For pretty much all my kitbashing/repainting life i've used Humbrol paints as that's all the local hobby shop stocks.

However if I drive an hour north the Toyworld up there stocks Humbrol, Testors and Citadel.

Now i've used Citadel before to not very much luck and don't have much desire to do so again.

But I figured it was time to use some Testors as a lot of people swear by them. And I was looking at their spray paints and was thinking of trying them as a base coat and then brush on the small details.

How are they as a spray paint? Do they need an undercoat first or will it bond with the plastic without any aid?

Basically any recommendations/tips would be appreciated. I have no trouble brushing but I also like to try out new things.

 

sofar the results i had have been meh... but it could also be the type of plastic (K.O Bt Blue Prowl) is made of, I keep getting air bubbles when I spray a coat on usually from 6 inches away...

others might have better results though...

 

i have used testors spray paints sence i was a kid. the basic colors are simpler to use than the fancy ones. testors spray paints can deliver awsome results , but they are like the premadonnas of the spray paint world. all i can suggest is to follow the directions on the can to the letter. use thin coats and also rember some colors have different directions esp candies and mettallics. also testors works best with a base coat as well.

 

I've had good results from using Testors on a couple of my alts. I also used very thin coats and five to ten minutes between coats. But I also sprayed directly on the plastic with no priming.

 

I've had really good results in the past with them. They aren't perfect, but definetly really good. Other than black and some of the darker colors, you really don't need any kind of primer or undercoat for them (even then it's only so you won't have to put more layers of paint on coat, as darker colors tend to need more coats). Like any other paint, make sure you follow the directions for at least a basic guideline.

 

I just prime mine and well try to hand brush it and if that dont work well I'll spray too. But I havent gotten the chance too. So I dont know about the pros and cons about it.

 

both my recent seekers were painted with at least SOME Testors sprays.. the green is the new onecoat line of theirs, I LOVE it. I also love the metallic white of that line, 4 thin coats and it covered really dark great perfectly! I like the model masters line of stuff too. regular testors, not so much.

 

i've only used the spray white from Testor's but it's done me extremely well. no complaints
i've been using Krylon Plastic Fusion lately. Now this stuff I swear by

 

It's great as a spray, primer first but multiple thin coats on a hot dry day will yield the best results then repeat the same steps with paint.
Plastic must be clean.

Too much humidity, try again in drier weather, or coat is too thick.
Make sure your plastic is clean.

 

I'm done with testors spray paints I think. I'd been using them almost exclusively, but have had a lot of problems with them lately. Too heavy coverage, the size and price are also a factor, and I can find a pretty good selection of high impact spray paints at Home Depot/Lowes for cheaper with less of a hassle.

Sure, they have some good colors, but almost all of their reds suck and offer crap coverage and drips (even with super light coats), and their yellows are a joke. Plus their website is awful, and that's kind of telling of the sort of company they imo.

Their dull-coat IS great though, I will give em that.

 

Testor's is the best sprays out there in my opinion, and i've tried them all.

*just a tip: when painting plastic with spray, fill a small bowl with paint thinner, and brush on the thinner onto the figure, this will remove the layer of oil, it also breaks down the plastic ever so slightly that the paint will stick a million times better. You'll see the plastic turn white and foggy, thinner won't damage the plastic unless soaked in it for long periods of time.

 

Only used Testors primer spray, to good effect. As mentioned, Krylon plastic stuff works well too. Testors Acryl paints stick better than the Game Workshop IMO.

Lately I have been brushing with Vallejo paints. They seem to work very well, go on thin and only take one coat mostly. However they seem to be the first paint to REQUIRE an overcoat as it scratches easily.