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'm going to be starting High Elves with white as a main color and I've always been too lazy to paint white miniatures, so I was going to use GW primer. I was wondering if there was a cheaper alternative white spray paint that will both work as a primer and look reasonably good on the outer layer of a model? If so then where can I find it?

Also, I hear that flat white spray paint from Home Depot will work, is this true?

Krylon Spray Primer(s) tend to be the best compared to GW's stuff. About 4-6 dollars US per can as opposed to the 15 US for GW.

The HD and Lowes versions of primer (Lowes is called Valspar, not sure with HD) tend to be very cheap price wise (2-3 a can) but never cure properly, especially in humid environments. Read: they stay sticky and mess up your paint job.

I've used Krylon with good success, and can't tell any difference between it and GW's line of primers.

Army Painter do a White primer that is meant to be used as both the primer and base coat, I love their sprays

From what I've heard, GW primer is very low quality. You can just go to a car parts store, and get some autobody primer. I've heard many people suggest Krylon, but you'd have to ask to make sure it won't damage the plastic.

Army painter's white is very good, and it dries a lot quicker than P3, which is what I usually use.

Yeah I get my primer from the local car parts shop.
Just gone up to £4

But it's a bigger can

It's an acrylic based primer and is fine on plastics.

GW's sprays are over-priced, and are notoriously inconsistent in quality. Although the black does give good results when it works...

I use White Knight flat black or flat white from the local hardware store. It dries slower than the GW stuff, but it gives a much better result and is a heck of a lot cheaper. I've used other cheap sprays in the past... for a long while I was just buying generic brand sprays from Kmart but wound up settling on the slightly more expensive WK as the really cheap ones have a tendency to clog up before you finish the can unless you use it all in one or two sessions.

I swear by krylon! ya but GW spray can easily screw up a model and lose lots of detail and sometimes is very fickle on when it wants to be used.

I use Rustoleum auto primer. Comes in white, brown, and dark gray (damn near black). I love the way this stuff works, but I would recommend testing it on a model before you prime your whole army with it. I haven't ever found actual black auto primer, though.

Krylon, Krylon, Krylon.

Make sure it's the one labelled "primer" and you should be good. Goes on even, does not mask details, spray nozzle lets you aim it vertically or horizontally, and it works great on GW plastics as well as metals.

My only reservation is I can't find the black here in Canada.

-John

I use Rust-Oleum Painters choice spray primer. The White works very well for me. If I want a darker primer i will use rust-oleum painters choice gray Primer. I have even used krylon's extra flat black (its in the hunting camo paints) it is a good sub for chaos black primer.

Rustoleum Camo black works on plastic without primer and is the flattest color on Earth (dullcote can't even flatten it anymore).

For white you could try Krylon White Primer, Rustoleum white or even Walmarts Colorplace primer (at about $1/can) is also very good stuff.

Don't listen to people who tell you auto primer might ruin plastic minis. I've used every brand under the sun on plastics and not once did I have problems with plastic melting. I've used krylon when it was raining out, i've used krylon in 100F temps with similar humidity (damn near passed out that day from the heat) and I've primed with Krylon in mid January (which in MN means below freezing temps) and never once did I ever have any kind of problems.