is sanding really that important?

[allecb]

i browse everyones builds, and a lot of them look completely amazing. i know a lot of you sand before you paint..but is it essential? ive built 10-20 models, but they are never picture perfect. and i never sand. and i almost never prime either. would doing either make a visible difference to the final product? if sanding is really that desired..is it easy to do? is it expensive? and whats a decent/good primer? gray is for dark colors, and white would be for light colors right? +is there a simple step by step guide about sanding?

also, do you put the exterior together, THEN paint? for example, the bumpers/mirrors/wing? i never do, because i follow the directions..and usually the bumpers are supposed to be applied after you install the chassis to the car body. i just imagine me accidently snapping the bumpers off while im trying to install the body/chassis together

Edited December 27, 2013 by allecb

[mnwildpunk]

Well number one each model is different so you may get away with assembling the whole body on one kit and not another but I assemble as much as possible before painting. Primer and sanding will take that average gloss model and it will make. It super shiny. Makes a model just pop. Nothing comes for free it is a bit of work and time consuming but to get a great finish it needs to be done. If you know where to look you can get a full set of sandpaper/polishing pads and wax for $25-35 bucks (not positive on that its been awhile since I bought mine.) Again primers are cheap I prefer plastikote. And yes gray for most darker colors. Light colors I tend to go with silver primer so I don't get color bleed through

[W-409]

Yep, sanding is important. Especially in bodies, because sanding removes mold lines and other 'flaws' from the body before the painting. If you paint on that bare plastic without sanding, all of those 'flaws' are visible after painting. Primer is good to show flaws that still need to be taken care of. For example you sand a body and it looks smooth. Then you primer it and you can see that there still goes one highly visible mold line on the body. Then it's easy to remove that one (Putty will work fine) and then another primer coat and then paint. Primer also helps the paint to stick in your body.

Gluing parts before painting... Well it depends. When building an engine, only parts that I glue together before painting are the engine block halves. Then it's possible to smooth out the seam in the center before painting. But all other parts I paint separately. But then again on the body, if it has for example separate front clip (Like MPC '86 El Camino) I glue it on place before painting, and if the part doesn't fit perfectly, I fill the gap with sheet styrene and putty. Or if there shouldn't be a seam on a real car, I fill that seam away. Then I paint.

[PappyD340]

You bet it is, the finished product is only as good as the preparation!! By not priming or sanding you have left out half of the equasion. Primer gives paint something to adhere to and sanding not only smooths out the surface, but also helps in the adhesion process too. So if you would like to have some of those jaw dropping paint jobs, better go get you some primer and sandpaper!! Hope this helps.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Sanding and primer aren't important unless you want to go beyond just gluing models together, and begin to develop new skills so you can do better work.

How you approach the hobby and what you want to get out of it are entirely up to you.

As with EVERYTHING in life, the more effort you put into doing something, the better your results will be...assuming you have a little talent.

This is another topic that has been discussed here thoroughly many times before.

Sanding: https://www.google.com/search?q=+site%3Amodelcarsmag.com+shrink+body+work&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#q=site:modelcarsmag.com+sanding&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official

Primer: https://www.google.com/search?q=+site%3Amodelcarsmag.com+shrink+body+work&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#q=site:modelcarsmag.com+primer&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official

Edited December 27, 2013 by Ace-Garageguy

[allecb]

thanks guys. i will definitely use primer now. i am still not sure about the sanding, just because the little bit of info ive read on it sounds like there are a LOT of steps, and i would have to buy a cheap models worth of supplies for it..anyways, i am asking because i have a nissan gtr to build. it is like a 70+ dollar kit, and i want it to be as perfect as i personally can make it.

im used to enamel paint, but i used tamiyas lacquer for the first time on my last model. it seemed so much easier to use because it dried so quickly!! so im hooked on it. this is the color i want to paint my skyline...what is the closest tamiya lacquer color out there to this? http://www.model-car-photos.com/pictures/196.jpg

so, since im interested in the lacquer paint, but now i want to prime..what primer do i get? everyone on here talks about plastikote and duplicolor..i see a lot of talk about automotive shops and such to get those brands..these come in regular rattle cans..right? so i need to get a white primer, as im painting my kit white right? is primer lacquer, or enamel? i do know that in some cases you should NOT mix lacquer/enamel.

sorry for all the questions!

