there's 3 levels of surfacer which is 500, 1000, 1200...
the numbers are meaning the roughness of the primer....
500 is rough, 1000 smoother, 1200 is very smooth... 2 me, 1000 and 1200 is almost the same just that 1200 much smoother
so it all depends on wat kind of effect u want....

OH alrite... tq tq

haha now i understand. anyway Happy Chinese New Year to everyone k!!

i just finished sanding my 1/144 nadleeh.... the white doenst look very plastic now... what to do next?... coat with clear flat?

i wanted it to look more white flat colour.. but dunno how 2 paint.. haha

after sanding, u shud prime ur kit and then paint it white and the last layer of coat...
which will get ur white flat color

any ideas where to buy the prime ?... what it does anyway.. hehe

prime/sufarcer is the same thing... where to get u can refer the pinned list...
prime is a "layer" to cover ur scratches from sanding, it's in grey color...
after u spray ur "colors" on the kit... the prime also lets the paint stick better, if u didn't apply prime then ur paint will chip off easily.

Hi, just bought a Gundam for the first time in years. Got this model:

http://www.hlj.com/product/BAN952245
1/100 Unicorn

Thing is, I have zero experience in painting. I have absolutely no clue on what to do. The main thing is that I want to make the model look less plasticky (since it's almost all white anyway), and I read that clear coats are the best for that. Do I just buy a can, a paint brush and slap it on? What's all this primer about? Is it necessary for a minimalistic job like mine?

I do plan to paint a bit of the model though. The small parts that need painting anyway. What would be the easiest method for me to try? Markers? Paintbrushes? What about linework?

Hope some sifu can answer all my nooby questions.

so after sanding spray primer all over the model then slowly colour the kit according to its colour... primer is gray but it doent effect all the other colours right?

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Added on January 28, 2009, 9:35 amany forumer that u know selling prime? i'm in kuantan.. i dont think there is a hobby shop here.. lolz

This post has been edited by decarusz: Jan 28 2009, 09:35 AM

For a quick n nice job, u need to get a few things: cutter, file, sand paper (To remove the remaining nip after u cut the parts of the runner). A brush, and a bottle of enamel paint (to draw those panel line). and a can of top coat spray can (Here i recommend a flat finish for your unicorn). to top coat, i recommend u do it part by part, or at least section by section. dont do it one shot over an assembled kit.

However, i think the most u need is to make some friends in modeling, go yum cha with them, and ask them loads of questions.(This is what we do normally we go out yum cha).

pm me if u interested.



yes.

actually priming is found in many paint applying stuff around our life; eg car paint, wall painting etc. primer provides:
1. a more "grappng" power for the paint to grab to the surface, so it wont come off that easy.
2. standard the base color

some modelers use industrial primer, but those r for more experience ones. i recommend u buy a hobby primer by Gunze. Kuantan? mebbe u can ask z3r0717. Dia jugak Kuantan kaki. otherwise, buy online or tumpang someone from kl or penang to buy for u lor.....

primer, it's not a must, but definitely helps.

Thanks. Now I have a question about sanding (I never did this before because I was too lazy). Is it normal for the areas around the intended sanded area (the excess plastic joint part with the main sprue) to get scratched as well? Will this affect the plastic too much when I paint it?
The main reason for sanding is just to achieve a level surface right?

Also should I use primer before using the flat finish you recommended or is it not necessary?
Thanks again.

guess what.. i sanded the whole kit(the room turned like plastic air).. lolZ.... for white colour it doent look any difference but for the black.. it turned out more to the gray with light white stripes... dunno what to do now.. haha.. hope primer/surfacer can help it looks better.....
my intend is to achieve something like rubber white or powdery like white..

most forumer is on cny now.. nearby my house got 1 nippon paint shop.. how do i ask them?.. ask for surfacer? or primer?

hi there, i've been reading about the enamel paints... i don't seem to remember those being sold at the usual hobby stores. mind if u guys recommend a place to buy enamel paint?

yes, sanding is to sand away the sprues to get an even surface...
sanding has many grits(levels) of rougness, the higher it is the smoother it will get...
usually ppl wills and with low grit to get rid of the obvious "plastic" and then slowly use higher grits to even it.... starting wiv 300--500, 800-1000 and then 1200-2000... different ppl different levels of usage...
primer/surfacer is for u do cover the scratches done by the sanding... it will turn grey and then u'll nid to spray the color u wan it again... flat finishing/coat is usually the last stage....

primer/surfacer is for hobby use... u won't get them at industrial shops....
u'll need to get from hobby shops...
saw that u're from kuantan and ktn doesn't have any hobby stuff... i get all mine from KL.... the shops are listed in the pinned list...
u can order online too....
surfacer comes in 2 types, spray can and bottle(for Air Brush use)... if u plan to prime a lot then it's better to get AB because spray cans aren't cheap and u'll need to use a lot.

I started using paint n brushes for the first time and the color doesnt seem equally leveled. I'm still new in using brush. I added thinner to the paint to thin it a little but normally on what ratio will I get the best effect? also, if I were to paint it in multiple layers, wont the kit become thick then will cover parts like lining part?

humbrol - try hobby hq
tamiya - try tamiya underground, Time machine.

it's was just mentioned a few pages ago ma.......

thanks! and woops

There's something that bugging me. Well, how to say that. The clip... I means these guys.

http://www.1999.co.jp/dbimages/user/hobby/itbig/10046638.jpg

Hold the parts for us to paint. Back from the start, I begin with a HG, and after that is MG, I never see any prob. But yesterday, I paint some part of my SD. When the part is large enough, the place that the clip hold the part isn't a problem. But now, that place is big enough, after paint I can see that place doesn't have any paint. And if I spray that place with the clip still on then after the paint dry, the clip make that place looks terrible.

Since my Eng is bad. So hope sifu here understand what I says. Is there any way to solved this problem .

use other alternative.... i use tack... stick a little on the satay stick...

Erh? Tack? Where can I find it? The clip I used can buy in any electric shop.

I think you can buy in stationery shop