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Hello Dakka! After having most of my supplies restocked after the holidays, I have a few questions about primer. First, is the cheap $4 can of spray paint bad to use on the models? I don't want to spend $15 for a can of GW spray, but if their was a good spray that was 6-10 dollars I wouldn't mind picking it up. Secondly, is their a spray that accurately mimics GW's blood red? Spraying BA red instead of white would save me a boatload of time, but if the colors do not match then it would just look messy. Thanks for the help dakka!

-BD

For primers I use Krylon or Rustoleum. They are better quality and MUCH cheaper than the GW stuff.

As for color matching Blood Red, try Army Painter. Haven't used them, but I have heard good things about them. Just be sure to follow the directions exactly.

I discovered Rustoleum on my own after struggling with many different paints, and feel it's probably the best all-around substitute, and it works well on most materials (metal, resin and plastic, although it may take longer to set on plastic.)

Krylon has a "camouflage" color line that's designed to bond with plastic and has an extremely flat finish, which might be the best choice for purely plastic models, but comes in limited color choices.

Avoid the dirt cheap generic brands that cost under $4.00, their pigment quality can be terrible, and sometimes will not adhere.

Rust-Oleum "Touch 'n Tone" PRIMER, that can be found at any US autozone, is $3 a can and is much better than Armory (I have no experience with GW).

The armory & GW stuff isn't actually primer, it's spraypaint. This stuff goes on incredibly smooth, doesn't clog up details, and is cheap cheap cheap! Don't buy paint from gaming companies.

I suggest Krylon, it leaves thinner layers than rustoleum I've found.

I suggest just buying GW sprays from discount vendors... Dark Sphere do GW primers for like £6.50ish

Whatever you do, avoid Armory like the plague. Heard nothing but bad things about them, and my own experiences with Armory paint have proven them right.

Personally, if you have to use a spray primer I think Duplicolor sandable primer is good. It's fairly cheap (about $5-6 a can IIRC), and it goes on lightly so you don't risk clogging up detail. Only problem is it's probably too light, takes a lot of passes to get a solid color.

Autoprimers ftw.

Cheaper, PROPER primers.
OK, doesn't just wash off with water, but that's part of the deal.

A couple of light sprays should do you for coverage. Start and end just beyond the model, too.

duplicolor auto-primer from any schucks or oreilly's works fairly well. its about 5$ give or take.

Thanks for all the help guys!