Which Primer?

[Steve NZ]

On 4/28/2020 at 9:16 PM, Rabbit Leader said:

Vallejo paint not sticking and lifting under the slightest hint of masking tape is the very reason I quickly moved on from this brand of paint, Steve. My Primer of choice is Mr Surfacer thinned with Gunze’s Leveling thinner. It’s not the best smelling product, however you can mask over it all day long. 
Cheers.. Dave 

What do you use now Dave?

[Rabbit Leader]

51 minutes ago, Steve NZ said:

What do you use now Dave?

Steve, I now mostly use Gunze's range of Mr Color Lacquers however have had luck with their so called Acrylic 'Aquous' range as well. I'm still a big fan of enamels and will use Humbrol, Tamiya or anyone else's range if I can get my hands on them. A good sol;d primer coat will allow the top coat paint (whatever the range) to bind and settle nicely. 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Stef N.]

On 30/04/2020 at 15:23, Giorgio N said:

 

IMHO the good old Tamiya primer is still the best, or at least one of the best. Not cheap, but very reliable and effective, gives good coverage while respecting even the most delicate surface detail.

I'll second this. I am currently using it on a bike kit and it leaves a smooth and durable finish. Yes it is more expensive than airbrush ready paints but it has given me a really good base to work on so I'll grin and bare the cost.

[Steve NZ]

9 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

Steve, I now mostly use Gunze's range of Mr Color Lacquers however have had luck with their so called Acrylic 'Aquous' range as well. I'm still a big fan of enamels and will use Humbrol, Tamiya or anyone else's range if I can get my hands on them. A good sol;d primer coat will allow the top coat paint (whatever the range) to bind and settle nicely. 

Cheers.. Dave 

Dave, I see at Mr. Color does a Surfacer in a spray can!  Have you used that?  Just seems less hastle than mixing!  Steve.

[Steve NZ]

9 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

Steve, I now mostly use Gunze's range of Mr Color Lacquers however have had luck with their so called Acrylic 'Aquous' range as well. I'm still a big fan of enamels and will use Humbrol, Tamiya or anyone else's range if I can get my hands on them. A good sol;d primer coat will allow the top coat paint (whatever the range) to bind and settle nicely. 

Cheers.. Dave 

Dave, I see at Mr. Color does a Surfacer in a spray can!  Have you used that?  Just seems less hastle than mixing!  Steve.

[Rabbit Leader]

34 minutes ago, Steve NZ said:

I see that Mr. Color does a Surfacer in a spray can!  Have you used that?

Yes I have, Mr. Surfacer spray cans were initially my priming weapon of choice. Obviously, you’ll never have the same control with an aerosol as compared to an airbrush and they will become quite expensive over time. I’d definitely recommend you buy yourself at least one can to check out their quality and performance. 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

[bmwh548]

Mr. Surfacer 1000 or 1200 in a bottle, mixed with Leveling thinner. You won't regret it.

[Steve NZ]

Wow, what a mission trying to find Mr. Surfacer in New Zealand!  Unless I buy the spray can I may have to look at Tamiya as that seems to be the most readily available.  Anyway, would the Mr. Surfacer spray cans have the levelling agent in them?  Or could I decant it and add the levelling thinner?

[stevehnz]

Steve, Hobbycity has most of the Gunze stuff, not especially cheap but available nonetheless. I've had a couple of kit from them, they seem good to deal with.

Steve.

[Steve NZ]

Most are suggesting 1000 or 1200 which I'm finding hard to get! I can however get 1500!  Would that be as good?

[ckw]

Probably better as a primer because it's very like paint - but less effective as a filler, so any minor surface blemishes will still be apparent whereas 1200 and more so 1000 can fill shallow scratches to some extent.

 

Cheers,

 

Colin

[Steve Noble]

4 hours ago, Steve NZ said:

Most are suggesting 1000 or 1200 which I'm finding hard to get! I can however get 1500!  Would that be as good?

All the Mr Surfacer products are excellent!! I'm mainly using Tamiya aerosol primer now as it's readily available. But I used Mr Surfacer for many projects and I would say it's a smoother product than the Tamiya. The 1500 is so smooth I never used to sand it back before my top coats, just straight over the top with no issues at all. Obviously as stated above the finer 1500 won't fill any surface imperfections as well as 1000 or 1200. But if your preparation is good I'd go with the 1500 as a final layer before paint 😀

Edited May 6, 2020 by Steve Noble

[Steve NZ]

I e just managed to get hold of some grey 1200 and the levelling thinner is on the way also!  So as far the main paint coat, what paint type can I also use the levelling thinners with?  The Mr Hobby site says the Surfacer is acrylic/lacquer so therfore I can only use it with acrylic?   

[Rabbit Leader]

Steve, I happily use the Levelling thinner with Gunze’s Mr. Color (lacquers), Mr. Hobby (‘acrylic’) and Tamiya’s version of their acrylic paints (the wide rimmed 10ml pots). I’m sure it’ll work with other paints, however best to experiment and see how they go with each brand. 
Cheers.. Dave