Thinning Tamiya Surface Primer?

[q98]

Enquiry from a budget conscious pensioner. I am new to modelling and wish to use Tamiya Acrylics. I have read "same for same" is recommended; eg. Tamiya for Tamiya products, Vallejo for Vallejo products, etc. Tamiya's Surface Primer (rattle can) is, for me, expensive for its volume and my limited budget. Therefore, to make it more economical, I would like to decant and thin.

Advice offered by my local hobby shop is that Tamiya Surface Primer is incompatible with X-20A Thinners and Tamiya X/XF acrylic paints. Staff advised the use of either Tamiya Lacquer Thinner Retarder Type (Orange Cap, Product 87194), Mr Color Levelling Thinner or AK Interactive High Compatibility Thinner.

Is any contributor able to confirm this advice?

[Tim Marlow]

Following is assuming you mean for spraying….I really wouldn’t try to brush paint it.

I use Mr Color Levelling (or normal) thinner. Cellulose thinners will work, but it’s a bit “hot “ for plastic models, possibly attacking the plastic if you are heavy handed. I must admit I wish they would ditch the spray cans and just sell it in bottles because it’s an excellent primer…. As an aside, Mr Color levelling thinner (called MLT by most, it saves a lot of typing 😜) works really well for thinning and spraying Tamiya paint as well. Far better than X-20. That has been my go to combination for a good fifteen years now.

[flyjoe180]

must admit I wish they would ditch the spray cans and just sell it in bottles because it’s an excellent primer

Hi Tim. It comes in 40ml bottles as well as in spray can form. Another alternative is Mr Hobby's Mr Surfacer range.

[Tim Marlow]

Hi Tim. It comes in 40ml bottles as well as in spray can form. Another alternative is Mr Hobby's Mr Surfacer range.

Not seen the bottles? What do they look like?
I do have a couple of Mr Hobby Surfacer/primers, but find them too smooth for figure work. They are also not quite as hard wearing, and, as most of my little blokes are painted for gaming they do get handled. They are great for final finishing on aircraft builds, but not quite as good as Tamiya for my main modelling tasks. Saying that, Tamiya’s fine white is pretty poor in my experience, coming off like chalk into the paint job. There are also others out there, such as SMS, that work as well, but are quite expensive for what they are. I used to use Halfords grey cellulose for this sort of thing. Bigger tins and lower prices for what was pretty much the same thing. Unfortunately they have now gone over to acrylic, which I find horrible to spray.

[Mr Bowcat]

Agree with Tim, MLT is the way to go. It comes in a 400ml bottle and lasts for quite a while. Can be used with Tamiya acrylics and lacquers. I tend to thin 60:40.

[flyjoe180]

Not seen the bottles? What do they look like?

[Tim Marlow]

Not seen that around. Might be unobtainium in the UK, like the grey filler 🙁

[flyjoe180]

Might be unobtainium in the UK, like the grey filler

You might be right Tim, I had a search and any of those bottles advertised were out of stock. I would have thought that a primer or paint in spray form would be more risky than seperate bottles of primer and thinner. Anyway, one can only work with what is available (or obtainable from overseas).

[flyjoe180]

Therefore, to make it more economical, I would like to decant and thin.

James, you can get the bottles in Australia if you wanted to avoid decanting a spray can of the Surface Primer. They are also available in New Zealand.