Primer- use or not?

[James42]

I have built and prepared my 1:35 Tamiya Panzer II f/g for painting, but i am not sure if i should bother with a primer. What is the importance of a primer and is it necessary?

[Paips]

As I do mostly figures I have found that if you don't use a primer be prepared to do many more coats for a base coat as I use only brush. Priming with a similar colour to your first base coat helps also. Using a neutral colour ..like a light grey covers all the bases ..as said less coats for your base colour. Im sure one of the tank modellers on here will be more helpful.

[TexasAndy]

You will certainly see many different opinions on this subject. Personally, I choose to prime for a couple of reasons the first being able to use considerably less paint when spraying the base coat. The other would be that before you begin painting the primer will often show "mistakes" that I have made during the construction process and allow me to correct them before I begin painting. I recommend the very excellent Vallejo Polyurethane primers that can be sprayed straight from your airbrush without thinning. Please see the link below for more information

http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/en_US/primers/family/22

[MarkVerploeg]

i agree with Andy
he has put up a few reasons but there are more
for one if you use a primer you get a uniform base color to the model wich helps to get a even result
and if there are photo etch parts it is a big help because most paints don't adhere well to the metal but primers stick better to that kind of surface ,same goes for resin
so i would say to use primers i found that out the hard way becauae your paint is easy to damage without such a base
then as a next step you need to choose wich kind of primer to use
you can use the vallejo primers from the bottles as mentioned by Andy
there are other brands aswell with the best known being A.K. interactive but it also depends on what is available to you
if you don't own a airbrush you can go with the aerosol cans these are made by vallejo and tamiya and others aswell
be carefulbwith your choise though as some people use car primers but these can be very agressive to the models surface and even damage it since they are made to go on metal wich is known to be stronger then plastic
so i hope this helps you decide on what you will do
as a cheaper option you could use flat black aswell but this should be sprayed on for the best result
cheers Mark

[DaveWithAirplanes]

While there are many products available that are called primer, a primer coat is really just any initial coat of paint on an unfinished surface. In fact, you can even use a light, thinned coat of your chosen color to act as a primer.

What's the value of primer? When you first apply a primer coat to your surface, what you are doing is creating a textured field that will "grab and hold" subsequent coats of paint, preventing them from pooling and running, and allowing them to stay in place to dry evenly.

The color of primer you select is completely up to you, but remember that color is produced from the reflection and absorption of light. So, for colors that are more translucent (e.g. oranges, yellows, whites), you may want to use a white primer to reflect as much light as possible back through the coats of paint. For most of the matte earth tones and grey tones found in military paint ranges, a light to medium grey primer underneath will probably produce what you're after.

I believe it's a common practice to test patterns on the backs of plastic spoons. Why not use that to test out primer / paint color combinations?

HTH,

[Gav0909]

The simple rule should be that if you want a superior finish to your model. Always prime your model. Always.

Paint doesn't tend to adhere to bare plastic/metal very well and through subsequent handling will chip and rub off. Less so if a primer coat is used.

If your in the UK, go to Halfords and pick up some matt grey car body primer (Halfords own), this works well. Give your model a light coat of this (ensure all is covered though) before you paint your colours.

[MakingModelsAgain]

If your kit has needed a lot of filling, sanding and 'tweaking', using a primer is a great way to see just how good (or not) your efforts turned out. This allows you to deal with any further issues that need attending to before you put all the time and effort into your final paint scheme. The uniform surface colour finish of the primer will show any level variations to the surface such as at wing roots and any seams that are still visible. Also sanding scratches may be highlighted as well. Some fillers act as a kind of light filler themselves and could be used on areas that underwent heavy sanding.

[James42]

Thanks for you're replies and help. I will now try get a hold of Vallejo primer and try that out on an old model first to see how it goes.

[MarkVerploeg]

Thanks for you're replies and help. I will now try get a hold of Vallejo primer and try that out on an old model first to see how it goes.

smart move
do keep in mind that this primer has a long drying time of about 48 hours according to some
if it has less drying time and you use.masking tape you could peel off both the basecolor and the primer

[Paul]

If you can get AK or Ammo primer is much better imo, dries a lot faster and can be sanded in just a few hours

[TexasAndy]

If you can get AK or Ammo primer is much better imo, dries a lot faster and can be sanded in just a few hours

Paul I'm reasonably certain that the AK primer is the same as the Vallejo primer. Most of the AK products were made by Vallejo in their factory. I have done some comparisons and they appear at least to be identical except for packaging. They even smell the same.

