Painting minis?

[soviet]

I have used standard GW spray primer over normal GW plastic and metal miniatures for 30 years and I have never once experienced an issue with tackiness.

 

[Sacrosanct]

I have used standard GW spray primer over normal GW plastic and metal miniatures for 30 years and I have never once experienced an issue with tackiness.

Don't know about GW plastic (assuming hard plastic sprues are a different kind of plastic they use for injection molding), but metal minis are never a problem with spray primer. The issue is the aerosol reacts with the plastic polymers for certain types of plastics.

 

[jdrakeh]

I had the issue with the minis from the Bones V kickstarter, which were not white. They were dark grey. Using Krylon black primer, they all got tacky after about a month.

The grey Bones minis are made of the same non-standard (i.e. rubbery) plastic as the white Bones minis.

 

[soviet]

Don't know about GW plastic (assuming hard plastic sprues are a different kind of plastic they use for injection molding), but metal minis are never a problem with spray primer. The issue is the aerosol reacts with the plastic polymers for certain types of plastics.

But this is the point, right? You sprayed models made of a lesser plastic that is known to cause issues, and you are telling people that therefore spray undercoating plastic models is to be avoided. No, buying miniatures made of soft inferior plastic is to be avoided. The normal hard plastic miniatures you buy from any hobby shop (GW or otherwise) are going to take spray just fine.

 

[jdrakeh]

Yes, this. He's using very specific minis with a known issue and is refusing to admit that other minis made of different plastic don't have this issue.

 

[Sacrosanct]

The grey Bones minis are made of the same non-standard (i.e. rubbery) plastic as the white Bones minis.

Folks have been mentioning it's the white minis that are a problem. I'm simply saying that it's the grey ones as well, not just white.

Yes, this. He's using very specific minis with a known issue and is refusing to admit that other minis made of different plastic don't have this issue.

"Refusing to admit?" Whoa man, this is just a casual conversation. Can you tone down the accusatory rhetoric please? I'm not refusing to admit anything. I've said which ones I've had problems with, just earlier today I "admitted" that harder plastic like sprues could be fine but I didn't know, but I still would advise folks to avoid using spray cans on plastic, especially for newer painters, because it could be a crap shoot on the result. There are a million other ways to prime minis besides using an aerosol. I recommend the least risk version.

 

[soviet]

Thanks to all for this great advice. I'm going to start small with a beginner's paint set and a BIG mini to practice on. There is actually a great store near my home--a business I have been visiting, in its three different locations and three different owernships--since the early 80s.

If you're using normal acrylics use multiple (separate) thin coats. Dilute the paint with a touch of water onto a wet palette and slap it on. Once you've applied some paint don't touch it again until it's dry. Apply, dry, and come back, apply, dry, and come back. You will accumulate a solid base colour after multiple thin coats.

Washes (like GW's) are an amazing tool, especially for organic or textured surfaces. (They don't work well on flat armour panels like tanks or space marines). Make your base coat a bit lighter than your desired end result, and then slap some wash on.

Speed paints and contrast paints (they are basically the same thing) are a different way of painting. Don't use a wet palette here and don't (normally) dilute the paint. Get a solid white, light grey, or bone colour as an undercoat, then slap the paint on one section at a time like you are colouring in. You can't do a section in two halves because you will get a tide mark where the two coats meet.

Try to paint the model inside out. That is, paint the inner layer first (like the skin), then the undersuit, then the armour plates. This is because it's easier to make mistakes if you are reaching 'past' already-finished layers to get to the inner layers.

All miniatures look rubbish until the final few stages. Persist until the magical moment it comes together.

Finishing the base will make a big difference.

You don't need to bother varnishing plastic miniatures. Metal ones you do (because the paint doesn't stick as well).

 

[jdrakeh]

Folks have been mentioning it's the white minis that are a problem. I'm simply saying that it's the grey ones as well, not just white.

I have stated from the beginning that it was all Bones minis except Bones Black. A fact that you repeatedly and conveniently overlooked in your push to establish a (false) narrative that spray primer was bad for all plastic minis.

 

[Sacrosanct]

I have stated from the beginning that it was all Bones minis except Bones Black. A fact that you repeatedly and conveniently overlooked in your push to establish a (false) narrative that spray primer was bad for all plastic minis.

I don’t know what your hostility is coming from, but I never said it’s bad for ALL plastics. I said it’s a good idea to avoid using it on plastics. The average person, especially someone new into minis, isn’t gonna do research to look at the chemical composition of every plastic mini. Bones minis are one of the most numerous out there. So it’s reasonable that a good rule of thumb is to avoid using aerosol cans on plastic minis. Especially when there are a million other ways. Especially since a whole lot of painters, new AND experienced, have been burned by doing so.

I’m saying that IMO, it’s better advice to a new painter to use alternatives to spray primer on plastic minis because that’s easier to remember then to ask them to research the material composition of each plastic mini to find out how each spray primer reacts to it.

Again, I’d appreciate it if you would tone down the aggressive rhetoric and stop ascribing motives to me I’m not doing.

 

[soviet]

I don’t know what your hostility is coming from, but I never said it’s bad for ALL plastics. I said it’s a good idea to avoid using it on plastics. The average person, especially someone new into minis, isn’t gonna do research to look at the chemical composition of every plastic mini. Bones minis are one of the most numerous out there. So it’s reasonable that a good rule of thumb is to avoid using aerosol cans on plastic minis. Especially when there are a million other ways. Especially since a whole lot of painters, new AND experienced, have been burned by doing so.

I’m saying that IMO, it’s better advice to a new painter to use alternatives to spray primer on plastic minis because that’s easier to remember then to ask them to research the material composition of each plastic mini to find out how each spray primer reacts to it.

Again, I’d appreciate it if you would tone down the aggressive rhetoric and stop ascribing motives to me I’m not doing.

It isn't 'research the chemical composition of each plastic miniature'. It's 'don't buy Bones'. I've never even seen Bones miniatures in a shop! You're scaring people away from the easiest and best way to undercoat normal models just because you got some cheap rubbish from kickstarter.