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So I stock piled a bunch of the old GW Citadel Black spray primer back before GW dropped the product. That stuff, IMHO, was the best mini primer ever created by man.

But sadly, , I'm running low. So I need some new black primer. What has everyone moved on to these days?

I've never had good luck with armory, it tends to dry powdery and 'not true black'.

Any suggestions?

Rustoleum Ultra Flat Black

go back to GW
in the last 2 weeks they got the old Chaos Black spray (in brand new, text heavy, US and Canada labelled cans)
but it's the good old stuff, you'll be happy

Duplicoat. Any of their colors works like magic.

Once you do that you'll forget all about GW.

Not only is the primer superior, the spray nozzel is also better.

I like Painter's Touch, although I have to admit I have had problems with metal minis.

deitpike wrote:go back to GW
in the last 2 weeks they got the old Chaos Black spray (in brand new, text heavy, US and Canada labelled cans)
but it's the good old stuff, you'll be happy

According to the GW staff I have talked with, neither the black spray nor the white spray are primers. They are paints and have no primer in them at all. Where did you get your information from?

I've used Armory spray primer for years and have never had any problems with it. Last time I ran out the LGS didn't have any in stock so I stopped by the local hardware store and picked up a $1.50 can of Krylon to tide me over. Was afraid it wouldn't do well but was really surprised with it.

Dupli-color is awesome stuff. Its automotive primer and always seems to give perfect thin coats. That said, its not a "true" black, more like a very dark charcoal. Krylon Utra-Flat is pretty good as well in my experience and uses the same superior spray nozzle.

I will also sing the praises of the Duplicolor primer. It's only $5 at Autozone (or other auto retailers) and has great coverage and a fairly quick drying time.

The GW stuff is back to being good as well (as mentioned above). Look for the can covered in text and labeled as made in the UK.

I have also found some of the Rustoleum colored stuff to be really good. They have a Brown (that they claim is red) that is fantastic. It is especially good on large wood grained models (war machines like the Rock Lobba and also chariots). I am also using it to speed paint lots of Zombies, as it is a good base for the pale flesh tone and also for brown and tan clothing. Coupled with the new GW washes, you can really crank out some Zombies quickly for your army!

Jeff

two_heads_talking wrote:

deitpike wrote:go back to GW
in the last 2 weeks they got the old Chaos Black spray (in brand new, text heavy, US and Canada labelled cans)
but it's the good old stuff, you'll be happy

According to the GW staff I have talked with, neither the black spray nor the white spray are primers. They are paints and have no primer in them at all. Where did you get your information from?

um, then the GW staff you have spoken to are "ignorant"
that aside, the good black spray is back

I got the opposite answer about the GW black and white spray paints, in that GW said that they are primers. I bought one for giggles and tried it out, and it works terrifically. That's just the white; haven't tried the new black yet.

Ditto on Krylon. Krylon has kept my mini's coated well for over 10 years. Grey primer is very nice and lighter colors cover it well without fading.

Meph

I've used the new black for some guard stuff and it seemed fine to me. Stuck to model perfectly and nothing rubbed off while I was painting it or playing, even on the metals. Though it would be nice if it really said primer on the can somewhere so we know for sure

I have a little bit of old white left, but for bases I used a white rustoleum primer and didn't have any problems but there's no real detail to worry about.. and I use a rustoleum painters touch (I think?) brown spray for all my bases, just to get the sides all the same color quickly and that stuff is much thicker.

I did krylon ultra-flat black as well for a long time, then I switched to brush-on primers (mostly because I do fewer figures at a time these days, and I like to prime regardless of weather conditions). Black and White gesso are my tools of choice.

deitpike wrote:

two_heads_talking wrote:

deitpike wrote:go back to GW
in the last 2 weeks they got the old Chaos Black spray (in brand new, text heavy, US and Canada labelled cans)
but it's the good old stuff, you'll be happy

According to the GW staff I have talked with, neither the black spray nor the white spray are primers. They are paints and have no primer in them at all. Where did you get your information from?

um, then the GW staff you have spoken to are "ignorant"
that aside, the good black spray is back

they very well could be ignorant. what with differing answers from different GW staff canceling each other out. Meaning your says it is +1, mine says it isn't -1, what else are you basing your "it's a primer" standpoint from? Mind you I am not arguing with you, but trying to figure it out with your help.. thanks..

