Painting polypropylene tips?

[DollyKim]

Please share your knowledge for painting over or covering polypropylene plastic. Any experience with Rustoleum for plastic? I don't have access to an airbrush. Do have access to general hobby box stores.

I've got extra Barbie Star Traveler motorhome parts I'm thinking of customizing and would like to get some sort of base coat on it to work from. The body is hard but the interior pieces are softer. It would be nice if the dolls can use it after so I won't mind throwing on some top coats.

[Kattriella]

Aodr as in squishy, or soft as in the more flexible kind of plastic that isn't the hard kind that makes the clicky sounds when you tap it with a nail?

[DollyKim]

Most of the motorhome is hard and thin, doesn't flex and snaps clean if it breaks. The smooth parts aren't shiny but they aren't matte either. Aside from the residue from the original paper decals it comes clean easily with soap and water. All the Star Travelers are made from the same mold and plastic types, I'm just having trouble sorting AI results from real ones to figure out what it's made of.

The interior pieces are more flexible and feel like what modern Barbie cars are made out of.

[victoriavictrix]

If you have spare parts to experiment with, I'd give automotive vinyl paint a try.

[DollyKim]

Wouldn't vinyl run the risk of peeling off? I can try the shower door if i can find some.

I'm thinking of trying Rustoleum for plastic.

[davidd]

I usually use Rust-oleum 2X (it says "bonds to plastic" on the can) or Krylon Fusion spray paints for plastic toys. I generally spray a light grey primer coat first, even if the paint (like Krylon) says "all in one" or "paint plus primer."

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Gray-Primer- ... /447828169

It's essential to thoroughly wash all the plastics with soap and water before painting.

Several years ago I painted a Monster High roadster with pretty good results on both the harder plastics and the softer interior pieces.

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I found an old album on Flickr where somebody details the trials and tribulations of attempting to clean up and repaint a Star Traveler:

https://flickr.com/photos/smh223837/alb ... 218883561/

I found a newer post on Instagram where somebody goes in to more detail about the paint they used and how they applied it:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DJPVdlLJa0j/

Of course, you could go full-on INSANE and turn your Star Traveler in to a turbocharged remote-control racing machine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aK7HjPaCDM

Those guys posted videos of their entire remote-control customization process:

https://www.youtube.com/@dad_dickie/videos

[DollyKim]

Thanks, I saved the instagram post. Finding somewhere safe for it to cure for a few weeks to a few months might be the hardest part.

I'm torn black body with neon parts or tacky 70s, unless something cooler comes to mind. There's a store that sells replacement decals too. One the base coat is on it'll be easier to do the other colors.

[SetsunaKou]

The outer shell of the motor home is made of ABS plastic and can be spray painted with Rustoleum 2x ‘that bonds to plastic’, as davidd-san suggested. That’s the plastic which will break/ snap but is nicely spray paintable.

The softer plastic, which a lot of accessories are made of, and, unfortunately or fortunately, depending on situation, is PVC. Unbreakable, flexible but—here’s the ‘unfortunately‘ part—near impossible to paint with anything but acrylics or latex, which both are not permanent on PVC.

So you can spray paint the outer main van, but anything that is pvc, it won’t work. Latex or acrylic paint are the only ones I’ve found which dry on it, but peel easily.

I’ve had luck with Plasti-dip spray but did not try it on pvc. We used it on EVA foam for cosplay accessories and it was known as the only stuff able to permanently paint on Eva/ craft foam.

Never tried the vinyl auto paint that VV-sama suggested! Sounds promising!

[DollyKim]

And there's plastic primer spray and Krylon Short Cuts which work for all sorts of craft foams but not plastic.

I am going to do some research for a brush on primer or sorts and possible experiments with some sprays and see how long it would take to bond. Doing the furnishings in acrylic would be much easier than 30 inches of frame.

[victoriavictrix]

Vinyl interior automotive paint is used for painting PVC.

https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/95216-vinyl-dye-spray-paint-is-the-best-plastic-primer-ever-created-especially-for-bones-and-i-see-nobody-else-using-it-you-should-be/