#rottmntrepaint

Below is a list of the paints I used for my Playmates Giant Donnie repaint, along with some applicable photos of how I applied them. It's not mentioned in the guide, but I used Mr. Super Clear Gloss to protect each layer/step, then Mr SC Flat/Matte when he was completed. Apologies for the poor photo quality! If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a message :)

Note: Almost all of these are lacquer and enamel paints, which require good ventilation during use. Everything except for the eyes, portion of the Battleshell and black outlining were airbrushed. [Part 2 HERE]

[Part 1 HERE] This is where we cover the eyes and accessories...

I don't normally use tumblr, let me know if any of this is wrong/not working, lol Will be updated as I go, most these are also posted on my X/Twitter under ckao_03 If anyone has any questions, let me know!

Part 1 - Cleaning

Cleaning

You'll need:

Your chosen turtle

Dish soap

A melamine sponge (also known as a Mr Clean Magic Eraser. A regular sponge is also fine).

I'll be using #rottmntrepaint for all parts of this tutorial, also posted on my X/Twitter.

These ones were bought used. They've sustained some damage from extensive play...

The first thing to do is clean your action figure. If you bought a new one, you're removing residual mold release from the manufacturing process. If it's a used one, you're also cleaning off finger oils, debris and scuff marks. Either way, a good scrub will help your paint adhere.

Submerge your turtle in warm soapy water and give it a good scrub down. If there are scuff marks, a melamine sponge will remove those fairly easily. They are also able to strip paint, so if there's a color you'd like to keep, like Leo's markings for example, scrub with care.

Red eared sliders typically enjoy water temperature between 75-85F.

Looking better already

This part is for the even you plan to keep your turtle's default skin color. You can use this if you are using transparent paints for shading. But first we have to take them apart a little...

You'll be doing the same kind of sanding in this step as the hard plastic, but soft pieces have some small differences in sanding and painting...

Action figures are commonly made with a second kind of rubberized plastic for parts that require extra flexibility (Rise/MM masks, mask tails, belts, Donnie's elbow/knee pads...). This material is a little harder to buff scratches out of.

The tiny molded eyebrows had to go.

Much of this can be filled in with Clear Coat in the next step, so don't sweat it if you want to skip this part.

Once you've gone through all your sanding grits, you can use a hair dryer or heat gun to VERY. SLOWLY. AND CAREFULLY... Heat up the figure. The idea is to very slightly melt the surface plastic just enough to smooth it out.

Never point the heat source directly at the piece. Instead, sweep over the area until it gradually warms up and begins to soften ever so slightly and the scratches begin to fade a little. Keep a bowl of ice water handy to dunk your figure to cool it down quickly if needed.

You won't see a drastic change and the tiniest scratches remaining will be filled in the next step, so don't aim for a completely perfect surface. If you want to skip this step, that's fine. It can be intimidating!

Prep

Soft and hard plastics behave a little differently, hence the two parts to this section...

You'll need: Beginner mode:

Sandpaper or sanding sponges in the following grits: 220/280, 600, 800

Advanced mode:

Sandpaper or sanding sponges: 180, 220/280, 600, 800, 1000, and a melamine sponge (roughly equivalent to 3000 Grit) Note: The goal for advanced mode is to create an absolutely smooth and level surface required for painting with layered clear colors. The clear colors I use (lacquers and enamels) are not beginner friendly; they are toxic and require good ventilation and an appropriately rated respirator. Unless you are equipped for this, sticking with beginner mode is fine :)

Removing seamlines goes a long way in improving the overall look. Seamlines are the raised edges of plastic leftover from the molding process from when the figure was made. You can also remove the copyright stamps found on the belts on the 5" TMNT figures.

Finished Donnie on the left, untouched Leo on the right.

This Donnie is from the Mutant Mayhem line.

In a circular motion, lightly sand the seam down, moving from lowest number of Grit to highest. The circular motion is important; it will lower the raises edges from all angles. Sanding back and forth in a straight line will gouge grooves into your figure; you want to avoid this.

The lower grits serve to erase these line more quickly, while the higher number grits will polish out the roughness left behind and leave a smoother surface. So, yes, you'll be sanding and resanding the same areas multiple times to get an even surface. There will be some lighter colored scuffing left behind once you are done with your highest level grit. The clear coating in the next step will help with this.

If you want to change the skin color (such as for an OC turtle), you need to start with a blank slate by covering the original color.

[Please note that no matter how you prepare and protect the figure, the joints in the arms and legs will always scrape away your paint and reveal the original plastic sooner or later in those areas.]

If you still want to continue...