I am building two 1/72 scale jets and am at the stage where I am ready to paint. My question is should I prime them first? I generally use Mr. Surfacer in a spray can and the airbrush but I have never used it on such a small scale before and am concerned about loss of detail.
I like to prime. It’s a habit born of the frustration in having one color coat lift with the masking tape for another color. I’m here to tell ya, there is one very overlooked brand of canned primer that is rough, tough, and VERY thin, and that’s Duplicolor’s DAP series of automotive primers.
Being an actual automotive primer, it’s ready to get the job done, and hang in there, but I have NEVER found anything that dries as thin, while being so capable. There is NO detail loss even with several coats.
Here is Monogram’s F-4 Phantom parts still on the tree, as molded:
Now, here is the same section after priming (and assembly) with 4 coats of Duplicolor DAP 1692 Gray primer:
As you can see, there is no loss of detail. And detail is detail, regardless of scale really, don’t you agree? (Even the missed ejector pin divot…)
I have not as of yet found ANY brand of top coat that is incompatible with this primer, especially with hobby grade coatings.
The first 2 coats should be mist coats, to seal the plastic. Yes, it will even seal against itself! But the last two coats were fairly wet, and I let them cure for 24 hours.
While I am only now learning to use an airbrush, rattlecans are my comfort zone for 40 years LOL! Buy and use Duplicolor with confidence!! Your details will thank you[H]
Duplicolor is avialable anywhere, including parts stores that sell refinish supplies.
Thanks kustommodeler1
I have never heard of Duplicolor but the results look great. Is it fairly common in automotive paint stores or is it sold somewhere else?
Kerry
I don’t prime full stop and have never had a problem with paint lifting or anything else. But if you want to prime, theres no reason you can’t at this scale.
Howdy Mr. Kerry (WillieW)! Yes, its available at automotive parts stores and paint stores that sell products of the Sherwin-Williams company, which is what Duplicolor is a subsidiary of.
The DAP primers are available in gray, white, red oxide, black, and rust-resistant red also.
Here’s a link to the website:
Hi WillieW,
To answer your first question, yes - i think priming is worthwhile, I think the paint goes down a little nicer and seems to stick better (as is the reason) as well as ensuring your blank canvas is a uniform colour, so you don’t get odd colours bleeding through. Also, i much prefer spraying a lighter coloured surface, rather than darker (eg, when you have some green plastic kits) which can see the base plastic colour bleed through, making your top coats thicker.
I build a lot of 1/72 aircraft and 1/48 armour and use Tamiya extra thin primer from a spray can. It’s super smooth and there’s no loss of detail from what i’ve seen.
However, i suspect kustommodeler1’s suggestion will be cheaper than the Tamiya option, and looks pretty smooth too!
I have my best results with Mr Surfacer 1200, works great. I have used Duplicolor as well but on my last build it did not work that good. Could be a fluke.
Thanks everyone for the great advice.
Tonight I Prime!
Kerry