I went to the flea market today and one of the things I picked up was a really old beat up plastic horse that I thought I would paint and make pretty again

but i don't know where to start. I'm planning on making it black with a white star on the forehead.

What kind of paint do I use? how many coats?

Here's a picture of him: he's the light brown horse on your right. (ignore the rest ^_^;; it's just a picture of the stuff I picked up at the flea market today)

(Caveat: I've never done this, so I may be wrong. I'm sure others will set me straight.)

First off, wash it thoroughly. This gets rid of any remaining mold release agent, grime, skin oils, and dirt. A good detergent should be sufficient. Rinse and let dry. If you can do so without damaging the horse (and if it's possible), try to disassemble it before you paint it. This will make handling it while painting much easier. I'm guessing acrylics will probably work best because of their low toxicity and easy clean-up. It's probably best to apply a coat of paint as a primer if only to weaken the horse's pre-existing color. Paint your lighter colors first, then work up to your darkest one. Use as many coats of each color as you need to make it look right; it's better to build up your coats than to overdo one. Apply any highlights and detailing after the main coats are dry. Once all that is finished, apply a clear coat or two (gloss, flat, semi-gloss, whichever one is best) to protect the paintjob. If you really need to, you can get some really, really fine sandpapers from a hobby store so as to polish the paint once each coat has set. Be sure to rinse the horse off before applying the next coat of paint.

Thanks

i doubt I can disassemble the horse. It's solid hard plastic (mane, tail, everything)

I do a lot of My Little Pony customizing, so I'm familiar, kinda with painting, but I've never painted a full body before, nor had I painted one this grubby and old

I was cleaning him up with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, and his paint started to come off (revealing white underneith), should I go through and take off all the paint? or does it make a difference?

I sould be able to use acetone on him, right? to take off the paint (I use it on My Little Ponies to take off symbols and eyes, and it doesn't hurt their plastic, but not sure about this kind)

lol, I just have a lot of questions, so I don't ruin him before I even start He's a pretty horse, so I think he'll make a great custom, when I finish.

I have a friend who makes custom my little ponies (I see you do the same thing, so I don't know if she'll tell you anything you don't already know. She knows a lot about crafts in general though, so it'd be worth a try). I know yours is a slightly different kind of material, but she might have some tips for you. She has galleries here and on DA (username: teiris), or you could try e-mailing her (tamponrage@gmail.com). You can tell her Grinn sent you to her if you're uncomfortable contacting people you don't know. She's really nice though

If the paint is coming off, then you probably should remove as much as you can. Even if it seems secure, the fact that some of the paint is coming off now means that it's going to make a poor base for its new paintjob.

Honestly, I don't know if that is a plastic which would be dissolved by acetone or not. Using rubbing alcohol or diluting the acetone might work. Perhaps you should ask a custom doll maker/restorer how they do it.

i know this is an old thread, but whats the end result???

i've been tempted to do this with my old "Grand Champion" horses.... http://www.alphatoyshop.com/gchorses.html
they're probably collectors items by now i'm sure, since the designs have changed a bit over the years, but my sisters and i actually played with ours. We took their saddles and bits off, unbraided their hair and made them look like wild mustangs, or we just interchanged their accessories for what ever reasons... and i dont even know where their ID cards are anymore, or what condition they might be in.....

my husband knows all about paints and plastics.. he used to work at a Corvette body shop and ... corvettes are the next best thing to plastic right? .. made out of fiberglass, same stuff as boats.. i can ask him what he would reccomend with this sort of thing, of course i know what he'll say "Its just gonna chip off and look like crap.. dont paint it".... but i can imagine it wont chip off unless you're actually playing around with it like kids do. if its just a shelf item, just something to look at like a glass statue then it wouldnt be in danger, right? besides.... old plastic horses,or any old plastic toy such as these are ALL white based plastic that has been air brushed. it all scrapes off over time and reveals that white base.

anyway i want to see the end result of what you've done. the beauty of it is... if you dont like it, you can always Mr. Clean the paint off and start over!

Your husband does have a point. You need to do a little research, perhaps even practice a bit, before tackling anything that means so much to you. A little plastic horse is not made of the same stuff as a Corvette. Plastic varies in quality and type. What works for one type or hardness of plastic might not work for another. For example, there are a number of different paints which can be safely used to customize a plastic horse while the paint put on a car would probably melt the horse. If you're in doubt or not entirely sure, you should first research what you want to do, including talking to those who have done these sorts of customizations before. Since you're reading this, you've already got the most useful research tool available: the internet.