painting question

[john glazbrook]

HI all on the forum,ihave almost finished the build on my 1st two tanks so my question is do you use primer on the plastic or do you spray directly on to the plastic,i have primed the metal tub on my Tamiya abrams with an etch primer now I am waiting for the acrylic paints to arrive. also can anyone recommend a not to expensive airbrush,

[jarndice]

Hallo John, The first thing to do is to clean the Tank with Acrylic thinners, then paint every metal part with etching primer, after that comes the primer, I use red oxide because German armour of the WW2 period used the same material, after that comes the topcoat and weathering.
As to Airbrushes, They are a very personal item and everyone will have an opinion.

[Tiger6]

I use halford plastic primer, as it is designed to adhere to plastics and will be more flexible than the regular (metal) version. Tamiya acrylic does tend to flake off over time if you don't use a primer, can't speak for any other brands.
As for airbrushes, some folks will insist on Iwata's because "reasons" - personally I'm painting a tank, not doing fine art, so I get away with the cheapo ones from Ebay.

If you are going to go for a high end airbrush, you'll probably need a high end compressor with a tank and fine control over the pressure to get the best out of it, so you need to decide if you want to spend £50 or £250 (or more) for what you want to achieve.

[43rdRecceReg]

I use Tamiya metal primer (it doesn't damage plastic parts) for any metal bits, followed by a Tamiya grey acrylic primer coat. Humbrol grey primer also gives pretty good results, I've found, and is quite a bit cheaper. Primers help to key the topcoat paints in. I don't think it's absolutely essential to use base primers (for metals, etching primers are a must, however). Topcoats will adhere pretty well without primers; but to build a good layer of paint, most would advocate having a base primer coat. At the same time, whilst red oxide was used as a base primer for German armour, grey primers are fine- since they're only going to be painted over, anyway.
If you're only going for a single camo colour (as with British, American and Russian tanks), rattle cans from Tamiya and Humbrol are more than adequate to the task. Tri-tone camouflage is likely to require an airbrush, however, as well as masking materials.
Whatever results you come up with, just enjoy the experience. We were all apprentice daubers once, and no one was born with a built-in airbrush... (well, not quite )

[X82d Pathfinder]

There is mold release agent on ANY plastic or resin part. I usually use Dawn Dish Detergent cleaning the parts before starting assembly.
Post assembly I wipe the entire tank down with Isopropyl alcohol. I usually use the 90. Do not leave it set or use excessive amounts.
I like Tamiya metal primer for the plastics. The fine white leaves a slick surface. I don't recommend its use on surfaces that you are intended to be dead flat. Yes, German armor used Red Oxide, but you're dealing with a smaller scale. Flat black as a base works much better as it allows you to modulate the color over the base.
My M4A1 Firefly Sherman build has some close-ups that show why this is a better choice. The metal parts are the worst because most of them are in places like the suspension and tend to peel, chip, and wear. Good luck with your build!

[jarndice]

Anyone needing Acrylic Thinners/Isopropyl Alcohol can get a litre of it from e-bay for less than £20 Freepost which makes Tamiyas price of about £10 for 250 mls look very inflated.

[X82d Pathfinder]

Tamiya X20 thinner isn't strong enough to remove release agent. It's why I suggested 90% of Isopropyl alcohol. Because we handle RC armor, unlike our static kits. Resin and brass detail parts also need to be spotless or you risk the likelihood of the paint fish eyeing.

[jarndice]

All the more reason to buy the (Cheaper) Isopropyl Alcohol off of E-Bay.

[X82d Pathfinder]

That's what I said above. You shouldn't thin Tamiya paint with Isopropyl either. It's fine to clear your airbrush. If you want it to lay down and not get velvety( Dry in the air) I use the Tamiya acrylic lacquer thinner. TAM87077. It's about 8.00 for the 8OZ. bottle.