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Best primer out there?


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Hey all, Ok I may be opening a can of worms but here goes, I am looking for a good all around primer for my kits. I am looking for something that adheres well, fills small imperfections ( minor scratches, small pin holes, slight dips, etc), able to be sanded, and takes all types of paints. I paint primarily in acrylics but I do use enamels and lacquers occasionally. I have used Tamiya's primer, and like it, only draw back is I can only find it in spray cans, and I don't want to have to decant to use in my airbrush. So with all this said lets hear what y'all use, the good and bad sides of them. Thank you in advance.

 

Dave Fassett

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I use Rustoleum grey primer. It's dark grey (like Schwarzgrau), so if you're into the vogue of dark primer with a light mottle on top for tonal variations, it is good in that respect too. 

 

It shoots fairly well out of the spray can, but can be a bit thick and prone to runs if you're not used to it. If you decant it, though, you can either shoot it straight and a bit heavier to hide imperfections or thin it with lacquer thinner to get a very light coat. 

 

Even on thick, it may look blobby when wet, but let it dry, no detail will be lost unless you totally ham-fisted the application. It's forgiving. Dries in less than 24 hours - but I try to give it at least 15 before handling it. It can tend to remain tacky to the touch for days, but I've never found it a problem to paint over it in that stage. I use Model Master Acrylics for my paints, and they stick to it fine. Molotow chrome sticks fine, Testors oils stick fine, Tamiyas seem to stick fine (the few I use). 

 

If you decant a Rustoleum gloss paint, you HAVE to thin it. They do their glosses thicker, and it's a mess trying to shoot them straight in an airbrush. 

 

I'm sure others have better ideas, but Rustoleum is generally cheap, available at Walmart (always a bonus) and is good, tough paint. 

 

Good luck!

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Just shot my Tamiya M4A3E8 with Stynylrez.  I used my .5mm needle Iwata Neo (dedicated primer AB) at 30 psi, and spray straight from the bottle.  It dries pretty quickly and self levels wonderfully.  Straighforward to clean too.  It is an acrylic, and needs to cure fully to sand properly.  I am quite happy with it.  I have not had problems with tamiya, Mr Color , AK interactive Real Color, or Extreme Metal paints adhering.  

 

Check this thread out:

 

plus, these two videos sold me a while back.

 

and

 

 

 

A nice online hobby store to purchase it!:

http://www.hobbyworld-usa.com/Store/index.php?id_product=3758&controller=product&search_query=stynylrez&results=18

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I use either Tamiya primers out of the spray can or one the many Gunze Mr Surfacers. They come in either spray can or bottle and either very fine pigment (Surfacer 1500) or coarse (Surfacer 500). Using the bottled versions, you must thin heavily as the primer is very thick. I use Mr Leveling Thinner. I use Mr. Surfacer 500 if there are a lot of surface defects to fill and one of the finer ones (1000, 1200, 1500) if I just want a consistent surface to lay paint on.

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I always prime with thinned Mr Surfacer 1200. I thin it to the same consistency as I do for paint, which means about 1% milk or a little thinner. While it will fill small scratches, it leaves fine detail intact. It produces a wonderfully smooth coat. Doesn't need any sanding at all.

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Ive tried them all over the years from zinc loaded etch primers to bog standard Mr Surfacer and I can honestly say this.

There all much of a muchness. Its what ever brand name you like the sound of.

 

I usually roll with Stynylrez for miniatures with an Iwata HP-CS (because its a nice cheap airbrush that works well)as its reliable and cheap. You can thin it or neat adjusting air pressure as atmospheric conditions dictate.
Mr Surfacer works really well, but then so does Vallejo Surface Primer. Vallejo may be better as it requires less work to get it down.

 

 

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Another vote for Stynylrez or MIG One Shot primer.  Water based (minimal smell), self leveling, sandable.  

 

I also happen to like Vallejo Primer, but, for some odd reason, only the black color; somehow, it lays down better and acts differently than the other colors.  However, I have just recently purchased Mr Surfacer 1500 (black), which I have yet to try.  The smell alone would seem to distance it from the Stynylrez, in my book, though.  We'll see what happens with it when I try it.

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Thank you all. I just ordered some Stynylrez as that seems to be the best in the acrylics side of the house. I just found out too that the liquid surface primer in a bottle by Tamiya is basically their spray can formula in a bottle. Looks like you thin it 1:1 with lacquer thinner to shot it through your airbrush. I am going to give this a try and the Stynylrez. Keep the ideas coming in case these tank. I may also give the Mr. Surfacer a shot, I have a bottle of the 1500 sitting on the shelf. I will just need to pick up some of the Mr. Color leveling thinner.

 

What are your thought on Model Master acrylic gray primer and the Ammo one shot. I found a bottle of the Model Master in a kit I inherited  and I got a bottle of the one shot in a solution box I got for Christmas. I love the Ammo products but I have never been impressed by acrylic primers. Thank again.

 

Dave Fassett 

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34 minutes ago, Bulldog 09 said:

Thank you all. I just ordered some Stynylrez as that seems to be the best in the acrylics side of the house. I just found out too that the liquid surface primer in a bottle by Tamiya is basically their spray can formula in a bottle. Looks like you thin it 1:1 with lacquer thinner to shot it through your airbrush. I am going to give this a try and the Stynylrez. Keep the ideas coming in case these tank. I may also give the Mr. Surfacer a shot, I have a bottle of the 1500 sitting on the shelf. I will just need to pick up some of the Mr. Color leveling thinner.

