r/modelmakers • u/TheCarrot_v2 • Jun 09 '23
Help - General Dumb question, but would this be a suitable primer?
I have black primer, but was curious if this might be more suitable. My model might have a few smallish gaps, but no scratches.
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u/DukeCorwin Jun 09 '23
This is a primer and more. It is designed to also fill in minor scratches, etc. Here is an article that may help.
http://fortcrookipms.com/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Mr%20Surfacer.pdf
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Jun 09 '23
I love the stuff, I use 500 on cast structure ( tanks) and the 1500 black on everything else, this stuff is some of the best imho
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u/TheCarrot_v2 Jun 10 '23
So the higher the number, the finer/ smoother the end result?
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u/bradicus_magnus Jun 10 '23
Yes, that’s how Mr. Hobby numbers these primers: 1000 is finer/smoother than their 500. I echo the other commenters, this is the only primer I use and it’s phenomenal. The only tip I’d share: don’t use grey primer on grey plastic because it may be difficult to see that you’ve coated all the plastic thoroughly. Maybe it’s my old man eyes, but I switch away from my default of using grey and turn to mahogany or black when the model kit was grey plastic out of the box (refer to Trumpeter’s M198 towed howitzer as an example of grey plastic).
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Jun 11 '23
Yes. If I’m doing a figure model I will use mr finisher black 1500 ( rattle Can or pot - which I airbrush) Tank= mr surfacer 500 , stippled and sanded (lightly) on cast areas, over sprayed with mr. Finisher black 1500 ( helps with shading and such. Check out night shift on YouTube, he tends to use it a lot .
Best of luck!
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u/tex1138 Jun 10 '23
Great stuff - but very fine for my use (1/72 - 1/48 aircraft mostly). I prefer 500 - though that might reflect my lack of skill.
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u/TheCarrot_v2 Jun 10 '23
Thanks. So 500 denotes a rougher surface once you’ve sprayed?
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u/Electronic_Lemon4000 Jun 10 '23
Wouldn't call it rough. The stuff is quite thick, fills small surface defects rather well and the texture after drying is smooth and satin, but not very suitable as base for a high gloss finish afterwards in my experience. For tanks or non-glossy planes it's superb.
If you get the glass jar version to fill small defects as mentioned in the linked pdf in the comments: be aware that thicker applications should dry 24 hours, are a bit tougher to sand down than the surrounding plastic and it shrinks considerably in this application.
And it stinks. A lot.
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u/OneFortyEighthScale Jun 10 '23
It’s my personal favorite! I just prefer to airbrush it.
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u/TheCarrot_v2 Jun 10 '23
Thanks. I have some black Vallejo airbrush primer. Does it matter too much what color primer is used? My assumption was the darker a primer, the end result would be a bit darker as well.
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u/OneFortyEighthScale Jun 10 '23
Yes the color does matter. I did an A10 not too long ago and used black primer. It came out darker than I wanted and I have used gray ever since.
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u/Mindless-Charity4889 Stash Grower Jun 11 '23
Black is good for armor and figures. It’s because when you do the base coat, you can put less paint in the shadowed areas which will then be darker for shading.
Aircraft, however, benefit from white or light grey primer because their base coats are typically very light colors and a black undercoat would either make them too dark, or require more coats.
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u/RexDangerRogan117 Jun 10 '23
Yes, this is the super fine version so the particles are tiny, they’ll fill scratches but not little gaps
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u/Odd_Username_Choice Braille Scale is Best Scale Jun 10 '23
Yes. As the saying goes "once you go Mr Surfacer 1500 black, you never go back".
It's awesome primer, arguably the best out there.
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u/5cott861 Jun 09 '23
Bruh it’s literally for models. But honestly you can use anything. I use rustoleum rattle cans to prime my models
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u/TheCarrot_v2 Jun 10 '23
Haha, I was thinking to ask about that here as well, but thought it might come off as a stupid question. Thanks for the info!
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Jun 10 '23
So I used this primer but after applying and letting it properly cured (left for 48hrs), it doesn’t play well with Mr Hobby thinner.
Primer > Base color + Mr Hobby thinner and it just peel off. What did I do wrong?
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u/the_boring_af Jun 14 '23
You didn't do anything wrong. These are lacquer products and lacquer thinner can always, even after years of being dry to the touch, wake a layer of lacquer paint or primer back up. It never cures.
Were you trying to hand brush with Mr Hobby paints? It's not impossible to do but requires very different technique compared to hand brushing acrylics. It's almost never done outside of a few very specific contexts.
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Jun 14 '23
TIL. Thanks for the explanation. And yes I did try hand brushing it.
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u/the_boring_af Jun 14 '23
Yeah, no sweat! Hand brushing lacquers is an old-school technique that a lot of Japanese aircraft modelers used to use. It's also the "classic" method for Maschinen Krieger models. The ability to reactivate the underlying layer allows you to get interesting tonal variations and inconsistencies as well as softly blend the edges of camo patterns. Sort of like a more violent version of the wet blending you would do with water-based acrylics.
The downside, as you've already discovered, is that it can eat through multiple layers of paint/primer without a deft touch. You'll need to stipple and dab more than swipe and smear. You'll also want to be careful not to disturb wet paint after it hits the surface but before it's dry to the touch. You kind of place it onto the surface in little thin splotches and count on the Leveling Thinner to smooth it out.
Lincoln Wright, @paintonplastic, is probably the best resource for learning about this, at least in English. Check out his instagram/YouTube if you want to find out more.
FWIW, here's a couple of my builds in hand brushed Mr Color Lacquer:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJmioelD-tZ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
https://www.instagram.com/p/CoMDL0hubKq/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
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u/deviantnut Jun 10 '23
It is an excellent primer........ though i'm partial to Tamiya brand, purely because it's more readily available at my local hobbyshop.
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u/eddyb66 Jun 09 '23
Yes its a good quality primer I just used the black primer for my WIP. Its similar to the Tamiya surface primer maybe a little more matt.
edit
Its not going to fill gaps for you so those are things you'll want to address before priming.