Painting a HardBody..Prime or not to Prime?

[Dracnus]

So, I've been following/reading a bunch of painting threads in preperation for this...but I keep getting different answers, depending on who you ask, so I'm hoping maybe someone here has 'the definitive'

Hardbodys (For me, specifically, its the Tamiya Sand scorcher body)...

I get that you need to prep this style of body (Or all bodies for that matter)

So here's the steps I'm hearing

Wash it (Super Green, or dish soap)
Scuff it (Sandpaper, preferably wet)
Wash it again and let it dry...
Wipe it down with a cloth

Then, this is where it comes all the random posts not making any sense...do you prime this? Or because its a plastic, do you just use a Tamiya plastic paint, since its ment to adhere to plastic?

What do you do? What are your steps for a hardbody?

 

[Inspector86]

Follow the paint manufacturers recomendations.

 

[HugoBiermann]

I just use a bit dish soap to wash the body if its really dirty.
I use green scotch pads to scuff up the body. Tamiya paint goes straight on the plastic. No primer.


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[punkindrublik]

I just use a bit dish soap to wash the body if its really dirty.
I use green scotch pads to scuff up the body. Tamiya paint goes straight on the plastic. No primer.


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Is that just Tamiya? Or will lexan acrylics work ok too? Specifically Spaz Stix and Parma Faskolor.

 

[HugoBiermann]

Tamiya ps paints goes straight onto lexan and sticks really good. Ask enyone. Sticks even better on styrene bodies.

I use rustoliums paiters touch too and its good. As long as its a really good acrylic I have found.


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[struhall]

I like to paint the body with rust colored primer first, then a thin layer of white paint then my top color. My latest build I started I did it this way so it looks like it has been weathered down through the clear coat and to the primer and finally down to bare metal and started rusting.

It takes practice to get the color to show the white and rust color the way you want. I still have a good bit of detailing on this to go but this is where it sits now.

 

[Dracnus]

I like to paint the body with rust colored primer first, then a thin layer of white paint then my top color. My latest build I started I did it this way so it looks like it has been weathered down through the clear coat and to the primer and finally down to bare metal and started rusting.

It takes practice to get the color to show the white and rust color the way you want. I still have a good bit of detailing on this to go but this is where it sits now.

thats simple, and gorgeous. really like that idea. I have an air compressor/gun that I use for minis (warhammer) and could mix some primer red with some copper paint to really get a good rust layer going, so this might be a really good way to go.

I already tried up the beetle body a bit and this is where I'm at

Just gotta figure out how to weather the door and clean up my rust lines..you can tell its painted on, on the fenders.. :S

 

[struhall]

thats simple, and gorgeous. really like that idea. I have an air compressor/gun that I use for minis (warhammer) and could mix some primer red with some copper paint to really get a good rust layer going, so this might be a really good way to go.

I already tried up the beetle body a bit and this is where I'm at

Just gotta figure out how to weather the door and clean up my rust lines..you can tell its painted on, on the fenders.. :S

If you're trying to get a real good rust look you can do the salt method. You get all your body work done and dents and rust holes done and then paint it with the rust red primer. Once that sets you must it with water and sprinkle salt where you want it to be rusty. You shoot your top color of paint on that and then once its dry you wash and scrub away the salt to show the rust underneath.

Check my build thread for my Hilux and you can see how I did the salt method for rust.

Struhall's C2 Scx10.2 Hilux

 

[GCi in ATX]

If you're scuffing, you're basically doing the same thing as priming. Giving the paint something with some texture to adhere to. Paints specifically for RC bodies are usually designed to self etch the shell, to go ahead and remove the need to scuff or prime. Priming actually worsens the adhesion since it's not etching/bonding with the plastic. If you're planning on using other types of paint (actual automotive paint, scale model acrylics, etc) then scuffing or priming isn't a bad idea.

 

[Dracnus]

If you're scuffing, you're basically doing the same thing as priming. Giving the paint something with some texture to adhere to. Paints specifically for RC bodies are usually designed to self etch the shell, to go ahead and remove the need to scuff or prime. Priming actually worsens the adhesion since it's not etching/bonding with the plastic. If you're planning on using other types of paint (actual automotive paint, scale model acrylics, etc) then scuffing or priming isn't a bad idea.

Thats good to know. I was using Tamiya paints, and I scuffed it up a bit, but only with like...a cloth, not even sand paper grit. It seems to really stick!

 

[HugoBiermann]

Tamiya paints will stick on almost any plastic used in modeling / RC. They’re that good.

Like I’ve said, use these to make sure the surface is just roughed up enough:

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[Dracnus]

Tamiya paints will stick on almost any plastic used in modeling / RC. They’re that good.

Like I’ve said, use these to make sure the surface is just roughed up enough:

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I was at a loss for what those are called 'Scuffing pads'

That is precisely what I used. Keeping a kit in the workshop from now on.

 

[punkindrublik]

I was at a loss for what those are called 'Scuffing pads'

That is precisely what I used. Keeping a kit in the workshop from now on.

3M Scouring Pads to be specific ;-)