Repairing HT Iron Man paint defects?

I recently unboxed my Hot Toys MK IV + Gantry and discovered the helmet has some minor but annoying paint flaws.

There is some black overpaint on the lower 'lip' from the panel join infill. It's quite noticeable as the eye is naturally drawn to the head of the figure. I'm wondering if the black could be gently removed (abrasively or chemically) while leaving the gold intact? Also not sure if there is a clear coat layer to consider?

There's a minor scuff to the gold paint on the forehead also but it's barely noticeable. Can these marks be 'buffed out' or is that a bad idea?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!



(Relocating thread from Custom Creations)

Replacement from retailer?

Brought MISB from a Hong Kong seller on eBay about 12 months ago. Only recently had the space to set it free from the box but have left it a bit late to raise any issues with the seller...

*Bought

Just a bit... Always check items as soon as you receive them.
Good luck fixing it up.

(*Bought) Doh! 2:50AM and several glasses of red...must stop browsing the forum and get some sleep. Thanks!

Anything you do to it now will look like a fix unless you repaint the entire helmet.

Maybe just buy a replacement from Toy Anxiety.

Thanks Lee. Only replacement Mark IV helmet I can find online is on eBay at $90 plus. I have in-laws in Indonesia who know of someone who could do a repaint but they don't recommend posting it (high loss/theft rate apparently) so I would have to wait for travelling family.

In the meantime I am thinking of enlarging the neck socket on the helmet that came with the Armour Test set. This wont be a light-up option however

Two flow-on questions:

- The red areas are fine so could they not be masked off and just the gold re-sprayed?
- Is there a clear coat layer on these helmets?

The paint on these isn't super thick so buffing may be risky. If you're feeling brave you can take a pin or something and lightly pick the edge of the black, and see how tough the paint is. This won't work if clearcoat is over the black. I've had overspray just pop off, by gently picking at it.
The other spot I'm not too sure about.

Also wasnt there a Mark6 helmet in the MMS191 set? It was either mark 6 or 7. Maybe you could find one of those?

Ugh defects, makes me think i should open my Avengers VI or VIIBD, you know just to check

Ok FINALLY got around to delicately scratching at the black overpaint with a metal scraper and it pretty much came right off. Didn't appear to be any clear coat over it fortunately. Planning to drop a little more black pigment in the mouth slit when I can get a suitable brush.

The other blemishes in the gold faceplate are barely noticeable and the suit has damage 'flecks' all over so not a big deal.

Hope this outcome might help others with similar paint defects.

Nice work. Worst case scenario you can pick up Alclad gold and bang the faceplate - good as new