I’m currently using valejo primer but it tends to come off easily. Is there anything more durable that’s cost effective and that wont melt plastic?
Yeah, that primer is a waste of money.
Try Badger Stynylrez (Acrylic Airbrush Primer) will not scratch easily, sticks well, can be sanded and comes in 3 shades (white, black, grey).
PlastiKote in spray can works good for me…
The reviews on amazon look very good. I may give it a try. Thanks!
Well I use it as a primer, along with MRP Primer. Both sand as a primer should, unlike Vallejo which tears the paint. Just buy a 4oz bottle and give it a wirl, clean up in plain water.
Drys quickly and no smell.
Stynylrez for me too, sprays perfectly, smooth finish, sands better than any others that I’ve tried. Also resists scratching from handling, so I don’t pick up other issues to deal with. Good stuff, recommended.
Rustoleum primer that’s wet and dry sandable in rattle can is my go-to primer. Goes on nice and smooth.
Many answers,none wrong,it’s a personal choice.I use Tamiya Extra fine in the rattlecan
There is no such thing as a single best primer. They all have advantages and limitations. Some, like general purpose and auto body primers have excellent adhesion and compatability, but are thick and tend to obscure detail on smaller scale models (but great on larger scale). Others go on thin, but have adhesion and compatibility problems. Some primer mfgs change their chemistry often, and what is a great primer at a given time is junk six months later. Do you care about fast drying? Low odor? It is a real tradeoff.
Personally, I use auto body primers for most use, but Tamiya primer for small scale kits with lots of fine detail. But I frequently try others based on recommendations from friends.
Don and Tojo have put it best-there is no best primer, just personal preferences.
I used to use automotive primer, particularly Walmart’s house brand, and Rustoleum primer. I used them on styrene, but also on resin and on white metal. My considerations were that they covered pretty well, and gave good tooth for subsequent finish coats. And they were reasonably priced, for the amount of paint in the cans.
However, I ran into issues with the rattle cans in both cases. After many years of using the products, I got bad batches of cans, that clogged after a couple of sprays, and were unusable.
Around the same time, I had read about Tamiya’s primers, and tried them. I found that they covered just as well as the cheaper products, and the smaller can went just about as far as the larger cans. Also, the Tamiya primer provides good tooth, while presenting a finely-grained surface. So, it’s my main primer at this point.
Just my own preference.
As a followup to my previous post-I have also read about using Mr. Surfacer as a primer. I have not yet tried it, but I may, just to see how it does.
i am disappointed in Vallejoprimer too. i was hoping to be able to airbrush and prime in the bunker.
i let a test piece sit for 3 days, painted it and let sit for 3 days and tried sanding with 600 and it did not feather well at all. so the colors i have now will be for weathering, color modulation, etc. it airbrushes nicely and the paint on top also looks nice but i spend half a day trying to repaint a small section. ended up stripping the whole panel and redoing it.
i use ACE Hardware NOW. just do not use it in 90+ weather unless you want a pebbled cast effect. i have painted over it with MM, Tamiya, and Vallejo and sanded and feathered with no issues. i will use Tamiya Primer on small ships and planes. i use th e40% coupon at HobbyLobby.
I do like the Mr Surfacer 1200 in the rattlecan,comprable to the Tamiya Extra Fine,I would be careful with the 1000 in the can,might be thick.
Thanks for the advice. I don’t prime with my a/b, but maybe should give it a try.
I used to use Rustoleum, but IMO their product has gone bad in recent years. Uneven coating, and their cans seem to stop working when they get about half empty. In hindsight, it wasn’t too good.
Here’s my haul from the LHS yesterday. It’s two hours away so I only stop in when I am going past it somewhere, so I stock up. Or get it online, but I like to support the store.
I am in Tojos camp. In my case, I decant and airbrush. Horse a piece.
I received the badger primers. Im less than thrilled at the quality. I guess i’ll keep looking. I contacted badger, they havent resopnded. Very dissaponted.
I love tamiya fine .I decant it …and spray it …way more control then spraying with the rattle can …but if im going to prime everything on the main spru then ill use the can .I think tamiya is best …little expensive but whorth it .also been useing future as a primer …it works great …mix a little bit of the same base color …just a little to match…sands well …drys rock hard . It’s what works for use …happy modeling [proplr]
That’s genius!
So, what are you less than impressed with?
Your image links dont work, so very hard to gain perspective.
Did you shake the bottles, and shoot at about 25psi.
First time I used the stuff I achieved a silk like finish, no issues.
I can’t get my images to show up here but theyre posted on Amazon below
https://www.amazon.com/review/reviews-lightbox//ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_img?ie=UTF8&asin=B00K3KGUME