Would someone be able to comment on current best-practices for dyeing modern 1:18 figures, particularly those made by Hasbro, Marauder, and BFS?

I know this is well-trod territory, as I've read a lot of what's out there on the topic, but some of the guidance is very general and/or quite dated. In particular, I'm curious...

1. Is Rit Dye-more synthetic dye still the best option? I've also read about PVC cleaner, but am unclear on how effective it is on ABS.
2. I've seen a lot of examples of figures being dyed black, and I understand that going to black provides the most reliable results, but has anyone seen good results achieving colors? Any tips (beyond starting with a paint-free, light-colored figure) for getting even, consistent results?
3. How much variance do you generally see between the way a figure's various plastics take the dye. Like, is a figure's shoulder joint going to take the dye differently than the softer plastic of the arm? If so, how dramatic is the difference, in general?

Here's what I remember from my last attempt:

Last time I tried was with Marauders and the RIT synthetic dye. Most of the figure seemed to take it pretty well, but the shoulder joints, pins, etc did not take it at all. It's somewhat effective, but all the different parts that will take the color do so at their own rate .

Biggest issue I've had with black dye is that it wants to leech up through any colors painted on top, and I've tried clear coat between the dyed parts and the new paint.

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Good to know. I'm starting to get the feeling the whole enterprise is kind of an unpredictable crap shoot. Still, I hate painting joints so badly. I really want an alternative. I've got a couple of Retro Stalkers on their way and I'm going to give them both a dunk (after removing factory paint apps) and see what happens. Fingers crossed.

What color are you wanting the joints? I’ve used sharpie as a base on joints with some success.

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Going for a deep, dark green/gray. I've used black sharpies for touch ups on ARAH Joes way back in the day, but I always found it rubbed off and/or faded. Do they take better to the new softer plastics?

I found one of the bodies I worked with yesterday after posting, it was way more random than I remember what took the paint and did not. Shoulder pins did take it alright, torso and wait barely at all. It really does feel like a crap shoot unless you can tell exactly what plastic is used on each piece.

Also painted pieces don't take the dye well at all, the paint might take a little of the color but otherwise "repels" the dye.

I will echo the sharpie suggestion for coloring joints and pins. It's not perfect, but often preferable to no coverage.

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