Fly in Primer?

Silly question here, but I'm finishing up my madcow AGM pike, and was planning on going for a light gray with white nose. After priming, however, I really like the look being flat dark gray. What harm is there in flying in primer? Does it scuff more easily? Obviously the matte finish affects drag, but this isn't a performance bird.

Edit- sorry about the mess, didn't plan on shooting a photo. Also, don't mind the airframe discontinuity- the av bay isn't installed, the tubes are just stacked.

No harm at all. I sometimes make a point of doing so too, if the paint and decals are going to be a challenge.
Gotta' know it's worth taking the time.





Also, sometimes you just can't wait!!!!

Wouldn't see any problem flying with just primer, ( Or naked for that matter ) Good luck with your project and with your maiden flight. That's a great kit by the way. Oz

It will scuff, but if you like the flat gray, Krylon makes a "camo" gray that is almost identical and doesn't scuff easily. It also covers very well.

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brent-man said:

It will scuff, but if you like the flat gray, Krylon makes a "camo" gray that is almost identical and doesn't scuff easily. It also covers very well.

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Thanks for the lead! I haven't even started looking around yet, I walked into my shop after work and decided just now that it looked "right"

soopirV said:

Thanks for the lead! I haven't even started looking around yet, I walked into my shop after work and decided just now that it looked "right"

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That's exactly how I ended up loving the flat color. If you can't find the Krylon, there also a matte clear coat that works well too. Good luck! I've been working on my AGM as well - it's a really fun build!

Gray, or grey, is one of my favorite colors. "All" of my rockets are either unpainted black G12 Profusion, or if cardboard, Rustoleum Ultra Cover 2x Satin Spray in Granite. They have maybe 5 versions of gray/grey. It is very easy to touch up scuffs that all rockets get from time to time. If you do gray/grey, you may get people asking when are you going to paint it? When my wife and I raced outboard hydroplanes, we had a hydro called "Gray Thunder". A constant question was when are you going to paint it? Check out the Rustoleum Satin paints.

Depends on the type of primer you are using. A initial coat filler-primer is less water resistant than a primer-sealer. And an enamel finish coat (paint), especially at least a semi-gloss will provide a more protective, harder finish.

Make your birds earn their paint.

Yes primer will get scuffed up. It will also show permanent spots if it gets anything oily on it. If you want it to be flat gray you should paint it flat gray. After the primer.

And I thought this thread was about a pesky insect, knee deep in gooey primer, requiring a sanding job.

Heck yeah fly in primer!