Test of Four Acrylic Primers

After reading some comments on a model forum about acrylic paints and primers, I made up my own test.  I sprayed Vallejo Gray Primer (V), Badger Stynylrex Gray Primer (S), Tamiya Flat FX-63 Panzer Gray paint (T) and AK Dark Yellow Primer (AK).  I let them cure for 4 days. 

The first picture is the four primers sprayed on white plastic and a toothpick pressed and dragged across all four samples.  They all passed.  The only issue was the tooth pick "polished" a line on each flat paint/primer but left the test primers undamaged.

The next picture is the after effects of doing the same test with a cut piece of plastic sprue.  The Badger Stynylrex shows a little paint scrapped off. The rest passed fine.

The third test was using the end of a metal ruler.  Only the Vallejo passed, while the Stynylrex did better than the Tamiya and AK. A result I did not expect.

The last tests were masking and "rip" off.  First Tamiya Yellow tape was applied and burnished down like you would do when masking a straight line. Instead of pulling it off gently, I pulled it off with a quick pull. The AK pulled up along the line left by the mark made by the steel ruler. I think if the paint was not already been scratched, the AK would have been fine.

The final tape test was with actual cheap painters masking tape. Again, a quick pull and the results were a mess for the AK.  The others test samples did okay.

What does this prove or show? If you let any Acrylic cure, you probably can handle without too much concern and not chip or scratch off the paint.  You can  tape it and certainly if you are gentle, you should be fine removing the tape. 

This is far from scientific and the results would need to be repeated to prove that there was not an oily fingerprint that caused the AK Primer to scratch and then fail under masking. But I think it does prove that if you have been thinking about switching to Acrylic paints and primers (due to the smell, chemicals, clean up, etc), you probably will be safe and happy with the results if you take your time, don't scrape metal rulers over the paint, and don't use cheap painters masking tape!  - Bob Walls

M1 Abrams History and Versions

Bob Walls's nice M1 with mine-clearing thingy

With all the Abrams models floating around, Bob Walls found the link below which discusses the history of the Abrams and all the versions in great detail.

Click here for link

Pictures from the Aug 12th IPMS Roanoke Valley Shoot Out Model Contest

For those who missed the show, below  is a  link to the Roanoke Valley website with many pictures of the models on display last week. - Bob Walls

   IPMS Roanoke Valley chapter website 

 

IPMS Richmond 2017 Group Build

IPMS Richmond displayed their 2017 group build at the Roanoke Valley IPMS Virginia Shootout on August 12. Members building various marks of the Bradley IFV were Mark Groth, Chazz Klanian, Gene Rasmussen, Alex Valz, and Bob Walls.

Kit Build: 1993 Dodge Viper

Chazz Klanian's build of Provence Moulage's 1/43 scale 1993 Dodge Viper:

Kit Review: Airfix P-51D

World War Toons--More than Meets the Eye

** NOTE: This post in no way endorses Meng Models **

World War Toons are taking Richmond! Being the trendsetters that they are, Bob Walls and Tom Dailey recently acquired two of Meng's recent World War Toons releases and were seen working feverishly on them at IPMS Richmond's Movie & Build night this past Monday.

World War Toons is an under-development cartoonish FPS game for the PC. Meng is issuing several armor kits representing tanks in the game. They have issued six to-date: Tiger I, Sherman M4A1, King Tiger, KV-2, Panzer III, and T-34/76. All are snap-tite kits requiring no glue. Don't let that fool you, however--with careful construction and a little paint they can be built-up into award winning models (as seen at the Roanoke Valley Shootout).

Tom Dailey's KV-2 under construction.

Bob Walls's Sherman M4A1. Note that he actually finished his kit in under two hours (sans decals and paint)

Tamiya / Ebbro Chat

Chazz Klanian came across the following interview published in Model Graphix magazine between Shunsaku Tamiya, President and CEO of Tamiya, Inc. and Makoto Kiya, President of MMP, Ltd. Both companies are major sponsors of the Old Dominion Open and this conversation certainly makes for interesting reading.

Link to the interview

(Links to additional parts of the interview are in the right-hand column of the webpage.)

Modelcollect announces yet another make believe tank

What do you think of this? Would you buy it?  -Bob Walls