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I've just finished assembling my first scratch-built vehicle: a Chaos Space Marine Rhino. I am currently unemployed so I have an excess of time and no cash. (I also have no talent, alas, so it's a bit rough and ready. :-D

Having never done a scratch-build before, I'm a little unsure about painting it. I just made it from scrap cardboard lying around rather than plasticard and I'm not sure how it will handle painting.

Does anyone have any experience painting this sort of thing? Do I just treat it like a regular painting project or is there anything different you'd recommend me doing?

props!!!

and you say you have no talent


I'm at a bit of a loss how to cover those corrugated edges unless with tape or carboard/cereal box etc. after that I don't think you need to seal cardboard before painting as long as you don't apply the paint heavily? (Not sure though.. I think cardboard is known to warp after being painted and allowed to sit in certain climates? All my cardboard based terrain became janky like this at least)


Hope that is at all helpful, and if not... MAH PROPS STILL!!!

When i used to make tech deck skate boards out of card board, i would dip it in watered down PVA glue. You could try the same technique with this by brushing it on instead. As far as the edges of the cardboard, I would grab some paper, cut it to fit the edges, and then use the watered down PVA to attach it.

for my annihilation barge, I sprayed it with a clear coat before painting, you could do that or you could use watered down PVA
I'd also recommend using cereal box cardboard over corrugated

Vinyl spackle is the answer to everything...or 3M acrylic filler.

Well, not everything - but to this particular problem. Watered down anything is a bad combination with cardboard. The water tends to warp, delaminate and otherwise foul what you did. You can get a tub of DAP Vinyl Spackle for cheap from DIY stores. You can also find 3M Filler at hardware and automotive stores (also fairly cheap). It will stick well enough to the cardboard and doesn't have a lot of moisture to wick in and mess things up. Smear into the edges and sand it down after it has set up. Repeat as necessary to get a smooth finish.

Once that is out of the way - head to your local grocery store and pick up a bottle of Future Floor Polish. Use very thin layers brushed on with a sponge brush to seal the cardboard all over. After you have a nice even base coat - give it one more which is a bit heavier over everything. That should provide you with a surface that feels quite a bit like plastic. Prime and paint as you would any other model.

Adjustments will likely need to be made for your local region (pretty sure 3M should be available over there...not sure if the DAP brand is, but any vinyl spackle will do).

You could get a tube of some cheap acrylic paint and just use that as the seal + the base coat.

Then you can just paint it like you would normally paint a fig.

That's just my theory.

Some good suggestions here, I'd also recommend acrylic caulk. You can get a big tube for $1-2, and basically mush it into the corrugated edges, and use your finger and a little water to smooth it, or the back of a hobby knife/ruler to get a sharp edge. It doesn't have any grit, so you can get a really smooth finish over the rough parts of your model.