Primers
with Geoff Coughlin
Humbrol Acrylic Grey Primer (HAP) gives an excellent smooth surface onto which you can confidently spray your Humbrol Acrylic Paints and it is essential to apply this primer to your model before spraying HAPs – they won’t spray straight onto the plastic with regular success. The primer provides the necessary key for the paint particles to stick and create the smooth finish you need for the primer base layer.
A note of caution…
Unless you are very experienced with using different manufacturer’s products together my advice is simple – don’t!
It’s very easy to get a reaction and mess up a lot of your hard work by inadvertently mixing primer (say) from one manufacturer with different top coats of paint from another and that’s where the problems can start. Do see other entries in your SMN Techniques Bank – Model Painting and Airbrushing section covering these areas and your questions, it might just save you a heap of time and trouble.
I simply take the view that the manufacturer has spent thousands of pounds developing their product range, so who am I to think I know better and can start mixing in other products that are formulated differently? No, I’ll trust to their better judgement, especially when in this example we are working with such a well known, long-established model paint manufacturer like Humbrol.
So you’ve decided to use Humbrol Acrylic Grey Primer…
My target project is the Airfix 1:48 scale Hawker Hurricane Mk.Ib Trop with it’s great ‘desert’ colour scheme of Dark Earth/Mid Stone over Azure Blue undersides – all using Humbrol Acrylic paints.
The choice is yours…
You can spray the primer straight from the can or decant it into a small cup and transfer it to your airbrush for spraying – the latter affords better control and that’s what you’ll see in the following video.
A few more tips:
- follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the back of the can – mainly to spray the primer at room temperature (I’d go further and recommend storing all your paint at room temperature – it will spray much better if you do this. Also spray from about 20-30cm from your model
- spraying in a room whose temperature is normal (warm and dry) is essential for the primer to behave the way it is intended
- invert the can after spraying to clear the nozzle of paint making it usable in future
- leave your primed model overnight to dry and harden thoroughly
- rub the surface down with some Micromesh polishing cloths (See your SMN Techniques Bank) before applying your top coat(s) of Humbrol Acrylic Paint.
Good luck!
Geoff C.