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Went paint shopping at Walmart today


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Went paint shopping at Walmart today. Got some good stuff:

Krylon Primer ($2.37 for a large 11 oz rattlecan). Outstanding stuff. Covers completely in one pass, dries to touch in about 10 minutes, covers all imperfections in the surface (be aware, it will just about obliterate very shallow panel lines). The only (very minor) quibble is that it's a kind of dark grey. The primer is sandable. I assume it's pretty hot but it dries so quickly that no significant styrene damage should occur.

Plasticote fast-drying enamels in big 2 oz glass jars. Not exactly Modelmaster color selection, but they have white (gloss and flat), black (gloss and flat), yellow, fluorescent orange, hunter green (looks to be a good dark green), silver, brown, intermediate blue. I got white and yellow, they brush ok but the paint is way too thick for airbrushing so the 2 oz jar will give you at least 3 oz of airbrushable paint. For $1.75. Not bad.

I'll be making a white Voodoo after the Hun so I'll report on the enamels then. In the meantime, the Krylon primer is highly recommended.

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Straight from the can, from about 6" away. It probably won't work too well through the airbrush unless you thin it more which would then require more coats for coverage -- the particles looked pretty big.

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Thanks for the info. I might try the stuff, since I'm rescribing the panel lines of a model for my first time and I have a few rough areas I'd like to cover up :cheers: .

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Drew, try the primer in some hidden spot like inside the fuselage or wings first to make sure it won't destroy the plastic (these spray paints are much hotter than modeling paints). I was working with pretty hard Monogram styrene -- Tamigawa styrene is much softer.

Vince, so you empty the spray can into a bottle? I suppose that would work. I have a couple of those 98 cent cans and they are absolutely terrible out of the can.

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Actually, I plan on using it on a Monogram model. I'll still test it though. Light coats of the stuff is probably alright. I may try thinning with lacquer thinner and spraying it through the airbrush for more control.

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Whatever works for you but.....

I've never understood why folks use expensive model paints but prime coat with an off the shelf "all purpose" paint. One of the reasons model paint is different from everything else is the size of the actual pigment. This is why you lose subtle details like fine panel lines, rivets, and other misc. markings when using general spray paints. I have always been a part of the school that says less paint=more detail. There are wonderful primers out there that help to do both if you chose to even prime at all.

My two cents.

Happy modeling

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Krylon also makes a white primer that I use all the time. I'ts all I use actually...it does tend to be a little thick, but is quality stuff. I'd second the recomendation...their paint isn't all that bad either! Plasticote also makes a good white primer, it's the automotive quality primer.

Avoid Rustoleum primer like the plague, it's terrible!!

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Urloony, the idea behind a sandable primer is that it hides minor surface imperfections, scratches from sanding, etc. Since most kits I build have raised panel lines, a primer with good filling characteristics helps me save surface detail. Plus there's something to be said for perfect priming of a 1/48 model in 1 minute flat (no airbush cleanup, no expensive modeling paint expended to cover up primer) and having it ready for paint in 2 hours. :cheers:

The reason why modeling paints cost so much is because they can. Plasticote paint costs the same as MM enamels but comes in a jar that's four times as big. You don't get as many colors, but that's about all the difference there is.

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I too bought a can of the Krylon grey primer and really like it a lot. It does come out a little thick but it is quick and easy for checking the areas that have been filled and sanded. After it dries I buff it out with an old, very worn piece of Scotch-Brite pad (the green stuff used for scrubbing bathtubs). This works very well for me.

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