tamiya paint

[elfin84]

Ok i'm new and I want to know If I have to use a base with tamiya acrylic paint .

Thanks

[MPWR]

Welcome to AF!

It's really a matter of personal preferance. Some people here will vehemently state that everything to be painted must be primed. Others prime just bodies, and leave most other things (engines, interiors, etc.) unprimed. And some don't prime anything. Does the paint need it? No. Will it make the paint behave better? Maybe. What are you planning to paint?

Generally, you will get better answers when you give as much information as possible in your questions.

[Vric]

Acrylic paint don't cover really well, so if you try to paint a black part yellow, you have to use a primer before. So I would say it's a good idea to prime your part when you use that paint.

[patoffspyder]

Hi there!
Personnaly, I always put primer on my car's bodies, because I found that the paint stick better, or because sometimes I use hot automative paint, so I need a primer. For the rest of part, I almost never use primer, except when I have a dark piece I want to paint with a light color. It's quite hard to paint a black plastic seat with Tamiya's White Acrylic without using a primer.

[bvia]

For changing colors on small items I use a flat white. Either Tamiya or Model Masters. Much easier than priming IMHO.

Bill

[MPWR]

Originally Posted by bvia

For changing colors on small items I use a flat white. Either Tamiya or Model Masters. Much easier than priming IMHO.

Bill

Same here. ModelMaster sells white and grey acrylic primer- best as I can tell, it's just flat white/grey paint, but it does the job very well and it's easier than messing with laquer primer. Flat white acrylic has a surprising opacity, it covers much better than gloss colors.

[glacier985]

I was just using primer on the body, but then I had problems with paint rubbing off so now I prime everything and the paint goes on a lot easier and smoother with a brush.

[Cold_Fire]

I think that you can substitute primer for most parts with a correct preparation of the plastic:

First, use some very fine (000) steel wool in the parts. The micro - scratches really help to the paint to attach to the surface.
Second, wash the parts with water, some soap and a brush or toothbrush. You can let it dry somwhere it doesn't get dust on it or use air from your airbrush to dry it on the fast way.
Third and last, once the parts are clean don't touch them with your fingers in order to keep them clean. You can imagine many ways to hold parts without touching them.

I've used this "method" for a long time with no problems, and I haven't needed any primers. This is good for everything but the bodywork, where primer is a must.

I recommend anyone who wants to give it a try the very fine steel wool. It works really well to smooth and "polish" plastic or primer coats, and I think it's more comfortable to use it in some bodyworks than using sandpaper.

Regards