Primers

In case anyone hadn't noticed, modelling life used to be much easier. Not only were there fewer products on the market (the redundancy and one-upmanship game has gotten out of control!), but there was little if any government intervention. This allowed the product to do what it was supposed to do nearly 100% of the times, as opposed to the current "roll the dice and take your chances" approach to products from which the government has felt compelled to protect us.

This vent/rant is by way of preface to my research into primers as a result of yesterday's debacle. I found this excellent summary on why primers should be used on one of the many sites I have visited in the last two days:

• Primers are the anchors for the new paint system. There are big differences in the quality of primers on the market.
• A primer is wasted if surface preparation is not thorough.
• Take time to ensure all surfaces are thoroughly clean and free from contaminants.

"Well, duh?!" you might say? I have repeatedly seen projects that have foregone surface prep, and not a few that have skipped the critical priming step altogether. In this day and age when we have nary a clue of how a piece was cast and/or the formulation of the casting medium, to not use a primer is the height of folly! And I would have to say that your favorite song is "Flirtin' with Disaster"!!

Before closing, I wanted to share with you that I will be priming Cap (and all subsequent PV figures) with a light coat of Rustoleum Sandable Auto Primer--Grey, followed by a final coat of Rustoleum Painter's Touch® Ultra Cover 2x Primer Grey. The reason for the latter is that the former is a rather dark slate grey, while the latter is a normal "primer grey". If it works as I hope it will, I will be buying at least 2-3 additional cans of each, 'cause with such goodies as xylene (Dio-Sol!!!) and toluene in the mix, I can't see Uncle Sam leaving these products be for long!



“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003