Painting Old Plasticville

I've repainted some Plasticville but not to retain the glossy finish. I was doing it because I liked the structure (a mobile home) but wanted a realistic finish. I primed it with gray auto primer. I then used a flat or satin finish spray and powders, but I suppose you could use a gloss finish. There are now some spray paints that are a combo primer/paint and you could consider those. 

Jerrman

I kitbashed a number of Plasticville RR stations into various different stations....two story, L-shaped, triangular, etc., just to see what I could do...I decided more suited for S scale, and shelved them, however, I painted them with various rattle can FLAT colors (yellow with green trim), with no special preparation or problems.

I've painted several Plasticville buildings. I start by first washing the pieces in warm soapy water, then thoroughly rinsing them to remove any contaminates (oils from fingers, mould release, dust, etc.). I then apply a light coat of adhesion promoter from a spray can. I finish with airbrushing on water-based acrylic paint.

I prep them like CBG says and use Testor's gloss enamel to paint them.  Look good and retain the "tinplate" look.  I've also used Rustoleum to get some colors I wanted.

I have repainted several plasticville structures. I used a variety of spray cans and acrylic craft paints. I was not trying to recreate original finish, but to make them to my preferences and highlight some detail.

@Forty Rod saw your post and I’m thinking of now incorporating some Plasticville buildings into my prewar layout and want them to have a prewar look. Can you post a few pics of yours, i would be interested in how they look.

Not Plasticville, same vintage, Ertl, farm set.  Click on link for slideshow.    Paint can make a difference.  

@Mike CT nice job, they certainly look nice on your layout and more realistic than the inside original color. I want mine to take on that prewar look, bright colors and gloss. My layout consists of both Standard and O. It’s time to replace the Dept 56 winter buildings. 

Interesting structures can evolve from Plasticville items.  Sometimes just a bit of paint, other times a more extensive re-working of the parts.

The Plasticville switch tower for example, is based on the B&O prototype of 1906 for a 12' x15' signal tower. Two of them kit bashed would make an impressive 12' x 24" tower as well, with a help from some styrene sheet roofing.

Here are Plasticville structures I worked over for my Baltimore & New York layout.  This tower is almost 'as is' from Plasticville. I relocated the stove stack, and 'modernized' the tower's heating, suggesting an oil stove replaced the coal burning pot belly stove. It wears B&O's colors of Indian Red with black trim, used from the 1920's to late1940's. 

The Plasticville depot got more extensive 'surgery'. The lower portions of each side were cutoff to create a 6" scale (1/8")step for the doors. These sections were glued to the tops of their panels to raise the roof.  Styrene strips were cut and fitted for rafters and jacks under the eaves of the roof.  One window sill was raised up to create a 'restroom' window. The back door had windows cut into it and a sewer vent pipe was added to the roof. The black panel on the side is a coal chute door. The concrete walk on the opposite side of the station has a panel it in to represent a cellar door to the 'furnace' below. Aside from sheet brick paneling, acrylic paint, some weathering lights over the doorways and printed signage, its still Plasticville,  with  pretense as a small, northeastern style suburban station.

Eatery 1 shows a slightly modified Plasticville diner. The Plasticville names were shaved off and thin styrene panels put over their locations  A sign with additional styrene lettering and kitchen vent were added to the roof. Glazing, window shades and fresh paint finished the job. It fits quite well in a small, empty space by the grade crossing.

S. Islander

I'm fond of the gloss colors in the Rustoleum lineup. If the Rustoleum paint includes the primer, then you should be good to paint the plastic directly. I recently painted to roof of my plastic Atlas engine house. The glue had discolored my roof too. I wanted a color that did not have the primer. So, I started with a Krylon white primer that I had. One note, most primers say that you can immediately top coat. I have done this with other plastic with fine results. I wanted a gloss finish on the engine shed roof, but my color choice was satin. I top coated with Rustoleum Clear Gloss. You should be able to top coat the gloss immediately. However, if you wait, you must wait 48 hours before putting the gloss coat on. Drying time for spray paint is critical to follow. Otherwise, the paint will ripple, bubble and peal.

George

s. islander, superb job on that Plasticville station. You might never guess that was the kit you started off with. Over the years, I've seen some really ingenious structure undertakings that started off with Plasticville structures. That would be another one. Again, impressive.

Most of us have had Plastcville buildings on our layouts at one time. A lot of us still do, therefore we all know what they look like. So it always brings a smile to my face to see someone take a structure that we all are familiar with, and turn it into something different and unique.

I always tell people who think they might be interested in doing some train car kitbashing and/or repainting, a good place to start off and hone your skills is with Plasticville buildings. Beaters and ones missing parts are not that hard to find.

I prefer Krylon spray paint, but like George above, have used the newer Rustoleum colors too. As George pointed out, it would be not as much as disappointment to make a mistake on a cheap Plasticville building, versus a more costly train car or engine... unless that was a bona fide beater too.

Different brands of paint (and even differing colors within one brand) have different drying times. As George pointed out, follow the instructions. Because once you start putting effort into a project, most of us want to see successful end results for our time and trouble.

I'll add to George's method: I always start with a grey primer as I want buildings (or train cars) to not let lights show through them. Then, if I plan on painting the structure or train car a lighter color like yellow, I'll do a coating of white primer over the grey. Some of the lighter colors like yellow, take more coats of paint for a good covering.

Rich Wiemann posted:

@Forty Rod saw your post and I’m thinking of now incorporating some Plasticville buildings into my prewar layout and want them to have a prewar look. Can you post a few pics of yours, i would be interested in how they look.

Well, let me tell you:  I have about 200 PV buildings and other stuff plus Little Town, Marx, Pegasus, and others.  Many are incomplete and most aren't assembled yet.  Few are painted in authentic colors and virtually none are weathered.  I'm not a model railroader, I just play with toy trains, and authenticity isn't in my vocabulary.  Anything that is in proper scale is the result of accidental good fortune.

I'm working on some kit bashing projects, but not much is done yet.  I also have all manner of other structures like Lemax and whatsit 56, a bamboo incense burner, cookie and candy tins,  A decorative battery box from Radio Shack,  a heap of N and HO scale  and one or two larger scale items) background effects that I have planned, a paper weight, and a ton of other such goodies. I also have about 350 highway vehicles in many many scales and different degrees of detail.

I have an estimated forty five figures.  Not enough for a family reunion, much less a whole world in miniature.

I don't have an operating layout and am just now starting benchwork so I can start figuring out what is going to go where. 

Don't hold your breath.  I'm 88 years old and may never get anything done, but I am learning how to take pictures and promise to post some stuff as soon as I get that mastered.

@Forty Rod thanks for your reply. All phases of this hobby; planning, seeking, buying, more planning, staging, kit bashing, building and playing with our trains are enjoyable. I wish you luck in your benchwork phase and hope to see your pics in the near future.

@S. Islander thanks for your reply. Your kit bashed buildings turned out great and I appreciated the pics. The diner is one that I was planning on using and was unsure if I wanted to paint or not since it is in pretty decent condition. Now I have to think on that some more. I particularly like the brick effect on the station. How did you accomplish that? I’m not up to that level of kit bashing, but maybe in the future.

@George S and @brianel_k-lineguy thanks to both with the rattle can tips. I will certainly incorporate them in my efforts. I had not considered the need for a primer.

I have only painted one Plasticville building, The Old Switch Tower, I primed it first then painted it with Acrylic paint....Krylon now has paint just for plastic and no need to prime.That should give you the finish you want..My Switch tower is the only building on my layout that is not custom built, but I had it since I was a kid and and I like it...