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My paint keeps chipping! I am so tierd of this. Every edge keeps breaking of.

Why is this?

How can I stop it?

Can I prevent it?

It looks like I can see the bare plastic. Are you not using a primer? If you are, what kind are you using? Some paints come off with handling too, particularly the very fine metallic airbrush paints. You need some kind of clear varnish for the finished model for those, and to be careful not to rub it off before then.

Wash models with light detergent in warm water.
Prime.
Seal.
Did you miss any steps?

I used to be very lax in washing my models before priming them, and lately after getting some absolutely horrible results with primer coats not curing properly, I really became vigilant about it. It actually made a good deal of difference.

My only other suggestion is a good protective coat. I have never done anything with clear coats on my minis, but then again they don;t get handled very often as I almost never get to play, so chipping is not that great a problem for me to make me deal with the work involved in keeping clear coats from fogging and screwing up my models.

I've had good luck with Testors stuff, as far as clear coats go. Some of the Krylon stuff has fogged on me, or gone velvety. My models were chipping before I started clear coating.

Hmmm...

I am re-painting an old army. With 8th edition I wanne have a propper army.

I used to wash some of them, with soap to wash of oils. I did not do it at all models though.

What primer should I use? I usually just make a good coat of chaos black as the underneath coat. Should I be using another paint? I suspect a primer should bond to the plastic or metal, and then help prime with the paint. I do not know if regular acrylic paint does that?

Also, I sometimes mix retared in with my paint. When I am painting large arias with small details. I suspect there was retared at that spot. I suspect the retarder might shrink a bit? Retarder is usualy used at 2D surfaes, not a model like this. Do anybody know if reatred messes up the models?

I've never used a drying retarder and can't say.

As for primer, the acrylic model paint doesn't do a good job for that, no. I'd suggest, for ease of use, something like sandable auto primer. You'd get it in a spray can, black. It's not the best thing ever but I've painted quite a few models with it without issue.

Paint is not primer. Primer has a very specific job and that is to bond to its intended surface and then create the best possible surface for the paint to adhear to.

If you looked at primer under a microscope it would look like a bunch of little hooks. Its why it feels rough to the touch.

A can of acrylic paint is not formulated to bond to the plastic. It also won't form those hooks. Don't prime with paint. Its nonsense. They are different products.

Niiai, something like this should work alright. Just don't spray it on too thick.

 Niiai wrote:
Hmmm...

I am re-painting an old army. With 8th edition I wanne have a propper army.

I used to wash some of them, with soap to wash of oils. I did not do it at all models though.

If you use a good primer, you shouldn't have to worry about washing models. A good wipe with a baby wipe or paper towel with dust clear, 5 minutes to dry and then prime. Rustoleum, Krylon or GW primers are pretty reliable.

 Niiai wrote:

What primer should I use? I usually just make a good coat of chaos black as the underneath coat. Should I be using another paint? I suspect a primer should bond to the plastic or metal, and then help prime with the paint. I do not know if regular acrylic paint does that?

Chaos Black is fine. Just a light coat until everything is smoothly coated black without any clumping is all you need.

 Niiai wrote:

Also, I sometimes mix retared in with my paint. When I am painting large arias with small details. I suspect there was retared at that spot. I suspect the retarder might shrink a bit? Retarder is usualy used at 2D surfaes, not a model like this. Do anybody know if reatred messes up the models?

I don't know about retarder but you should always topcoat. Use a clear coat like Testors Dullcoat to seal your models and prevent chipping. If you can't find that and you have a lady around the house, nail polish top coat works miracles, just thin it out and your models will go far.

 Salabasama wrote:
Niiai, something like this should work alright. Just don't spray it on too thick.

Or just some cheap car spray paint works for me.

 mrhappyface wrote:

 Salabasama wrote:
Niiai, something like this should work alright. Just don't spray it on too thick.

Or just some cheap car spray paint works for me.

That's what that stuff is. I think I spent $3 or so on a can.

You know I've had a similar problem to this - I find that my paint gets quite easily scraped off the primer but the primer still remains on the model. (I've been using the GW brand spray primers) Has anyone seen this happen before?

Is the answer similar to that above: finish with some kind of seal? What do you seal with, I'm assuming some kind of varnish?

Dullcoat, matte clear varnish, acrylic nailpolish top coat, essentially any clear coat varnish will work to keep chipping to a minimum. There is no ultimate defense except that and some tender loving care.

I did spray some of my models with a spray. But the old gw sprays or army painter, are they primers? I think some of them god sprayed with that.

You know, I would love to have heard this before i got into the hobby some years ago. All of my models lack this.

I always base coat/prime in the main color of the finished mini with Testors flat enamels shot through my airbrush. The enamel paint is a far superior coat than acrylic - even acrylic primer.

Also, by having the first coat done in the major color of the finished mini, it really helps speed up the paint process. The enamel base is really helpful to keep the chips eliminated on metal minis, which are really prone to chips.

mo09890, yeah, I've seen way way less chipping/wearing since I started using seals. Krylon's stuff for walls works ok, except when it fogs. The Testors products I've used have worked very well, and I overall like their matte stuff very well. Dullcote, which I'm told is not what it used to be, but the current version I've found is still very nice.

Niiai, I've heard rumors that the GW and Army Painter spray are secretly just acrylic paint. The only real problem that I've had with either is cost, though. The real primer sticks the best, though.

I use Vallejo Airbrush primer, which is a Polyeutherane - however this is weaker than rattle-can primer.
However
1) I do use a clear coat to seal my minis
2) I am paranoid about transporting my minis with minimal risk of damage - using magnets and metal sheets