Hi everyone,
I have found the perfect figures for my next diorama.They are from Caesar miniatures (HB03)(WWII Panzer Crews).They seem to be a semi-soft plastic but I really like the detail for a 1/72nd figures.
So my question to all of you is this,how do you prep and paint with acrylics soft plastic figures?
I have asked a couple of my friends and they mostly avoid these types of figures like the plague.
I have looked for these type of figures for a long time,with their poses and this company has what I am looking for in this scale.
Can anyone help?
Thank you.

I do some 1/72 stuff and know the material you're speaking of. The key here is to strip it, prime it, paint it, protect it, and then LEAVE it.

Soak it in 99% alcohol, then let it air dry. Apply some good primer (I use Tamiya ultra fine or Mr. Surfacer 1000), and let it set for about 48/72 hours. Then paint as you normally would, but use a little thinner paint ratio to keep things thin. Seal with FUTURE only. If you put on a clear coat of acrylic or enamel, it'll crack/flake off at the first thought of the figure flexing or bending. The future has some flex to it. Once you're done with it, be very careful about handling it. Don't bend the gun, etc otherwise you'll ruin the paint on that part.

Good luck, and I hope this was some help.

I used to paint hordes of the little guys for wargaming and dioramas. When painting in acrylics Christian is correct. Wash, thin primer, seal and leave alone.

I use enamels as they have more bite to the plastic. But the thing is once the figure is sealed, don't handle it.

so to my understanding,even if I seal it with future,I still can't handle it to pose it on my vehicles or a diorama?

Well, sure. But make it your last step, and wear gloves. Just handle them gently and you'll be fine. They're not that bad.

ok,thanks. wish me luck! lol

???
That would make the figures "glossy".....


I have used the Caesar figures on all my 1:72 armor builds.

They are not the typical polyvinyl figures made by the other
manufacturers...they seem to have some styrene mixed into the
plastic, making them a lot more rigid.

I have drilled,carved and even sanded them with excellent results...not like the others.

Basically once built or converted, I wash, prime and paint and
finally coat them with a matte varnish...they look great and
allow some handing for placement on the vehicle and/or diorama.

I paint all my figures with Vallejo Model Color paints...these
paints contain some "poly" properties allowing some flexing without
causing any issues.

Badger ModelFlex are also another paint with "flex" properties.

Hope this helps, it works great for me.

Cheers,
Joe

I realize your paint of choice is acrylics, but I wanted to share my experiences with you, even though I use enamels. I used to do a lot of work with 1/72....particularly figure vignettes. I've worked with several brands, including Italeri, Imex, Preiser, and a little of Caesar. My method was to pierce the figure base with a long pin, which I would then hold the figure for painting. When finished, I would carefully cut the feet from the base. I never washed or primed my figures, and the paint went on fine. I handled them gently for the cutting and placement, but never had issues of paint wearing off. Some of the plastics are rather soft, while Preiser for instance is hard.
Perhaps when finished you might give them a quick shot of clear dull coat, which would act to seal the paint. I hope you find good solutions to your concerns.

What's even more problematic is prepping soft plastic figures - those with heavy seam lines and abundant flash. Even with a brand-new scalpel blade flash is impossible to trim off properly. Zvezda make some very well detailed styrene figures, meant for war-gaming, in various periods. Unfortunately there are only 4 - 5 figures per set, but only cost 5 or 6 bucks. Plastic Soldier Company also make acceptable styrene figures in larger sets.

I have gaming buddies who have painted plastics and they use a lightly heated piece of metal to "trim" away mold lines. Something like a paperclip heated over a candle.