I am about to have a go at painting figures for the first time and after reading a lot of stuff on this site I have decided to give acrylics a go. I will be doing some Tamiya figures in the first instance.

Do I have to prime the figures before painting, and if so what with?
Thanks, Roger

I usually "prime" my figures with the same color as the uniform color, so in actuality it's more of another coat than it is a primer. I'm sure others may disagree and do something else, but that's what I do and it works for me.

The only time I prime a plastic figure is when the plastic color is darker than the color of the uniform I am going to paint. If for example the plastic figure is grey and the uniform I want to paint is white I would prime the figure with either light gray or creamy yellow. I don't use acutall primer but more or less do what AIRB842586 does, paint a coat or two of that intermediate color.

I prime with a sand color if the plastic is dark. I find that priming with enamel works better because it covers in one coat. If I use craft paint I always prime the figure because the craft paint does not stick to plastic very well at all.

I suggest that you do indeed prime your figures, after cleaning and filling all the seams. I like to use a pale gray or light flesh tone - but the primary reason I do this is to make sure the colors I see in my bottle are the colors that show on the figure. A pale color on a dark olive drab figure may appear too dark.

If you have the equipment, I further suggest that you apply your primer with an airbrush, which will get into every crack and cranny of even the most intricate pieces.

Azimaz - I use almost exclusively craft paints... if you find it doesn't adhere well, it is probably because there is some ultra thin sheen of mold release still on the plastic. Soak the figures first for about 5 minutes in lukewarm soapy water, and you will find that the craft paint adheres MUCH better!

Everybody has their own approach, when I was learning (who am I kidding, I'm still learning!) I found a few books at the library and a few magazine articles that gave a number of good suggestions. As I remember almost everyone of these 'guiding lights' primed before painting, so I tried it as well. I still try and take shortcuts here and there but I must say that the figure work that I am most proud of has all been primed before anything else. Everyone has their own personal choice on primer but if you can pick up a can of Tamiya spray primer I would recommend that you give it a try.

Coop

Thanks guys, I will definitely try priming first, it seems to be the concensus.

I am finding I am having difficulty putting in the highlights on the faces. I am OK with the dark wash to pick out the recesses etc, but highlights are proving difficult. This is just my first attempt so I don't expect perfect results, but any further tips would be great.

The acrylics seems to be drying very quickly, maybe due to the amount of lights I have around my desk, I presume if I add a little water it will lengthen the drying time but also reduce the covering quality. Am I right?

Cheers
Roger