 

What are your thought on Model Master acrylic gray primer and the Ammo one shot. I found a bottle of the Model Master in a kit I inherited  and I got a bottle of the one shot in a solution box I got for Christmas. I love the Ammo products but I have never been impressed by acrylic primers. Thank again.

 

Dave Fassett 

 

Good choices, Dave.  Regarding the Ammo (MIG) One Shot, It is the identical primer to the Stynylrez, just rebranded/rebottled.  Unfortunately I don't know anything about the Model Master primer you have questions about...just my own experience, I've had nothing but poor experience with MM Acrylic paints, though I've used them when needed for specific colors.  

 

You haven't asked, but I've gone from the 'easy' side of paints (Tamiya, Model AIr/Model Color,MIG) to the lacquers, Mr. Color and MRP, and despite the smell and the mess, the painting process and results are spectacular, even when painting over Stynylrez primed plastic.  I do have several AK Real Colors and Mission Model paints too, which I have yet to explore significantly.

Edited by Curt B
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I wouldn't bother with the Model Mastery Acrylic grey primer, and that's coming from me, likely the biggest Model Master Acrylic honk on the planet.

 

It is okay for hand-primering little details, but it has a major problem when airbrushed; because it's chemically quite neutral, it doesn't like to stick. I often pulls right off the plastic if you've Tamiya taped over any paint applied over it.  It has no bite. 

 

HOWEVER, it does have one use - vinyl figures. I've used some on a Kei (from Dirty Pair) I did years ago, and it worked fine there, because I wasn't masking anything. 

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I have recently tried One Shot Primer (so repacked Stynylrez supposedly) and I was not really impressed. I have sprayed it just the same way as I spray thinned Gunze Surfacer 1500 and AK Primer and Microfiller and results were bad. Surface wasn' t that satin, stained rather, especially in places where primer was laid wet (not dripping but wet). I didn't enjoyed it to that extent that I've only sprayed 3 missiles with it and then poured out the remaining 1/2 of airbrush paint cup.

When I want to go perfect effortlessly  I just use Mr Surfacer 1500 (expensive but top quality IMO), when I can spend some time sanding with fine paper I use AK Primer and Microfiller as it leaves a bit rough surface, however lately I have managed to get excellent smooth surface after adding few drops of Tamiya's Lacquer Retarder. AK's primer advantage is the price, after 3 primed 1/48 scale jets I still have almost half of bottle left.

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Again, my experience with Stynlrez/One Shot has been great.  However, as the first video above notes, acrylic primers do have their limitations, even the best of them.  There is really no substitute for, say, lacquer based primers that actually bond with the plastic, rather than form a 'skin'.  However, you do need to decide to what degree you wish to inconvenience yourself with the smell and the cleanup considerations.  That's a reality.  For some folks, the negatives outweigh the positives, and for others, the inverse.  All depends on what you want or need.

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If you asked me a few days ago, I would have said Badger Stynylez hands down. But I had an experience I never had before. After spraying the primer, I found a few seam issues. I never had this before. The primer would not feather out, no matter what I did. I would not use Stynylez again. I have gone back to using Alclad Micro filler primer. It sands smooth and feathers out really well. 

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For me it is hands down Mr Surfacer 1500 (black). Unfortunately I had to trade my modelling room for the living room. So using lacquer paint is no longer an option and my alternative primer is AMMO's One Shot (~Stynylrez). Great stuff/product but with a lousy bottle 😡

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I go back and forth between Mr. Surfacer 1500 and 1200 as well as Stynylrez (grey, white, black, & gloss black). If I'm spraying interior for cockpits or areas that have sharp corners that could be hard to get into, I'll use the Stynylrez because of the self-leveling properties. I've found that sometimes, spraying a lacquer primer in these areas can sometimes get a grainy appearance from primer particles swirling around and drying before landing on the wet surface.

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3 hours ago, shion said:

How much do you used as dilution and which thinner?

 

For Mr. Surfacer 1500 and 1200, I generally start around 50/50, for me that seems to work in most cases. I normally spray Mr. Surfacer through my Sotar 20/20 with the .2 needle around 8-10 psi. If I'm spraying Stynylrez, I shoot it through my Krome with the .3 needle somewhere between 20-35 psi. I do not thin my Stynylrez. I've heard several people talk about heating up their bottles in warm water prior to spraying, I personally have not done this, nor have I found a situation where I thought it might help. The only Stynylrez product that I've ran into performance issues with is the gloss black primer, and its really not what I would consider "glossy", to me its on the lower end of the scale below semi-gloss, it also seems to be a thinner consistency from the regular products.

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6 hours ago, jelliott523 said:

 

For Mr. Surfacer 1500 and 1200, I generally start around 50/50...

 

You underthinned a lot.

Surfacer 1500 is supposed to be thinned at least a 1:2 or 1:3 ratio with Mr Leveling thinner.

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I too thin Mr Surfacer quite a bit more--to the same consistancy as paint.  I spray at the same pressure as paint,15 PSI. I use my 0.5mm airbrush unless I'm doing some small parts, then it's the 0.3mm nozzle. 

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