TAMIYA Wht Liquid Surface Primer 40ml TAM87096 Lacquer Primers & Paints

I am a long time user of Tamiya products. All Tamiya products are top notch IMHO. I also used a lot of solvent based enamels on plastic models in the past, but am slowly trying to wean myself off these and migrate towards acrylic paints. Acrylic paints seem to stick better to plastic models that have been primed with a solvent based primer. This is one of my go to primers. I use it to brush onto areas that have been filled with putty to fill pin holes, but I also thin it and airbrush it as a final primer before paint. This primer dries fast but leaves a satin sheen so no sanding is required before top coating. In fact, it goes on so smooth, I have actually started using it as a white paint. I build a lot of military models that require white stripes, etc. and this primer covers better than most regular white paints. If I need it glossy, I just top coat with a clear gloss.Benefits of this primer: it sprays well when airbrushed, but can be brushed onto small areas to fill pin holes, etc. It can be thinned with Tamiya lacquer thinner or hardware store lacquer thinner. I recommend using Tamiya's own lacquer thinner for actual use on a model then use your inexpensive thinner to clean your tools and airbrush. It covers good and is very opaque. It dries quickly to a velvety smooth finish. It is durable, but sands easily if you need to sand it once applied. I recommend that if it needs a lot of sanding, wet sand the primer to keep sanding dust from clogging your sand paper. It needs to be thinned quite a bit to be sprayed, so I recommend starting with 2 parts thinner to 1 part primer. If this doesn't provide the smoothness you need, thin it more and apply wet coats after an initial tack coat is applied.Disadvantages: it is a lacquer product so it does have an odor. Use it only with good ventilation and wear a respirator when spraying it. The odor is similar to nail polish. Also if you do use hardware store lacquer thinner to thin this product to spray on a model, please test the mixture on some scrap plastic to test compatibility. Some lacquer thinners can attack plastic and cause crazing if you flood it on. Build up the primer using light coats. The solvents in the thinner & primer flash off so fast that you can follow a second coat in just a few moments so it is easy to get multiple coats on safely without harming your plastic model.

I don't have an airbrush, and usually prime with rattlecans. For larger or ongoing projects that may require additional priming after being partially painted, I hate having to mask and respray, potentially damaging existing paint. That's why I bought this.I also find it's great for priming materials that the Rust-Oleum doesn't play well with.You'll likely need/want to thin it, though. I used pure acetone (nail polish remover) and eyeballed the thickness, sometimes dipping the brush into the acetone and going back over areas to thin a wet, overly thick coat, or dipping into the Tamiya to thicken and get more coverage. I am generally able to avoid brush strokes or other flaws after a few hours of practice.

This is a very good product. It's great for filling seams in plastic models or adding casting texture to armor models. You do have to let it dry for at least 24 hours before you try to sand it though.

Not only a great primer but I use it for most parts needing to be white instead of a dedicated white paint.

It came the day it was supposed to and in perfect condition.

Great product for balsa wood in model rocketry

It works for all of my friends miniatures. Fuse is it for Warhammer miniatures or car models and everything in between. The go to primer

This has been a good product for filling in small scratches and glue lines. The white color contrasts with most molded plastic colors which makes it easy to see what needs to be sanded off. It is lacquer based so the Tamiya Lacquer Thinner can be used to thin it out for spraying if desired.Why 4 stars instead of 5, you ask. It would have been nice if there was a small brush in the cap,