Edited December 27, 2013 by allecb

[Ace-Garageguy]

ALL the answers you need can be found by using this search method:

Don't bother with the ModelCarsMag search function.

Instead, go to Google in a separate browser window, type in site:modelcarsmag.com, a space, and the the topic you're looking for.

Example: site:modelcarsmag.com Duplicolor primer

Modify your keywords AFTER ".com" to fine tune your results.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Duplicolor and Plasticoat ARE lacquers, they dry fast, sand well, come in spray cans, and are available at general auto-parts stores like PepBoys, Autozone, etc. You can use the lacquer primers under most paints.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you're building a $70 model, you might want to do a lot of research, thoroughly understand what you're doing, and PRACTICE on something else first.

There's a lot of work to getting a quality finish, and it takes some effort. The model below isn't perfect...it's FAR from it, but it wouldn't look even as good as it does without sanding and primering, repeatedly and carefully.

Edited December 28, 2013 by Ace-Garageguy

[Pete J.]

I agree with Bill but only to a certain extent. Just taking a piece of sand paper an roughing up the surface does not get you a good paint job but it will get you a better look than not sanding. In spite of what you eyes tell you, all models have uneven surfaces. There are very small divots and bumps that are created by the molding process. Any place on the model that has a thicker cross section will have one, because the shrink rate between thicker and thinner pieces is different. The first part of the sanding process is to get rid of the uneven bits. You do that by spraying on a very light coat of primer that is a different color than the plastic. This is called a guide coat. Then you take a sanding stick and lightly sand off the primer. This will reveal the high and low spots and you can then fill the low spots and sand down the high spots. Repeat with the guide coat and sand. Repeat until all the high and low coats are gone. Then one last coat of primer and you are ready for color. You would be surprised and how much better a paint job looks on an even surface. There is much more to it than that, but this will do for a start.

[Ace-Garageguy]

... There is much more to it than that, but this will do for a start.

Everything Pete has to say is spot-on.

[Jantrix]

For the sanding of mold lines, and ejector pin marks (those little round marks on everything) get some sanding sticks from your local beauty supply store in the nail care area. They are hands down my most indispensable tools.

[Pete J.]

Amen! Here is the mother source of all sanding sticks. I order them 100 at a time but they will sell you just one, but shipping gets ridiculous. http://micro-surface.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=107&zenid=5d9ad1530751c2ba1bf54fd7f382407e

[mnwildpunk]

Amen! Here is the mother source of all sanding sticks. I order them 100 at a time but they will sell you just one, but shipping gets ridiculous. http://micro-surface.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=107&zenid=5d9ad1530751c2ba1bf54fd7f382407e

x2 greatest sanding sticks out there imho

[Kennyboy]

Because you are not wanting to sand (because of all the steps involved) you should at least wetsand the primer once it has cured with some 1000 grit. Painting over primer without wetsanding will give a rough appearance to the final paint which will show more in a metallic or pearl. The smoother the better for your surface to accept final paint color. Before I paint over primer, my primer surface will have a reflection in it almost like a gloss paint.

[allecb]

i am inspired to sand now. you guys are great salesmen.. haha. can someone provide me an excellent link of the 101 to sanding? and exactly what products i need? im hearing all these sorts of grits.. im hearing wet sanding, im hearing beauty stores..its all a lot to take in at once. how come sanding the body doesnt remove lines on a car you DO want? like for example, where the door would open/close. am i just not getting deep enough to remove that line?

most importantly why im hesitant is because i dont want to screw up the sanding. i dont know in what pattern/direction to sand in..and i dont know what to look for as mcm ohana was stating "high and low spots". but perhaps once i primer, it would become more obvious?

EDIT: was searching the website about sanding..and saw "micro mesh" kits. specifically this kit from micromark. http://www.micromark.com/micro-mesh-finishing-kit,7601.html. is this all that i would need to properly sand my model? or am i missing something from this kit? if this IS all that i need, is there a place that would be cheaper at all to get something similar?

Edited December 29, 2013 by allecb

[Pete J.]

