to prime or not to prime

[bound for glory]

header sez it all. what do you guys do? i hate paint fakes and tiny spots of metal showing after a few games

[jb]

to make a long story short....Prime it. I'm terrible at writing,so I think Mk1 will get on and give you all the reasons why you should

[6thompsons]

I too say prime it. I use a light coat of any flat back spray paint. I believe that it gives depth to the cover paint and takes away very little, if any detail. Plus the top coat of paint adheres better.
Regards,
Charlie T.

[1ComOpsCtr]

There are basically two ways to go regarding primer for GHQ, or any other metal, miniatures depending on the way you intend to use them.

If you intend to base your minatures you do not need to make them as able to take handling as if you use them and store them unbased. That is the first consideration.

Our group originally used our GHQ miniatures unbased and found, as you stated, the models had a tendency to chip and wear on the upper corners and turrets where they were handled, as well as those portions of the models that came in contact with the storage compartments during travel between games.

After some experimentation we went to Humbrol enamels in the base color we intended to use followed by 30 minutes in the oven at 225 degrees on a wood plank (not metal) to cure and harden the paint. After starting that process we never again suffered a chipped or scratched tank/vehicle by GHQ or any other manufacture's metal miniatures. When you do this you may lose some of the detail on the castings if the base coat is too thick, which with enamel is easy to do.

Now that we base our miniatures on metal bases we use black undercoat for dark colored vehicles and Africa Yellow, Armor Yellow, White, or Tan base coat, depending on the venue, followed by successive lighter dry brushing or darker washes depending on the color and usage. All castings are dull coated before final detailing with high gloss for glass surfaces and road dust application. We make sure the whole casting is painted to prevent any potential water or age damage unprimed castings may encounter in the future and to prevent that flash of silver seen during photograph sessions that reveal all of the faults your eye doesn't catch.

Individuals have differing ideas as to how to do the glass surfaces on vehicles. I prefer very high gloss black since that is how most vehilce windows appear when viewed directly at a distance, which will also reflect some light as they do naturally. A final dust coat is dry brushed after the windows are glossed and the tires painted to indicate road usage, though some units keep their vehicles spotless even in the field, except in the midst of combat.

Will,
ComOpsCtr
www.commandoperationscenter.com

[Mickel]

I always prime. If I'm going to do a functional monotone paint job it's black. If I'm going to get carried away and camouflage the thing it's white.

Mike

[av8rmongo]

My two cents: Prime it. I didn't always prime, back in the day when I was painting everything by hand I could mix/thin the paint to the consistency that I wanted and get deecent results with one coat of paint. Now with a family I find myself spray painting the base color to save time. Well all spray paints are not equal but priming the miniatures first goes a long way toward improving the odds.

Paul

[Pitfall]

Yes, priming is the key to a good finish.

[Mk 1]

I say prime. Prime. Prime.

I use spray-can primers. My favorite is Floquil. I use Testor's Model Master when I can't find Floquil. I have heard good things about auto-paint primers, but never tried them myself.

I have primed my tanks for 30+ years now. I have used many different colors. Originally a light green-gray. Later I switched to black. My thinking was any part of the tank/truck/whatever that was somehow missed in painting, most likely a recess in the running gear or some such, would still be OK if it was black.

I have since switched to white. I like the total effect better. It lightens the total color just a bit. I've read many modellers who say that the "scale effect" means one should lighten the colors on very small models. I also find that it gives more "interest" to models in those cases where coverage is not perfect. As I spray paint my base colors as well, and tend to spray 15 to 20 vehicles at a time, it is indeed possible that all individual vehicles will not get 100% perfect coverage. Those that get a lighter coat wind up a little lighter in shade, or with lightening on raised surfaces. I like the overall effect.

If you keep the spray-cans at least 12 to 18 inches away from the models, and sweep continuously as you spray, and shake the can like h3ll before you spray, you avoid any build-up of overspray. I can spray a very thorough priming layer, and a thorough base coat, with virtually no loss of detail.


In this picture, the M20 scout car has had a full weathering treatment as we discuss here on these forums (black wash, and light dry-brushing). But the M18 tank destroyer in the background was painted before I learned any of those techniques. Any and all weathering or highlighting that you perceive are due to the white primer beneath the olive green base-coat and detailing. You'll also notice that none of the details on either model seem to have been lost in the multiple coats of spray-painting.

I say prime.

[Thunder]

Speaking of auto primer. I happened to have a can and painted thes up a few weeks ago.

http://www.microarmor.com/gallery/main. ... itemId=346

I have not painted them further yet. The paint was a bit expensive, but it was a heavy can that should go a long way. The paint did seem to require less spray than standard, generic primer to get the coverage I was seeking.

