Painting War of the Rings - Aerosol Warning

Thought I would quickly share with anyone who is also painting their set, the warning about Aerosols.

I have mentioned this before - but when I came to paint my mounted troops and Dwarves today, I realised just how bad the problem was.

From what I can work out, the plastic used in the figures for this game, does not react well with something in aerosol primers.

It seems to have a reaction, and the primer remains very sticky, or tacky, and very shiny. I have left mine for two weeks now since the original spray, and they are still so sticky they don't fall from my fingers!

If you click on the image above you should be able to see a bigger version. Notice how reflective it is, and how thick the primer appears. This is after two weeks of drying, and only one quick thin coat.

At first I thought it was the Army Painter primer I used, but after trying a Games Workshop primer (one I know works well), and reading up on various forums, it appears anything from a can is having the same effect.

So, what is the solution?

I could strip the figure back, but I'm concerned how the plastic will react to the chemical bath.

Option 2 is to put a sealant over it - a varnish. Some have recommended Testors Dullcoat - but this is still a spray on lacquer so I imagine it will have the same reaction.

My solution was to re-prime using a Vallejo black brush on primer - which is very thin, and doesn't clog the figure. 

So, I have now re-coated all my mounted troops by hand (21 pieces) and all the Dwarves (14 pieces).

You can't really see from the image above, but the second coat has nicely revealed all the detail, and removed both the stickiness and the shiny.

So, if you are about to paint yours, I recommend priming by hand with a Vallejo Surface Primer (note that these are really designed for air brushing, but go on perfectly well with a brush. You can also airbrush it on of course, if you are lucky enough to own an airbrush!)