Painting your Ultarama is a fun and easy way to customize your unit. Below are some handy tips to save you time and money and help you make the diorama that you want!
What Paints Should I Use?
We have tested many paints with the Ultarama and find that the ones below work best.
Black: A Great Death Star Look!
Testors Spray Enamel 1247 Gloss Black.
Base coat of Plasti-Kote T-236 Black Sandable Primer + Top coat of Dupli-Color AP 10 Black Classic Body Touch-Up Paint.
White: I Hoth An Idea!
Base coat of Testors Spray Enamel 1258 Flat White + Top coat of Rust-Oleum American Accents Stone Creations Bleached Stone 7990 Spray Finish + Splashes of Testors Spray Enamel 1257 Transparent Blue. This gives it a great textured look! You can also use Plasti-Kote Fleck Stone to add texture.
Base coat of Plasti-Kote T-237 White Sandable Primer + Top coat of American Accents Stone Creations Bleached Stone 7990 Spray Finish. This gives it a great textured look! You can also use Plasti-Kote Fleck Stone to add texture.
Tan: Desert Anyone?
Base coat of Krylon Short Cuts SCS-090 True Taupe Satin Spray + Top coat of Rust-Oleum American Accents Stone Creations Sienna Stone 7994 Spray Finish. This gives it a great textured look! You can also use Plasti-Kote Fleck Stone to add texture.
Base coat of Plasti-Kote T-237 White Sandable Primer + Top coat of Dupli-Color DS GM 307 Pastel Sandstone Auto Spray Paint. This gives it a great textured look! You can also use Plasti-Kote Fleck Stone to add texture.
Paint It I will. Where Do I Get These Paints, Master Painter?
Testors
Stores:
Wal-Mart, in the toy section.
Online:
www.craftsetc.com
www.hobbylinc.com
www.hobbyplace.com
www.djhobby.com
www.testors.com
Rust-Oleum American Accents Stone Creations
Stores:
Home Depot
Lowe’s
Krylon Short Cuts
Online:
www.craftsetc.com
Toll Free:
Ace Hotline 1-800-441-4223
How About Some Painting Tips?
When you paint your Ultarama, it is recommended that you paint the two halves of the platform base after they have been assembled/connected, but without the support columns inserted.
When painting the support columns, it is best to paint the individual halves separately, putting them together after they have been painted.
Painting With Textured Paints And The Ultarama:
To get the best results, please follow these instructions:
Unlike regular painting, it is best if your Ultarama is completely assembled before using textured paints. It is also not recommended that you disassemble your unit after applying textured paints.
Start with a base coat of the primary color (snow-white, desert-tan, etc.). After the base coat dries apply a second coat. Immediately after applying the second coat (before it dries), apply the first coat of textured paint. Be very liberal when applying the textured paint. Allow the paint to dry and apply a second coat of textured paint, again applying heavily. When it is dry, apply a final coat of the base color.
You may also add some touch up color to add realism. Examples include light random splashes of blue to a snow scene and brown to a desert scene.
I Want To Make My Own Scenes And Stickers, Help Me O Customizer!
Scenes
Because the Ultarama scenes are a standard 8x10 size, it is very easy to create your own. You can use your own photos or art, or there are many pictures available from a variety of sources on the internet. For a wide selection of free ready to download images, we recommend the www.rebelscum.com web site.
There are two ways of making scenes on a computer.
Print the scene on adhesive paper, which is available at most office supply stores. Then, apply the scene to blank card stock or apply it to the back of an Ultarama background scene.
You can also print the scene on photo quality paper and apply it to blank card stock using 3M Aerosol Spray Adhesive that can be found at Home Depot and Lowe’s.
Stickers
You can also make stickers to place on the support columns, or you can customize the back of the logo strips. Simply print using the following sizes:
Round Support Columns: Stickers are 4 x 4.5 inches
Rear Support Posts: Stickers are 6.75 x 1.25 inches
Logo Strips: Logo Strips are 10.5 x 1 inches
Print the design that you want to use and apply to the columns. Please note that they will be permanent. Use care to make sure that they are placed correctly!
Apply logo strip stickers to the back of the Ultarama logo strips included with your unit.
