Priming Reaper Bones Dragons

[Winterssavant 1]

I am current sitting with both Cinder and Blightfang Bones "minis", and before I paint it how did everyone else go about priming them?

I want to do this large mini justice and prep it in the best way possible.   This is the Reaper Bones plastic mini, so I don't want to use an Rattle-Can due to the curing issues.

Keep in mind that I do not have access an airbrush.

 

 

Also after I am done washing the mini in soap and water how else should I go preparing the mini?

[Clearman 9313]

With no airbrush, my recommendation would be to get a bottle of stynelrez primer and a bigger craft brush and go at it. 

[Serenity 2093]

I've used a mixture of matte medium and MSP liner plus some water to prime Bones plastic.  This darkens the crevices of the model and also makes the mold lines you missed easier to see.  If you prefer an overall dark coat, straight MSP liner works.  Also, there are rattle can primers that work, but I'll leave that to others who use them.  You can also start with paint, as long as you don't add much water to it.  Too thin and it beads up.

 

Have you read the following FAQ?  It has links to two other posts all about working with Bones.  They are by the professional painter Rhonda Bender with followup from many others.

http://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/48667-bones-frequently-asked-questions-unofficial/

Edited November 27, 2018 by Serenity

[haldir 22994]

I rattle can Army Painter white primer* over Bones with no problems. Just let it dry out first before handling.

 

*Note: You can use any of the colored primers, I just use white.

 

Badger Stylenrez is also excellent, I just haven't use what I've got for priming. I hate brush priming so I've been waiting to get a permanent set up for my airbrush before using.

[TaleSpinner 40150]

Best primer for Bones, bar none is Reaper MSP Brown Liner. 

[Corporea 19951]

I never really prime my bones.  I do wash them with soap and water, but I generally just lay down a basecoat.  The liner trick can be a good one if you're having trouble with the white plastic in terms of seeing the details, since it collects better in crevices.   Bones white plastic is hard to see detail otherwise. The main key when putting your first layer of paint or primer is to make sure it isn't thinned. Just straight out of the bottle, otherwise the bones plastic, being slightly hydrophobic, will keep it from covering well.

 

Wren's article are stellar on this topic.  Definitely worth checking out. They should be pinned at the top of the Bones subtopic index

[Winterssavant 1]

Thanks for all the advice, this is a big help.

 

I have definitely read the "First coat is the difference" article, and it helped immensely with the smaller figures.  I guess with the large figures it's just a matter of applying that technique on a larger scale.

 

I just didn't know if anyone had any special tips or methods for dealing with large surface areas.

[ladystorm 12086]

Testors Dull Coat is our favorite spray primer for Bones.

[Brianuk 2649]

The Vallejo air brush primers are also really good - no need to use them in an airbrush they are fine out of the bottle. Lots of tank/WW2 colours (which may not be your proposed look) but also bright red, bright blue. They go well on top of Bones if the model has been washed in soapy water in the usual way. If you used the primer then immediately lined or did an ink wash you would have painted a lot of the dragon.