White On White

Gosh I thought this post was about the Danny Williams 1964 hit song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Txk6wEbhC0

While glosscoat or dullcoat certainly helps create a more realistic surface finish, paint will be even better.  I sometimes use just the clearcoat for very small parts that are not that noticable. 

Digressing a bit, I am thrilled with some of the newest paints and metal finishes!  I see that on new fullscale subjects and model paint suppliers seem to be rapidly adopting these technologies.

Real G

I prime my white kits grey, then flat white, then gloss white.  The reason other than spotting flaws is that it helps kill translucency of the plastic. For cars, I would paint the undersides black, so an unpainted body might have some show-through. 

I prime my white kits grey, then flat white, then gloss white.  The reason other than spotting flaws is that it helps kill translucency of the plastic. For cars, I would paint the undersides black, so an unpainted body might have some show-through. 

murbee

I have a race car molded in glossy white.  The car is supposed to be gloss white. So...what would you do? Paint gloss white on top of the molded white parts? Just use a gloss coat only? Or something else.  Would love to know your process.

Thanks! 

First, I always prime, regardless of the color of the material.  Priming helps the paint adhere better to the material, compared to painting finished colors right to the plastic/metal/resin.  Also, as GM mentions it helps you see flaws that you'd want to correct before you proceed to applying your color coats.

Second, with a subject that is overall white, I do use a white primer, or the lightest color I have on hand.  The primer can impact the brightness or darkness of your color coats.  Or if I use a darker primer, I'll add an undercoat in white or light gray, before applying a white over it.

Hope that helps!

Good advice. Leaving exposed plastic usually doesn't look right, esp. if you have any putty work.

your gloss will depend on the prep you do with the primer and sanding.

I like using a primer that's a little different color than the finish. It helps me see how the coverage goes.

That said, my subjects usually are not white so white primer works well.

Once I did a Tamiya Porche molded in black.  I polished and clearcoated the black plastic and it was't too bad.  

I’d do a flat white base coat followed by a gloss white top coat.