most of my builds have been sci-fi stuff without alot of recessed detail, which I have always used some sort of primer.
Now that I have dove into doing some aircraft, mostly 1/48th WW II subjects with alot of recessed soft detail, I believe that if I use a primer I will lose alot of that detail by adding that extra coat of primer.
I did read someplace that if you clean your parts very well the primer coat can be skipped to preserve the details, and just spray your basecoat
I was wondering if you guys always prime a model before basecoat?
it might be worth noting that I mostly spray Tamiya acrylics and some model masters acrylics
I like to use it,I don’t clean the parts so it does help,also with metal barrels,resin,and PE parts it helps.It doesn’t seem to obscure detail as it levels out nicely.I have been using Tamiya Fine or Mr Surfacer 1200 rattlecans
If you airbrush the primer, you should be able to control the thickness adequately. Unless the detail is exceedingly fine, maybe a 1:144 model, it shouldn’t be a problem. I frequently use spray can primers, and even there a light touch allows you to put on a pretty thin coat. The thinner the coat, the rougher it will be, but for matt finishes this is not a problem. Even for a final gloss coat very fine sandpaper prepares primer for gloss paint.
I use primer because it helps paint stick better on the kits. If you spray in several light coats (2 or 3 is plenty), you won’t lose the details. Just don’t lay the primer on too thick.
I clean the parts with warm water and a couple of drops of Super Clean, to remove all grease, and I apply a primer, when it comes time to paint. I use Tamiya’s fine surfacer primer, which does a good job of covering and yet is finely-grained enough that it doesn’t obscure fine details. Can you apply finish coats without priming? Certainly. I just feel I get better results, when I use a primer coat.
Rocky, i only started useing primer a couple of years ago, the main reason i didn’t before was for the reason you say, loseing detail. But i have found that even on 1/72nd aircrfat, i don’t lose anything. But saying that, i don’t use it all the time and i never had any issues when i wasn’t, and i have never washed my kits. I have had the occasional issue with resin when not washed, btu never plastic. So don’t feel obliged to use it.
Thanks for the replies guys,I have used the tamiya fine surface primer a few times and really liked it(except for the price) so I may try picking up a can of that for my current builds.
I’m not really fond of the Vallejo. I find it goes on rubbery, takes a long time to dry, let alone cure, and doesn’t adhere all that well.
But the big negative is it cannot be sanded, it just rolls up, flakes, whatever. Make quite a mess.
I wonder who does use it? Figure painters, perhaps? I’ve used it to lay a black base coat on stuff like cockpits which will not be sanded, works great and saves the clean up fuss of the stinky stuff.
On the plus, it sprays and covers really well and is avail in at least 3 colours.
Otherwise, Vallejo is my go to line of paints.
IMO, you can’t really go wrong with Tamiya surface primer, and as much as I don’t like spraying anything except acryls or at least non-stinky so-called acryls, it’s either Tamiya, Mr Surfacer, or Alclad primer for me from now on.
I love Tamiya surface primer but hate the price and that so much paint goes elsewhere because you have limited control. I have found Model Master primer from the bottle to be pretty much useless. I now use Alclad primers and will never look back.
BTW, I too was primarily a sci-fi builder but now do at least as many, if not more, 1/48 military aircraft. Whole other set of skills to learn but it’s been a fun ride so far
I always prime. I use either Mr. Surfacer 1000 or 1500 depending on the situation. Thinned with a levelling lacquer thinner the stuff is money. I’ve never had an issue with paint lifting. I hear Tamiya is pretty good, but I like to airbrush instead of rattlecans.
That is one of the advantages of an airbrush over a spray can. I only use my spray booth for the later. With the airbrush I get so little overspray I just spray at my workbench. If you use an airbrush as a spray gun, opening it way up, you will get overspray. But dialing the flow down, and using it as a brush-mark-less brush, you get great control.
Steve, if you mean the Model Master acrylic primer in the bottle, it isn’t really primer. It is a color Testors chose to call “Primer”. I, like you, learned this the hard way. Not one of Testors’ smoothest moves, IMO.
I too am very fond of the Alclad primer, and also like you, was pretty much sold after my first go with it.
Here my primer M.O. more or less:
If it’s nice outside, I’m lazy, and have a small primer job (hardly worth cleaning the a/b over), I’ll go outside with a can of Tamiya.
If I’m feeling anal and wanting to see all that surface detail the best I can and also foresee more sanding than I’m fond of, I’ll shoot Mr Surfacer (as Stu mentioned above, whichever recipe fits the bill).
I really like Tamiya white primer. It is pricey, but it’s never let me down and I can get a couple of builds out of a can.
I always always prime. And usually on the sprue.
For some reason Mr. Surfacer is hard to find. I guess its online and i’ll try it.
I don’t think there’s any relationship with washing vs. priming. First, I usually don’t wash, except for older kits. Second, I’d imagine that a kit with mold release, oil or whatever on it isn’t going to have primer stick to it either!
The Tamiya is a good primer, Vallejo isn’t. Alclad works really well, and I recently started using Stynylrez.
Limited occasions, but Stynylrez works great every time for me. Spray one day, overnight room temp dry, super well cured by next day. No lifting at all yet, sands better than any I’ve found so far. Cleanup is quick with lacquer thinner. I have not felt the need to thin it as yet.
After stirring the bottom of the bottle well with a Tamiys stirring paddle, I do make sure to agitate it well with the little electric mixer, to ensure a thorough blend of the solids that do settle to the bottom.
Actually I do that with all paints, I don’t find shaking it enough to get the bottom sediments blended in. These days I use small stainless nuts in the bottles, that also ensures getting the bottom stirred up.
Inexpensive, three large bottles of black, white and gray on Ebay, for just a tad over US $30.00! I can see this batch lasting for a very long time.
always primer. 2 reasons: first to show possible imprefections that need to be corrected before painting, second to give paint something to bite to to avoid peeling later.
I’ve definitely learned to do all my body work before I ever use Vallejo (which I use alot of ). I do agree that you just can’t seem to sand this stuff though.
This brings me to my point of addressing the topic at hand: Yes, I do use primer for the sole purpose of finding all those boo-boos before I apply my paint coats.
Not exactly. lol . I use Tamiya primer on everything. For military finishes I use Vallejo Air paint. Cars…that gets Tamiya for base coat and MM enamel gloss coats. Sorry for the confusion good friend. [;)]
