Well, I figured I’d better find out what all the rage is about,
so I bought myself a big bottle of Future. I was impressed
with what it did for my clear parts, but I haven’t tried it on
anything else yet. Wanted to ask these questions first, for
which I haven’t been able to find answers.
Does anyone use Future as a pre-primer layer? I’m thinking
that the self-leveling properties might go a long way to make
my seams even smoother, since the puttied areas sometimes
have minor pits and voids, no matter how fine of sandpaper I use.
I would also expect that it would hide shallow scratches & very
small defects in the plastic. But if it can indeed hide surface
roughness, then I would worry about the following:
If Future is self-leveling, then I would expect it to also reduce
the depth of recessed panel lines, thereby making them less
accepting of washes and ultimately less pronounced on the
finished product. I haven’t seen any complaints about this, so
I’m guessing that I’m wrong.
It does slightly diminish the depth (and width) of panel lines, however that is normally a good thing. Engraved panel lines are always FAR FAR FAR FAR too big. A 1/32" wide panel line on a 1/32" scale model would equate to an inch wide on the real thing. On a 1/48 scale model it would equate to 1-1/2" on the real thing. A gap that big would send a plane to the bone yard or back for major structural overhaul because it has been bent or overstressed.
I would not even recommend using Future in any aspect for priming except for preping to decal. Reason why is there are the chemicals in paint wether enamels or acylics painted over Future erode it, soften it and cause it to crack. This can ruin the model if painting over a coat of Future. Future is best used as a clear parts protector, gloss coat and decal primer/sealer after painting. I wouldnt even try it.
Odd. I’ve never had that happen, at least with thoroughly cured Future. The most common enamel solvents should not have an effect, although some cosolvents (usually present in smaller amounts) and some lacquer solvents may attack the acrylic if applied very wet. Some lacquer thinners will attack it as well, since they usually contain some alcohols. Solvent cement (like Tenax) is death to Future (as I found out the hard way.)
Some of the alcohol solvents and cosolvents in acrylics may affect Future, but a quick test is easy to make: spray a piece of scrap with Future, when it’s cured, spray it with the paint. Any serious ill effect should show up by the time the paint has cured.