Need some help here.

I am trying to finish a 1/35 Italeri Pz-38t tank and am on the "rubber" tracks. My first attempt at painting them faired poorly to say the least. I primed the tracks then painted them with a Tamiya's acrylic paints. When I started to bend tracks to put on the tank the paint started coming off in chips right down to the bare tracks.



So, I removed all the paint and primer and am now back down to the "rubber" tracks and have to start over.

I think my problem may be the primer but not sure. The primer is "The Armory Spray Primer" GG-SP2 Grey. It is meant for acrylic paints but (obviously) doesn't do well with bonding to these rubberized tracks.

What is the best combination of primer and paint so that this does not happen? I have read that some use Floquil paints because they "bite" more but still need help.

Thanks,

Marty
(KCBuilder)

I recently painted a set of tracks with Krylon Fusion Satin Black paint. Fusion is suppose to bond to plastic and seems to have bonded well to the material the tracks are made of.

Another method I am considering is interior vinyl paint sold in auto parts stores.

CWatson

I have the same problem since I started to use acrylic paint instead of enamels. When I used enamels I think I didn't have such problems (at least I don't recall).

try this thread here for a detailed description.

HTH

Andy

I base coat vinyl tracks, with cheap matt black spraycan paint. Then weather the tracks with Humbrol enamels, oil washes, pigment, pastels and graphite, depending on what kind of look I what. Never had any problems with the paint coming of in chips.

Remember to wash the tracks, before painting them. Just a little soap an warm water, to make sure there aren't any release agent on the vinyl.

Thanks all for the quick response. Will try out the suggestions.

Great site too! Been out of modeling for 15 years. Got back into it and am taking baby steps with all the new after market stuff and new products.

Marty

I had a similar problem with a set of vinyl tracks. I used an acrylic as a base coat because of color choice. I normally use enamels.

Acrylics adhere by clinging to the plastic substrate. Enamels adhere by attacking the plastic substrate and biting into it. Most models are made from polystyrene which accepts acrylics almost as well as enamels. Vinyl tracks are in part made with polypropylene or similar type of plastic to make them more flexible. Polypropylene is an oil derivative and makes it less than compatible with acrylics.

The suggestion to use Krylon Fusion is a good one. Fusion is a modified oil based enamel and adheres well to vinyls.

I always used Humbrol enamals, washes and pastels on rubberband tacks and never had a problem with it cracking or flakeing.
Cheers
Gene

I've had good success in airbrushing MM Metalizers as a base, burnt iron or gun metal are good choices. The "hotter" laquer base and ultra thin coat seem to adhere quite well.

certain colors in the MM metalizer line stick to ANYTHING like there's no tomorrow.

A method I use to paint the soft plastic 1/72 figures is to prime them with LePage's water based contact cement (green lable). I spray it with my airbrush. After it is dry to the touch, I airbrush the white primer paint coat. After that, I can use a brush for the detail work. The contact cement sticks to the soft plastic and the paint will stick to the contact cement. I have found that it works very well for my wargame figures and it should work for tank tracks as the pastic appears to be similar. I am finishing a Challenger 2 and will use this method for those tracks and let you know how it turns out.

Quick update. Picked up a can of Krylon Fusion Satin Black and painted the tracks with no problem. Have washed the tracks with a mixure of Isopropyl alcohol and reb brown Tamiya acrylic paint. Finally, dry brushed it with Tamiya gunmetal and then enamel silver on the very high points. It is drying for a couple of days and then will put on the tank and then try some pigments.

Thanks again.

Marty