You'd think GW would say it is a primer on their website, but they don't, they say it can be used to basecoat/undercoat, but that's differnt. anything can be used a basecoat/undercoat...

Rustoleum products FTW

Gesso? Is that stuff too thick? I remember it being kinda thick back when I had to use it for painting in school. I'd personally rather use a brush on primer most of the time so I can control it easier.. every time I spray there's always spots that get missed

I use this stuff from Home Depot that I buy for like a buck or two. It goes on smooth and sticks really well. It runs out pretty fast but for how cheap it is, I pick it up by the dozen.

Ozymandias, King of Kings

I guess I'm a cheapo, but I use Walmarts Generic Brand for $0.99 a can. Used it for many years, and never ever had a problem. White or black.

Necros wrote:Gesso? Is that stuff too thick? I remember it being kinda thick back when I had to use it for painting in school. I'd personally rather use a brush on primer most of the time so I can control it easier.. every time I spray there's always spots that get missed

It dries off.

http://www.weetoysoldiers.com/wp/?page_id=34

I haven't tried it, but the pics were always promising.

I've been using GW's new black spray.

Initally I was skeptical, but it seems fine, from what I've seen so far. It's not the same as the old primer, but it can be sprayed on fairly thick without losing detail, which is nice.

In some ways I think it might even be better than the old stuff. It has less tendency to "dust" when sprayed from a distance.

http://www.maximusinminimis.com/Primer%20Test.html this provides some good info

I also use the Wal-Mart brand flat black for 0.99 a can. It works just as well as the GW primer for me and has the virtue of being very very inexpensive.

I use Halfords white car primer, they've changed the formula a few times over the years, but it works a treat and I've been using it a long time.

i use quick color. its cheap. (0.99) i picked it up from home depot.


i think it works fine.

I use the Armory primer. Cheaper than GW's and easier to get for me. I have had occasional problems with "dusting" in the past, but I think those were when I tried priming when it was humid or raining. I am more conscious of the weather when I prime these days. I might try the new GW spray black for my Dark Angels because they are going to be painted pre-heresy black so if it is just paint I can still use it for a basecoat.

The GW Chaos Black IS NOT primer. It's paint. There is a difference. I in fact bought both on the same day before.

The Chaos Black they are selling now is absolutely not the same thing as their old black primer was. Wash & dry a pair of minis & use each can on a mini like I have.

Not. The. Same. Thing. One sticks & bonds to metal. The other does not, it forms a "shell". I can take your "primed" with Chaos Black figs & just peel off the Chaos Black. That is the difference.

I have been using Krylon Sandable the last few years. The color leaves much to be desired (it's a primer not a paint after all) but it primes a lot better than anything else out there save Duplicolor...which is about the same product if you find that instead.

If you do lik me & use black primer as a base coat to work straight off of, & to hide all the little crevices you can't reach with a brush...Krylon/Duplicolor sucks because it is not really black...more like a watery wash. It's like a hard, bonded shellack. And some cans are nearly opaque black, others are the watery stuff you then have to repaint black.

And no, no amount of shaking fixes this nor does humidity or temperature factor in.

I have used Armoury and never really been happy with it. Floquil is some great stuff, but takes practice. Duplicolor has an excellent reputation among my local modeling crowd, however I have never used it.

I don't have a wealth of experience painting minis but I've tried all sorts of paints, primers, and techniques recently while learning to paint these guys. This is what I suggest for priming in various situations:

- Outdoor / Army Primer:
Krylon Fusion Spray Paint - Black

- Indoor / 1 mini at a time:
1:1:1 mixture of black paint, black gesso (I prefer the big Bob Ross bottles of gesso), black ink (if you go heavy on any of the three parts, make it the gesso)

I tend to paint single minis at a time, and don't like the hassle of spray paint priming outdoors so I love the above mixture for priming...the end result with that mix is the same quality in my opinion of bonding spray primer (which is damn good and arguably the best looking primer, but it's also hard to get in all the nooks and crannies)

I've started to use Armory, and I love it.
It covers well, it leaves a few bumps if you didn't clean the model 110%, but otherwise, it works fantastic.