Mike Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Acrylic Primer & ThinnersAK Interactive Mig Jiminez' company AK Interactive have been providing us with weathering and painting products now for a few years, and the latest addition to their range is an acrylic primer. This is available in handy colours for the armour and ship modeller, which will help with the painting process. The colours we have so far are Dark Yellow for the WWII German modeller (or anything painted in a sandy colour) and Grey for DKM or other grey ships, although more shades will be along before too long in the shape of olive drab for WWII Allied, desert sand for modern AFVs, red primer for German armour, Russian green, black & white for general priming and pre-shading. The paint is in large plastic bottles with a dropper attachment underneath the cap, of the same type as the other AK paints, but with 60ml in the large bottle. Sadly for me, I've done no modelling for about 2 months now, so not had chance to try them, but as long as they're applied to a clean, grease-free surface they should go down fine with either airbrush or paintbrush, as is your whim. I'll report back on their usefulness once I've used them in the real world. The thinners smells strongly of Isopropyl Alcohol, otherwise known as IPA or Isopropanol to give it its "easy to use" generic name. There is a little slipperiness to the liquid when rubbed between the fingers (a practice that's best avoided in the long term), which is the drying retardant and backs up the text on the back of the bottle that states it prevents it drying or clogging on the airbrush tip, also improving brush-painting performance. Conclusion We've had black, grey & white primers for a while now, but this widening of our range of choices is welcome, and might even change the way we paint our models a little bit. Most acrylics thin with water, but thinner, whilst more expensive is preferable due to the aforementioned benefits of flow and drying improvement. Highly recommended.Grey Dark Yellow Review sample courtesy of Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWP Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 I'm confused ... how you can rate them "highly recommended" if you haven't had a chance to use them? All you're saying is that you like the idea of them, and you're just hoping that the actual product works well. Which is fair enough, but not really a basis for a "recommendation", is it? Better to not rate them at all, as this is not really a review, just an announcement of the existence of a new product. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homerlovesbeer Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 I agree. How can you rate a product "highly recommend" without even trying it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieNZ Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I'm looking at getting some of this primer, have you had a chance to use it yet and might you be able to update your original review with some results? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josip Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I have the light grey shade of this primer an have tested it on 2 models so far that are both presented here ( MiG-21f-13 and B-17G). Both were NMF projects and the results should speak for themselves. It can't be painted with a paintbrush and that is it's main drawback for me, since I was used to AirVallejo grey primer. It is best applied in thin coats with an airbrush and smoothed with a soft cloth when it's dry. The painted surface is a bit transluscent in contrast to Vallejo one which is dark grey. I clean it with window cleaner or alcohol. Recomended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homerlovesbeer Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Why can't it be painted with a paint brush? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josip Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 O.k. it can be painted with a brush bot not very successfully because it won't stick to the surface like normal paint and is too much thinned so it requires several layers. It is ment for airbrush use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homerlovesbeer Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Having used this a couple of times now I reckon it's pretty ordinary. Mine is thick, far too thick to spray out of the bottle and when thinned and applied scratches off very easily. I will not be buying another bottle and am unlikely to bother finishing this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homerlovesbeer Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 (edited) Just to reiterate.....DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT! It is total rubbish! I'm AGAIN struggling to get it to shoot properly. I've thinned with water, Mr Hobby Aqueous thinner, Mr Thinner, IPA, etc and nothing works. Water and Mr Aqueous thinner sort of do however it shoots then clogs, you give it full blast to clear and it shoots ok for about 20 secs then starts to clog again. I've tried 2:1, 1:1, 1:4 etc and I'm totally frustrated. It also dries in the cup before you even get a chance to shoot it! Oh and cleaning out the airbrush afterwards sux as well...... Can you tell I'm not real happy with AK Interactive Grey Primer? Edited July 18, 2015 by Homerlovesbeer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexN Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Hi HLB, regarding your post on the AK primer, I noticed that you apparently didn't use AK's "Acrylic Thinners". Having recently acquired said thinners (and the Mig-branded black and white acrylic primers, same bottle-type, similar paint make-up?), I've noticed that it has a strong smell of IPA about it: but maybe there's some other additive(s) in the AK thinners that the other thinners that you used didn't have. The "proprietary blend" may (or may not) make a difference, and would be interesting to see what your experience of said primers might be using the AK Acrylic Thinners. At least worth a try, in my opinion (I'm very opinionated . As a side note, I bought the (Mig) primers because it said "for brushes and airbrushes" on the label(s) (my airbrushes - unused - are in deep storage). Cheers, Alex. