When repainting a painted model, is there any point to using primer first. I don't want to strip all the old paint off. Tamiya paint bottle says you can paint right over painted surfaces, but I'm wondering if a layer of primer wouldn't help.

Thanks,

Russ

In my experience, Tamiya really holds well, so if you are just changing color on a new, very clean model, I wouldn't worry about a primer (as long as it isn't glossy).

That said, if you changed things or sanded or something, it couldn't hurt to get a solid coat on there to make the top coat even.

Also if you ran it or it's noticeably dirty, a good wash couldn't hurt. I use Simple Green added to hot water a tub and dunk whole sprues before building anything. It's a perfect solvent for mold release, skin oil, etc. and after a good rinse I've never had trouble with any paint adhesion, using primer or not.

I find when I open these HL tanks, they are bathed in oil on the gears, recoil, airsoft, etc so it takes some care to keep the surface clean before painting if you are not going to disassemble.

If you are talking about paint for the Ford truck, call me (I'll PM you). In a nut shell, the smoother and shiney the finish the more likely it is not to accept paint well. Either prep it chemically, with sanding or with a primer. If you don't, two paint defects occur called "Fish-eyes" and "Orange peel". I know we are not looking for show car paint work on camo jobs but paint prep is more important on a metal diecast than it is on a plasitc model. I'll get some pix together for you.

When you paint over primer all the colorers will stay the same.
Darryl

i was once told by a car customizer that the best thing to stick to paint is paint Ivan Benic creater of the Cosmic Cruiser