Painting Bodies

I am new at this hobby so apologies for such a basic question.

Just like to get some advise on what people suggest to use as a primer/top coat paint for a high gloss finish on car bodies.

I have only finished 2 car kits since beginning this hobby both using Citadel primers and Tamiya spray cans. However looking at the top quailty models you guys are displaying on these pages I figure that my car body finishing can be improved.

I am keen to experiment and have 3 bodies waiting to be painted so any tips will be greatly appreciated.

I put a few coats of clear, and then some wax on my bodies Im not happy with the amount of shine i'm getting, or lack of

Mustang_67 wrote:I put a few coats of clear, and then some wax on my bodies Im not happy with the amount of shine i'm getting, or lack of

Thanks for info. I am a bit new at this so could you tell me what is "clear" . Is it a Tamiya product or some sort of varnish? Do you airbrish it on?

next time your in repco or supercheap, take a look at the holts or sepitone spray paints. the smaller cans are quite good and they have a pretty decent range of colours to choose from as well as clear coat. oh and its cheap too. hope you find this of some help to you. good luck

Thanks tjjr07,

Always thought that car paint might be worth a try.

Does this need a primer?

no probs at all. as for primer, to each there own. i dont prime nothing unless i do bodywork or repairs because of sink back and so on.

again. I will give this a try.

Personally I would not spray paint without a primer. Two reasons:1 mold lines you may have missed always show up with primer same as sink marks or where screw/mounting posts attach under the body.. 2;Some paints are too hot for the styrene and will craze the plastic. You may avoid this by lightly misting your first three or four coats on but if the paint is laquer based it will eat into the underlying layers (this is how it chemically bonds and is also why it cant be sprayed over enamels and acrylics).
It can be done as Todds awesome nova shows but until you come up with your own painting style be prepared to go through some bodies.

Yeah - DSF is right. You need some kind of barrier between lacquer paint and plastic or you better like texture in your paint!

I use Tamiya primer exclusively under all my paint. It goes on good, dries quick, does not hurt plastic and can be top coated with anything.

I paint all my models with rattle cans, so usually type of paint is dictated by the range of available colours. They all have pros and cons. Lacquer gives great colour coverage and dries quickly, but usually needs a clear coat and/or more polishing. Enamel is heavier, thicker, more transparent and takes longer to dry, but is usually shinier out of the can.

Painting is one of those things that just requires lots of experimenting and practice until you find something that works for you.

Like many things in this hobby there is no definative answer and we can only tell you what we do or have tried (or have failed at - probably more educational!).
I will always prime before painting.
Light Grey White Knight Super Primer followed by White Knight Squirts White Undercoat. Both from Bunnings.
Forget the undercoat if it's a dark top coat.
I'll then airbrush or rattle can on Enamel, Automotive Lacquer or Acrylic from a number of sources.
And finally (following a bit of a rub down & polish if needed) I clear (think of it as varnishing the paint) with Tamiya Enamel Clear, Automotive Acrylic Clear, One-Go Floor Polish or if i want a satin effect, White Knight Crystal Clear Acrylic Satin Clear.

cgmorg wrote:

Mustang_67 wrote:I put a few coats of clear, and then some wax on my bodies Im not happy with the amount of shine i'm getting, or lack of

Thanks for info. I am a bit new at this so could you tell me what is "clear" . Is it a Tamiya product or some sort of varnish? Do you airbrish it on?

I have had good outcomes with both Tamiya and Auto paints

Thanks Guys,

I am inclined to feel more confident about using a primer system(and when appropreiate undercoat) especially with auto paints. The auto paint spray I bought today (PowerPlus from Supercheap Auto) recommends their plastic primer which I will go back and get tomorrow and try out over the weekend. I also bought some of the clear spray.

Looks like finding a recipe that works for the individual is the key but you have all certainly given me some much appreciated advise. This will save me a lot of time, expense and probably avoid my ruining a few bodies.

dunno about anybody else but i have found that most types/brands of rattlecan clear i have used will eventually yellow to some degree, however i have not had this problem with Tamiya clear. i have recently purcheased a litre of acrylic laquer clear for automotive use wich i intend to use with a spray gun i am pretty sure that this wont yellow either but it will be some time before i will know for sure !

Cheap enamel clear (like Aussie Export) will yellow when you turn your back on it.

zenrat wrote:Cheap enamel clear (like Aussie Export) will yellow when you turn your back on it.

I was wondering about that Aussie Export Enamel brand it seems too cheap - $3-69 a big can at Repco. Compared to $12 to $13 for Laquers (in smaller cans than Aussie Export) and quite different paint of course.

Maybe the Aussie Export Enamel does a great job and is just good value.

