PROBS PAINTING HULLS

[hood]

I HOPE SOMEONE CAN HELP ME. IM HAVING TROUBLE PAINTING HULLS IAPPLY THE FIRST COAT GIVE IT 24 HRS TO DRY OR48 HRS THEN APPLY THE SECOND COAT. I PAINT BY BRUSH BUT THE PAINT STARTS TO LIFT THE FIRST COAT OR THE PAINT STARTS TO GO STREAKY. IT SEEMS WORSE ON TAMIYA SHIPS, I USE REVELL OR WEM PAINTS . I KEEP THE TINS UPSIDE DOWN TURNING EVEVY SO OFTEN GIVE THEM A GOOD SHAKE/STIR BEFORE USE. ANYBODY ANY IDEAS????????

[Grant Goodale]

It sounds like the problem is the plastic and not the paints. I suspect that there is something oily on the plastic. It could be mold release agent or it could be from fingerprints. It is a good idea to wash down the plastic in warm soapy water, rinse and let dry. You could also use Plastic Prep from PollyScale or plain old rubbing alcohol.

I suggest that you strip off the paint using something like Easy Lift Off from Pollyscale. Rinse the model well in clear water and wipe it down with rubbing alcohol. A primer would also be a good idea. Tamiya primer or Floquil enamel primer are quite good. You can get the Tamiya primer in a spray can if you don't have an airbrush.

HTH

- Grant

[richter111]

I have to second the preperation of the plastic/resin. Release agents will prevent even the best paints from adhering. Keep in mind when you don't clean the plastic its like painting over oil. It just wont adhere. I wash all my models in a strong dishwashing liquid, rinse with warm water. Then when they are dry, I wipe the entire thing down with isopropal alcohol just to give it more bite.

Hope this helps you as well

Ric

[tony t]

Back when I was using Testors enamels, I had the streaky problem with certain colors like white, though not the colors for the hull. Then I converted to polyscale acrylics and since then its been Hasta la Vista, streaks.

But one possibility why this might be happening is you might be running the brush over the same spot too many times on the second coat. Try to minimize this. If some areas still look a bit transparent after one or 2 strokes of the brush, leave it be. Come back for a third layer of paint later to work over these areas.

[hood]

THANKS FOR HELP GUYS

[kevinb120]

Definately need to prime!!! Tamiya spray primer is fantastic! The floquil spray figure primer is very fine grit but quite expensive. On the Trumpy 1/350 aircraft I used the White Floquil primer as the underside paint because most pigment 'grit' in white paint is very heavy to get coverage, and Tamiya grey primer on all small parts(other then the hull). Tamiya's spray matte white paint is probably the next best white(the laquer sprays dry evenly and are quite fine)........ On large items like a hull, rust-oleum automotive primer is dirt cheap and works well(one big can goes a long, long way). The grain is a little large, but sands super-easilly. It also covers just about anything without complaint and permeates small hairs or shavings so they sand right off the finish. I noticed if I sand it with 600 grit when its dry, the tiny 'texture' you can not sand easilly in the extreme corners actually looks quite nice when painted.

I would try to at least spray-can paint something as large as a hull, I RARELY brush paint anything. Just be resourcefull, you can usually 'cheat' a color. I found a great looking modern grey substitute in spray with Tamiya's AS-7 Neutral Grey(for the F15) spray. The haze they have is WAY too dark(its like actuall full-scale color and WAY off of models). AS-7 has mild purple/blue hues that look like large haze grey ships in sunlight in full-scale.(I bought about 15 different spray colors before finding it). You will see 10 pics of the same ship and they never look the same anyway. That color looks like a 'real' ship to me. Some primer colors actually work well to0(tamiya grey primer has a nice look to it in itself), it can be luck-of-the-draw sometimes. I would do everything I can to avoid brush painting anything larger then half of a tic-tac.

[Anonymous]

Although I'm not a "hard core" modeler like most here I've been at it off and on for years.

I've found the best paint for hulls is regular auto body primer. Not only is a lighter shade of gray primer a perfect battleship"gray but the red primer is perfect for the hull red and black primer is perfect for the waterline "boot"

Usually, I paint the entire kit gray primer while everthing is still on the sprue and brush paint in the details later. After taking the parts from the sprue I will touch up the part with a matching shade of gray after it is fitted on the ship.

I suggest trying this method especially with hulls. I have been getting really good results.