Primer application

[Whelen36]

I've seen some modelers here use primer on their builds, I've been away from building for about 20 years and got the bug once again and this process is new to me. What benefit does this give and what types of primers should be used??

I build mostly diesel trucks and 4x4 trucks.

Any help is very appreciated.

Thanks

Stephen D.

[vypurr59]

Primers do many things. It gives a surface that the paint can bite on to. It also fills small imperfections. It provides a barrier to "hotter" paint formulas.

[Tom Geiger]

Primer is important for many reasons. First, when you do your body prep.. removal of mold lines, sink marks etc. the primer covers your putty and allows you to see more imperfections you many not have seen on the bare plastic. It also gives a neutral base for color changes. You wouldn't want to put a color coat right on top of colored plastic. It will show through. That especially goes for any kit bashing where you may have a white body and say you've swapped on colored parts, and maybe some of the Squadron Green Putty. Primer pulls all that together so you won't have variations of color on your finished model.

I mainly use automotive paints like Duplicolor, and use the Duplicolor gray primer for most models and parts. The auto paints will react with the kit plastic and craze the plastic. Once you put a good auto primer on the body, it's protected and you can paint it with hotter paints. That opens up a whole new world of paints and colors.

[slusher]

I have painted models with and without primer. Prime will fill small scratches and give paint something to hold on to. The best primer for models is Tamiya fine surface primer you can get at Hobby Lobby.

[Danno]

Everything Tom said is true. I also use Dupli Color sandable primers almost exclusively. They come in white, red oxide, and common gray. I use the gray under medium and dark range colors, the red oxide under reds and browns, and the white under all light colors and whites. The white primer gives you a brighter base for brighter colors.

Tamiya primers are finer than Dupli Color. I use them for delicate models with thin or shallow detail engraving such as trim, emblems, etc. that might be covered up by heavier primers. But, the Tamiya primers are radically more expensive than Dupli Color and are less readily available. Dupli Color primers can be had at most auto parts stores, hardware stores, and all WalMarts. Tamiya, not.

Primers give color coats better 'bite' but you should always sand (almost polish) primer smooth to assure as smooth a base for your color coats as possible.

[Harry P.]

Please post questions in the Question and Answer section.

Asking about the benefits of primer is a question, it's not a tip or a trick.