In my view a few dollars extra for decent paint seems a small price to pay after spending many, many hours putting together an intricate kit.

I've had some great results with Aussie Export and some scheissehaus ones with more expensive paint.
Bryce will tell you that Aussie Export is nasty cheap crap and to avoid it.
He's right and he's wrong.
It is nasty cheap crap but sometimes it can be used. For example, Creation Blue is a very good match for Pontiac Engine Blue and you'll get a huge rattle can for the price of a teeny tiny bottle you'll have to then thin and airbrush on.
I will happily use Aussie Export paints for things like chassis, engines and suspension but will avoid it for bodies unless I absolutely have to.
If you are tempted to use it, then bear in mind that the colour of the lid is only a very approximate indication of the colour of the contents.

Thanks Zenrat, Because Aussie Export is so cheap I thought I would give a try if only to satisfy my cuorsity. As you suggest I will try it on a chassis first.

well i use cheap paint as im a cheap kinda guy and the only info i can give is all paint is good if you follow there rules if ya like, rules being required temp,humidity,surface cleanliness. i my self do not use primers but i do a light coat first and if it says 10 mins between coats ill do it in 5 mins with a nother light coat then ill wait 15 mins and hit it heavy well heavy enough to evenly cover the body. i allso cheat by painting on a plastic outdoors table so i paint on a leg first to see how heavy i can go before it runs if ya know wot i mean. and remember if it stuffs up you can always strip it and try again ok but patiance is a big winner so dont rush it

Im with bryce on this one, aussie export is shitouse, some clours are ok for doing engines and what not but i wouldnt be touching a shell with it... DSF is also correct, you need that barrier between paint and shell if anything go's wrong or if you want to sand the primer so the paint looks a little better and go's on alot slicker, you can get around this by use;n MR HOBBY PRIMER, comes in 1000 to 1200 micron, aslong as the shell is mickey and no shit gets in the coat of primer you can go straight over the top with colour with a smooth outcome, i do all my models like this...

Everything I paint is done with Holts Touch up rattle cans. Holts grey primer first than whatever colour and finished off with Holts DS117 Clear coat. Ive never had a drama with it, its easy to work with, can be polished and comes up great! Ive also used some Tamiya spray cans but because I live in the sticks we dont have a hobby shop to buy it from, but we have a Repco that stocks Holts! Aussie Export paint and the cheaper shit seems to "wipe out" all detail also due to its "heavier" nature.
Hope this helps but as the guys said before it's really a case of experimenting a bit and finding whatever suits your needs the best, whats readily available and what your comfortable using.
Cheers Rob

both of these were painted with aussie export rattle cans, not my usual choice but it does seem to work if used on a hot day out in the sun

i found that im useless with a airbrush the thinner mix i havent quite mastered yet so i use export 2 pak spray paint from supercheap cos CG you and me are in the same boat lol and i found that undercoating is obviously a must normal grey is what i use but id love to get some 3d primer to get a real good smooth surface then spray what ever desired color then when its dry i clear coat it again export 2 pak only about 3 bux i think a can for the clear i do about 3 to 4 coats of clear as i found out that if i hold the model for to long my body heat will actually melt the paint and leave a dirty finger print so i try to put the clear on thick so to avoid that and well ive only done this process twice the 2 projects are my best yet i have seen some ofthe guys use a polish on the final project i havent really looked into it much but it also improves the shine alot

Think you're getting a bit confused dude, as the name implies 2 pac is just that, a 2 part paint, your colour and a catalist or hardener, which when mixed together creates a chemical reaction, which hardens the paint. Aussie export is just cheap crap enamel which can take weeks to harden if not years. As they say you get what you pay for. I won't use anything except auto acrylics lacquers and the occational 2 pac clear.

I think James Tiberius Tubman hit on the prime directive there - give it time.

All the decent paint jobs i've done with cheap paint i've allowed plenty of gassing out time. With Aussie Export I won't even remove the body from the bent coat hanger for 24 hours and even then i'll try not to touch the paint and sit it propped on empty paint jars under a box lid for another 6 days.

Airbrushed Testors enamels i'll leave for at least 4 days before touching and car paints for at least 24 hours.

I recently had some odd results with Holts (I think it was) Ford Deep Aqua car paint. I decanted it into an airbrush jar but had a heck of a job keeping it mixed. It kept separating into colour & white and I had to shake constantly while painting to prevent the airbrush spitting out random blobs of white. Unfortunately a few got through. Never had this problem with any other colour or make or type of paint.

I have had good coverage with Aussie Export but it was still tacky to touch even after a week. So I got Dulux clear and gave it a few coats no problems then. But I dont use it that much now I go for the Holts great colours and great coverage.