My first Proton pack...

[kenny_a]

Hi everyone!!

I’m going to build my first proton pack and I have a question.

It might sound stupid but is it okay to put primer on a shell, silver as a second and black as last or is it okay to skip the first two liars?

[jackdoud]

You need to primer no matter what.

[deekman]

Yep, primer is a must but you only need to do a couple layers of silver if you plan on weathering it.

[Dark_Jedi_1500]

When working with spray paint you always want to primer then paint. The primer performs a few functions:

1. It reveals any flaws you may not see at first. by providing an even color. Most packs, regardless of material, will have several colors and patterns on them due to the shell material, PVC, grebblies, glue, bondo, and glazing putty. By providing an even cllor you can better see the surface texture and fix any flaws.

2. It seals the shells and allows for a smooth surface. Basically, you will prime the pack, sand with 400 grit sandpaper, fix any scratches, and repeat until you achieve a surface you are happy with.

3. It provides a base for the paint by providing an even base color. Most paints are transparent to some degree and will show some characteristics of what is underneath. If you do not prime, you could have various shades of black on your pack.

As far as using silver or aluminum between the primer and the flat black you can go either way with accepable results. The main advantage to using silver is that it makes the flat black a little richer and you can use mustard or ranch dressing to create a chipped paint look which helps with weathering. For reference the pack on the left uses grey primer and flat black while the one on the right uses gray primer, aluminum base coat, and flat black with ranch weathering.

Hope that helps.

[kind2311]

when painting a proton pack, its not ok to put a metallic undercoat.

[Dark_Jedi_1500]

@kind2311

when painting a proton pack, its not ok to put a metallic undercoat.

Because…?

[cpu64]

Because metallic paints like aluminum and chrome, suck.

They all rub off and could potentially mess up your paint job from here to New Jersey.

You can get away with “some” silver paints. Just avoid fake chrome or aluminum paints.

[kind2311]

for me it all comes down to personal preference for accuracy. the screen used packs(the shells more specifically) were painted with a gray primer underneath their black topcoats. thats the main reason why i choose not to do a metallic undercoat. another is that i feel it makes the pack finish look too fake. and third im not a fan of seeing a bunch of exposed “metal” on a proton pack.

[Vald]

@kind2311

for me it all comes down to personal preference for accuracy. the screen used packs(the shells more specifically) were painted with a gray primer underneath their black topcoats. thats the main reason why i choose not to do a metallic undercoat. another is that i feel it makes the pack finish look too fake. and third im not a fan of seeing a bunch of exposed “metal” on a proton pack.

Agreed I simply brushed on some silver weathering on my first pack. Even though it was a quick pack that was missing a lot in terms of accuracy it brought the whole thing down.

Skip the silver

(unless you do some nice layering!)

[nick-a-tron]

@kind2311

for me it all comes down to personal preference for accuracy. the screen used packs(the shells more specifically) were painted with a gray primer underneath their black topcoats. thats the main reason why i choose not to do a metallic undercoat. another is that i feel it makes the pack finish look too fake. and third im not a fan of seeing a bunch of exposed “metal” on a proton pack.

I agree 100%. At the end of the day it all comes down personal preference. Some people like the silver weathering on pack shells and ive seen many that look great, and I even weathered my pack with silver when I first built it but when I started to get even furthur into the accuracy game I painted over that with gray and i was much happier.

With my pack, and all the props I build, I like to bulid them to match the screen used props instead of screen seen or screen percieved. Yes in the movie the packs are ment to be metal but in reality they were fiberglass with gray primer so that’s how ill weather/paint mine.

In an ideal world I could walk into a prop storage dept, grab the real prop and sit it beside a replica ive built and you wouldnt be able to tell them apart. If I built a M41A pulse rifle from ALIENS i’d paint it Brownbess as that is how the real props were painted and not Olive green as they are seen on screen (the set lighting made the brown appear green).

I hope that made sense

[Filandrius]

@nick-a-tron

@kind2311

for me it all comes down to personal preference for accuracy. the screen used packs(the shells more specifically) were painted with a gray primer underneath their black topcoats. thats the main reason why i choose not to do a metallic undercoat. another is that i feel it makes the pack finish look too fake. and third im not a fan of seeing a bunch of exposed “metal” on a proton pack.

I agree 100%. At the end of the day it all comes down personal preference. Some people like the silver weathering on pack shells and ive seen many that look great, and I even weathered my pack with silver when I first built it but when I started to get even furthur into the accuracy game I painted over that with gray and i was much happier.

With my pack, and all the props I build, I like to bulid them to match the screen used props instead of screen seen or screen percieved. Yes in the movie the packs are ment to be metal but in reality they were fiberglass with gray primer so that’s how ill weather/paint mine.

In an ideal world I could walk into a prop storage dept, grab the real prop and sit it beside a replica ive built and you wouldnt be able to tell them apart. If I built a M41A pulse rifle from ALIENS i’d paint it Brownbess as that is how the real props were painted and not Olive green as they are seen on screen (the set lighting made the brown appear green).

I hope that made sense

It does, Nick, it does.

Boy, you guys managed to sum up exactly what I think. Thanks to you, the hunch that I had since the start of my build has been confirmed… That I SHOULDN’T weather my pack to show the silver base coat. The only weathering will be from natural causes (example minor chipping when assembling it) and nothing else. The original weren’t and mine won’t. It also helps that the Krylon Fusion Nickel Shimer that I used as a base coat isn’t really showing as silver when chipped but more as dark gray… That’s what I call a happy accident.

[Vald]

Be careful Filandrius because your pack is looking great and i would hate if something messed it up

[kenny_a]

ok thanks for the info!!

I sanded it and gave it a first lair of primer and yes I can see some little flaws.

I sanded it again and I see I have to use some filler for some little holes here and there.I’ll post pics soon!