How to Spray Paint Gunpla: Primer, Spray Cans and Safety

Spray painting Gunpla means three steps: a thin coat of primer or surfacer, several light coats of hobby spray paint, and a clear top coat once everything is dry. Hold the can at least 25 cm (10 inches) away, sweep past each part, and spray outdoors or in a booth with a mask on. Several thin coats give a smoother finish than one heavy coat.

Gunpla parts are molded in color, so paint is optional. Builders reach for a spray can when they want a new color scheme, a smoother finish than bare plastic, or an even coat over a large part such as a shield or leg armor. This page covers cans. For brush painting and markers, see the Gunpla painting guide.

Spray can, brush or airbrush for Gunpla?

A spray can is the quickest way to put one even color over big parts, and it needs no extra kit. Tamiya’s modeling guide says spray paints are great for large areas, while brushes suit detail.

Many builders start with cans and move to an airbrush kit later, once they want mixed colors or soft shading.

Primer and surfacer for Gunpla

Primer is the first coat on bare plastic. Airfix explains that primer removes grease from the surface so the paint above it grips and covers evenly. A surfacer is a thicker primer that also fills fine scratches and sanding marks.

Mr. Hobby calls its gray Mr. Surfacer 1000 its standard, most versatile surfacer. The dark gray shows scratches clearly, and once dry it can be sanded smooth with polishing cloth or waterproof sandpaper before the color goes on. The same range includes Mr. Surfacer 500 and 1200, Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1500 in gray, black, white and pink, and a water-based Aqueous Surfacer in white and black.

Tamiya’s guide gives the rule for choosing a primer color: its surface primers come in gray, white, pink and other tones, picked to suit the color that goes on top. Airfix notes that a sprayed primer coat dries in about 15 to 30 minutes.

Which spray paint works on Gunpla?

Hobby sprays come in three main paint types, and Tamiya’s guide sorts its own range into lacquer, acrylic and enamel. Mr. Hobby’s Mr. Color Spray is a solvent-based acrylic resin paint with very fine pigment, and the same range includes sprays in Gundam colors.

Two rules from the makers matter most. Tamiya warns that lacquer paint should not be sprayed over acrylic or enamel paint, so plan the order before you start. And many kits mix polystyrene with some ABS parts, which reacts badly to some solvents: check the painting guide for which parts to keep strong solvents off, and test any new spray on a spare runner first.

Hobby spray paints and primers

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How to spray paint Gunpla parts

1. Wash and dry the parts so no finger grease is left on the plastic.
2. Mount each part on a stick, clip or skewer so you can turn it without touching the surface.
3. Shake the can well, then test the spray on cardboard or a spare runner.
4. Spray a light mist coat first. Revell’s advice is never to try for full cover in a single coat: start with a mist, then add one or two wet coats.
5. Keep the can moving at least 25 cm (10 inches) from the part, in an even back-and-forth sweep, as Airfix advises.
6. Let each coat dry before the next, and let the color cure before panel lining or decals.
7. Finish with a clear coat once the paint is hard. The top coat guide covers matte, gloss and how to spray it.

Ventilation and safety when spray painting

Spray paint makes a fine mist of paint and solvent that stays in the air. Revell’s advice for spray work is to ensure good ventilation and wear a respirator with an activated carbon filter for solvent-based paints. Even water-based paints produce fine droplets, so Revell recommends an extraction system and a particle or half mask for them too.

A hobby spray booth with a fan, an open garage or a covered balcony on a calm day all work. Lay down newspaper or cardboard, and leave freshly sprayed parts somewhere dust-free to dry.

Where spray painting fits in a build

Spraying comes after the kit is built, sanded and taken back apart into its major parts. Prime, spray the colors, then add panel lines and decals, and seal everything with a top coat. For a worn, battle-damaged look on top of the paint, see the weathering guide. For the full build order, start at the build guide.