Okay, let’s start with the stuff you’ll need: X-Acto blade, clippers, Spray Primer (white or black), a very stylish dishwashing glove, matches, needles (notpins), a luxurious chunk of Styrofoam, and a Dremel with polishing pads. If you have any questions about the tools, check out our tool blog here.

Cutting Pieces off the Sprue

First, you need to trim the pieces off the sprue. Use a sharp pair of clippers and clean up rough bits with the X-Acto. What you’ll have to look out for at this point are either spots you’ll be able to hide once the figure is assembled, like under feet or inside armpits, or leave a bit of a sprues riser on for our next step…

“Pinning”

The main reason people assemble before painting is because they can’t hold the little bits cleanly, but you can work around that, so get your matches and needles out. You want to light a match, heat the tip a needle, then jab the needle into a concealable spot on each piece of the figure. You need to be quick, and I’m a bit of a clutz and just drop the matches, but I guess an ashtray or saucer of water could prevent burning your house down if you don’t have cement floors where you’re working.

Once you’re done, you’ll have every bit of your figure impaled on a needle. You will now be able to hold the pieces cleanly and set them down by poking them into the Styrofoam.

Spraying

Put on the sexy glove and hold your pieces about 18” from the spray can. You’ll want to sue white primer for lighter figures and black for darker ones, though dark primer is good for novices since it hides a lot of painting mistake. Spray in clean shots and keep the can moving. If you stop at any point, you’ll filly in crevasses and make a runny mess.

If you’re really having trouble, don’t use the can to fill in the last gaps, it’s better just to touch them up with a brush rather than obliterate details with too much paint. I like to apply in two really light layers so I just barely cover the plastic by the end of the second spray.

Dremel Time!

Now it’s time to crack out the Dremel and a polishing pad. Since the patina of a spray can’s micro droplets has very little in common with whatever you’re painting, we’re going to buff it out. I suggest you stick to just a bare cotton pad, which is what I do. You can use a pad impregnated with some rubbing compound, or get a little jar of rubbing compound to apply to the pad, but it’s not necessary and can lead to damage. If you keep the Dremel’s speed within reason, this is perfectly safe.

What you want to do is run the pad over the primed surface until it goes from matte to shine. It’s easy on the flat bits, but try to work the edge of the pad into the crevasses or else you’ll lose detail.

And there you should have it! You should now have pristine pieces ready for paintwork.