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Has anyone tried painting on models without any primer used? Are there certain paints that would do better with this?

I find that you really need to primer metal figures otherwise they are very prone to chipping and some colours, particularly light ones don't take very well. You might get away with plastics but generally I always prime my figures to get a better finish.

I've tried painting models with no primer. They looked like they took a lascanon to the face.

I done it with a load of FB Dwarves. They came out OK, if a little...undefined. The colours lack sharpness. I'd still recommend always using primer.

It will be somewhat ok ish. As long as you never touch them or game with them. If you handle a non primed mini, the paint rubs right off. Seriously, buy a cheap can of primer I pay a whopping buck for mine at home depot) and it takes all of about 3 minutes to prime a ton of minis. Just take the time and do it right, other wise dont waste your money/time on paint

GW's foundation paints. I use them as a

primer / foundation


because thats what it says on the tub.

Works for nids, anyway.
They DO take a lot of facial lascannons though.

I normally prime my stuff... I was just kind of curious because I've seen on some boxes of GW stuff they're applying paint right on the grey plastic... also, I might start painting with a co-worker who hasn't painted stuff in a long time and I'm not sure if he is familiar with priming.

djphranq wrote:I normally prime my stuff... I was just kind of curious because I've seen on some boxes of GW stuff they're applying paint right on the grey plastic... also, I might start painting with a co-worker who hasn't painted stuff in a long time and I'm not sure if he is familiar with priming.

Those are literally just photos for reference. They're about as close to reality as the Photoshopped explosions on the front of the box.

Even if he isn't familiar with priming, it's not like there's anything to it. $5 can of spray primer, spray one side, spray the other, and paint.

I painted without primer when I was younger and all the paint just rubbed right off. Take the extra 5 minutes of work and 30 minutes of waiting and prime anything and everything you paint.

Enamel paints work okay on polystyrene without primer.

Since most people use acrylic, and a fair number of metal models, why not just prime?




Automatically Appended Next Post:
We ought to sticky these, they come up so often.

1. Should I prime my models?
Yes.

2. Should I varnish my models?
Yes.

I do it often. There isn't a big deal while painting, in fact, it promotes painting in thin layers but it does chip.

i can say i have only primed my metal minis have not primed any plastic ad mine all look fine and i have no problem with chipping paints

but the paint tends to pool like when you put water in a oiled frying pan (sort of) but this could just be mould release

any way it's your choice

JT

I painted some nids using Vallejo white primer and iraqi sand. This is using an airbrush.

When I paint them only with iraqi sand it takes 2-4 coats of iraqi sand-- it doesn't cover evenly. Some paint chipped off the knuckles of the genestealers.

When I prime them first with the white it takes less iraqi sand to do the basecoat. The basecoat is very thin. It spreads out uniformly.

In the end I think both models have about the same amount of paint on them. They don't look any different.

Personally I'm going to use vallejo white primer because I like the way the next layer of paint goes on so smoothly.

I tried once. The colors woudn't stick and I had to spend half an our base coating one model's face. And it was only a plastic model imagine how bad it would be for a metal model

You might get away with it on plastic, but it really wouldn't take to metal well. it's not a corner worth cutting.

If you are in a pinch you can spray a layer of the lacquer matte coat on the model and after it has dried wash it chaos black.

djphranq wrote:I normally prime my stuff... I was just kind of curious because I've seen on some boxes of GW stuff they're applying paint right on the grey plastic... also, I might start painting with a co-worker who hasn't painted stuff in a long time and I'm not sure if he is familiar with priming.

Actually, I always assumed they used a primer that was the same color as the plastic.

It's all about the adhesiveness of the material. Paints bond to other paints and primers very well, and bond relatively well with plastic. But primer is made to bond very well with a ton of materials. So the primer creates a strong bond between the paint and the model by acting as the middle man and holding everything together.

My experience was mostly from Gundam hobby kits when I was a younger and I have a couple of early ones I did in a box somewhere, but the ones that were primed still look pretty good after a few years. The non-primed ones didn't fare well at all.

Kilkrazy wrote:Enamel paints work okay on polystyrene without primer.

Since most people use acrylic, and a fair number of metal models, why not just prime?




Automatically Appended Next Post:
We ought to sticky these, they come up so often.

1. Should I prime my models?
Yes.

2. Should I varnish my models?
Yes.

Don't forget to sticky how to strip plastic models. That one comes up at least once a month!

As for priming I think it was hit on the head. If you want your paint job to last, do it! Couple bucks up front will save you time and money in the long run. Giving the paint something to grip on when painting also makes it easier in the painting process.

I pretty much prime everything. i have painted a few models without primer and they just don't seem as deep and take more layering to build up shades. i have also found that as far as primer goes you get the same results with pretty much all primers, i use color palace Grey most of the time, or their black. which run about .92c a can here in the US and can be found at walmart. theres a couple really informative articles over on thepaintingcorps that helped me out a lot.

http://thepaintingcorps.blogspot.com/2009/05/friday-quick-tip-perfecting-primer.html

there's one of em. there's another about using the brand of paint i mentioned above, just browse the site a little =)

Primer is an absolute must, trust me.

If you paint without it the figure will chip instantly and also looked terrible.

I tried it once and never again - I ended up having to strip it and properly prime it and paint it again.

I only once painted without primer, on the old Imperial Guard command squad. I will never again do it, the colours wouldn't stick and there was no shading whatsoever; so yeah you really should prime unless you like horribly painted mini's.