Acrylic primer spray

[JohnnySpud]

I'm getting a vinyl kit in the mail soon and I'm looking for a recommendation for a good acrylic primer in a spray can. I don't have an airbrush or a place to use one, so I'm hitting a wall. I don't want the figure to melt!

[southwestforests]

Have yet to do the painting, but having a couple vinyl figures who are getting transferred to the G scale rmodel railway genre I've looked up the info.

One find from a website dedicated to modifying the usually vinyl action figures,
https://www.figurerealm.com/customtutor ... view&id=33

I don't bother with primer but if you want to use it, the high quality sandable automotive primer won't make your plastic tacky and works great. Krylon and Plasticote are good brands of sandable automotive primer.

And ...

A 2015 conversation from here,
viewtopic.php?t=114897

This comment particularly caught my attention,
(and this commenter is still building many different things and posting them on Flickr)

by dizzyfugu » Tue Jun 02, 2015 8:25 am
Besides using ONLY acrylic primer (read the can - if it does not say acarylic just stay away in order to avoid any risks), give the parts a good and thorough wash in a mild detergent. There will certainly be silicone separator agents left on the parts, or, if you have poor vinyl material, it keeps oozing softener. If any of these is left before painting, you will receive a spotty finish, in the wort case the paint just pearls off...

The white Tamiya primer should be safe and also be a very good option - costly, but good material yields good results.

That also counts for vinyl material quality. I have seen/built shaggy recast kits of a material that came close to hard wax. A mess, a wonder how I got those things together at all, and most amazing is that the paint is still intact, after many years... Worked purely with acrylics, though, primer as well as final coats, and those were glossy and flexible.

Anyway, a good and original vinyl kit can be just as crisp and easy to handle like a resin kit - I have a vintage original Belldandy figure somewhere in the stash, and if it was not hollow I'd thought it was a resin kit, also due to a relatively dark/brownish material, much different from the white-ish cheap stuff (Elfin/Phantom recasts). I'd still only use acrylics, just to avoid any risk of long-term reaction.

Another painting and priming conversation at Figure Realm,
https://www.figurerealm.com/topic?topicid=10280

antithetical - Thursday, March 21, 2019

I've used the Duplicolor Fabric and Vinyl spray as well, not on rubbery capes, but as a primer, and tha's how I'm reading Truwe's post, Duplicolor spray first, then Vallejo paint. You could use JUST the spray if you wanted, but the colors are limited, and the ones I've used had a flat/matte finish.
Truwe 316 - Sunday, March 24, 2019

Exactly. As antithetical said, you can use the spray as your normal color, but I usually just use it as a primer and then paint with the game air. Game air is great since it is already thinned down and if you let it cure for two days, its one of the most durable out there.
Truwe 316 - Thursday, March 21, 2019

Duplicolor Fabric and vinyl spray at Autozone with Vallejo Game air for paint. It's what I use on all my capes with absolutely no problem. Just make sure you let the Vallejo Paint cure for 2 days and you can bend the cape all you want.

[Wug]

I'd recommend Mr. Surfacer. I always do. It's available in cans. Spray it outside.

Mike

[JohnnySpud]

I didn't know Mr. Surfacer was acrylic!

[Wug]

Mr. Surfacer is an acrylic lacquer.

[dizzyfugu]

Tamiya's white rattle can primer is very good, too, and I frequently use a Duplicolor grey acrylic primer for cars from local DIY stores with good success.

[bigbluejavelin]

I bought a large spray can of Zinsser 1-2-3 spray primer from Home Depot to try on a vinyl Alien egg that is from a resin cast base that I had bought years age on Ebay. I washed the part about a week before getting the primer with Super Clean, the replacement for Purple Power I think. I masked off except part of it that will be cut off to test. after spraying and waiting a few hours it seemed to stick OK, but scratched off very easily with my thumbnail. After curing overnight however it seems to be very durable. Going to remove masking tape and spray the whole thing today. I will give it a few days to cure before trying a few different types of paint (Acrylic, Acrylic Laquer, and enamels) again on the part that will be cut off. I have never done a vinyl kit before but I do have an old AMT Rancor kit I would like to tackle this winter and actually try out using an airbrush I bought over a year ago.

[southwestforests]

I masked off except part of it that will be cut off to test. after spraying and waiting a few hours it seemed to stick OK, but scratched off very easily with my thumbnail. After curing overnight however it seems to be very durable. Going to remove masking tape and spray the whole thing today. I will give it a few days to cure before trying a few different types of paint

To borrow a phrase from the news, will be staying tuned for further developments.