Testors spray enamel + Citadel primer?

[Metal Apostle]

Hi folks,

 

I've heard good things about Testor's Dullcote, and after picking up a few cans, also decided to pick up a colour for basecoating (in this case, Flat Red). The plan is to use GW White primer; then lay on the Testors, then wash and paint with GW paints. I've heard about acylics not sticking well on top of enamels though... So the question comes in two parts. Will the Testors enamel sit well on the GW primer? and secondly, after i've done that, will i have difficulty painting over it? I'd like to see if anybody has tried it beforehand who can tell me a whether or not it'll work before i lay into 8 or 9 tanks which are smiling at me...

 

I trust the QUALITY of testors, but will i need enamels to paint on top of it? or shall i just go hunting for another type of red spray? What do people think of Tamiya?

[averykess]

I would think the individual brands would matter more than the type of paint (acrylic, latex, enamel, etc.) for paint adhesion.

 

Most spray primer is not acrylic/latex.

 

I have base-coated ork vehicles in Testors flat black and painted them with no trouble with latex paints.

[striker8]

You shouldn't have an issue putting Testors spray over the GW spray. From the smell and behavior the GW sprays are enamel based so you'll have no solvent conflict as long as the prime is completely dry. The solvent used in the paint is the final determining factor as laquer will disolve enamel and some(not all) enamel thinners will disolve acrylic.

 

As for painting over the Testors as long as it's a flat finish you should be fine. Painting over a high gloss is where people run into trouble, the gloss finish has no tooth for another paint to stick too although enamels will stick better to a gloss enamel base than acrylics.

 

 

If your chosen testors spray turns out to be gloss, a quick light coat of dull cote and you should be fine using acrylics since it will give a nice tooth to paint on.

[Metal Apostle]

Thanks guys.

 

Just a follow-up question then.. Enamels are also supposed to take much longer to dry; even when sprayed on thin and evenly :/ Any idea how long they should be left for? and if i have to reposition the model after spraying to get to the undersides, i'm guessing i'll need to wait for it to completly dry first? GW undercoat usually dries when put on thin within about 10 mins, allowing a spray job to be done more or less in one session. Do you foresee the drying time affecting the process?

[AngryJohnny]

I use some enamels from Testors on my miniatures (usually metallic colors) and they do take a fair amount of time longer to dry. They're tricky though, it will see as if it's dry so you'll handle it and then it sticks to your fingers & comes off the model & you have to start over again. The metallic paint usually takes 2-4 hours to dry enough to be handled w/out messing it up & 24 hours to be completely dry.

 

However, the non metallic paints do dry quicker, usually in about 30 minutes they're completely dry but you can apply additional coats of paint after about 5-10 minutes if applied in thin layers.

[CarbonCopy]

I've been building model kits and painting miniatures for over 25 years. Painting acrylics over enamels and enamels over acrylics is typically just fine. However...

 

You need to make absolutely sure the layer underneath is completely cured (dry) before you paint a non-like paint over the top.

 

Sure, an acrylic may be dry to the touch in minutes, but it will not be fully cured and "gassed-out" for at least an hour. Water is a solvent. It also needs to be fully evaporated out of acrylic paint before you cover it with a water impermeable enamel paint.

 

This is even more true with the inverse. Make sure any enamel paint is fully cured, at least 24 (twenty-four) hours before covering it with a layer of acrylic paint. The solvents in enamel paint can and will prevent the acrylic from fully curing, or simply preventing it from adhering fully to the surface -- it'll flake off easily.

 

Oh, and GW paints are not true acrylics. They are a Vinyl base, which is fully intermixable with acrylics. Not the same, but related.

[Tanhausen]

I wouldn't suggest enamel paint on top of acrylic paints... they are solvent bases and will probably strip the acrylics.

 

I'd say test before in a non-compromising model :)

[Metal Apostle]

Thanks everyone; been extremly helpful :D