Primer

i have tried rattle can auto primer, rattle can tamiya white ,and floquill grey in the bottle. i have to say if i were going to AB it would be the floquil but the tamiya spray works really well for most stuff.

Cheap is my way of thinking...but it still has to be good. I use a light colored flat (white and grey most often) of what ever brand I am painting with...MM for example. Some use Mr Surfacer, but it can get expensive and might not available everywhere.

With the flats, you can find your mistakes (should you've made any) then fix them. Then lightly sand (I use a dry paper towel) to knock off the peaks to ready it for the final color.

I usually only us a primer for colors such as white, yellow, reds or other light transparent colors. Dark colors, no need IMHO just adds yet another layer to cover the subtle details I want to show through. 

In my opinion, Tamiya's Plastic and Metal primer is the best I've used so far.  Model Master enamel grey primer seems too thick to me.

Jesse

I have MM Primer and it clearly needs to be thinned for airbrushing.

JViguers wrote:

I have MM Primer and it clearly needs to be thinned for airbrushing.

 

I should have been more specific.  I was referring to the spray can Model Master enamel primer. 

Jesse

When I do use a primer, I use standard automotive primers found in about any auto supply store. Depending upon the circumstances, I usually use them directly out of the can but decant where necessary (I hate that).  They're cheap, readily available, less work on clean up and (at least in my opinion) do as good (if not better) job than modeling primers.

Sold! I think I'm going to try a can of Krylon grey from the auto parts store. I have read and heard about it a while back. I was hoping there would be a better Model oriented product available. I am still curious about Mr. surfacer. Will enamels work over it? As much puttying and rescibing etc. that has gone into this Hunter, I would hate to screw it up now. I already shot a thin coat of MM gray on to check my putty work. After more sanding and scribing it is almost gone. I need something for an "even out" coat. I am not overly concerned about losing detail at this point as I have sanded a bunch off already. Talk about a project I can't wait to finish!! All your advice is much appreciated. Thank you all.

usmc1371 wrote:

I should have been more specific.  I was referring to the spray can Model Master enamel primer.  Jesse

Ah...I always had problems with spray cans (Plasti-Kote, Testors, Tamiya, etc.). They ruined several of my models in the past.

I use airbrush for everything...it gives me more control.

One thing I do is to warm the can by running hot water over it - seems to give you a finer mist to work with that.  Lets you apply a finer coat and not fill the details of the model you're painting. In fact any time I apply any type of paint from a rattle can, I warm them up.

Just put the can under a stream of hot water for two or three minutes (don't go off and forget about it - too long under the water and you'll find the entire sink and indeed the room has a new coat of paint).  Wipe and shake the water off the can and holding it 8 to 12 inches from the subject, apply your paint.  Might take a little practice (that's why I keep a couple of paint "hulks" around - practice w/them and not the ultimate target)

And make sure you have primer, not sandable/filling primer - they will fill any low details (engraved lines etc) 

Not sandable? Almost everyone says otherwise.

Any primer is sandable, however there is a primer produced for automotive use that is called sandable or filler primer.  Its formula allows a quicker build up of the coating than the regular primer and used to fill minor dings/dents/scratches and pin holes.  You could think of it as a sprayable body putty.

So, if I am going the auto primer route, I think I would want sandable. I want to use it to fill and seal putty areas and level out the whole surface. I can give the entire plane a once over with a fine grit paper and then paint the finish coat.

I tried the filler primer once, it filled all the panel lines, although I was about 14 and must have used half a can on a small plane

Mr.Surfacer 1000 is my favorite primer. Thin it with Mr. Color thinner. It only takes about 30 minutes to dry with a reasonable coating. It also is a great base code for Alclad II.

Personally I use a Modelmaster light gray (whichever one I grab first) and thin it with lacquer thinner. I've found this gives it good bite into the paint and makes it dry very quickly. Modelmaster paints generally cover pretty well. The only drawback to using lacquer thinner is that sometimes paint will partially dry before it gets to the model. However, a quick once-over with some high grit sandpaper takes care of this and leaves a good surface for your color coats.

I decant Tamiya light grey.  Then airbrush.  Sand then coat again.

I went ahead with the auto primer. I used dupli-color dark grey. It really did an excellent job! It dried in about 30 min. and sanded smooth. It did not fill in the detail. I used it to spray over reworked areas before painting. Humbrol paint went on over it well. It took a few coats for the bottomside sea grey to cover the primer. Overall I am pleased. The rattle can was 4.99 and I could do probably 3 or 4  1/32 jets with it. I am thinking about using it as an Alclad base to see how it does because it did leave a really smooth near gloss finish. Thanks for all the help.