Whats the difference between Tamiya Grey Primer & Modelmaster Grey Primer?

Whats the difference between Tamiya Grey Primer & Modelmaster Grey Primer? I just wnat to know if its a good primer or not cause my LHS didnt have any Tamiya primer so i bought Modelmaster grey primer.

I'm taking a bit of a guess Chubbs, but I'd imagine Tamiya = lacquer and Modelmasters = enamel.

Check out daggerlee's paint treatise (here (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=98231)) to find out all about the differences.

There is a world of difference between the two.

The Testors is enamel, and it cannot be sanded. Therefore it's really a gray base coat. It goes on semi-gloss and takes a long time to dry. It covers smoothly and rapidly. It airbrushes far better than the results you'll get from a spray can.

Tamiya is lacquer-based, dries quickly and can be sanded. Therefore it has some redeeming value, whereas Testors was decent for about 5 minutes 20 years ago when it was released, and since then our choices for model paints have grown well past the garbage that is Testors.

If you can't find Tamiya primer, automotive sandable primers (make sure it says sandable) work fine...anything from cheap Varsity (Pep Boys brand), to Duplicolor are good. Tamiya goes on smoother/thinner, is best for models. It's worth finding as it's the best for models I've tried.

well on the can of MODELMASTER primer it says its sandable.

I've never used the Modelmasters spray primer so can't speak with the authority of ZoomZoomMX-5, however just because a paint is enamel doesn't mean it can't be sanded. many times I've done this with MM or Tamiya bottle enamels. Only difference is the enamel takes langer to dry and is not as strong as lacquers like Tamiya. Go it it as you would a TS can paintjob and you'll be looking for trouble. On the other hand give it plenty of time to dry (may be weeks!) and use a gentle technique and it wil be okay.

Let me reiterate...the Model Master stuff is NOT like any other primer out there. You can sand gloss enamels if you want, but that doesn't make them primers. Testors will tell you their paint is the best in the business. I know from painting models for over 30 years that it is NOT. I've used their products, and I've used others, and Testors is about the worst you can get if it's in spray cans. It's pretty good for airbrushing and mixing colors. Just because they say it's sandable doesn't make it anything like Tamiya or automotive sandable primer. You simply have to try it to believe it, I guess. Their gray primer is simply a thick gray semi-gloss paint, with a very strange odor, and it dries very slowly and never to the hardness of lacquers. It has lots of pigment, but when you go to sand it the residue tends to ball up and fill up the sanding paper (making it useless in no time)...where REAL primer residue turns to powder and washes away with water. I used to use Testors primer, I airbrushed it to cover up the plastic, then I used enamels to cover it. It's okay as a base coat, but other primers are 20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 times better at being primers.

ZoomZoomMX-5, I bow to your experience. After reading that I wouldn't dream of using the stuff!

I want to back up zoom zoom on this one. Testor's primer is an absolute joke. It is nothing but grey semi-gloss paint. It is not in any way a real primer. I know there are allot of younger guys on this board so please listen to guys like me and zooom(we are old enough to be your dads) we have years of experience, we know what works and what doesn't and we want to keep you from making the mistakes we learned the hard way, so you too can build a better model.

for my experiance, modelmaster (same as testor) is unsandable even after 3 week, it still wet.. the worst crap I have ever tryed.. everythime I used it I finished to remove all of it. don'T save few buck

To us newbies this will be much help

Hey thanks dads! I definitely agree. When you sand the Tamiya stuff, it simply just powders up and goes away! Whenever you try to sand anything Testors, it just get's stuck to the sand paper and then the color tranfers to the next victim, er model, you try to sand. The only thing about Tamiya is the price. If you can, go for the bigger cans as they're better value for the money. I use Testors primer/color combo on car underbodies (that don't need sanding) to save some $$$ cause you can get that stuff cheap at Walmart.

Also, a tip I just learned from TMMI (Tamiya Model Mag Int'l) is to try warming up spray cans in warm water to increase their pressure. Apparently works wonders on Tamiya spray cans. Should work on Testors too. About to try it tonight...

clem..

I've been told most Tamiya paint are the same as modelmaster products. So the difference would be the label.

I've been told most Tamiya paint are the same as modelmaster products. So the difference would be the label.


