B-614 Aqueous Surfacer 500

Gunze Aqueous Surfacer 500 – a gray surfacer in a spray can (170 ml)

A surfacer (a filler primer) is a layer sprayed onto a model before painting. This one is from the Japanese manufacturer Gunze (Mr.Hobby), it comes as a spray can holding 170 ml, it is gray and it belongs to the water-thinnable (aqueous) range – that is, an acrylic one, not a lacquer. It therefore has markedly less odor and is gentler on plastic, as it does not etch it. In return one has to be honest: it is harder to sand and holds slightly less well than a lacquer surfacer. For most modelers that consideration for the material and for their own nose is worth it.

What a surfacer actually does – three things at once

• It shows up flaws. On bare glossy plastic you see neither scratches nor the remains of parting seams – the light reflects and hides everything. Spray a matte gray surfacer on and suddenly everything is visible. It is infinitely better to find a flaw now than to discover it under the finished paint. This is the main reason to use a surfacer.
• It fills. It floods fine grooves and pores – hence the word filler.
• It gives the paint something to grip. On bare, smooth plastic paint holds badly and peels off when the model is handled. On a surfacer it holds.

What the number 500 means – this is the key to the product

The number gives the grit. A rule applies which is confusing at first: a lower number means a coarser grit and more filling, but it leaves behind a coarser surface which has to be sanded down. The 500 is therefore the coarser variant – it is for real unevenness: grooves, scratches, seams left by gluing, transitions left by filling. A finer surfacer (1000, for example) on the other hand smooths more but fills less – that one belongs to the final preparation of an already smooth surface just before the paint.

In practice that means: first the 500 on the holes and the seams, sand it down, and if the surface has to be perfect (a car body, for instance), then the 1000 as well as the final layer. A surfacer with a grit of 1000 is made as well, including a black variant – a black base suits dark shades and metallics, to which it gives depth.

Use

• Shake the can thoroughly for at least a minute before use.
• Spray in thin coats from a distance, rather twice thinly than once heavily.
• Work warm and dry – damp and cold make a white veil on the surface.
• Gray is the universal neutral base – it sits well under most colors. Under very light and saturated shades (white, yellow, red) a white base is more suitable, otherwise the shade comes out darker and dirtier.
• Once it has dried, sand it with fine abrasive paper or a sanding sponge – only then the paint.

An aerosol spray: the container is under pressure, protect it from heat and direct sun and do not pierce it or throw it into fire. Use it in a well-ventilated area, do not inhale the aerosol and keep out of the reach of children.