I suppose if you can make something from the old 1970's tamiya figures you are very talented and probably don't need too much advice from a workaday painter like me ,I just tried to make the observation that if you are just starting out with figures then the better quality figures are going to give you a better chance of being happy with what you end up with..... My point was from a painters point of view and not being a converter or sculptor a poor quality figure with a gargoyles features and build will still look like a gargoyle even if its painted magnificently........always have used humbrols enamels myself I never could get used to acrylics for me they dry too fast check out Rob Hardwicks imperial Gallery to see what can be done with this medium very talented guy......

If your not skilled enough with painting, a modern day casting "can go the other way". Surely its better to have the satisfaction of making good from bad and learning from the experience?

Don't wish to argue also, perhaps I living in an old mindset, but for me that is what this art-form is all about improving your skills to gain a better result.

I'm simply saying he could learn a whole lot more with what he already has.

Thanks guys...I can see where both 'arguments' would have some merit. Since I've already invested some hours in cleaning up the Tamiya parts for one figure, I'll persevere and see what I can do. I'll then show you and get some critique...maybe I can improve on it after that.
Those Alpine figures are so beautifully sculpted I'd hate to waste 'em.

I've played guitar for thirty years or so. Sometimes people ask me for my advice when it comes to buying an instrument for themselves or one of their kids. I ALWAYS tell them to get the best guitar they can comfortably afford. The reason behind that is that you can learn three or five chords at first, learn to get comfortable with them and then learn to string them together in various order so you 'teach your hand' how to move. You can practice the same five chords for a year but they'll never sound good on a cheap guitar and so you'll never feel like you're making progress and you'll never have the sweet reward of making a beautiful sound. You're unlikely to persevere. I believe this is the point you make Funky50.

As a the past president of Burnie sales figures painting society (only member by the way... ) I can really relate to your situation....

Are you nearer Hobart or Launceston? There are one or two hobby shops that may help you out in store. (my memory of these stores is vague, and likely very inaccurate now)

Brushes I actually sourced from the local spotlight store, I started with Taklon, and they served quite well while I got the hang of which end went into the paint....

I had to strip and repaint my first serious effort about three times before I got it to a place where I was happy with it. You could do similar with a verlinden bust of subject of choice. If you want to strip and repaint, neat dettol is a lot easier on the resin then the red can oven cleaner.

A basic Vallejo colour mix set, they pre select them, will be a handy start point. Feel free to ask here before buying there...
Retarder can be used of you are concerned about the paints drying quick, although given the climate in Tassie this time of year, it's more likely you'll be chipping thei ice and frost off the desk first (Burnie has 2 seasons; winter, and January)

Here is my shameless effort at self promotion, and with the coaching I got here on PF, you'll see the kind of results you can get (Nudity warning though)

You're in good hands, the feed back here is positive, no trolls to speak of (and those that appear get chased off by the others with pitchforks, burning torches and thundersticks pretty quick) so keep asking, then do, and post a pic!

Cheers

Jamie

I agree, to a point. It depends on the figure's manufacturer. Tamiya and Airfix aren't bad figures to use to practice, especially for the price at which you can get them, even retail.

Prost!
Brad

Couldn't have put it better myself mate as you saw......good luck with the figure painting

By the way I always found the old Airfix Waterloo figures were way ahead of their time and really good quality if you can still get them with a lot better conversion potential ..depending on the scale you prefer but as you say have become a bit of a collectors item fetching silly money these days

Its not the quality of what you have, its down how you use it!

Did someone mention guitars?

How much better would he be with a decent Guitar....Lol

Probably a lot less interesting,..

Maybe a lot more interesting ..always a possibility

I hear he has a passion for old Tamiya figures

Nah......... even I don't believe that (I Love Seasick Steve)

I am about twenty minutes south of Hobart.
The best hobby shop in town seems to be McCann's in the city. Seems to have just about everything I'll ever need and it's better than the last place I had which was in Bendigo in Victoria which was more of a games shop that had a few kits and supplies. Pretty good selection of paints including LifeColour and Vallejo lately. Only been in there the once so far and I bought the kit I'm currently building (AFV Club Churchill III). This whole figure painting kick of mine is about adding figures to models to give them life and scale and I realise they're an artform unto themselves.
Off topic a little but I looked into modelling clubs in Tassie and only came up with the one in Launceston...I can't believe there isn't one in Hobart. I was a member of a good one in Melbourne years ago and I learned a lot from the members. People do some quirky stuff.
Cheers Jamie...stay warm.

Good stuff Nick - all I had was a re-badged jaycar/ dick smith hybrid, with a GW section and a rail section (amongst others)
So mail ordered most of my paints....
Hornet heads are easy enough to swap for most kit heads, and it wont be too long before you'll be cutting and reposing figures.

Life colour and Vallejo are both water based, Tamiya is alcohol based (not quite that simple, better minds will correct my assertion) Andrea has nice flesh tones, some of the Vallejo can give a yellowish flesh tone. I sometimes use Tamiya X-21 for nice, dead flat finishes, although a search of the board for Jo Sonja may also give some ideas too....

Cheers
and you keep warm too!
Jamie

I use Tamiya a lot with my models but only through the airbrush. Isopropyl alcohol is the base and I use 'em because when they're well cured, they're impervious to turpentine and/or white spirit which is the basis for most of my weathering techniques. Everything I do these days uses a mix of enamel, acrylic and oil paint...each has its strengths and weaknesses.
Will probably be mail oredering some stuff pretty soon then.
Cheers.

For what I read of you, you have already developped skills in the use of Humbrol and oils ( your photos show a very high level of painting )
A clue perhaps to try
A first primer white, then paint the figure with Humbrol, a bit lighter shade than the colour you realy want to show
Flesh : painted Humbrol flesh, let's dry . Use brown oïl, like Maroon, Sienna.. apply in quantity, wipe with a spong and you have all the
part to be higlighted, or darkened showing, by transparency, from there begin to add lighter colours and smooth them . My basic principle is to do as ladies using blushing nrushes . And adding darkest colours where needed
Then you can do the same with other colours, on other part of the uniform ( with according colours )
I used this technique here some 35 years ago (120mm Verlinden )

To finish this piece, I used a stick of light green pastel and white pastel
Trace on paper with the chalk and you get a very thin powder, with a round brush ( flat one, not pointed ) make drybrushing very light
when oil is not already completely dry .

Try this first perhaps on a cheap 1/35 figure
Every technique has is good point, here I added some thicknes to the pouches by applying ( before the colour primer ) white acrylic paste, leaving brushes traces .
It's very far to be a perfect figure . But it looks good on my shelves
And on your/our screen, it appeared nearly 3 time the actual size .

Thanks...looks like a great set of techniques to try out. Your figure looks amazing.