LOL :lol:
I always find this one Funny

Modelmaster is a brand of Testor Corp.(USA) Tamiya is Japan.
Testor is Enamel, Tamiya is Laquer.

If you can belive only a few second this, then you never used Tamiya paint..

If you think you have good result with Testor spraycan, then keep working with them, but I used both, and I don't want to use any Testor Spraypaint anymore. (unless you like sanding)

Edit: and the Testor Primer is the worst stuff I have ever used.. the best way to scrap a model.. it's simply unsandable and do orange peel very easily (and it's not possible to correct it, since it's unsandable)

I've been told most Tamiya paint are the same as modelmaster products. So the difference would be the label.

I guess everyone else is an expert here and I'll just quit giving any advice. I guess over 30 years painting models w/nearly every product isn't as good as someone who is so smart that the only thing he believes are the labels on products. When some of the best, most experienced modelers aren't good enough for real-world reviews, I guess it's time for us to let the rest of the world live w/in their own realities.

Seriously, where do people come up with this shit? :disappoin

Go ahead and use Testors. They're awesome spray cans and they're simply relabeled Tamiya products. :rolleyes:

I wish you well.

So I was wrong, excuse me for even trying.
About the "Modelmaster is a brand of Testor Corp.(USA) Tamiya is Japan."-thing: Opel is European, Cadillac American. What's the difference between a Cadillac Catera and a Opel Omega? The badge!

I guess I'll put a disclaimer in my sig:
"Please correct me if I'm wrong. Nobody is perfect, so why should I be??
Just visiting this board, hoping to find more enthusiasts, learn a thing or 2 and maybe even teach others.
I cannot be held responsible for damages to models or huge ego's caused by my posts."

*sigh* a simple "that's BS" would have done...

Don't get dissillusionrd ZoomZoom, I believe you, escecially after you elaborated and undoubtedly most reading this will as well. Zanthrax was obviously on the reveiving end of some bad advice - hobby shop staff are full of it.

I occasionaly use ModelMasters enamels, and metalizers out of the bottle. However, thanks to the insights of the good people on this forum, would not dream of using their spraycans!

I used model master sparys on my first model and it sucked. I figured it was my spraying skill. I was just about to give model master another try after using Tamiya for about nine months. I'm glad i read this.

dudes i just asked a simple question there is no need for any of this shit ok. ZOOMZOOMMX-5 I understand what you are going through by reading these awnsers people post up. I respect that you have a shit load of years working with models but you have to understand people have the right to put up there :2cents: & no matter how dumb they might sound (no disrespect zanthrax) there is no reason for you to get all pist off like a little boy ok.

i know you can't use testors primer and then tamiya lacquer on top of it b/c it'll crack (i know from past experiences). but can you use tamiya primer w/ testors paint over that?

RallyRaider is right, as it seems I was on the recieving and of some wrong advice of hobby shop staff. He normally has good tips on building but when it comes to products he tells weird stories just to sell you something.

He tried to sell me multiple 2euro small jars of enamel thinner to clean a body of paint in a bath.
I cleaned it with 1 0.90euro bottle of nailpolish.
He tried to sell me 5 empty paints cans and a siringe (sp?) for mixing paint. for 9 euro's!! 5 empty cans while filled ones cost 1,40 each! I just got some jars and some siringes for free from a local pharmacy!
And the Modelmaster/Tamiya story is just the same...
"It's the same product but Modelmaster is cheaper."

But it's the only modelshop in town! :angry:

Another day, another lesson.

Sorry, but I get really punchy when disinformation is floating around as fact. I've been caught myself in similar situations that I'm not aware of all the facts. Someone else's "wisdom" ends up making you feel like a chump. I apologize if I came across as rude. I was getting the impression that people weren't paying attention to the other responses.

Like many others here, I try to dispel the fiction from the real facts...and there is a lot of BS out there and many times on this board, and I try to keep others from learning the hard way what is BS and what really does work. If you want an honest opinion on what will be the best for your models, it's better found by enthusiasts on a board like this rather than from a label or a salesman who is more interested in getting your $$.

i know you can't use testors primer and then tamiya lacquer on top of it b/c it'll crack (i know from past experiences). but can you use tamiya primer w/ testors paint over that?

if you let it cure 1 week,yes you can, but i don't recommand it. you never know what will come from a testor spraycan.

