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recently got a thunderhawk and tempest cleaned both with purple power like i done with all my other resin models. but used army painter has an undercoat and it keeps cracking. never had this happen before I have no answer so now i ask for suggestions.

I would suggest soaking the pieces in simple green, removing the primer with a toothbrush, and then applying a different type of primer. I like the GW black primer spray. Expensive, but it works.

More information:

What's the temperature and humidity like?
You should know that spray paints and humidity don't mix already.
Spraypaints and direct sunlight on warm days can also be bad.

Spraying in direct sunlight (on a warm day) will often cause the paint to dry too quickly, resulting in a cracked appearance.

There is a limited range of conditions where spraypaints work well.

use rust-o-leum brand car primer, i use it on GW plastic & metal as well as FW resin and it works great.

plus is a whole $3 at walmart

Thank you for your replys the cracks make sense now i have been spraying on warm days here in the south. And will be going to visit my walmart for the rust-o-leum paint.

If you can, and I admit it is difficult, I always try and spray in a controlled environment. My Garage is pretty good, but you can end up with issues like gases and fumes building up. I have a little extractor fan fitted which helps and I usually wear a mask.

Interestingly I used Army Painter Coloured Primer (and I am reasonable adept at using spray paints and Airbrushes) and after shaking it up for 2 mins, I applied a nice even thin coat. After it had dried, it went all granular and left an uneven finish which resulted in me having to paint everything again, negating the advantage of using a coloured Primer :(..

I wish we had US style WALMARTS in the UK, Rust-o-leum for $3 is pretty good. Every American Dakkanaut that uses it raves about it, as do our American friends with SIMPLE GREEN and PURPLE POWER. You lucky little Tykes..

The most important thing about painting resin...........

UNDERCOAT WITH A GOOD SPRAY VARNISH BEFORE UNDERCOATING!!!

Varnish is more adhesive than spray paint. Give it a good healthy spray of varnish first and let this dry and harden for at least 2 days before undercoating. If you do this, you'll never have any issues.

This is after you've cleaned it.

I have worked with a ton of resin stuff in the past and acttualy worked for a company that produces resin products. I agree with the others it isn't the resin it's your primer. I've never had much luck with army painter either. Rust-o-leum works great. When your spraying remember that several thin coats is better than trying to tottaly cover the model in one shot. Hope that helps. MrJody.

Also make sure to wash your resin pieces with soap and water before spray priming. There is always mold release left on on the resin and it doesn't like to mix with paint.
Also use soap and water after taking it out of a simple green bath and use a tooth brush to get into the nooks.
I like to use krylon primer it's cheap and works great. I haven't had any problem on my resin models.