Something else is missing in this discussion and that is scale. When you work in a smaller scale, there is always the danger of covering up much needed fine detail. The smaller the scale the more important this aspect of modeling becomes. To avoid this I do not prime and I mix my topcoat paint very thin, and lay down several coats to arrive at the desired finish.......just me 2 cents worth. :nerd:
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I understand what you are saying and, yes there is a risk of that if paint coats are layed down so they obscure detail. A very valid concern.
That said airbrush layers of paint are very thin indeed, much thinner than a thin hand brushed coat.
Take my current build as an example.
On my 1/48 HKM Lancaster wing is very fine surface detailing, finer than you find on many 1/72 wings.
I have already sprayed:
Two coats of black primer.
Some grey preshading in places
A coat of RAF Night, sides and undersides.
Post shading in places with Tyre Black
On top of model over the primer coats, Dark Earth, post shaded with light earth and blending mist coats of DE. Then in places over that, Dark Green and then post shaded with a lighter green, plus mist coats of DG.
Tomorrow I will apply:
Painted on walk lines and roundels
Two gloss coats
A panel line wash.
Two (maybe three) matt coats.
Various other weathering treatments, pigments, streaking, exhaust smoke etc.
After that lot the surface detail will not just be visible but will be emphasised and brought out.
So I do believe that your understandable fear that fine detail will be obscured is groundless provided an airbrush is used.
I do accept that I spray with MRP that has a particularly fine pigment and hence results in an even thinner paint layer, but I do remember that when I used Vallejo some years ago that did not hide detail either (unless I cocked up!)
While I understand your fears I do think that you have nothing to worry about. An experiment perhaps?Comment
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God i wonder how people managed to produce wonderful models in the past without priming. They must have been lucky each and every time they painted.
Whilst i understand the benefits of it. Is it really the B all and end all?Comment
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I always use an airbrush and I always use smelly enamel paints which most people avoid because they don't want to be bothered with a respirator and proper ventilation. I find they adhere to plastic surfaces with superior results and the pigments are the finest available next to lacquer. in conclusion, if you do all the body work right on the first go round there will be no need to spray the entire model to check ones work, just spot prime the affected areas if you are unsure. I prefer to lay down the top coat and if I have a problem area, just let it dry and spot it back in once I have made corrections. Different strokes for different folks........
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WOW!!Comment
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I always prime , it's a thing you do when you paint . Well it used to be but with some applications and modern paints it's not needed .
Now in our world I was told it would help adhesion of the following coats . I've found that if I didn't prime the paint would easily mark , scratch and generally not be able to with stand handling.Comment
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I've never primed my kits. I always thought 'prime' was a service from a rain forest company on the internet!!!
Prost
AllenLife's to short to be a sheep...Comment
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A. Because primer cost extra money that at the time i could not afford to buy it. When you count every single pound every week then it all adds up
B. Because i fill my seams and sand flush. Under a coat or two of paint they aren't that noticeable unless you get ultra close
C. I am not that anally retentive to worry about if i can see a seam line/mark from 2ft away. Which to be honest is probably as close as you get when they are on a shelf/display cabinet.
D. I've not really had a problem with paint adhering to my plastic. The only paint i had a problem with was Xtracrylix and i now haven't got any of them.Comment
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To be honest Barry, over 90% of what I build is armor and soft skins. I have only recently gotten into building aircraft in 1/32. With armor, I may spray a red oxide undercoat but that's only as a basis for chipping and damage to the topcoat and camo. I am a person who washes his hands every time before I work on a kit. Sometimes 10 times a day, when I take a break to eat, shop and the like. With armor, you can always fix any small flaws that arise very easily without priming and weathering/mud is one of your best friends.
With my current Wingnut Wing's build, I may shoot a primer coat on the fuselage for the above stated reasons in this thread. The wings are one piece and I will paint those before applying the lozenge camo decals, but priming isn't necessary on them. When I get back to my 1/32 Arado 234 build, I think priming will be beneficial as it's a multi-media, short-run kit. Getting the wing root and fuselage joins smooth, by eye, won't be that easy. I'll have to wait and see though...
Prost
AllenLife's to short to be a sheep...Comment
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I understand what you are saying. Of course for many people money is an issue.
As I build 1/32 mostly I find seams are much more visible and prominent and as much as you try to sort them first you cannot be sure until after the model is primed. No matter how much trouble I take primer always reveals a few flaws. I carry those habits over to 1/48 of late.
As I see it modelling is about attention to detail rather than being anal retentive. I am of the ‘if it looks right’ school of thought, but my eye is always drawn to seams and other flaws so then it ‘does not look right’.
Hence the high importance I pay to seams and priming. Not to mention. The shading issue of course.
Ultimately I suppose it depends on what we build and what we find important.Comment
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