Denny Anspach wrote:

. . . I continue to use [primer] to provide me with a uniform pretty neutral shadowless flat color without any contrast or reflection . . . By completely eliminating contrast and reflection, this also gives the model builder a last chance to detect and correct surface and other flaws that had been otherwise lost in the clutter.

I've used gray primer for years, but only, as Denny says, when there's a lot of kitbashing or puttying or other work which may need refinement after examination in the primer coat. In fact, I guess I don't regard it as primer at all, but as a kind of "witness coat" before applying color.

Of interest for aficionados of Scalecoat I history, I note that some of my jars of paint - obviously of some vintage- specifically announce that they "contain Toluol, Xylol, and Lead"! No wonder Scalecoat has had such vibrant
colors for so many years, and it is even more of a wonder that in more recent years they have been able to maintain the colors without the lead.

Lead compounds don't necessarily provide more vivid color, but are often the cheapest source of color. It is perfectly possible, as many art supplies testify, to have FAR more vivid colors than anything we use as modelers, and without a trace of lead. Next time you're at the art supply store, browse the paints and you'll see what I mean. Yes, there are plenty of lead-containing paints, but there are also plenty of bright colors without lead.

Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2906 Forest Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@...
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