Looking for advice/expert painter with statue fixes

[gagaliya]

Hi guys,

Apologize for the long post. I have 2 pieces below that needs some work, based on your expertise do you think they can be fixed to the point that noone can tell any difference even if looking closely?

Correct me if i am wrong but i imagine they are relatively easy for a pro painter. Also does anyone have some recommandations for someone really good? again i am not just looking to paint it over, it needs to be very well done so you cannot tell the difference. I have a bunch other stuff that needs work done as well down the road that are more complicated, so this is more of a test drive.

Thank you.

1) Code 3 x-wing accessories set - this is probably the most difficult, there are 19 small pieces all with similar paint chips as shown in the picture (the seller just dumped whole thing in a box and shipped to me sigh). I am not looking just to paint it over but to fix it so the color matches exactly and no paint chip is noticeable at all.

2) Conan Prize - seller said this is brand new, but the girls' leg has discoloration and the there is paint chip at the joint where the kneels meet. Looking to repaint the lower half of the girl's body, is that possible to have the end result have the exact same skin color as the upper body so it's not noticeable?

 

[dchung]

Judging from your text, it seems like you are looking for a standard in quality that may be cost-prohibitive.

As an artist customizer, I would go with someone really good at touch ups. But that means it would "hardly" be noticeable. Under a magnifying glass, you'd be able to tell it was touched up.

For the fixes to be completely invisible, you'd have to strip them down and repaint them by airbrush from scratch, a process that could cost more than the figures themselves (which enjoyed mass production and economies in scale during production).

There are bad touch ups and really good touch ups, but touching up is still the way to go, IMHO.

 

[gagaliya]

Judging from your text, it seems like you are looking for a standard in quality that may be cost-prohibitive.

As an artist customizer, I would go with someone really good at touch ups. But that means it would "hardly" be noticeable. Under a magnifying glass, you'd be able to tell it was touched up.

For the fixes to be completely invisible, you'd have to strip them down and repaint them by airbrush from scratch, a process that could cost more than the figures themselves (which enjoyed mass production and economies in scale during production).

There are bad touch ups and really good touch ups, but touching up is still the way to go, IMHO.

yes i am NOT looking for a complete repaint, the gollum and conan has no physical problems. Gollum would literally take 10 mins for someone experienced with matching the right color to cover up the 2 little black lines from his nose, conan requires a repaint of the girl's leg only.

X-wing i dont know, maybe sand the chipped parts then paint it over? or i read you can paint dry paint dry etc..and just cover it up with paint?

As you said the key is finding someone really good at touch ups with an excellent skills at matching the colors / detail. Any recommandations?

 

[dchung]

Forgot to mention, it would also help to say how much you're willing to pay. As an artist myself (www.custom-figures.com), I have to admit that if someone were willing to pay top dollar, I could use more involved, time-consuming techniques to get it perfect... whereas if someone were only willing to spend $5 per repair, I'd probably just tap some paint onto it with a small brush and call it done... It would also help to know how much the statues are worth, to see what level of repair should be done.

Actually, Smeagol is the easiest to fix. And the chips on the Xwing pieces are okay because the new enamels (if you mix and dilute them right) can act as gap-filler...

The hardest would be the girl's legs on the conan statue. She's got laces on her calves that need to be masked, and you'd have to not only match color on the entire section (to the upper body), but you'd have to capture the sheen as well. Not easy, I'm afraid.

If you want, PM me with what you're looking to spend (if you're not comfortable posting it here), and I'll get back to you.

Cheers,
Dan