Norfolk Southern are painted black...but which one?

[Herc Driver]

This is what I'm up to...another attempt at building a high hood GP30.





Hopefully, some glossy black paint will dress this (former Burlington GP30 low nose) engine into something you'd actually want to look at. Right now, it looks pretty rough.

I'm trying to decide if it would be a better idea to spray primer grey over the entire model, or just start painting it black like I did the first one. I'm afraid I'll completely loose the detailing of the model if I use a primer first. I didn't have any trouble covering the shell of the first GP30 attempt just using black spray paint, but with the red and grey of the other unit, I'm not as sure I'll get a good, even coverage. Any thoughts? I plan on using a canned spray paint since I don't do air brushing yet. Granted, this would probably be a good place to start learning how to use one, but I'm not in the market to buy one right now. I've been using warmed spray paint with a trigger gun and have had good results. Fortunately, I only have to paint this engine with one color...all black...so masking off areas isn't a consideration. If I was going to attempt the Southern GP30 with its tuxedo black, white and gold coloring, I agree an airbrush would be a must.

Comments?