what areas to spray primer?

[camaro22]

Hello everyone, I am a newbie to this hobby and I am unsure what areas to spray primer for my Revell Dodge Viper acr... It has a opening trunk and engine, so should I spray the body and the interior, engine parts, the wheels, small parts and the underbody as well? (should I just spray everything with primer?) Any help would be appreciated. :)

Thanks!

Edited November 12, 2014 by camaro22

[Ace-Garageguy]

You're going to get a dozen differing opinions, but I personally find I get a better finish on almost every part if I primer before paint. I also usually "scuff sand" all my parts FIRST by scrubbing them with hot water, an old toothbrush, and an abrasive cleaner like Comet. This gets into all the small areas and crevices without softening or damaging details like sandpaper can, and removes contaminants that can cause fisheyes or adhesion problems.

There are several benefits to primering everything, in my experience. Many paints will adhere better and cover better if shot over primer. Some paints, like automotive lacquers (Duplicolor, etc.) will craze or etch bare plastic, and correct primer applications will control this. Also, if you do any sanding of your parts to remove flash, mold lines, sprue-tabs, or if you do any filling of sink-marks, you will absolutely need to shoot primer to fill the sanding scratches to get a good surface for paint.

Experiment and practice first, to avoid disappointment from painting a model before you really know what you're doing. Also avoid shooting TOO MUCH primer, as this will fill and spoil fine surface details.

You can practice pimering and painting on plastic soda bottles.

[camaro22]

You're going to get a dozen differing opinions, but I personally find I get a better finish on almost every part if I primer before paint. I also usually "scuff sand" all my parts FIRST by scrubbing them with hot water, an old toothbrush, and an abrasive cleaner like Comet. This gets into all the small areas and crevices without softening or damaging details like sandpaper can, and removes contaminants that can cause fisheyes or adhesion problems.

There are several benefits to primering everything, in my experience. Many paints will adhere better and cover better if shot over primer. Some paints, like automotive lacquers (Duplicolor, etc.) will craze or etch bare plastic, and correct primer applications will control this. Also, if you do any sanding of your parts to remove flash, mold lines, sprue-tabs, or if you do any filling of sink-marks, you will absolutely need to shoot primer to fill the sanding scratches to get a good surface for paint.

Experiment and practice first, to avoid disappointment from painting a model before you really know what you're doing. Also avoid shooting TOO MUCH primer, as this will fill and spoil fine surface details.

You can practice pimering and painting on plastic soda bottles.

Thanks a lot Bill! That was very helpful

[Mike_G]

I generally use two different primers- Tamiya "fine" primer for interiors and parts that have details that are easily obscured, and PlastiKote automotive "sandable" primer for bodies and parts where I want to build up the surface a bit and sand it smooth. I usually prime everything except for when I use metalizer, which I usually spray on raw plastic.