Painting metal tracks

I have never cleaned mine and not had any problems. I start out with a couple of coats of Tamiya NATO black rather than a primer.

The burnishing fluid gives great results but it's expensive.

Mick.

I would highly suggest cleaning them first to remove any mould release residue. This will help your paint stick to it without any primer. What type of paint are you using to paint this with? I mean is it shiny metallic, or is this a dull somewhat flat black, or military flat colour? You don't need a primer on plastic - this is intended for metal as it flexes, and isn't porous. Plastics are porous, and can be stained unlike metal which has no real porousity to it.  Metallic finishes need to be primed to give a smooth look to them if you're wanting to resemble bare steel, or stainless steel. However you don't need to prime your model if you're simply looking for adhesion.

~ Cobra Chris

I would soak them a bit in some form of degreaser/cleaner.

I like to spray my metal tracks with Rustoleum Camouflage Brown from the "Camouflage" line of sprays.

Dries dead flat in no time and adheres like glue. I use various washes of acrylic rust tones over that. 

Lightly sand the contact points toexpose bare metal indicating wear.

Thanks for the replys, I've get a few good ideas now.

Cleaning the tracks with nail polish remover with acetone  and a tooth brush cleans them up good.

After painting,it's nice to sand  the paint off the high points to simulate wear.