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homerlovesbeer Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Hi Alex, I honestly can't be bothered spending more money to use the product. If somebody wants to gift me some to try I will, otherwise I'll be trying Badgers Stynylrez Primers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexN Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Hi HLB, Thanks for the heads-up on the Badgers primer -I hadn't heard of them before. Maybe some kind soul will give you some AK thinners . Cheers, Alex. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homerlovesbeer Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 (edited) LOL you never know! I've sprayed my Super Hornet with the AK primer and now painted the underside. Once paint is on it's great, you just need to treat your model with kit gloves until the paint is on as it scratches so easily. A finger nail carelessly bumped across the surface while turning it over is enough to scratch it off sometimes. Pics of how the primer looks before and after paint Edited August 10, 2015 by Homerlovesbeer 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexN Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 (edited) Looking great! The bottle does say "let dry completely for one day", but often it's hard - or not even possible - to leave something in one place for that length of time. Cheers, Alex. Edited August 10, 2015 by AlexN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homerlovesbeer Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 I've left it dry for weeks, it still gets knocked about too easily for my liking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexN Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Oh... Ah... Hmmm. Oh well, it will be interesting to see what my bottles of black and white AMMO of Mig primers are like -presumably they are of a similar formula. I know it took well over 15 minutes' vigorous shaking to get the black one properly mixed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Thanks Homer and Alex. I hadn't seen the Badger stuff before either, but this guy on YouTube says it cures within an hour or so and he's shown stretching at it with a cocktail stick. Another review from 'Engineer Jeff' (both figure painters) also recommends it. Then I looked on Amazon and I couldn't believe the prices... Amazon only supply from Vanilla Bean Kings UK but at £61.20 for a 2oz bottle (+ £8.16 delivery) or £124.70 for 32oz (+ £29.26 delivery - do they walk it around in person??) I think I could hire a team of people to lick my models clean for less... Oh, OK, calm down, Barwell Bodyworks have it for £5.60 for 2oz but they don't have grey. Er, should we start a new thread? Edit: Just called Barwell and the nice lady there says they will have grey in about three weeks - it's on its way from the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franky boy Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Hi everyone I haven't used this product and tbh don't intend to as I tend stick with Tamiya and Gunze Aqueous primers and paints as this is what works for me. But I've heard it mentioned on BM that these paints and primers are very similar to Vallejo. Could it be that Vallejo produce these paints for AK or are they produced 'in house'? Just interested to know really. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gremlin56 Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 I tried the AK RAF acrylic colours set when I was building my 1/24th Typhoon. The most nasty stuff I have ever tried to spray through an airbrush. Couldn't have gummed things up quicker if I had tried to spray super glue. The paint also remained sticky, and needed multiple coats to cover things. Just my Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexN Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 (edited) It's very odd. Some people seem to swear by them, others seem to swear at it. By "them", I mean the Vallejo/AMMO-Mig/AK collective. From what I've read on the AK web site (signed by Allejandro Vallejo(!)) they are all appear to be under the same umbrella - they certainly use the same bottles (I do like the included ball-bearing, I must say). At least the Mig pigments don't have the drying problems (unless you might be applying the VMA/AMMO/AK washes over the top - which you probably wouldn't be - directly - anyway ) . I'll be interested to see what it does here, that gent's(?) "one hour" claim surely must be suspect - even the bottle says wait 24 hours. Others, of course, say wait weeks... My opinion (and I'm very opinionated ) is that the various edicts issued by the Euro Chemical Police (RoHS?*) have resulted in stuff that can be drunk (or eaten), but are not in fact fit for original purpose (I use "original" rather than "intended", because I'm not sure that the ECP intend stuff to be actually usable - ahem, my little joke, ahem, cough cough . Seriously, though, I have encountered problems with various surface coatings failing recently, after all-over-the-world-regulations governing ingredients have changed (see link above?*): this includes marine varnishes, marine paints, marine epoxies, and modelling paints, as discussed with Ced "offline". It was not only highly annoying in the boat-building instance but very costly in terms of both time and money. And I mean costly. Grrr. My one hope is that technology will catch up with the rules and regulations - they will have to, otherwise all manner of things and occupations and livelihoods will go down the tube (if they haven't already done so). One thing that has occurred to me with the Vallejo & Co primers (and possibly overcoats) is that the surfaces to be painted need to be ​scrupulously clean, i.e., washed with detergents, rinsed, and/or wiped with IPA or meths, in order to deal with residual mould-release agents. That might be worth investigating. * Possibly not RoHS itself - but I'm sure, from what I was told by the UK distributor from whom I acquired a quantity of formerly spectacularly-good marine varnish, that "The Rules Had Changed". Cheers, Alex(N). Edited August 12, 2015 by AlexN 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homerlovesbeer Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 This is quite amusing and I feel his pain....... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexN Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 (edited) Oh dear, oh dear. He's a bit cross, isn't he? I can relate to this...a lot! (I've run out of likes again ). I like his alternatives. The Badger primer popping up again, too. I vote for the Tamiya and Mr.Surfacer . Never had problems with either, either; they need good ventilation though... Cheers, Alex. Edited August 12, 2015 by AlexN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now