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Like the title says im looking for a good alternative to the GW chaos black primmer. Its running about $20+ a can, getting a little expensive haha . Does anyone know of another company that makes something just as good but a little cheaper? Im priming a massive amount of orks at the moment as well as some Khador and Vampire counts. Im seem to choose the horde armies haha!

Army painter? Or something? Any helps great! Thanks Dakka

I would suggest Army Painter as a good alternate.

Go down to a hardware store or an automotive store and pick up a can of sandable automotive primer. It works well and is much cheaper.

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
snip......a can of sandable automotive primer.......

I have found Dupli-Color sandable primer to be superior to everyything GW has ever put its name on.

I use matte black Krylon primer. $3 at Home Depot. Covers well, doesn't hide detail.

I would get a cheap airbrush and compressor and one of the larger bottles of Vallejo primer if you plan to do multiple horde armies. You don't need a fancy expensive one just to prime, might work out cheaper.

Krylon indoor/outdoor.

Absolutely love the stuff.

Hated army painter.

 Crimson Devil wrote:

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
snip......a can of sandable automotive primer.......

I have found Dupli-Color sandable primer to be superior to everyything GW has ever put its name on.

Seconded.

You could try Army Painter colored primers, but it has some very specific instructions (max painting distance is 8") and if you make a mistake it is a beast to strip. Like Aircraft paint stripper on metal models works, but I haven't found anything that will take it off plastics yet.

I've seen a lot of people using Vallejo's airbrush primers in cheap siphon-feed airbrushes. After the initial investment of the airbrush, I think that is going to be the most cost effective. Single-action siphon feeds are cheap ~ $30ish on amazon for a Badger that uses the propellant cans.

Tamiya Surface Primer spray gives the best finish I've ever seen from a primer, but sometimes it is too slick for some acrylics (it is formulated for Tamiya's alcohol-based acrylic paints after all). Vallejo seems to work fine over it, GW not so much. It comes in a smaller bottle and can get up there in price. I pick it up from Hobby Lobby with the ubiquitous 40% one item coupon.

The Testor spray paints are also decent at getting a colored base to work with. These work well on plastic models, but don't have enough bite for metals. Also available at Hobby Lobby with the 40% off coupon.

Krylon and Duplicolor are both good, cheap alternatives, but make sure you are not getting the self-leveling or something that fills surface imperfections or you'll have no details left. I've heard great things about PlastiKote from prop makers, but it may flood the details.

Go to the hardware store and get Matt primer, you really dont need to buy hobby stuff.

I also use black gesso as a brush on when its to wet or humid to spray.

When purchasing primer, make a point to find cans that actually say primer on them - while primer is paint, paint is not primer! Primers have a "tooth" to them that allows paint to stick better. If you just want black, there are a number of brands at your local hardware store that can help. I use Krylon for my black and white priming jobs.

If you want the same stuff without the exorbitant price tag, pretty much any flat/matte black enamel spray paint will suffice. I use ColorPlace - the $1/can Walmart brand - and it works a treat for plastics. RustOleum and Krylon have a number of sprays that work equally well (the Krylon camo colors seem particularly popular).

Some people prefer to use an actual primer on all models, but I reserve it for those that actually need it. Metals usually get Krylon Indoor/Outdoor grey. I also picked up some Vallejo PU primer (grey) a while back which worked quite well on Bones plastic and I've slowly been expanding its use.

Whichever route you go, nearly all of the alternatives will be a vast improvement over GW sprays - potentially for quality, always for cost.

I've had good results with Army Painter, but like others mentioned you have to keep it about 8 inches away from your model and you need to be constantly spraying evenly and in a fluid motion, otherwise you will muck up whatever you're spraying with too much paint and it will obscure the detail. For whatever reason, I'm scared of the idea of using automotive primers.

 Ghaz wrote:

 Crimson Devil wrote:

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
snip......a can of sandable automotive primer.......

I have found Dupli-Color sandable primer to be superior to everyything GW has ever put its name on.

Seconded.

Agreed.

The motion carries.

The only thing with automotive primers is ive heard a lot of horror stories of them hiding detail and even kinda melting the models. I just kinda worry abouty using anything but GW or hobby quality primers haha!

The Duplicolor primer was used extensively by longtime industry standards Mike and Ali McVey now of Studio McVey as a primer during their time with Privateer Press. As with any spray paint, I've never had any problem with Duplicolor obscuring detail as long as you take care not to overspray.

http://archive.brushthralls.com/model-walkthroughs/faction-box-in-10-days-khador-6.html

A local store here just started selling Formula P3 primer and glue by Privateer Press. $14 a can for the primer. No reviews on it yet tho Anyone heard of it?

40KNobz11 wrote:
The only thing with automotive primers is ive heard a lot of horror stories of them hiding detail and even kinda melting the models. I just kinda worry abouty using anything but GW or hobby quality primers haha!

