What is happening here? Paint question.

[Noddy]

Care to guess which spoon has primer and which doesn't?

I've been painting models for 40+ years. Do you want to keep playing games or actually take any of the advice you've been getting?
One more game? Go ahead and set up a poll or take a survey and I'll bet you don't find many serious modelers who don't prime plastic.

[bossy122]

I was making the point about why I don't like using primer. Obviously with recent events i"ll use primer, whether I want to or not.

[Lucazena]

Care to guess which spoon has primer and which doesn't?

I've been painting models for 40+ years. Do you want to keep playing games or actually take any of the advice you've been getting?
One more game? Go ahead and set up a poll or take a survey and I'll bet you don't find many serious modelers who don't prime plastic.

Maybe he don't understand because all of us use a basecoat .
The first trouble in painting coming from the basecoat. But never paint without basecoat.
Don't waste your time

[dingo07]

I think I did a pretty decent job with this paint job...
Stynylrez blue primer..

Then Gravity Colors paint...

[CK]

I may be the odd ball. I do not use primer most of the time.

The primer function is to give the work piece surface a uniform and good surface for the color coat to adhere to.

What I have found is most model paints adhere to a polystyrene surface pretty good. These are static models that are not having to face high handling. Hence tear and wear of paint is not an issue. I have use Tamiyi acrylic, Vallejo acrylic (hand brushed / air), Testor's enamel and acrylic, Revel acrylic, Gunze acrylic, and Humbrol enamel. I airbrush these paints all the time. They all have good enough adhesion that can withstand sanding and polishing. Some of them I also hand brush them for small areas. So far, I have not encounter any issue with no primer layer.

I only used Tamiya spray scan couple times in the past and only one time that I had an issue. It probably was a shelf life issue.

Here's a picture of my Porsche using Tamiya acrylic without primer. The orange paint has been sanded and polished. It is good enough to get a win in a local model show.

Using primer or not is a choice. I don't think it is a must. It definitely helps in some cases.

[Lucazena]

So the basecoat it's a choice?
So you paint a Ferrari on black sprue and it's better than a properly film sprayed on a good basecoat (like light grey or much better light pink) ?
Sorry for my bad English.

[Sennafan]

I wasn't going to add here, but will since others did

I have been building for 30 years, and use primer when necessary, I do not use it all the time

For a properly colored quick Tamiya build I will not use primer at all if staying with colors that work on the kit plastic

[dingo07]

I should have mentioned... that Mini Cooper is a 1:24 scale BRM slot car White Kit build. It's handled very frequently, and will be crashed at some point!
Here's how it looked right out of the box...

[stubeck]

So the basecoat it's a choice?
So you paint a Ferrari on black sprue and it's better than a properly film sprayed on a good basecoat (like light grey or much better light pink) ?
Sorry for my bad English.

I don't think there is an answer that will satisfy the intent of this question. If you like to use primer, continue to do so. If you don't, then don't. I'm not sure anyone is going to convince anyone else that they are right or wrong. Just like there are lots of ways to build a house, there are lots of ways to build a model.

[Noddy]

The primer function is to give the work piece surface a uniform and good surface for the color coat to adhere to.
What I have found is most model paints adhere to a polystyrene surface pretty good.
Using primer or not is a choice. I don't think it is a must. It definitely helps in some cases.

The one point that I left out of my post that's important in response to your (clipped) comments above is that a primer becomes essential when you are working with automotive lacquer paints over plastic. It's essential to seal the plastic off from the solvents in the lacquer paint. Obviously if you're painting with model paints or the newer waterborne automotive lacquers then that's a different situation. As always your mileage may vary, professional driver on a closed course, do not attempt these maneuvers yourself and opinions of hosts, callers, and guests are not those of station management.