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And varnish the model before priming, just to ensure the paint sticks.

I can't see myself doing that - though I will test on a sample piece first, just to be safe...

Well as long as at least one of my suggestions gets used...

Apartment 5 is the cardboard cutouts, ala the Space Hulk tiles right? Because I just punched out all my Space Hulk tiles last night and have the frames that everything came on that I could experiment with...

The packaging says "HDF", and it feels more like particle board than cardboard. The apartment and catwalk I unwrapped yesterday still smells faintly of burnt wood, for what that's worth.

HDF is wood. At least I'm pretty sure it is. They compress it to 3mm thick sheets and then cut them with laser, ergo the smell of burnt wood.

I'll need the definite answer to easiest/best way eventually!

I am closely watching this as i will also eventually need an answer

(as an aside, Alphy, you are really getting around this week....)

So there's a local chap building a ton of this stuff for a shop opening within the next few days.

He stated that the varnish prior to actually painting is the absolute best way to go, after experimenting on the sprues.

Halfords White Car Primer worked a treat in one coat on our buildings - wanted to go white , retains the panel lines as well .

So maybe Car Primer paint in your country may be worth a try

Revenent Reiko wrote:I am closely watching this as i will also eventually need an answer

(as an aside, Alphy, you are really getting around this week....)

Work had me running around Europe - Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Germany - but back home now!

Dynamix wrote:Halfords White Car Primer worked a treat in one coat on our buildings - wanted to go white , retains the panel lines as well .

So maybe Car Primer paint in your country may be worth a try

I think I'll be give this option a try...

I make my own buildings out of HDF. It has the same problem with Krylon white primer. It needs three coats.

Melvin McSnatch wrote:

Awesome Username!

As for the HDF, it is indeed wood. Very similar to MDF but harder.

I've got some Micro Arts bill boards coming which I intend to spray using Army Painter but I may well spray it first with varnish as suggested above!

My MAS catwalks needed 3 coats of autoprimer JUST to cover the stench of burnt wood.

Dynamix wrote:
Halfords White Car Primer worked a treat in one coat on our buildings - wanted to go white , retains the panel lines as well .

So maybe Car Primer paint in your country may be worth a try

Seconded, we spray all our tabletop stuff with Halfords primers, black and grey then whatever colour we want to be the highlight. I'm a big fan of Black, grey then army painter thrall flesh for the overall colour, and never use more than one coat of the black to start.

HDF is high density wood fiber. The edges absord more paint then the flat areas.

Well if it helps I gave two coats to four district-5 and 2 catwalk kits with 6 cans of Army Painter Desert Yellow.
So that's one can (2 coats) per kit.

 chromedog wrote:
My MAS catwalks needed 3 coats of autoprimer JUST to cover the stench of burnt wood.

I love that smell. Makes me think I'm camping.

You often camp in the aftermath of a wildfire?

We use small portable gas burners as you generally aren't allowed to start campfires during "holiday" season when it is warm enough to do so ( Wild-fire risk).

 chromedog wrote:
You often camp in the aftermath of a wildfire?

We use small portable gas burners as you generally aren't allowed to start campfires during "holiday" season when it is warm enough to do so ( Wild-fire risk).

The last time I went compaing (about 8 years ago), fires weren't banned. We actually used to spend most of the day looking for felled trees to make massive bonfires with.

The fact that you can't have camp fires anymore is what stops me camping now. It's not the same with a gas burner and gas light.

That burnt wood smell from HDF scenery is a nice reminder of the good ol days.

Also, it's awesome because I get it delivered to my inlaws house, and they'll get super paranoid about a package that smells like burning anything. Win win.

Does anyone have pictures of their finished pieces?

I'm thinking of buying up a board's worth and am looking for the best way to paint them. Don't have an airbrush nor do I want to invest in one - does spraypainting and then adding some weathering streaks with a brush do the job?

Thanks all -

Should do fine, although I do recommend investing in an airbrush if you have the space to store and use it. I got mine, including the compressor, for just under £70.00 and, even though it's taken me two years to get used to using it and I still haven't mastered it, it's proved invaluable time after time.

I'll take some pics of mine as it currently is (basecoated).

R.

 WarMill wrote:
Seconded, we spray all our tabletop stuff with Halfords primers, black and grey then whatever colour we want to be the highlight. I'm a big fan of Black, grey then army painter thrall flesh for the overall colour, and never use more than one coat of the black to start.

I'm sold. Ask the men in the know!

Swan-of-War wrote:
Does anyone have pictures of their finished pieces?

I'm thinking of buying up a board's worth and am looking for the best way to paint them. Don't have an airbrush nor do I want to invest in one - does spraypainting and then adding some weathering streaks with a brush do the job?

Thanks all -

Sure mate here are a few:



Mine was very simple, just undercoat of white and then paint in some of the small details in different, bright primary colours (as you can see in the last pic).

Definitely think the airbrushed ones look better though, and it's something I would definitely have done if I had an airbrush!

Here is an example someone else posted, you can't make it out that well but I definitely think it looks good!

Heh, that last one is very Mirrors Edge. I assume on purpose.

 Pacific wrote:


Mine was very simple, just undercoat of white and then paint in some of the small details in different, bright primary colours (as you can see in the last pic).

So, to be clear, 'all' you did was undercoat it white?

Do you remember what brand of white paint you used to do that, because it looks great and I'm about to start waiting a whole bunch of Micro Arts and Sarissa stuff!

Yes mate!

First couple of ones I did, having read some other comments on the forum, I was extremely careful - coat of watered down PVA, followed by spray on varnish, then finally used Tamiya grey primer (on a Sarissa building) - results were fine.

But, my inherent laziness/lack of patience took over, next one I sprayed just with the layer of varnish before using citadel white primer on a MAS building. Again, it was fine.

On the last building/walkways it occurred to me that it's a HDF wood, and rather thin, so probably not going to absorb that much. Used a couple of thin coats of Citadel spray and again it was fine. I think the key as always is just not to overdo it and make it pool, but obviously the first coat that you add will help function as a sealant for subsequent coats.

Probably my best advice (especially as I have heard the quality of sprays can vary, even when sticking to the same type) would be to give it an undercoat of spray on varnish first - then thin coats of the paint spray.

Hope that helps! Probably best to do a test run on a small piece in any case, allowing for different spray/atmospheric qualities.

Make a post and let me know how you get on in any case!

Thanks for posting, Pacific. Those look gorgeous!