.

But this means his actual car part is visible alongside his faux part.

Oh well, it isn't obvious until you notice it.

 

Yeah, the kibble layout of the DIno/Mirage character is quite odd, and as fancy looking it was on screen it doesn't always make for amazing figures (Which is something some of the later Bayverse designs have going in, for better or worse).

Speaking of SS Dino... The most interesting thing I found about this figure was ironically enough, all of the bizarre licensing shenanigans behind this figure and the character as a whole TBH. From the "faux-rarri" alt mode of this figure (And any other DOTM Dino/Mirage toys), all the way as to how this character came into existence... I can genuinely say that it's impossible to mention all of those; without bringing up all of the various behind-the-scenes shenanigans between Paramount, Michael Bay, and Ferrari got going on back then.

For better or worse; the bizarre, troubled licensing history related to Ferrari does make SS Dino here an interesting and somewhat quirky figure to talk about (as a piece in Transformers toy manufacturing history), which from a different POV, can be pretty cool.

 

Snarl

 

Cheers for showing me what you used, I'm assuming you removed the head first and used a small brush to get the silver in the neck area? There doesn't seem a way to dissemble it

 

One of the reasons I use Tamiya is that they generally have the perfect consistency for spraying and very fine pigments. Some of the other hobby acrylics apply too thick by brush or don’t react well to thinning. Enamels tend to have tacky applications that attract dust or don’t stand up well to handling, even after clear coating, and also generally apply too thick for my taste. It gums up joins and corners with tight clearances pretty bad. They work okay for dry brushing though, so I prefer to use them for dirt, rust, or metallic wear.

 

Look great!

Seeker Hunter!

 

I wish I'd gotten Snarl at some stage. Stegosaurs are my favourite group of Dinosaurs, and he's got such a cool robot mode design for someone who didn't even reach the concept art stage of the film's production. That I know of anyway...

 

I pretty much expected RoTF Sideswipe to be the DoTM one but with a backpack, I'll probably pick him up for completion reasons but not open him.

It's never too late to join the Dino club.

 

You're very welcome!! But yes, I just popped the head off and painted that entire area.

The paint on Ratchet looks super smooth, and looks very accurate, so I can see why a lot of people prefer Tamiya paint!!

I hand brush paint all my figs, so I haven't had the issues you described above. My only regret with this Prime is that I didn't seal the paint, but I'll be sure to correct that issue if I ever get my hands on another SS32.

Let me ask, if I may, how does Tamiya paint apply when painting with a hand brush? In my experience with Testors paints, is that it applies smoothly when airbrushing, but when I use a hand brush, it tends to get thick and gummy, like you described above. Does Tamiya paint suffer from that when using a hand brush?

That's a dope pic!!

 

Oh and just because

My source has sent me a screenshot of the bio on the back of Rotf Sideswipes box and it does indeed mention Sideways.

 

For me, Tamiya acrylics work great hand brushing. It's what I use for all my customs. The brush strokes generally fade from view if you know what you're doing pretty quick to leave a nice smooth finish, it's pretty runny but not so runny it runs over everything unless you put too much on your brush. To quote that random from GTA3: Little dab will do ya.

Just to make sure we're on the same page, this is the stuff I'm talking about.

 

Thanks! The metallics in particular are difficult in a lot of ways because they use actual silver flakes in small, fine quantities. The fluid suspension requires thorough mixing and a special gum you don’t find in other non-metallic paints. Thinning and spraying ensures the most even coating and distribution of the silver flake, but certain types of clear coats can carry enough thinner to mottle the paint job if the surface isn’t prepped correctly or the clear application is too heavy.
Hand painting will greatly depend on the thickness of the mixture and how much curing agent is in the paint. Out of the bottle Tamiyas tend to separate so need to be well shaken otherwise the agents aren’t mixed well, but apply very smoothly right from a new bottle. Enamels in my experience tend to apply too thick out of the bottle, as will older Tamiyas that have started to separate.
For small application areas if the mixture is the correct mixture, small inconsistencies like bumps and runs can even out if allowed to cure. Larger drips and blotches or chunks however are a sign the mixture is too thick and may require fine sanding between coats. On small jobs, sometimes it’s easier to clean and re-apply.
Brushes also make a difference. You may notice a huge difference between synthetic and natural hair brushes for how they hold paint and apply. You may need to experiment a lot to see what works best for you. Small striping for example I like long, thin soft natural bristles to hold paint but apply evenly and smoothly. For dry brushing I like short, rigid synthetic brushes.
Hope that helps! Happy painting! Let me know if you have more questions.

 

Is the backdrop new? Or is a currently existing one. Also is he number 73?

 

Let's go!!!!

 

No Same shanghai Pursuit backdrop as the Arcee sisters - which was to be expected.

Haven't been able to confirm he's 73 - only saw a picture of his bio not the front or side of the box

 

Any new paint apps on the bot mode?

 

The silver is abit more vibrant over all but that's just my opinion.

The rims were painted on the one I saw instead of that flat grey color the Dotm rims had.

The windows looked darker again to me and I think the interior of the car was painted as well

 

That sounds great

 

My hype for ROTF Sideswipe is growing more and more with each new detail you provide!

Really hope we get to see him officially revealed at the upcoming Fan First Friday.

Once again, thank you Lonewolf for providing us with all this information. You never have to dish out your leaks but we always appreciate it when you do. You are a wonderful contribution to this thread!