Priming
Give paint something to grip — a thin, even undercoat that every other layer depends on.
Priming is the one step we never skip. Bare plastic, resin, and metal are too smooth for acrylic paint to grip, so we lay down a primer first — a specialised undercoat that bonds to the model and gives every later coat something to bite into. The colour we prime sets the mood of the whole paint job: black makes colours deep and forgiving of missed spots, white makes them bright and clean, grey sits usefully in between. One thin, even pass is the goal — a primer coat thick enough to hide detail has already failed.
Best For
Recommended Paint Types
Step-by-Step
Wash the model in warm soapy water, scrub gently with an old toothbrush to lift mould-release residue, and let it dry fully — primer will not stick to grease.
In a ventilated space, hold the spray can 20–30 cm from the model and lay your spray primer (black for depth, white or grey for brighter schemes) on in short, sweeping passes that start and end OFF the model — never a continuous blast.
Rotate the model between passes so every angle gets a light dusting, including under the arms and chin, until the surface is evenly coated but every sculpted line still reads crisply.
Let it cure for 30 minutes, then run a fingertip over a hidden spot: it should feel faintly matte and dry, not tacky. If bare patches remain, one more light pass — never a heavy one.
If It Goes Wrong
If the primer goes on fuzzy or grainy (sprayed too far away, or in humid air), let it cure fully and buff the rough spots smooth with a fingertip or an old brush handle; if it pooled and drowned detail, strip the model in isopropyl alcohol and start again — ten minutes now saves the whole paint job.
Variations
Brush-on primer does the same job without the can: we thin it to milk and lay two thin coats with a size 2 round, keeping each stroke moving so it never pools in a recess.
A coloured primer is primer and basecoat in one pass — priming a red army with red primer saves an entire basecoat step on the largest zone of every model.
Pro Tips
Prime on a dry day if you can — humidity is the main cause of fuzzy, frosted primer.
Black primer is the most forgiving for beginners: anywhere you miss reads as shadow.
Stick models to a cork or box with poster tack so you can rotate them without touching wet primer.
Shake the can for a full minute — pigment settles hard at the bottom.
Common Mistakes
Spraying too close or too long in one spot — detail drowns in minutes.
Priming a greasy, unwashed model — the primer peels later under handling.
Skipping primer on metallics and resin 'because the paint covered fine' — it chips off within weeks.
Painting before the primer has cured — brush strokes drag the soft primer around.