"Are there any "issues" with spray paint and plastic figures?" Topic

I have just finished assembling a box of Plastic Soldier Company tanks.
I am about to spray prime and cost with Rustoleum Camo paint.

Years ago I tried to do a spray prime of Warhammer 5th ed Lizardmen and the carrier mottled the surface of the plastic.
I have spray painted plastics for years with Testor's with no problems.

This will be the first time I will spray as tics with Rustoleum. Are there any issues with the solvent or carrier on PSC plastic?

I have primed plastics with cheap gray primer and never had any problem. I have also used the Rustoleum camo paints to prime with and never had any issues.

You could always test spray one figure first to see. If your weather is going to be anything like mine (Indiana) I wouldn't spray paint out side this weekend due to the high humidity we are going to have.

Thanks.
I will be trying tonight. I am just letting the MEK gas out now.

I use Krylon primer all the time on plastic models…. Never really had an issue. I have used Rustoleum and also no major problems.

Humidity is probably your biggest concern.

I haven't had problems with hard plastics that most wargames figures are made from. But I have some of the soft plastic zombies from Twilight Creations' zombie board game that are still tacky after 10 years of being painted.

& I sprayed a Reaper Bones figure with white Krylon primer a few months ago, & it's also still tacky.

I also use Krylon primer all the time on plastic models…. Never really had an issue either.

Could you try it on a piece of the sprue first ?

By the way….. for soft plastics, I use Gesso! Works great, but you need to wash the figures and typically even do an alcohol wash to get the Gesso to cover without too much fuss.

@Black Cavalier – Do you think it was humidity? I've had the tacky problem once or twice but I spray outside in Virginia (high humidity). I also use crappy paint on cheap figures and vehicles, so I can't tell if it's crappy paint, crappy plastic, or crappy weather :-)

There are some materials (apparently Reaper Bones is made on one) that will continue to seep solvents that prevent oil based paint from curing properly. Hard plastic isn't one of them. Spray away. But I'd recommend a quick wash in soapy water and thorough dry before hand. And high humidity is bad.

Make sure that it isn't lacquer paint, some lacquers have a very bad effect on some plastics (they dissolve it). There are lacquers that are okay, for example model masters metalizers are okay. All in all I would check the label.

Tacky finishes can often be corrected by spraying matt varnish on top.

@Paint it Pink – Thanks, I'll try matt varnish. Keeping to the theme, it will have to be crappy matt varnish though :-)

I'm pretty sure the tackyness isn't from humidity. I live in Sacramento California. & and even though the city is at the confluence of 2 rivers, I'm sure it's nowhere as humid as many places in the mid west, south or east.

I live in the middle of the desert, what is this humidity you speak of?