There had been a discussion recently on the Collecting Citadel Miniatures (CCM) yahoo group about priming miniatures and types of primers - So I figured Id jump in with my $0.02
Preambled with: While I may have a dozen golden demons, articles in WD etc. the bottom line I have learned along the way is that exceptional results can come in a WIDE variety of way from an equally wide variety of materials. This being said here are some of the products I have used and my thoughts on each:
Preambled with: While I may have a dozen golden demons, articles in WD etc. the bottom line I have learned along the way is that exceptional results can come in a WIDE variety of way from an equally wide variety of materials. This being said here are some of the products I have used and my thoughts on each:
No Primer:
The ONLY reason I know of not to use a proper primer is for some metallic techniques that involve burnishing/staining or polishing actual metals. Even then a ( usually brush on) primer is to be used for non metallic surfaces. The picture to the right is an example (not mine)
Here is a link to a good article on polishing metal surfaces on larger models:
Sprays:

Duplicolour: Duplicolour make sandable primers for automotive applications - their primer is incredibly fine and smooth. It makes a great solid foundation and the red oxide is now my go to colour for using the so-
called "hairspray technique" (I use AK intereactive chipping fluids instead) on vehicles, but either way - this stuff is fantastic.

Floquil black: Should be my favorite of all of these - it really has a fantastic surface tooth & smooth light coverage. Unfortunatly it is unstable and as a can ages (faster than you would think) it becomes increasingly dodgy to work with. It may NEVER dry if it becomes unbalanced or is used outside of tight environmental controlls. I will never use it again.
Airbrush Primers:
Vallejo: surface tooth is somewhere between the tamiya and the GW. Airbrushing allows for beautiful controll and super thin coats. It is, however not as strong of an adhesion layer and chips more easily. Perfect for display pieces or models that will be clearcoated as well. One of the really cool things is that vallejo has created a range of colours for this primer so that it can in many cases double as a basecoat too. Really learning to love this stuff
Dont. Really just Dont. An incredibly HOT LAQUER base that will melt some of your models, may or may not dry (EVER) if humidity etc is even slightly out of tolerances or if it hasnt been mixed thoroughly enough. Scary to use. Only for special combinations of paints (like Alclad II - and even then there are better alternatives)
Apparently Floquil makes other airbrushable products that are far kinder to work with but I am too scared to use them.
Mr Surfacer:
These guys make both primers and fillers in various measures of tooth/grit so make sure you get the right one ;) Airbrushes like a dream. Smooth finishes. The downside is that it isnt easy to get where I live so I dont usually use it.
These guys make both primers and fillers in various measures of tooth/grit so make sure you get the right one ;) Airbrushes like a dream. Smooth finishes. The downside is that it isnt easy to get where I live so I dont usually use it.
Brush on:
Vallejo - makes some nice brush on primers including the thick opaque "foundation white" which is the bombdiggity for touching up paint chips that go back down to the metal/plastic . Good stuff overall, but I would just as likely reach for one of their airbrush primers and brush it on for other applications.
I dont actually use any other brush on primer to be honest but I have friends that like products from Windsor&Newton and Golden.
I hope that y'all find that somewhat useful! More models next week
James
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