I am getting read to start painting some figures (1/35th) and was wondering if I need to coat the plastic figures with some kind of primer first.
I am using Tamiya paint btw.
Thanks.
Yes. Priming will help you see any imperfections and give the paint a surface it can cling to.A light coat is best.
Tamiya and most hobby paint companies have small aerosol cans of primer. I use a cheap Dollar Store Brand. You get twice the primer for about a $1. Light grey or white seem to work the best[:)]
Tamiya has something called a “Flat Base”. What exactly is that?
Just a guess. I believe it is used to dull a gloss color and/or dull a flat color even more[?]
I myself swear by primer for any material that is to be brush painted (of which figures is the most obvious).
I prefer to buy the expensive stuff ($10+ Canadian per can, one can will prime 50-100 figures easily if you do more than one at a time). I used to use auto spray primer and swore by it but a few years ago bought the expensive stuff and will never go back. My favorite is by Citadel (Games Workshop), it’s a popular brand amongst fantasy war gamers. I think the Games Workshop primer (called ‘Skull White’) is made by Krylon so their primer would most likely be the same. I find the primers I mentioned to have a smother finish but.
Something Charles didn’t mention… A good smooth primer coat helps hide brush strokes.
Hope this helps.
Tamiya Flat Base is for mixing in with gloss paints to make them go flat. It is not a paint in it’s own right.