A [CAUTIONARY] TALE OF WOE
The first coat of primer went on well, but it revealed two pesky seam lines that I had completely overlooked. I was very tempted to "fill" them with G/S Mr. Surfacer 500; but this was an oversight on my part, so I might as well do it right. The primer also revealed a couple of spots that would require putty intervention.
So far so good. I carefully placed the reworked, primed figure in the oven to accelerate the curing of the MS, and that's when everything went b***'s-up! I went to check the progress of the curing putty when I noticed that the primer coat was quite shiny; and when I carefully touched it, it was tacky! Now, everybody knows--or should know--that enamel paints will not cure on PV figures, which is why I was very careful in selecting one of my remaining bottles of Floquil lacquer-based primer. The joke--a bad one--was on me: the bottle had been mislabeled!
At this point, I had but two choices: dump the figure; or make the best of a bad situation. Three cigarettes later, I opted for the latter. I will have to very carefully remove all the bad primer (since it did not cure, it is readily removable using lacquer thinner), and then re-prime using a lacquer- based primer.
So I'm back to the original timetable--though whether or not I can start uc'ing next weekend is yet to be seen. My main reservation is that I will have to use a spray-can to prime. . .
FOLLOW-UP . . . THE SILVER LINING
98+% of the bad primer has now been removed, so, at worst, only a day was lost. The good news is that I discovered a very useful bit of knowledge: all PV (read: soft-ish vinyl) figures should be thoroughly wiped-down with lacquer thinner prior to applying any paint [NOTE: test on a small, inconspicuous part first!]. This not only removes any mold release and essentially degreases the figure, it leaves a semi-matte-to-matte surface sheen that effectively acts as a primer coat to reveal any surface blemishes, etc.
“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003
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