Micro-Mark buys their stuff from Micro-surface. Here is a better kit from them at a better price. It is better because it gives you an assortment of sanding pads and sticks instead of the cloth and sanding block. The pads work on curved surfaces better than the cloth and sanding block the other kit provides. http://micro-surface.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=272_4_75_81&products_id=76 This is the same kit before Micro-Mark puts their label on it. http://micro-surface.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=272_4_75_81&products_id=75 It is the same thing without the Micro-Mark label and you save $7 buy getting it directly from the manufacturer. I don't begrudge Micro-Mark their profit, but I don't see any reason to pay them for the convenience of dealing with them. By the way, don't confuse Micro-Mark with Micro-surface. They have no relation other than one sells product to the other. Micro-Mark is the Sears catalogue store for model supplies and I love to browse their catalogue. Micro-surface is an manufacture of industrial abrasives for a wide variety of uses. You can buy one sanding stick from them or a million feet of sandpaper. Totally different companies.

Edited December 29, 2013 by Pete J.

[allecb]

that first link seems to be a great deal because you get way more grit grades, plus handifiles..and its only 16 dollars. i might order that. would this be my "complete" kit to sand my models? i am however on a budget. what would be the bare minimum of grits i would need to make my paint look really good? for example, could i go into an automotive department store like autozone and pick up 600, 1000, 1500, 2000, and like 3000.. would that be all i'd need for now until i buy a real kit? or is this not cost effective at all?

basically from what im understanding is this:

step 1: get primer. for my white skyline, i shall get white primer. preferably duplicolor and make sure its sandable on the label.

step 2: sand the body with 600-1000 grit paper

step 3: prime the body with a light coat

step 4: sand again with same grit.

step 5: primer again

step 6: sand again

step 7: prime again, this time ready for paint

step 8: apply light coat of paint.

step 9: WETSAND with ...? now once my paint is applied, should i be using a higher grit now say 1500+?

step 10: apply coats/sand as needed.

step 11: apply clear coat

step 12: polish with a compound from 3m?

is it not a good idea to sand, primer, and then sand your way up to very fine grit..that way before paint even touches the model, the model is very very smooth, thus avoiding the need to sand inbetween paint coats?

Edited December 29, 2013 by allecb

[Ace-Garageguy]

This is my own procedure. There are variables from modeler to modeler, but this works every time for ME

PAY ATTENTION to primer labeling. There is "high-build" primer that fills small bodywork imperfections, and there is "sandable", which is much thinner and only provides a correct base for paint. They can both be sanded, but you MUST allow sufficient drying time before you attempt to sand anything. Rushing things usually ruins the work.

1) SCRUB the model with an abrasive cleaner like Comet, hot water and a toothbrush. This removes surface contaminants like tooling lubricants and release agents, and uniformly scuffs the surface for good adhesion without damaging fine details. Be through, get into all the little crevices, and look at your work carefully to make certain the surface is uniformly dulled.

2) IF there are mold lines or flash, now is the time to remove them with files and/or 180 grit sandpaper, removing the 180 grit scratches with 400.

3) CHECK the model over for heavy, deep sink-marks. I personally rough these up locally with 180 grit, and fill them with a 2-part automotive glazing putty. Sand flat with 180 on a block, make SURE the area is correct (fill and sand again as necessary), then remove the 180 grit scratches with 400 grit, as above.

4) IF / WHEN the model has no obvious defects, I prefer to use a light GRAY primer for the first coat. Gray seems to show minor flaws the best (to my particular set of eyes) Try to master spraying a good wet coat without runs on a piece of scrap or a junk model body BEFORE you commit to your $70 model. IF you can spray a full-wet single coat that will flow out slick, you will avoid heavy buildup of primer that can obliterate details, and you will avoid un-necessary sanding of orange-peel. You MAY need 2 coats to get perfect coverage.

5) IF you see any minor defects that still need fill work, use a quality single-part filler made for models. Slightly roughen the area to be filled with 400 grit before applying filler. Get the filler work perfect, as well as you can see, and primer the worked areas again. Try to confine your application of primer this time only to the worked areas...again, in order to avoid primer buildup on details.

6) WHEN you have all of that done, I recommend a light overall scuffing again with Comet and hot water. IF you have orange peel or filled areas that still have visible scratches, sand it flat with 600 grit wet, and BE CAREFUL on details, corners, etc.

7) INSPECT the model carefully after the scuffing / wetsanding procedure. If it looks good to you, now is the time to spray a coat or two of WHITE primer.

8) Carefully look over the model for defects and correct as necessary. When it's perfect, I recommend a final scuffing with Comet and hot water, and a final sanding with 800 grit wet of the large flat areas. Now it's time to paint...but I recommend letting your primer dry a week or so before you paint it...which is another whole story.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As I said, these procedures work for ME. Other opinions may vary

Edited December 29, 2013 by Ace-Garageguy

[Ace-Garageguy]

... could i go into an automotive department store like autozone and pick up 600, 1000, 1500, 2000, and like 3000.. would that be all i'd need for now until i buy a real kit? or is this not cost effective at all?

