Mailcoach Coronation coaches

The primer or undercoat has several functions: a) to provide a layer to which the painr proper will adhere (needed on many metals, for example); b) to seal the surface (of wood, for example); c) to protect the material from the chemical effects of the paint (on plastics to be painted with enamels, for example); d) to provide a uniform surface so that the paint will have the same colour on all surfaces.

IMO, function d always applies, so go ahead an apply a light coat of grey on all surfaces of the kit, the apply the finish colours. Most kits look better if you do this before assembly. You may need to mask areas that will be joints, but usually you can just scrape the paint off there. Touch up as you assemble, as many areas will be inaccesible at later stages of assmebly. After decalling (and weathering, if any), apply a finish coat of clear gloss, satin, or matte, to taste.

HTH&GL

Thanks Wolf, I appreciate that, however the Mailcoach kits are clear plastic with windows already moulded in. I believe the procedure is to paint the exterior first with the "interior" colour (Buff?), then the exterior Coronation blues have to be applied. Have folks put a "barrier coat" between interior and exterior colours so the exterior blue doesn't "bleed" into the interior colour? Mike in BC

The paint shouldn't bleed through, _if_ you allow the first coat to dry thoroughly - at least 48 hours, preferably longer. Make it a two-weekend job, and you shouldn't have any trouble. If in doubt, use a coat of clear or grey spray between the colour coats, in which case it will be a three weekend job. Never rush painting by skimping on the drying time. The need for spreading out the painting and lettering is the reason I usually have several models "in progress" at the same time. Sometimes the progress slows to slower than a snail's crawl, though. :-)

Other than that, the usual considerations about plastic + paint compatibility apply, but since I don't know the composition of the plastic, I can't advise you specifically. If you use water-based acrylic paints, there should be no problem. Just make sure you have first done a thorough (and I do mean thorough!) cleaning of the plastic - use dish detergent in warm water, and/or an organic (citrus-based) cleaner (but test on a scrap piece first, as some organic based cleaners include solvents which may damage the plastic.) The traces of mold-release compound remaining on the plastic will otherwise interfere with adhesion of the paint.

Have fun!

Wouldn't the interior look rather shiny if you did that?

(kim)

I imagine it would be easier than trying to paint the interior without getting paint on the windows. It's also unlikely that you could tell through the moulded windows unless you were looking extremely closely.