It's OK ZoomZoomMX-5... I release I'm a n00b here.

Sorry, but I get really punchy when disinformation is floating around as fact. I've been caught myself in similar situations that I'm not aware of all the facts. Someone else's "wisdom" ends up making you feel like a chump. I apologize if I came across as rude. I was getting the impression that people weren't paying attention to the other responses.

Like many others here, I try to dispel the fiction from the real facts...and there is a lot of BS out there and many times on this board, and I try to keep others from learning the hard way what is BS and what really does work. If you want an honest opinion on what will be the best for your models, it's better found by enthusiasts on a board like this rather than from a label or a salesman who is more interested in getting your $$.

ZoomZoomMX-5, any real modeller that was here for more than a year know how to trust here. I'm here for near 2 year now, you'r one of them..

Today i went to a LHS 50 miles away from where i live in PORTLAND OREGON (DOES ANYONE HERE LIVE THERE) and i got myself 4 bottles of Primer 2 white and 2 grey cause my LHS in my little ass town doesnt have it and the prices are fucking too high. for Example I was going to get the ferrari enzo yellow version and he wanted $55 and i was like what the fuck. I can get that cheaper online!

Today i went to a LHS 50 miles away from where i live in PORTLAND OREGON (DOES ANYONE HERE LIVE THERE) and i got myself 4 bottles of Primer 2 white and 2 grey cause my LHS in my little ass town doesnt have it and the prices are fucking too high. for Example I was going to get the ferrari enzo yellow version and he wanted $55 and i was like what the fuck. I can get that cheaper online!

my LHS have some.. but not often

I usually get them from HLJ, and I try to think ahead for me order (ordereing before I run out... hey.. I think about that, I will need some soon.. off to hlj :lol: )

HLJ??? Isn't that a little overboard?? Is Tam primer really that hard to find? I can find it here no probs, I actually even shop around when one place charges $1 more! Haha. How much is primer down in the US? Here in Calgary, large cans can be had for around $11US.

Also, has anyone tried that Floquil stuff? It's enamel primer, approx. same size as big Tam, and usually see it at my LHS...

clem..

HLJ??? Isn't that a little overboard?? Is Tam primer really that hard to find? I can find it here no probs, I actually even shop around when one place charges $1 more! Haha. How much is primer down in the US? Here in Calgary, large cans can be had for around $11US.

Also, has anyone tried that Floquil stuff? It's enamel primer, approx. same size as big Tam, and usually see it at my LHS...

clem..


There is 1 Hobbyshop in the town and often don't have any.. so why I buy them from HLJ.. it come at the same price..

Thats funny. I sell them 24/7 for about $7.00 here in the USA. Yes that is the large can of White Tamiya primer.
As for the comments about bad advice I agree with Zoom Zoom and a few others. If you do not have personal knowledge than don't offer advice. About half the answers I see here are just wrong.
David
http://www.scaleracecars.com

go to walmart and pick up krylon sandable white primer. you'd be glad you did

go to walmart and pick up krylon sandable white primer. you'd be glad you did


I did that, I wasn't impressed as much as Tamiya one

Whats the difference between Tamiya Grey Primer & Modelmaster Grey Primer? I just wnat to know if its a good primer or not cause my LHS didnt have any Tamiya primer so i bought Modelmaster grey primer.


The only good thing I have to say about Testor's is that it caused me to learn to use an airbrush!! :p Seriously though, the problem I have with Testors is that it takes waaaaaay too long to dry......in fact I don't think it ever really dries. Also I learned not to trust what might come out of the can on any given day, as the pressure can be unreliable in my experience. Modelmaster may be a different story in that it seems to be a better grade of paint than the regular Testors paints in the small bottles, and their spray cans are a little better quality. But after what I've just described, I don't trust their cans either.

Having said that, I would NOT use Testors brand for any sort of a primer......I personally use Krylon Sandable Primers, since most of what I paint is acrylic enamels, which is compatible with the Krylon. You can find Krylon at any K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Hardware Store or what have you.

As always, it's a real good idea to test these paints on a junk body. before trying these out on your prize project.