There are different kinds of primers suitable for automotive use. Self-etching primers are designed to... well, etch. Great for metals that like to shed paint, as it creates fine surface texture in the substrate that promotes a superior bond, but it can damage some materials. Sandable primers are meant to be used over body work, primarily. It has higher "build" and superior self-leveling characteristics, which helps fill in minor cracks and surface imperfections, after which it can be sanded if further smoothing is required. Pretty much the polar opposite of what you want for miniatures, where preservation of fine detail is paramount, but lots of hobbyists use and love it. As it turns out, if you're careful to avoid overly thick applications, the self-leveling characteristic helps give a nice, smooth coat without undue buildup that might obscure details.

Also, know that the hobby industry, like any other, uses branding and niche-targeted marketing to create "specialty" products that are frequently no different than their more generic counterparts. GW sprays are just flat enamel spray paints. Brand loyalty, the desire for one stop shopping, and general ignorance are the justifications for the price tag, not expensive ingredients or a secret, superior formula (at least, no more than any other brand). Now, some specialty products truly are special, and are generally worth their price tag, if you happen to need them. "Hobby quality" and "hobby branded" just aren't mutually exclusive. Research any particular product, if you're worried, but I think you'll find that most sprays are pretty safe and preference depends more on the user than some absolute, measurable quality of the paints. Repetition from frequent posters may skew my vague internal count, but I wouldn't be surprised if a P&M-wide poll yielded more non-hobby brand primer/undercoat spray users (Krylon, RustOleum, etc.) than hobby brand (GW, Tamiya, etc.).

Mrgunnar177 wrote:Hated army painter.

As a primer not impressed, but as a base color over dupli-color I like it quite a bit.

Zuul wrote:

 Ghaz wrote:

 Crimson Devil wrote:

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
snip......a can of sandable automotive primer.......

I have found Dupli-Color sandable primer to be superior to everyything GW has ever put its name on.

Seconded.

Agreed.

The motion carries.

Huzzah!

40KNobz11 wrote:The only thing with automotive primers is ive heard a lot of horror stories of them hiding detail and even kinda melting the models. I just kinda worry abouty using anything but GW or hobby quality primers haha!

The main issue is most people don't know how to use spray paint. The best way I find is to start the spray off the side of the object and then pass over it. Then repeat as necessary. Build up the color slowly. Too many people use spray paint like a toddler with a canyon.

40KNobz11 wrote:A local store here just started selling Formula P3 primer and glue by Privateer Press. $14 a can for the primer. No reviews on it yet tho Anyone heard of it?

I like it for plastic, but not for metal. It works really well as a base color over dupli-color.

Some of my friends have used car undercoat sprays and whilst they gave a good coverage they ended up with a grey "dust" on the surface; not a major issue to clean off, but if you didn't it really affected the paint finish.

Standard advice for any new product or technique; try it on something you don't care about before using it on your latest and greatest conversion project!

I have had good results with the P3 black primer and plastic and resin, haven't tried it on metal.

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
Go down to a hardware store or an automotive store and pick up a can of sandable automotive primer. It works well and is much cheaper.

Agreed, I've used Car Primer for years. Make sure it's Matt rather than Gloss, I've probably had better results with this stuff than with GW's spray paint, and I can get it for £4 a can, why waste money on undercoat when you can waste it on models!

Krylon primer. Cheap, cheap, and just as good.

I have a can of Rustoleum primer right now, which is just as cheap, it works just fine, however it is a bit "chalkier" when dry than the Krylon.

I'm a Krylon guy myself, but I've used Rustoleum, Duplicolor, a random Automotive primer, and the Walmart Colorplace, all to great effect. I even brushed on some "Multisurface Sealer" from Hobby Lobby, and that worked wonders (great for winter!).

I stick with Krylon (Indoor Outdoor Primer: Grey) generally.

PLEASE avoid any primer that is a 2-in-1 primer/paint. Unless somebody can say otherwise, It goes on too thick and destroys details. And also avoid the Krylon Fusion (for plastics), same thing: super thick. Again, if somebody can deny this, do tell.

I use a light grey Humbrol Primer.

Personally I steer clear of Army Painter, very poor and nozzles prone to breaking.

 fenrir1997 wrote:
And also avoid the Krylon Fusion (for plastics), same thing: super thick. Again, if somebody can deny this, do tell.

Nope, no denying it. Fusion is known to go on thick (and generally glossy) and be unstrippable. Don't think I've ever seen a hobbyist recommend it, but I've seen a number warn against it. It's great if you want a way to change the color of your plastic patio furniture while keeping a smooth, resilient finish, but keep it away from your models.

I use the Duplicolor sandable primer. I used it last summer when it was 90 degree weather and 100 percent humidity outside (typical Florida weather). The stuff is basically bulletproof.

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
Go down to a hardware store or an automotive store and pick up a can of sandable automotive primer. It works well and is much cheaper.

^^^This. Just bought Dupli-color black Sandable primer. $6 a can around here. Very good quality.