Yes BUT, you probably won't find anything finer than 1500 grit in most non-bodyshop-specific stores. Some NAPA stores now have complete bodyshop supply counters, however. In general, sandpaper in even the smallest packages you can buy at an Autozone will be enough for several models.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Painting techniques vary with the kind of paint being used. In general, you want to build up color with several coats...not try to pile it on in one or two.

A LOT of modelers advocate mist coats. I DO NOT, as this tends to build an orange-peeled surface if you don't get it just right. Again, I advocate learning to shoot a full-wet flow coat WITHOUT RUNS in order to minimize orange peel and subsequent wet-sanding.

Once you're satisfied with your paint coverage, look your model over carefully for trash in the paint, orange peel, or other defects in the finish. Correct as necessary, observing the correct "recoat-window" on enamels if you need to spray additional paint.

Orange peel or trash is corrected by wet-sanding with 1000-1500 grit or finer to level it quickly, and then 2400 up through 12,000 grit, followed by an abrasive polish.

IF you go through your paint in the process of correcting a grainy orange-peel surface, you'll need to spray more paint.

IF you have to correct orange-peel in a metallic by wet-sanding, you MAY have to shoot additional paint to even out the color, as some metallic particles near the surface of the paint MAY be disturbed.

SOLID colors can generally be wet-sanded with 2400 up to 12,000, and polished to a high gloss with no clear.

Most METALLIC and PEARL colors, and Testors 2-step basecoat-clear bases need to be clearcoated, in my experience, for best appearance.

Shooting clear WILL NOT HIDE OR CORRECT DEFECTS IN THE PAINT, but will sometimes let you 'cheat' by getting a thicker surface to wet-sand and polish.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The orange Chevelle in post #7 above was prepped and primered and painted using the methods I recommend. The color is 5 coats of Testors Flaming Orange, the 4th coat sanded with 1500, and a full wet flow coat shot to perfect the metalflake layout. The model was then shot with 3 coats of Testors Wet-Look clear. It had NOT YET been wet-sanded or polished in these photographs, and that is the reason I advocate learning how to shoot your paint slick.

The very minor orange peel evident in the photos disappeared completely and easily with a subsequent wet-sanding with 3600 up through 12,000, and a careful hand-polish with 3M Perfect-it Machine Polish

Edited December 29, 2013 by Ace-Garageguy

[Guest]

that first link seems to be a great deal because you get way more grit grades, plus handifiles..and its only 16 dollars. i might order that. would this be my "complete" kit to sand my models? i am however on a budget. what would be the bare minimum of grits i would need to make my paint look really good? for example, could i go into an automotive department store like autozone and pick up 600, 1000, 1500, 2000, and like 3000.. would that be all i'd need for now until i buy a real kit? or is this not cost effective at all?

Yes. You can get a lot more sandpaper for your money from a parts store. I recommend getting a sheet of 220, 320 and 400 also.

basically from what im understanding is this:

step 1: get primer. for my white skyline, i shall get white primer. preferably duplicolor and make sure its sandable on the label.

Make sure you don't get a high build/filling or etching primer. I don't know if Dupli Color has a white primer. But, I know Plasti-Kote does.

step 2: sand the body with 600-1000 grit paper

step 3: prime the body with a light coat

step 4: sand again with same grit.

step 5: primer again

step 6: sand again

step 7: prime again, this time ready for paint

You need to sand one more time. If you're using Tamiya paint, I recommend sanding with at least 2000 grit. Tamiya's lacquer won't fill in scratches like enamels will.

step 8: apply light coat of paint.

I spray at least two good light coats. I have been able to sand those two coats smooth and then start spraying clear. Usually, I have to spray one more good wet coat over it though.

step 9: WETSAND with ...? now once my paint is applied, should i be using a higher grit now say 1500+?

Yes. Use 2000-4000 grit sandpaper.

step 10: apply coats/sand as needed.

step 11: apply clear coat

step 12: polish with a compound from 3m?

is it not a good idea to sand, primer, and then sand your way up to very fine grit..that way before paint even touches the model, the model is very very smooth, thus avoiding the need to sand inbetween paint coats?

