Just had a question for my fellow one-ringers.
Do you prime your plastic or finecast models?
I only have once and didnt notice a huge difference with them. I always base-coat but just wanted to utilize the collective knowledge here to determine if i should.

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Commission Customers include:
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MiniWargaming

I always base coat both Finecast and plastic. Usually with spray on plastic. I've tried painting Finecast without an undercoat, but it's very hard to paint on the first layer without a base coat. Even with a brush on undercoat, it's hard to paint Finecast so I do suggest spray for Finecast. There's not much difference in plastics, but it gives a good adhesive for your next layer of paint.

So yeah, pretty much my opinion, if that makes sense (I think I rambled on a little though)
Hope this helped anyway

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I started to walk around without shoes...

It sort of then became a Hobbit

I always prime, but the better painters around here will do specific colours depending on the miniatures, as one of its jobs is to make the paint you apply after suit the model better, e.g., some people may prime Orcs brown, Gandalf and Saruman white, etc...

I personally just use Army Painter black spray paint, sometimes takes a couple of go's to get an even coverage, and its slightly lighter than Chaos Black, but it does me fine, I really don't have time to had prime stuff anyways.
I think one of the main benfits is supposedly that it helps the paint to stick to the model better, which is also why your suppose to bathe plastics in soapy water before painting, especially onto the bare grey, as some liquid left over form the moulding process makes it hard for the paint to stick.

But if you'er fine without primer then go ahead, you'll certainly save yourself some money in the long run, but I'm sure other people will reccomend it for better results.

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Sun is by sea-men always hoped for,
when they fare away over the fishes' bath,
until the brine-stallion they bring to land.
OERP

I always prime my models black with a Matt spray meant for cars. Colours come out better IMO. I hate seeing models where the occupant has painted over bare plastic/ finecast.

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12th GBHL 2013.
13th GBHL 2014
9th GBHL 2015


Mid Sussex Wargamers

I totally agree on models that are straight painted on plastic.

I always just under-coat the model black and go from there. And I just wasn't sure if with plastics if there was an advantage gained by using a primer paint on a plastic as opposed a standard under-coat

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Commission Painting @FB http://www.facebook.com/squyrepainting
Commission Customers include:
GBHL Youtube Channel
MiniWargaming

Car primer for me too (cheaper and available closer to home.. and it is an actual primer, not just sprayed paint), though I've started to prefer grey as of late: give it a wash with thinned down black paint, and the recesses are dark (as with a black undercoat) while higher areas take colours quite a bit more nicely.
Only disadvantage is that, on plastic models, you barely see what you have and haven't sprayed yet...

I find for best priming results to use an airbrush, you can apply a thinner layer preserving detail. The Vallejo primers are really good and come in a choice of colours.

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Harfoots-The first of the Hobbit people to cross over the Misty Mountains and enter Eriador.

I also use Vallejo surface primer but I brush it on( no airbrush yet). I do thin it a little with water. It really dries down and does not obscure detail. I have used army painter colored primers, which I only use on plastics when speed painting, and it also works well but in my experience is more sensitive to temperature and humidity. I also use grey auto primer, and use it because it is a nice light grey and cheap.

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richmondwarmancers we play Lord of The Rings, Battlefleet Gothic, Infinity, some board games, and really whatever tickles our fancy..