Hi All

I was wandering how many of you out there use primer on your kits before spraying them. I was thinking of using either Humbrol matt white or the Tamiya acrylic matt white as a base coat? Any thoughts ideas? Any help would be great as I would hate to build a kit only to ruin it at the end with a rubbish primer.

Cheers

Hi Tim.
I always give my models a light dusting of Halfords Grey Plastic Primer.
It shows up any imperfections in seams etc and gives a good base for the paint to follow.
Nige

Hi Tim.

I use standard light grey primer in rattle can from the local car part supplier and that has never failed. Might get a bit thicker than Nigels tip, but frankly, I have never seen any problems with that. It does enhance any faulty seam though, which is half the reason to do it.

Good luck.

Thanks for the swift replies, the Halfords Grey Plastic Primer; do you find its thin enough to use on 1:72 aircraft without covering any detail? I'm also going to be making one of the large Tamiya WWII battleships in the New Year too, do you think it would work for that?

I'm guessing people tend not to use enamel or acrylic whites then as a primer then? Is there a reason for this or is the Halfords stuff just better/easier?

Once again thanks guys.

Hi Tim.
The majority of my builds have been 1:72nd aircraft and Ive never had any issues.
Though as I said before I do tend to just mist the primer on so I can see what areas need attention.
If you do find youve got too thick a layer on it cleans off easily with isopropyl alcohol or tamiya thinners.
No reason for grey, apart from I personally prefer it. Halfords do a white plastic primer as well.
HTH
Nige

yup, a quick priming with and modeling grade (i.e. not the cheapo stuff) spray can of laquer based paint will do the job. I try to stick with neutral grays though.

Hi Tim

I'm no expert on chemical reactions but I've been told - and also found out from my own experience - that the lacquer-based primers "stick" to the plastic more tightly, and form a better base for applying main colour coats, than acrylics or enamels do. They also sand down beautifully with a buffing stick (better than acrylics or enamels) to give you a wonderful silky, blemish-free finish to put your top coats on to.

I always use Tamiya grey or fine white primers, either straight from the can or decanted into a jar. If you make sure you shake them properly first, they are pretty much fool-proof.

cheers Brad

I received 2x tins of this primer gonna give it a go and see how it goes! But iam sure it the same stuff as halfords primer and its only 4quid for 400ml!

http://www.prospectautospares.co.uk/hycote-aerosol-primers-and-top-coats-(400ml)_2747.htm

I usually use Testor's Gray Primer, but I have also used Tamiya's white primer, and I've even used some white stuff from home depot(plastic primer).

I can't say I've seen much of a difference except for the obvious under color issue.

I use light grey paint flat base . Once every thing looks good I the coat with a very thin layer of future by brush . They spray the main colour . If it calls for white then I don't prime at all and use that as my primer coat .

I also use Halford's Grey Primer lightly misted on out of the can.

I also find the Halford's Grey Primer a good base for Alclad finishes rather than their own primers.

If I'm doing white undercarriage bays, missiles, etc (some time even white aircraft) I decant Halfords White Primer and airbrush it on in light coats. Then I follow it up with Halford's Gloss Appliance White, decanted and airbrushed. I use this method as it doesn't seem to yellow over time like some enamel do.

Hope this helps

I have actually found Model Master's rattle can primer to be pretty bad. I have found a rustoleum lacquer primer in white that i basically use for all models. It sprays very very thin and does not give you that rough texture that some non-modeling primers leave. As with everything, what works for one wont work for all......so all I can really say is try everything until you find what primer works best for you. I did find that using the primer really helped with the final paintjob. And to note, I always spray it white......you can always get your dark colors to come thru.......

My two cents....cheers

Hi

Thanks for all the advice. I’ve tried the Halfords stuff but going to try decanting the Tamiya Gray primer (Fine and Regular) in the airbrush. I’m told it should spray well without added thinning. Does anyone know what to thin it with if I need to or what to clean through the airbrush afterwards with it?
Cheers

I use the Tamiya's primer and it will clean up with their thinner , water or isopropyl ( rubbing alcohol )

i use halfords car primer, if you put the can in hot water for a couple of minutes before spraying, it thins the paint out and you;ll get more usage out of a single can

From painting a few scale model cars, I use white or grey primer by zeropaints. You can get them at www.hiroboy.com. I'm kinda new back to modelling and have found these paints to be great and easy to work with considering i'm also pretty new to airbrushing. They also buff nicely to get a flawless surface for painting over.

good luck trying the different options

Rusty

I used to use Krylon primer from the rattle can. This worked great for armor, but had mixed results since I started building planes. It tended to leave a rough surface to the kit. This created extra work for me because I now had to buff the sufrace to smooth it out and the primer still had a tendecy to resurface from under the acrylic paint. As a result, I now use Tamiya's primer or will prime using using acrylics with a light gray color.

If I may add on to this question...

Do you use primer with Enamels, Acrylics, or both?

Halfords plastic primer is designed for use on the plastic trim of cars - bumpers, wing mirrors - that sort of thing. It is different from, and better at sticking to plastic, than the ordinary primer which is designed for priming metal. It should also stick better to the softer polythene types of plastics and polycarbonates. It comes in grey, white and red (oxide). It is better to use white under colours such as yellow and of course white. There is also a filler primer which is yellow. This is thicker but can be sanded down to produced a smooth surface when there are lots of tiny scratches on the plastic. It will also help fill deep and wide panel lines. I find it best to decant it into a small glass bottle and then put it through my airbrush. If it begins to thicken | thin it with lacquer thinner.

Halfords primer is suitable for both acrylics and enamels. Enamels with usually stick very well without primer but primer helps with gloss colours especially white. That is, matt white will cover better as a base coat and then all you need is a thin white gloss coat. Some acrylics do not stick very well to plastic especially if they have been thinned too much or sprayed on too dry. It is often a good idea to use primer with acrylics.