[Paul]

If you can get AK or Ammo primer is much better imo, dries a lot faster and can be sanded in just a few hours

Paul I'm reasonably certain that the AK primer is the same as the Vallejo primer. Most of the AK products were made by Vallejo in their factory. I have done some comparisons and they appear at least to be identical except for packaging. They even smell the same.

Im 100% certain they are different. The ones i have smell totally different not even similar, they definitely spray different and dry different too , The vallejo that was involved with AK was a different vallejo to the one your talking about (its a common spanish name).

[MakingModelsAgain]

The Mr Surfacer range of jars and aerosols are in humble opinion, some of the best primers out there. You get different grades for lighter-weight or heavier applications (so more levelling ability) and they dry hard very quickly. I found the Vallejo a bit plasticy, in that I've had it almost peel off like it was some kind of masking solution and have had bother sanding it - even after the appropriate drying time has elapsed.

[Paul]

The Mr Surfacer range of jars and aerosols are in humble opinion, some of the best primers out there. You get different grades for lighter-weight or heavier applications (so more levelling ability) and they dry hard very quickly. I found the Vallejo a bit plasticy, in that I've had it almost peel off like it was some kind of masking solution and have had bother sanding it - even after the appropriate drying time has elapsed.

I keep meaning to try the mr surfacer, what are you thinning it with, just cellulose?

You should try the ak/ammo gary its much much better than vallejo

[James42]

Which primer would be best for airbrushing? Something quick drying and hard wearing.

[Paul]

Which primer would be best for airbrushing? Something quick drying and hard wearing.

Alclad is good but stinks to high heaven as its cellulose based as to is mr sufficer

I would go for AK/Ammo myself

[James42]

Whats the differences between AK and Vallejo primers?

[Paul]

Whats the differences between AK and Vallejo primers?

In my experience, vallejo needs about 24-48 hours to fully cure before sanding or masking paintwork etc and even then still doesn't always sand smoothly and can roll the paint off rather than feathering the edge smoothly. Ive not had any of these problems using ak primer and its dry within 20 mins

[James42]

Whats the differences between AK and Vallejo primers?

In my experience, vallejo needs about 24-48 hours to fully cure before sanding or masking paintwork etc and even then still doesn't always sand smoothly and can roll the paint off rather than feathering the edge smoothly. Ive not had any of these problems using ak primer and its dry within 20 mins

I'll see about getting AK primer, but i'll give Vallejo a go if i get around to it.

[TexasAndy]

If you can get AK or Ammo primer is much better imo, dries a lot faster and can be sanded in just a few hours

Paul I'm reasonably certain that the AK primer is the same as the Vallejo primer. Most of the AK products were made by Vallejo in their factory. I have done some comparisons and they appear at least to be identical except for packaging. They even smell the same.

Im 100% certain they are different. The ones i have smell totally different not even similar, they definitely spray different and dry different too , The vallejo that was involved with AK was a different vallejo to the one your talking about (its a common spanish name).

Paul after a few albeit lengthy Google searches I discovered you are indeed correct sir. Therefore I humbly stand corrected and I apologize for my earlier assertion.

[Paul]

Paul after a few albeit lengthy Google searches I discovered you are indeed correct sir. Therefore I humbly stand corrected and I apologize for my earlier assertion.

No need to appoligise andy I too thought the same about the ak paints until I looked into it further.

[galileo1]

Have a couple of the AK primers to try out so I'm hopeful they're indeed good. I'd love to use cellulose-based primers but I simply can't at the moment as I have no way of venting the vapors.

Rob

[UKscalemodeller]

I know we are a group of non-judgemental and generally thoroughly 'decent chaps' (and chapesses) but I am fully prepared to accept as much flack as you want to send my way for suggesting.

primer.jpg

I used it on the moth and it seems fine, my 109G is primed in it and it 'looks' fine.

[MakingModelsAgain]

I keep meaning to try the mr surfacer, what are you thinning it with, just cellulose?

So far, I only use the jars for brush work and haven't tried them in the squirty-brush. But if I did, I would thin them with their own thinners. Stinks to high heaven, but it's the biz!

[Paul]

I keep meaning to try the mr surfacer, what are you thinning it with, just cellulose?

So far, I only use the jars for brush work and haven't tried them in the squirty-brush. But if I did, I would thin them with their own thinners. Stinks to high heaven, but it's the biz!

Right ok so by that you mr thinner? Ive seen the results of it being used and it does look superb, maybe i should give it ago

[RobertK]

I used a variety of primers, I found the best ones are sprayed from cans, even the most cheap automobile primers are better than vallejo, imo. Vallejo primer just creates a "skin" that is fragile for ages and can easily peel off. I can't imagine why it gets so much praise Maybe it's our climate or something dunno.