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Hey Dakka,

I have been using a decent primer recently, and it was only $5.95. Picked it up from a local hobby shop, the only problem is it comes in Gray and White only. Now I can't think of the who makes it at the moment, but wanted to see what others have used and their experiences. I used to use GW primer, black specifically, but the price is way to high for my liking atm. So I have been looking for alternatives.

I have been using Krylon black and white primers for over 2 years. They have been pretty decent. I did get a can that was poor quality but krylon was very good at sending a replacement free of charge. You can find them at walmart for around $6 CAD per can.

Army Painter spray primer comes in a decent variety of colors and works pretty well. It's not under $10 though. I've recently taken to using Privateer Press's P3 Formula Black Primer for my minis and it works great.

Duplicolor Sandable Primer from an auto-parts store. It'll run you close to $10 USD per can. I prefer grey, white tends to be a bit chalky in my experience, but black has the best coverage.

It dries super fast, too. Usually if I prime 10 models, I can paint the first one by the time I get back to my desk from my garage (and, no, I'm not rich enough for that to be a significant distance).

PrinceOfMadness wrote:
Army Painter spray primer comes in a decent variety of colors and works pretty well. It's not under $10 though. I've recently taken to using Privateer Press's P3 Formula Black Primer for my minis and it works great.

I actually have used Army Painter Dragon Red before and I loved it, but I can't find it locally, have to purchase it online. So its not efficient, for me at least.

If you're used to GW, you've been using regular old spray paint. If you're happy with that, head down to Walmart and grab some of their ColorPlace spray - $.99 a can and every bit as good (if not better, from what I've heard in the past) as the Citadel sprays. If you want an actual primer, I'm reasonably happy with the Krylon I've been testing, which I picked up based on recommendations from fellow Dakkanauts (wanted an actual primer for metal models - spray paint does just fine on plastic).

Krylon, army painter, dupacolour, etc. I think Vallejo makes some airbrush primers.

Krylon or Rusteolum painters touch. Pretty much anything works, as long as it doesn't goop up or whatever (also spray in proper conditions.) Test it on a piece of cardboard, and make sure you get the matte stuff.

Picked up a can of Rustoleum Camouflage flat black spray. Using it as priming for my kit bash of Chosen. Seems to work pretty good actually. Haven't painted on it yet thought, but its not gooping up and the details are not being affected.

 skycapt44 wrote:
I have been using Krylon black and white primers for over 2 years. They have been pretty decent. I did get a can that was poor quality but krylon was very good at sending a replacement free of charge. You can find them at walmart for around $6 CAD per can.

I think the latest one I got was like $13 at Walmart! :O

I've had very good luck with Duplicolor Sandable Primer (black). I can get it for $6 a can at Pep Boys.

Rustoleum I purchased at Walmart for $4.87

I live in an area with ridiculously high humidity. Every other primer I've ever tried has given me problems, usually in the form of a powdery finish. Rustoleum is the only brand of spray paint that I've ever used that has been worth a toss. Can't recommend it highly enough.

Ive been using the cheap 94 cent flat black spray paint from walmart and ive had no issues it. Just make sure to use it in optimal conditions. Ive used the krylon black paint and primer all in one and it worked very well. It made for a smooth surface. And it was only like 5 bucks.

Yea I wasn't sure on the Krylon Black paint/primer mix, didn't want to chance it would goop up. I'm glad to hear the good news that it worked well.

If you want black, I've had good experiences with Krylon Camo black. It is really, really flat, and has "fusion" tech (will bond well to plastics) and will stick really well to plastic and metal.

That said, I use cheap one buck sprays too. However Krylon comes out whenever I'm priming something made with softer plastics. like toys and such.

For minis with fine detail, I use Armory brand primers - they go on very thin, and have provided me with excellent functionality for many armies.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Armory-Spray-Primer-Grey/dp/B001N1HEQ8

Its about $6-$7 a can.

For minis which are not as detailed, or vehicles, I use krylon primers that I get at homedepot. Sure, you can get an ultra thin coat out of them, but its not as easy as it is with the armory primer.

I have also used Army Painter brand colored primers, but they are quite expensive, and take a bit of skill to put on in thin coats.

Never confuse a "just black paint..." with a primer, primers are chemically different than normal paint - which is one reason the colored primers are more expensive.

I have used many others, but the Armory, Krylon or Army painter are what i prefer ...unless I am just doing one high end mini, then I use airbrush primer (vallejo surface primer its amazing).


Over all, this topic is quite subjective and a lot of people have different experiences - try borrowing some primers from friends and use it in your "normal" applications - temp humidity, distance to models, etc. and see for yourself.