Hi.
What is prime, priming, prime coat?
What is it for?
They all sound like the same thing to me. Its painting a model with a base coat (usually grey but I’ve tried zinc chromate just for kicks) before applying the final color/s. Priming is done to even up the surface hue of the model which may already have different shades by reason of the application of putty or the addition of kitbashed or after market parts. I also use it to make sure no light will pass through areas where the plastic is thin. In cases of aircraft/helo canopies, I spray the transparencies black (after masking, of course) and then prime the entire model grey. You could also say that the primer makes the final color stick better to the kit surface.
Hope this helps.
Ahoy HANG,
Priming is the application of a base coat of paint to your model before putting on your finish coat of paint. Depending on the final color, I use either a flat light grey or flat white. I use the grey under dark colors and the white under light colors. The primer has several purposes:
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As Allan says, it makes the final coat stick better, this is especially true of acrylics.
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It highlights flaws in the surface that may need additional filling and sanding.
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It provides an even undercoat so that your final color coat will be uniform.
I prime everything I paint. It takes more time, but I think it improves the results.
Tom
It’s particularly important if you build mixed-media kits with plastic, metal, resin,… Resin and metal (etched stuff, or white metal bits) need that extra coat to give the camouflage colour something to ‘bite’ into, or rather ‘hang’ onto.
Can’t add anything to this thread. All these guys have given you the essentials. - Ed
HEY,
You can buy primer in “rattle cans” at wal-mart or your local hobby shop. I’m sure that you can get it at a hardware store too but testors makes a modelers primer for plastic models.
Randy
So does it matter what kind of paint you use for priming? An actuall “primer” or would any kind of pain do the trick?
I bought a spray can of Testors light gray enamel to use as a primer. I’ll let you know how it turns out. 
Regards,
-Drew
Primers come in various coulours, red-brick, black, light grey and white being the most common I think. What your final coat of paint will be will generally dictate what colour of primer you use. For a red Ferrari, or any light and glossy colours, you’d better use a white primer as it will help your final paint getting its brightness. On tanks, wargaming figures (Lors of the Rings and such), I often use black primer as it will go towards giving me a ‘washed’ look after application of the camouflage (black possibly ‘showing through’ in corners and other recessed areas. For many of my airliners, the white and light grey primers are used, often as final coats, only to be re-coated with a satin varnish (Klear/Future). On normal figures, I’ll use white as it’s the easiest one to cover with the flesh colours.
Automotive primers are fine, I use a UK brand called Halfords, but be aware that some may attack the plastic so always try on a scrap or sprue first!
Ideally, you should use the same type of paint when priming and painting on the final color/s. If youre final color is lacquer based, for instance, use a lacquer based primer. I found that a lacquer based primer can take on acrylic and enamel coats, but the reverse may be a little risky.
Does primer have a special formulation as compared to ‘regular’ paint or is it the same thing? I’m having a hard time finding white primer. I use automotive primer and the only colors I can find are grey and sometimes oxide red. White seems to be non-existent. Like grsycat, I’m wondering if I can just get a can of flat white paint and use that as a primer?
Ray
Ray, I’m not sure. Probably not. I’ve used matt white paint as a primer on figures and it’s always done the trick. The automotive paint I use is simply easier to use than preparing a mix and getting the airbrush out… As mentionned earlier, I use the white and grey primers as base and final coats (other than Future) on many of my airliners. The brand I use has the advantadge of not yellowing, something that many ordinary gloss white do in time.
So to answer your question, I do not think there’s any problem in using any matt white as primer. I think many modelers use the white is because this is what white metal figure painters used to do long before we plastic modeler did. White is easier to cover and can help many paints look brighter.
Thanks djmodels1999.
I’ll have to do some experimenting and let you know how things turn out.
Ray