Not in my opinion. You don't want your primer too smooth or else the paint won't stick to it well. This is especially important if you're planning on adding a second color that will require masking tape. 2000 grit sandpaper will get your primer plenty smooth enough for paint.

[allecb]

wow thanks for all the info.

Yes BUT, you probably won't find anything finer than 1500 grit in most non-bodyshop-specific stores. Some NAPA stores now have complete bodyshop supply counters, however. In general, sandpaper in even the smallest packages you can buy at an Autozone will be enough for several models.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Painting techniques vary with the kind of paint being used. In general, you want to build up color with several coats...not try to pile it on in one or two.

A LOT of modelers advocate mist coats. I DO NOT, as this tends to build an orange-peeled surface if you don't get it just right. Again, I advocate learning to shoot a full-wet flow coat WITHOUT RUNS in order to minimize orange peel and subsequent wet-sanding.

Once you're satisfied with your paint coverage, look your model over carefully for trash in the paint, orange peel, or other defects in the finish. Correct as necessary, observing the correct "recoat-window" on enamels if you need to spray additional paint.

Orange peel or trash is corrected by wet-sanding with 1000-1500 grit or finer to level it quickly, and then 2400 up through 12,000 grit, followed by an abrasive polish.

IF you go through your paint in the process of correcting a grainy orange-peel surface, you'll need to spray more paint.

IF you have to correct orange-peel in a metallic by wet-sanding, you MAY have to shoot additional paint to even out the color, as some metallic particles near the surface of the paint MAY be disturbed.

SOLID colors can generally be wet-sanded with 2400 up to 12,000, and polished to a high gloss with no clear.

Most METALLIC and PEARL colors, and Testors 2-step basecoat-clear bases need to be clearcoated, in my experience, for best appearance.

Shooting clear WILL NOT HIDE OR CORRECT DEFECTS IN THE PAINT, but will sometimes let you 'cheat' by getting a thicker surface to wet-sand and polish.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The orange Chevelle in post #7 above was prepped and primered and painted using the methods I recommend. The color is 5 coats of Testors Flaming Orange, the 4th coat sanded with 1500, and a full wet flow coat shot to perfect the metalflake layout. The model was then shot with 3 coats of Testors Wet-Look clear. It had NOT YET been wet-sanded or polished in these photographs, and that is the reason I advocate learning how to shoot your paint slick.

The very minor orange peel evident in the photos disappeared completely and easily with a subsequent wet-sanding with 3600 up through 12,000, and a careful hand-polish with 3M Perfect-it Machine Polish

thanks for all the great info!!! what i noticed in your steps though that confused me, is it seems a lot of your work described is spot-checking, or touching-up obvious defects..but the steps that i thought i had learned were mainly consisting of, sanding the WHOLE car.

[allecb]

that first link seems to be a great deal because you get way more grit grades, plus handifiles..and its only 16 dollars. i might order that. would this be my "complete" kit to sand my models? i am however on a budget. what would be the bare minimum of grits i would need to make my paint look really good? for example, could i go into an automotive department store like autozone and pick up 600, 1000, 1500, 2000, and like 3000.. would that be all i'd need for now until i buy a real kit? or is this not cost effective at all?

Yes. You can get a lot more sandpaper for your money from a parts store. I recommend getting a sheet of 220, 320 and 400 also.

basically from what im understanding is this:

step 1: get primer. for my white skyline, i shall get white primer. preferably duplicolor and make sure its sandable on the label.

Make sure you don't get a high build/filling or etching primer. I don't know if Dupli Color has a white primer. But, I know Plasti-Kote does.

step 2: sand the body with 600-1000 grit paper

step 3: prime the body with a light coat

step 4: sand again with same grit.

step 5: primer again

step 6: sand again

step 7: prime again, this time ready for paint

You need to sand one more time. If you're using Tamiya paint, I recommend sanding with at least 2000 grit. Tamiya's lacquer won't fill in scratches like enamels will.

step 8: apply light coat of paint.

I spray at least two good light coats. I have been able to sand those two coats smooth and then start spraying clear. Usually, I have to spray one more good wet coat over it though.

step 9: WETSAND with ...? now once my paint is applied, should i be using a higher grit now say 1500+?

Yes. Use 2000-4000 grit sandpaper.

step 10: apply coats/sand as needed.

step 11: apply clear coat

step 12: polish with a compound from 3m?

is it not a good idea to sand, primer, and then sand your way up to very fine grit..that way before paint even touches the model, the model is very very smooth, thus avoiding the need to sand inbetween paint coats?

