Repainting / customizing vintage figures

I would like to know what everyone’s opinions are on repainting / customizing / altering vintage figures? Do you think it’s okay to repaint an old figure or is it sacrilege? Let me know what you guys think.

I would say it depends on its rarity and condition

To alter a rare and well kept model is not a good idea, in my opinion.
And if it is a very, very rare model, I think we should keep them as they are, even if they have some flaws.

But most important, I think we should always make sure that it is easy to see that it has been altered.
If you are an exceptionally good artis, you could put your initials under the belly of the model, so some poor collector does not get cheated in the future.
This is especially important, if you repaint a model into a much more valuable model, - make sure that you can see it is NOT the original

PS : An original rare model with some flaws is also much more worth in money than a reapint is

I agree entirely with Susanne. A rare model that has been repainted or touched up loses its value. However, some models aren't rare but it is rare to find them in a well-painted condition. In such a case, I think it's fine to repaint it, although it would usually still lose its value for other collectors. But for the owner of the model, it may be more satisfactory to have a well-painted model.

I also second Susanne's words. She told everything!

Agree with Susanne also!

I have seen some cases where people thought they bought the white Schleich Friesian but ended up with a good working repaint. Scam at it's finest sadly.

Flaws add character to a old model. Of course there is a line between some rubs and completely missing all the paint haha. In the last case, a saving touch up could be nice.

There isn't a straight answer, it has to looked at at an individual point of view. Not every figure is the same :)

Coming at this from the direction of someone whose main collection is another type of expensive collectible (a line of statuary/figurines), I have to agree with Susanne. You'll destroy its value as a collectible to many fanciers. If it's a figure already rare, that could be a real pity.

Having said that, it is YOUR figure and you may do with it as YOU want. You don't owe anyone justifications. If it isn't rare, it wouldn't probably have that much value to affect so why not if it pleases you? But if you do, please if possible initial it or mark it in some way so that future owners will know that it isn't an original paintjob or sculpt.

Touching up badly damaged paint could be a plus, but you should still mark it somehow as repainted.

I agree with Susanne and you all .

I would like add, it is good to take photos before and after repaint.

so you can decide in the future if you risk doing a new job.

Sometimes we have the same questions. I really know what you mean. But i think if you have more than one figure a repaint for your own collection is okay.

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Thank you so much everyone! I really value you guys’ opinions and I definitely agree with your points. I essentially agree with you guys, Susanne mentioned it first, that it would be a shame to repaint a very old or very rare figure, I don’t think it’s really ever a good idea to repaint a figure that is one of most likely only a few in the world left.
One thing is that I’m not interested in ever selling the figure I’m thinking about repainting, so I guess I’m asking more about if it would be wrong from a historical stand point; not it’s monetary value but it’s historical value. It’s a figure made in the 50’s and it’s not very rare but I still have this feeling like I’d be ruining something vintage, even though like I said I don’t plan on ever selling it or anything. I think another thing that bothers me is the original paint job is in pretty good condition and I’d be completely repainting it. I don’t just know, I’m still a bit torn I think I’ll know better what I want to do once it comes. Like I said though you guys have really helped me and given me more to think about, thank you!

And thank you Andreas for the link, I will definitely be looking through that thread too:)

If the figure isn't very rare, why don't you buy another one (perhaps one that isn't in a good condition)? Then you can have one original and one repainted.

Oh, if it is one of Clairet hyenas in good condition please don't do it. There are so many common hyena figures that could ask for a good repaint from you.

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I thought about doing that and I still might, my only problem with that is that I don’t know if I want more than one of the same sculpt in my collection even if they'll have different paint, but like I said I think it’s a great idea and I still might do that:D

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Don’t worry Roger it isn’t I think I will tell you since you know more about this figure than I do and you can help me know better whether it’s a good idea to repaint this particular figure or not, it’s the Pech hyena you got me. From the beginning I wanted to get one of them to repaint it because I think the shape of it fits a striped hyena way more than a spotted hyena, but once you sent me the pic of it the paint looked good and I suddenly felt weird about repainting it, so since then I haven’t known what to do, what’s your opinion Roger?

I am without of talent for repainting. But my "problem" often is, so like the Margarine figurines, that could be a interesting specie or subspecie. This white figures are sometimes like molds.

Or like the MArx WWF serie, it is hard to see the differences with only one color.

Mitsukuni wrote:

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I thought about doing that and I still might, my only problem with that is that I don’t know if I want more than one of the same sculpt in my collection even if they'll have different paint, but like I said I think it’s a great idea and I still might do that:D

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Don’t worry Roger it isn’t I think I will tell you since you know more about this figure than I do and you can help me know better whether it’s a good idea to repaint this particular figure or not, it’s the Pech hyena you got me. From the beginning I wanted to get one of them to repaint it because I think the shape of it fits a striped hyena way more than a spotted hyena, but once you sent me the pic of it the paint looked good and I suddenly felt weird about repainting it, so since then I haven’t known what to do, what’s your opinion Roger?

Isabella, obviously the owner has the last decision but if you ask is because your are undecided.
PECH Hermanos figures are not all very rare, hyenas are among the most common PECH figures. We can find a good amount of them at TodoCollection, two of them are actually being sold as foxes and one of these have broken legs. Though, I am sure that as soon as these are sold, it will be almost impossible to find more.
You've found a model in very good condition and the cheapest of those that look great!
The first thing I noticed while opening the envelope, it was the typical smell of these figures. It is the exact same smell my PECH figures have. It was a joy to see it in very decent condition and actually it is a very nice vintage hyena figure with a unique design.
I am watching the figure and even if you are a very talented repainter, it makes me sad thinking that this figure, not yet rare for Spanish people but very rare and unknown to the rest of the world, survived for more than 60 years and now will loose its original condition.
If you think it looks more like a striped hyena, it surely means it is a part of your collection of striped hyenas. Yes, a striped hyena painted like a spotted one.
Starlux, more accurate than PECH, made a Malayan tapir over a mould of a Brazilian tapir. If I was a collector of Brazilian tapirs, this figure would surely be a part of my collection and I wouldn't repaint it. While repainting, I was surely mutilating a piece of story telling how a Brazilian tapir figure was used to represent a Malayan tapir, it was much more expectable the other way round.
It is also probably a reflex from how things changed through all these years. In that era, striped hyenas were more popular among toys and on modern days, spotted hyenas are by far more common.
So, while repainting, you will loose a part of the rhole of striped hyenas in this toy industry being the only advantage of a repaint, a figure that will look nicer among all the other hyenas.

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I personally really like the all white figures but I do agree with you Andreas, and I don’t have a problem with painting a monochromatic figure because you wouldn’t be destroying any original paint, and it would most likely be reversible, and like you mention some of these figures can have an amazing amount of detail that is hard to see when they are unpainted.

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I totally agree with you and you perfectly expressed the feeling I was talking about, when I saw your picture I felt an almost guilt about thinking of repainting it. You’ve really helped me decide not to repaint it, I wouldn’t want to alter such a nice piece of history:) thank you Roger!

And thank you to everyone else for all your wonderful opinions if anyone would like to give their opinion still please feel free to keep the conversation going:)

I’m not expert here so please do not get upset with my opinion…I do not agree that repainting lowers models value but there have to be some condition. Do not repaint super rare model in great original condition….that is sin! Loss of paint is usually the reason why people are not interested in the model so giving new coat of paint can help model to be more presentable! Not all buyers are collectors so someone may like the models only because the new look… small tip, practise your skills painting less valuable models first. I started with models which lost body parts so they are kind of on their way to the bin..restored and repainted model may have second life on someone’s diorama and save him from being trough away.