Too Prime?....Or Not Too Prime? That Is My Question!

SkMitch306

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May 23, 2013
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Hey Everyone, my names Mitch and ive just recently started getting back into modeling, I know this question has been asked before and there have been mixed answers so ima try and ask a little more specific version of it. Basically im just starting a new kit (I wont reveal what kind as I will be starting a new build thread for it with pictures and the whole shebang!) but I am very excited as it is a new bigger scale 1/48 not massive but an upgrade and I am also excited to be ditching the spray cans and moved on up too an airbrush a badger 105 patriot with aspire pro compressor also a first! the aircraft with be two shades one ghost grey the other dark ocean grey, ill also be using all Tamiya paints. I know the cockpit and what not does not need to be primed but would there be any real benefit to doing it and if so what colour primer would you guys recommend? Brand? or if I should even use one? pretty much jus wanna hear your guys stories and experiences and some feed back on what you might do in my situation any help is greatly appreciated!! ;D
 
Primer yes, especially using an acrylic paint....although Tamiya isn't really an acrylic, that is how it is advertised.

Primer gives your paint more to bite into rather than just the smooth plastic, as well if you are doing any resin, metal or PE work on the kit, primer gives you an even base to put your paint over.

For airbrushable primer, there isn't much better than the Vallejo line, (in one of 16 colors), for spray can primer you can't go wrong with Tamiya Fine Grey or White.
 
Prime Prime Prime!

And remember to wash all your pieces with a good antigrease soap. This will remove the oils that were used when your sprues were manufactured. After all, oil and water (acrylic) do not mix.

I've heard of so many people pulling their hairs off because they can't figure out why, even though they prime a piece, it starts to chip off, well, its due the oils.

You won't lose any details while priming on your model, ECH had once told me that Vallejo Primers kinda grab into the figure as it dries out, and after trying it, it indeed does. I swear now by it!

Primer doesn't only help paint to adhere to the pieces but also aids on the color concentration of the paint, this mean that in stead of needing a bunch of layers to get a true color, you will require much much less layers. This not only saves money and time, but also preserves details on your pieces due to a minimal layer composition.

Luis
 
I know Scott and everyone else loves Velejo primer. I've never had good luck with it. I use Mr. Surfacer 1200 thinned with Mr. Color leveling thinner. The paint really bites to it. Good stuff. Tamyia fine primer is awesome stuff but it's a little pricey. For the same money you can get twice the amount with Krylon ultra flat Camouflage spray paint. Works just as good as Tamyia primer and it takes very little for full coverage.
 
I'm still to try Vallejo primers, I normally just use plastikote or tamiya cans but apart from that I'd just echo what Louis said
 
WebbyNZ said:
...I normally just use plastikote or tamiya cans...

I... would definitely stray away from cans; Airbrush priming is the absolute best, but brush priming is much better than cans. Even skilled modelers always say how hard is to control the flow of paint coming out of the can nozzle, I highly recommend you to stay away from them.

Luis
 
luisito8m said:
WebbyNZ said:
...I normally just use plastikote or tamiya cans...

I... would definitely stray away from cans; Airbrush priming is the absolute best, but brush priming is much better than cans. Even skilled modelers always say how hard is to control the flow of paint coming out of the can nozzle, I highly recommend you to stay away from them.

Luis

I would say cans are perfectly good but as you said control can be an issue so make sure you warm the can and shake thoroughly and apply light coats.
I've done plenty of auto bodies with no issues but anything with very fine details like aircraft panels etc can be easily filled with thicker primers (can, ab or brush) if you don't take a lot of care.
As always when trying new techniques/tools its wise to use a test subject.
 
+1 on priming & +1 for spray cans for easy priming.

I use matt black undercoat from Army Painter and love it. I actually find it better than the Tamiya stuff which is saying something. They also do other colours for their primers.
http://shop.thearmypainter.com/products.php?ProductGroupId=2
Warm before use, shake well and a quick light coat to cover. It's actually pretty hard to mess up.

& for plastic preperation just wipe the model down with some metho and let dry before painting.
 
Update, used the Vallejo primers and they were so good that I have another bunch arriving this week.
They will be my new goto primer.
 
WebbyNZ said:
Update, used the Vallejo primers and they were so good that I have another bunch arriving this week.
They will be my new goto primer.

Awesome!

And the greatest thing? Vallejo Primer comes on so many colors!! For the modelers that know what this mean, it is a great advantage.

I have noticed that the Gray primer doesn't look as gray as one would have expected as you look through the bottle, since when it dries out it becomes whiter. Definitely a great primer!
 
I'm in the process of buying primer(s). I'd prefere to use Vallejo's, because it seems to be the least toxic alternative. I've read that they sand terribly though. Lots of flaking going on. It's very important that my primer can take a vigorous sanding. Anyone have any experience sanding Vallejo primers?
 
korditekid said:
I'm in the process of buying primer(s). I'd prefere to use Vallejo's, because it seems to be the least toxic alternative. I've read that they sand terribly though. Lots of flaking going on. It's very important that my primer can take a vigorous sanding. Anyone have any experience sanding Vallejo primers?

If you wash the oils from your model, then you won't find any flaking when sanding, as long it is done properly and with patience.

However, when you say vigorous sanding, is where I do not understand. Primer has to be applied in very thin layers (to preserve details) so there is no need for such strenuous force to be applied by the sanding paper, because it will be easy to remove. By sanding vigorously, then you may find flaking not only on Vallejo, but pretty much any other primer. If I may ask, why would you need to sand primer vigorously? The only I can think of, is if you apply a thick layer of primer, which will hide the details, the brand won't matter, it is guaranteed that it will peel off, because of the thickness, that is the only scenario that I could think of vigorous sanding.
 
korditekid said:
I'm in the process of buying primer(s). I'd prefere to use Vallejo's, because it seems to be the least toxic alternative. I've read that they sand terribly though. Lots of flaking going on. It's very important that my primer can take a vigorous sanding. Anyone have any experience sanding Vallejo primers?

The Vallejo primers take a little longer to fully cure than the rest of Vallejo's paints, usually 48hrs or so to fully cure (their regular paint is only about 24hrs). You can paint over the primer well before that, but if you need to sand anything, let if fully cure first, and it won't flake up.

Proper plastic prep will also help with that, IE: wash your parts to get the mold release off of it.
 
Thanks for the advice, luisito8m and ECH
I will give Vallejo a try. I only meant to illustrate that the primer should be able to stand being worked with, without flaking. Perhaps I used the word wrong. English is not my first language :) Dont' worry, I'm not going to lean in and put my whole weight in to it.

I will probably try some different primers to see what works for me, but I'd like get stuck in right away. I will definitely make mistakes, but I'd like to make as few as possible :) I'll prep proper, and be patient before I sand.

Thanks
 

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