Tamiya Surface Primer

[LN Strike Eagle]

I've stripped a diecast model back to the metal in readiness for a complete re-spray into another colour, and to that end I purchased a can of Tamiya Grey Surface Primer (Tamiya No. 87042), as it says online that it's suitable for both metal and plastics, which is ideal as I've got some plastic components on the car that won't come off.

Unfortunately I couldn't find anywhere that stocks the Tamiya gloss black I required, so my question is, which is the best brand of spray to purchase in the absence of Tamiya? Would a Humbrol, Plastikote or Halfords paint react with the Tamiya primer? I can't see anywhere on the Tamiya can that identifies if it's enamel or acrylic either?

Or should I return it, and just get a can from Halfords?

[ArabJazzie]

Dont think its worth returning it because im sure it will come in useful in the future, or is that just the hoarder in me talking!

I would go the Halfords route if you are not sure but im sure Tamiya would do the finish you want as well?
Arabest,
Geoff.

[LN Strike Eagle]

Paranoid about something reacting with it - had to strip the model the hard way, and it's been on and off for about two years to get it this far. If something went wrong and the paint came out crap, I'd probably just bin the bloody thing.

This little tin of Tamiya was £8 - I can get more than twice as much from Halfords for £7.50, and the same again for the colour from Halfords. The only hobby spray I can find locally is Humbrol, and as I say, the Tamiya tin doesn't state if it's enamel or acrylic, so I'm not sure what Humbrol type I'd need?

[A40-BP]

Humbrol sprays will work fine on tamiya primer. But always do a test piece first

A40

[ArabJazzie]

I would use Halfords all the way with this one as, although the Tamiya says it will work on metal, its made for plastic use.

Also of note is the Halfords primers being acrylic can be decanted and thinned using whatever acrylic thinners you use, and put through an airbrush if you have one. Im sure you could probably brush paint them as well.
Arabest,
Geoff.

[Maisie]

I don't know what scale the car is, but I remember you posting about it before.... Just be aware that the Halfords paint isn't too thick for the car, make sure prep is 110%, no grease, dirt etc as it will seperate on the model.

I would personally use Tamiya Fine primer, then matt enamels followed by a couple of light coverings of Pledge Klear polished up with micromesh for a mirror-like finish.

[LN Strike Eagle]

I took the Tamiya back to the hobby shop and got primer and black paint from Halfords - primed it this afternoon and all is well so far.



Thanks for the advice chaps.

[Takamota]

I think that if the model is something you so obviously want to look fantastic then you should forget about spray cans and get some of your contacts who are decent modellers and have an air brush to do it for you. These spray cans have very large spray patterns which can be difficult to lay down evenly on complex shapes as you have. Add to this the very probable egg shelling after drying and i'm sure you'll see there is more to worry about than whether to use Tamiy or Halfords.

Sorry but that's how rattle cans go... all depends on how good you want it to be.

[LN Strike Eagle]

I don't know anybody locally with an airbrush, and the one person I did ask wanted more to spray it than the car and decals cost combined, and then I'd have to pay postage both ways too.

What is "egg shelling"?

[Takamota]

understood. egg shelling or orange peeling is when using gloss paint it dries with a finish that literally looks like orange peel and not nice and smooth like gloss should be.

[LN Strike Eagle]

Ah, ok. I've heard it referred to as orange peel before.

I've got a test car that I'm spraying before I set about the real one anyway, so hopefully that won't show any such issues and I can go ahead with the car pictured above.

[Maisie]

Orange peel happens when the airbrush / spray gun is to close to the subject building up the paint to quickly, too far away and it goes on dry leaving a rough surface, so you need it just the right distance.

[Takamota]

That's not correct Maise. That is just paint drying before it hits the model. Orange peel is caused by one or a combination of 3 things..... Firstly ambient temperature (for paint drying etc) secondly airbrush settings/pressure and thirdly paint mixture and any hardeners flow retardants etc inc in paint......


With spray cans you have no control of most of these things. Not much of a problem with flats and primers but perfect gloss finish is extremely difficult to attian for a spray can.

[Maisie]

Tom it is correct, I've sprayed aircraft for 8 years and been a sprayer for 15. I've never once seen paint dry like orange peel from not having the right temp or having the paint mixed wrong.

When I worked in the films I was spraying paints out in the open and they all had smooth finishes, you can get the same finish in a temp control spray booth. If you know how to paint, mix paint the temp won't matter. Also working in a stage that is best part of 40°+ where paint is drying as it's leaving a gun, I can still get a glossy finish as I did on the set in World War Z, a shame you can't see it in the film!

I never mentioned cans either, that's a different story.

[Takamota]

Have one or two years under my belt too believe it or not....... And the model in question is being sprayed using cans so it's kinda topical? Hey guys only trying to help....... Google orange peel in paint.

[ArabJazzie]

Hello all,
As a young aircraft engineer working under an ex-navy engineer, he always said preparation was 95% of the job. Ok, most we were doing was repair sections, but we never had any fancy booths or temperature control and very rarely had any issues. Well depending on how many layers of paint i left behind during prep, if any!

I wouldnt totally discount working with spray cans as i managed to finish off some quite nice repairs using them in my day. My experience with orange peel is that if you didnt shake the can long enough then sprayed onto the subject, the thinners pooled causing the effect. I have also since listened to whats said on here, although i have not used all of it. Preparation has already been mentioned but include using micromesh between coats. Obviously shake the can well and im told heating the can up in hot water before use can be beneficial, but watch for the increased pressure and higher flow rates!

As for the Big Cheese, what youve done looks damn nice so far.
Arabest,
Geoff.

[LN Strike Eagle]

I've given it a few light "mist coats" to lay down some colour, as per the tutorials I've seen online.

Just given that a quick going over with some fine wet and dry, and the next step it a thicker coat in a few minutes.

So far so good.

[LN Strike Eagle]

Just needs to cure for a few days now. There's a few areas that need a minor touch-up, but I'll do that with a polishing kit once the paint has hardened to bring the shine back, and gently buff up the rest of the bodywork and smooth the paint out.

Pleased with it though.

[LN Strike Eagle]

As a matter of interest, are there any airbrushers out there in UKARland that might be willing to help my little project? PM me if so.

[Fumbles]

Looks good sofar Dan.. If I lived closer, I would give you a hand with airbrushing.

[LN Strike Eagle]

Just finished this tonight if anyone's interested. Some pics of the project at various stages...

[Fumbles]

You did a fine job with the paint and decals. Is the Carbon Fiber decals or moulded plastic, if decals. Nice work getting them to settle down on all those curves.

[LN Strike Eagle]

You did a fine job with the paint and decals. Is the Carbon Fiber decals or moulded plastic, if decals. Nice work getting them to settle down on all those curves.

Thanks Rod. Something pretty unique for the display cabinet if nothing else.

The carbon areas are all decal - they are just black plastic on the car as standard, so I took the opportunity to add as much carbon detailing as I could while it was in pieces. There's quite a lot on there but it's hard to see against the black paint - inside the nose supports, inside the sidepods, rear wing top flap and end plates, front wing, TV cameras on the nose, underneath the flip-ups on the side of the car and on the exhausts and beam wing at the rear as pictured.

The three big stripes on the engine cover are custom made from white decal sheet too - the sheet I purchased has them printed in silver (as you can see in the first pic), which is wrong. They're supposed to be white with speckled black shading top and bottom, which I replicated with a brush.