[jb]

...Individuals have differing ideas as to how to do the glass surfaces on vehicles. I prefer very high gloss black since that is how most vehilce windows appear when viewed directly at a distance, which will also reflect some light as they do naturally.
Will,
ComOpsCtr

...I have been doing nothing but looking at vehicle "glass",since reading this passage. you are right all vehicle glass is Dark,very dark or black as you suggest.
I usaully scrape off the paint with special tools made out of needles to give the "glass' effect...

[Mk 1]

jb wrote:

1ComOpsCtr wrote:
...Individuals have differing ideas as to how to do the glass surfaces on vehicles. I prefer very high gloss black since that is how most vehilce windows appear when viewed directly at a distance, which will also reflect some light as they do naturally.
Will,
ComOpsCtr

...I have been doing nothing but looking at vehicle "glass",since reading this passage. you are right all vehicle glass is Dark,very dark or black as you suggest.
I usaully scrape off the paint with special tools made out of needles to give the "glass' effect...

Hmmph!

I have been using gloss dark blue for most vehicle windows for years. Also using gloss light silver-blue (used to use silver) for mostly horizontal glass surfaces (like folded-flat windscreens on jeeps, or fighter canopies).

And now this? Why this? I LIKE the way my windows turn out!

I have a 5th floor office. After reading this, I looked out my window over the parking lot. You know what? ALL THE CAR GLASS LOOKS SHINY BLACK.

Frikkin fraggin mumble-fargin no-good razzle tazzle...

Hmmph!

[jb]

jb wrote:

1ComOpsCtr wrote:
...Individuals have differing ideas as to how to do the glass surfaces on vehicles. I prefer very high gloss black since that is how most vehilce windows appear when viewed directly at a distance, which will also reflect some light as they do naturally.
Will,
ComOpsCtr

...I have been doing nothing but looking at vehicle "glass",since reading this passage. you are right all vehicle glass is Dark,very dark or black as you suggest.
I usaully scrape off the paint with special tools made out of needles to give the "glass' effect...

Hmmph!

I have been using gloss dark blue for most vehicle windows for years. Also using gloss light silver-blue (used to use silver) for mostly horizontal glass surfaces (like folded-flat windscreens on jeeps, or fighter canopies).

And now this? Why this? I LIKE the way my windows turn out!

I have a 5th floor office. After reading this, I looked out my window over the parking lot. You know what? ALL THE CAR GLASS LOOKS SHINY BLACK.

Frikkin fraggin mumble-fargin no-good razzle tazzle...

Hmmph!

...I know the feel'n, But I'm not upset,I still like the effect I get when I do the scrape'n

[1ComOpsCtr]

When I started painting miniatures many years ago I received an interesting bit of information from my father. Dad had spent years as a young man learning how to paint in oils, and the first time I did a 1/285th vehicle with windows (in a silver blue) he took me outside and had me look down the street at cars that were the same size (because of the distance they were away from us) to see what the glass looked like.

He also did the same thing the first time I painted a 30mm Napoleonic figure all those years ago... "Look at the object you are trying to duplicate at the same distance its size dictates, and you will see the easiest way to make it look real..."

Glass that is against something should be a different color, depending on what it is against, but glass that lets you see into something like a car interior or a building usually looks a glossy black, sometimes with streaks of light depending on what is around it, or what the light source is... and also depends on what is directly behind it. The secret is lots of high gloss clear that I usually thin so as not to make the window stick out from the model. The number of coats depends on what the vehicle is used for... (for my gaming purposes, or a diorama, or display...)

I always hold up whatever it is I am painting and compare it to an identical object that is the same distance away, making it the same size, as the object being painted. Works great for massed armies don't you know...

Will
ComOpsCtr

[Azure]

I like primer, and i use Tamiya or Citadel (made for the Warhammer miniatures) primers. When i was painting a lot of locomotives for model railroading (something that not only must be able to withstand handling...but also , with surprising frequencey, collisions with another train or a trip into the turntable pit) the Citadel primer was really second to none, but it seems a bit "thicker" than the Tamiya primer. As for glass, i never really bothered with it with my railroad models (especially in locomotives) as it tends to capture light and reflect it, often looking quite unnatural.
one last note on primer...i have always had trouble getting pale colors like white or yellow to cover well. A nice white primer helps a ton with that.
Azure

[av8rmongo]

Here's a question. I was spray priming (aerosol can) my new Stryker LAVs last night and when I inspected them after drying they were what I would have to call "fuzzy". When I look real close it looks like individual droplets of primer dried without completely flowing out over the model. I'm not sure if that's exactly what is happening but that is what it looks like to me.

Anyone have this happen before? Anyone know how to prevent it from happening in the future?

Paul