Paint?!

[Stew2000]

What is the best way to prime a plastic kit so paint isn't scratched off easily?
It's been bugging me for many years.

[steveo3002]

hot soapy water

1200 wet n dry on the flat surfaces ( dont sand off any details)

wash again and rinse well

halfords acrylic plastic primer

lightly sand again until smooth ..you can use 1500 or finer modeling cloth called micro mesh

paint as req

[The_Jackal]

Alternatively a gloss or matt varnish coat over the final paint will protect it.
If I prime, I just use any spare light grey matt Tamiya paint.

[dr_gn]

Use enamel paints.

Having said that I use acrylics most of the time and have had pretty much no problems with paint being removed. I think the only exception was with Revell Aqua Colour Gloss White: it just peeled off along with the edge of my masking tape. The satin black and silver seems fine though.

BTW I can't remember the last time I actually washed a plastic kit in detergent before assembly or applying paint either. Maybe you've got naturally more greasy hands than me?

[Stew2000]

It's just a very smooth shell. tedious that acrylic doesn't eat itself into the plastic.
I've painted the wheels just fine.

[Big Fat Fatty]

The body shells will typically come out of the box covered in mould release agent which will need washing off before anything else, in my experience the cheaper the kit and the thicker the plastic the more agent there will be.

Apart from that, this is exactly how I prime and paint mine.

steveo3002 said:

hot soapy water

1200 wet n dry on the flat surfaces ( dont sand off any details)

wash again and rinse well

halfords acrylic plastic primer / Zero micro filler primer through an airbrush

lightly sand again until smooth ..you can use 1500 or finer modeling cloth called micro mesh

paint as req

I do sometimes go quite high with the micro mesh, 4000/6000 to get a really smooth base to put paint on.