Not in my opinion. You don't want your primer too smooth or else the paint won't stick to it well. This is especially important if you're planning on adding a second color that will require masking tape. 2000 grit sandpaper will get your primer plenty smooth enough for paint.

thank you! so after i put the final coat of primer on, i need to sand it one more time. before i was sanding with 1000 or less, but this final sanding before i apply paint needs to be atleast 2,000? and once the base coats have paint been applied and dried, i need to use 2,000-4,000 grit. start with 2000 wet, sand the whole body, and then work my way up to 4,000 wet, right? or am i painting inbetween sand grit changes?

[Ace-Garageguy]

wow thanks for all the info.

thanks for all the great info!!! what i noticed in your steps though that confused me, is it seems a lot of your work described is spot-checking, or touching-up obvious defects..but the steps that i thought i had learned were mainly consisting of, sanding the WHOLE car.

There are going to be flaws in every model car you ever unbox, and they need to be corrected if you want a good looking finish. My procedures work for me, and I tend to notice things a lot of folks don't. Fixing flaws in the model body, and correcting flaws in the primer and paint as they occur (and they WILL) are the difference between an okay paint job and an outstanding one.

You can read about this and get advice til jell freezes over, but without actually doing the work, for some time, it's unlikely you'll really get the hang of it. There's a lot of advice out there, but PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE is the only way you'll ever really know what works best for YOU.

[Pete J.]

There are going to be flaws in every model car you ever unbox, and they need to be corrected if you want a good looking finish. My procedures work for me, and I tend to notice things a lot of folks don't. Fixing flaws in the model body, and correcting flaws in the primer and paint as they occur (and they WILL) are the difference between an okay paint job and an outstanding one.

You can read about this and get advice til jell freezes over, but without actually doing the work, for some time, it's unlikely you'll really get the hang of it. There's a lot of advice out there, but PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE is the only way you'll ever really know what works best for YOU.

Dead on the mark! Every great painter I know has their own tips and tricks and things that work for them. Sanding, especially after you paint has a lot to do with touch and feel. When I am wet sanding paint, I can feel the drag in the sanding pad and tell when I have done enough for that grit. I can feel defects in paint with my finger tips better than I can see them. This is all stuff that comes from years of practice.

If you are serious about getting really outstanding paint jobs, then you need three things.

1) You need a journal. Any notebook will do. EVERY TIME you paint, write down these things as a minimum: Type of paint, temperature, humidity and if you use an airbrush, pressure and how much thinner you put in the paint, and the results. If you do this every time within a short period of time you will see a pattern. You will be better able to determine what works and what doesn't.

2)Some scrap bodies to practice on. Try your skills on them and enter these things in the journal including what went right and what went wrong. Every time you do this you will learn something. Do this before you open up that $70 Tamiya kit. It will save a lot of frustration.

3)Some Castol SuperClean. This is the infamous purple pond you will hear people talking about on this site. You will need it to strip the paint off your practice bodies and occasionally your good models to start over when you have screwed thing up beyond saving. Believe me, this happens to the best of builder so there is no reason to be shy about it. Stuff happens. A fly lands on your fresh paint job. You get paint incompatibility and you get alligator skin instead of smooth paint. Paint gets too thick and you bury the detail. Painting is more about how you fix the mistakes as it is about being able to lay down a perfect paint job first time every time.

Regardless, you need to have a good time learning. This is a hobby, not a life or death struggle. Enjoy it.

Edited December 29, 2013 by Pete J.

[allecb]

so i went to my local hobby store and bought some things. the only thing im concerned about is the mr surfacer 500. it wasnt everyones recommended primer of choice on this board, but all the model guys in the store suggested it. anyways, this is what i ended up with:

Edited December 29, 2013 by allecb

[Guest]

thank you! so after i put the final coat of primer on, i need to sand it one more time.Yes before i was sanding with 1000 or less, but this final sanding before i apply paint needs to be atleast 2,000? Yes. If you're using Tamiya lacquer. No if you're using enamel. and once the base coats have paint been applied and dried, i need to use 2,000-4,000 grit. start with 2000 wet, sand the whole body, and then work my way up to 4,000 wet, right? Right. 2000 to get most of the orange peel. 4000 to finish sand. or am i painting inbetween sand grit changes?