Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I prefer Tamiya Fine Surface Primer grey and white in a can for detailed models and Gesso when the weather is cold and/or humid.

GW black is very forgiving, but it's more an acrylic paint than a real primer. It's solid on plastic but I avoid it for resin or metal. I've tried some cheaper versions from local hardware stores and discounters but most sprayed on more thickly than model primers. I would avoid Vallejo primers in cans, their airbrush ones are great though.

I've started using Humbrol's lately and can definately say I'm happy. Used the matte earth one for my last batch of deathwing and their land raider. Did the job rightly.

As antario says the vallejo airbrush primer is very good if you have access to an airbrush... only down side is that its an irritant so be careful if your a brush licker. Makes my tongue tingle

It's going to depend on what kind of quality you want and what you want to spend. I quite like GW's Chaos Black spray primer. It's got a good tooth to it (the quality that makes it retract a bit, thereby clarifying edges, corners, etc.).

Krylon is another popular one. I've used their black spray primer, and it's decent. It's not quite as dark (GW's is pretty much jet black), and it's more of a matte (GW's is pretty glossy). It doesn't have quite as much tooth as GW's, but the can I have has about 25% more primer and cost about 1/3 of what GWs cost.

I've heard lots of good things about Gesso and Vallejo, but, if I understand correctly, they're both exclusively brush-on primer, and, milliliter-for-milliliter, more expensive than GW's spray primer. Of course, with brush on, you're not going to lose much, if any, where a decent amount of your spray primer will be lost to whatever your model is on as you spray.

The Vallejo surface primer works exceptionally well in a airbrush and I started using their grey and white ones with good results. Before that I used army painter's white can spray and GW's black, GW's was easy to use but I am still having one hell of a time stripping it meanwhile the army painter seems to be a bit finicky to get it "right" but strips with ease.

Not sure if that would be a plus or minus in your book but for me and how often I decide I did not like my paint job and want to redo it I will never use my GW primer again.