Hey all, just starting to paint some different ships, and I'm wondering if you prime your ships before painting? Or strip the original paint job off?

depends on if it's getting mods to the original of a full new scheme, and how confident you are in keeping your new coats thin enough to keep all the detail.

Nah, I just paint over it. For full repaint I use a base from Citadel to cover up though.

I prime if I'm planning on doing the whole ship vs. altering/adding details of the existing paint job.

I generally prime with gray or white. The white will give your colors a brighter feel to them whereas the grey will produce a darker/duller tone.