[Pro Tips] To paint or not to paint? (space shuttle - how to "preserve" the fine patterns on sone of the parts)

Need a Hand? DIY & Crafting Tips and Questions
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Hi,

I have the Space Shuttle for some time now, but I didn’t started building yet since I had this idea of apply some custom painting for various subassemblies of the build.

I have done some research on the the actual shuttles and the entire complex was painted, how other fellow builders were painting this model, different advices and hints related to painting (including to paint on the board or to de-board, sanding it and then paint).

Today I started the actual work, but I stopped suddenly after painting only 2 pieces.

I started right from the beginning, for the instructions manual, step 1 (sub-step 1.1) and painted the first 2 parts:

  • G2 - has no patterns
  • G3 - has some small and fine printed patterns, nothing very fancy yet

As a reminder, the space shuttle model has a lot of parts with such fine printed (and nice) patterns.

I use acrylic paint (quite diluted) and the coat of paint was thin.

But, the patterns on G3 were covered and not possible to actually see them. Even 90 minutes after the paint was applied, patterns were barely distinguishable. Indeed on part G3 the patterns are very fine and very thin.

I have seen in different pictures that on some painted versions of the shuttle the patterns could be seen. I didn’t figured out if the visible patters were all the patterns or only the ones which are thicker or more visible without painting (the one with "deep brown patterns).

Does anyone has a tip on how to preserve these patterns?

As an alternative I could write to @CustomerService asking either for replacement of these 2 parts or the entire Board G - or course I would pay for the board as well, not only for the transport, since the parts were not defective parts. Of course, in such a case I will not paint any part of the space shuttle, and in the future I will paint only models that have no fine patterns or no patterns at all.

Thanks for any advices and tips.

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I painted every single piece on mine. I used a black Sharpie to outline a lot of the areas that I wanted to keep. Since they are engraved into the wood, most of them can still be seen even after painting. Acrylic paints will not cover up a sharpie since it is oil- based. I painted 90% of mine while still on the board and I did the edges as I went along. Would you like for me to tag you on my post of my finished shuttle?

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I did not do any coloring of my space shuttle. I think the advice @Nita_Davis is giving to use a sharpie in the engravings might be good indeed. Good luck!

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Thanks @Nita_Davis

After more than 2 hours after applying the paint some very faint patterns can be seen, but it is clear the laser engraving was covered

I haven’t thought about using a permanent marker (sharpie in this case).

So. I will stop for the moment any painting activity, get myself a permanent maker (sharpie or another good brand) with the desired color, apply the marker, then apply the paint (including for the G3 part with pattern partially covered mentioned in the initial post).

I found your post on your painted shuttle - I believe it is this one: 👍 [ROKR DIY & Creativity] Completion of my custom Space Shuttle . Very nice work and very good painting. The end result is very nice.

Thanks again for the advice .

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Thank you very much. I wish you well on yours

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That’s a tough one, but I’m glad you tested it early before painting the whole model.

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I can’t help you; I haven’t painted any of my pieces.

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I don’t have this kit. But thank for share

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I haven’t built the Space Shuttle, so I can’t give very specific advice, but I completely understand not wanting to lose those little printed details. I think I would probably be too scared to paint over them too :joy:. Nita’s idea sounds like a good option if you still want to try painting it.

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I think you made the right call by stopping after just two pieces. Better to test and adjust now than realize halfway through the build that all those nice details have disappeared.

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@VasileNedelcu stopping after two test pieces was a very smart move. The Space Shuttle has so many fine printed and engraved details that it makes sense to experiment before committing to the full board. Nita’s marker-before-paint approach is a useful community tip, and we hope it helps you find a finish that keeps those patterns visible.

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I painted mine i recommend doing it before putting them together

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That’s a great question, and I’m glad you tested it on just a couple of pieces first. :yellow_heart: From what I’ve seen, those printed details are very delicate, so even a thin coat of acrylic can soften or completely cover them. If you decide to paint the rest, I’d probably leave any pieces with fine printed markings unpainted and only paint the plain sections. That way you keep all those beautiful details while still adding your own custom touch. Hopefully some experienced painters in the community can share their techniques too. I’d love to learn the best way to preserve those tiny printed patterns!

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I think for mechanical kit, it’s better to paint it when it’s completely done since it’s more sensitive and other parts might be affected because of the paint.

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Thanks all for the advices and thoughts.

@Nita_Davis and few other fellow builders - on the 2 already painted parts, I tried to apply sharpie marker. Well, yet, it stick quite well, though I really don’t loke the result. Of course, the paint from the sharpie remained on top, but:

  • lines from the sharpie are much more thicker than the original very fine printed - sharpie has a 0.9 mm tip while the original print the lines are max 0.4 mm. So end result was really nice
  • I used a sharpie with brown color to be in line with the original fine print - even though sharpies with brown color are very rare (are they discontinuing this color? what a pity)

@Robotime thanks for the nice words. Yeah, I started the painting from the beginning with the idea to test something with fine prints.

So, I ordered replacement for Cstomer Service, I received the answer today, I paid for the transport and now I will wait for the parts to arrive.

After arrival of the replacement parts I might do 1 more test.

I will not use sharpie again (even though using a black color sharpie might do part of the trick - as @Nita_Davis did for her Space Suttle build). Instead I and thinking at using a pyrography kit to "highlight: the fine print both before and after painting. (I have 2 parts that will be replace, right? and I will use both sides for each part so, I can do some solid tests I guess).

If I will obtain some interesting results - positive ones only - I will come back here and let you know what happened.

All the best