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Beginner here. Just got my Army Painter Daemonic Yellow primer in the mail and did a test run on one of my marines. Is it just me (could very well be) or is the AP primer slightly more thick than GW primer? I followed the step by step to the T, but it seems the AP primer is a lot less forgiving than GW:



AP Daemonic Yellow, and yes, that pauldron is supposed to be an Imperial Fists logo on the left shoulder...lol

Here's GW skull white (one of the first models I primed, so a bit "fuzzy", nevertheless way more tolerable a result:



Is there any unwritten rules to using the AP primer? Clearly I'm doing something wrong, but in both instances I did just about the same exact process --

1. Warmed the can by running it under lukewarm water
2. Shook the can for approximately 2-3 minutes rather vigorously
3. Washed and prepped the model in soapy water, pat dried and waited for it to air dry thoroughly.
4. Sprayed at a distance of 8 inches (20 cm), except for the GW primer job where I was much farther away (hence the fuzz)
5. Both models were only coated once.

Any AP users have any suggestions? Thanks!

AP primers go on much thicker than P3/GW primers. If it's more than a dusting you'll obscure detail m

On the other hand, you save on 3 coats of paint by using a tinted primer, so there is that IMO, it is a reasonable tradeoff, unless you're trying to do display models or it's a pricey solo model.

Shake the can more..
When ypu think you have shaken the rattlecan enough, shake it some more..
I mean really shake it.
And don't use old primer.. You want as fresh a product as possible..
And thin layers.. I've used the brown AP primer on my rat bastards (skavens)..
I have also usedthe Chaos Black Citadel primer.
Personally I didn't notice to much of a difference..
I have since gone over to an airbrush. So no more rattlecans for me. Except some experiments.. Got hold of some Molotov cans. Gonna do some tests with that to see if it works.. If it does I've found a good choice of colours and it's cheap as chips as well.. (For my mates)

I used GW primer my first two years, and then about two months ago tried AP white for the first time and I adore it. It does go on thicker, but consistent. I'll not be going back to GW.

That last photo of the yellow marine is what is really killing me. The face detail and the pauldron detail are almost entirely obscured. I watched the AP video for using this product, and the guy in the video laid down on the nozzle WAY longer than I did, and at the same distance and his models didn't turn out nearly as chunky. It also suggests to spray in a "crossing fashion", which I did. I can't begin to describe how sparing I used the spray nozzle -- a spritz no longer than 1 second. The guy in the video seems like he's leaning on the spray nozzle!

Is it possible I just got a can that was on the shelf for awhile?

Also, does the thickness depend on the color (i.e. one color being naturally thinner than another)?

It does indeed go on thicker, but it seems like the thickness varies between AP primers. I've used their leather brown primer a lot, and always been very satisfied with it. I bought a can of gray primer and it goes on considerably thicker. It actually ruined a plasmagun marine for me, as it went on so thick that it filled the details on the gun.

 hybridmoments82 wrote:
That last photo of the yellow marine is what is really killing me. The face detail and the pauldron detail are almost entirely obscured. I watched the AP video for using this product, and the guy in the video laid down on the nozzle WAY longer than I did, and at the same distance and his models didn't turn out nearly as chunky. It also suggests to spray in a "crossing fashion", which I did. I can't begin to describe how sparing I used the spray nozzle -- a spritz no longer than 1 second. The guy in the video seems like he's leaning on the spray nozzle!

Is it possible I just got a can that was on the shelf for awhile?

Also, does the thickness depend on the color (i.e. one color being naturally thinner than another)?

These two Dark Vengeance models were painted using Army Painter -- really, for no reason than because I wanted to evaluate AP tinted primers. The first model (terminator) is primed with Dark Angel (a dark green); the second model (the company master) is primed with Bone. I wanted to see the difference between covering the green, and covering the bone. My biggest grump frankly, was that the first acrylic coat "slid" a lot, because the AP primer was so smooth. So, for instance, the purple cape (which was painted on top of bone) took far too many coats, compared with either a white or black traditional primer.

Bone went on a little thicker, but both were workable. I would not use AP on a model I really cared about (like a $30 solo), or a finecast model with many tiny details.






I have also tried AP grey, wolf grey, ultramarine blue, pure red, and dragon red, with varying degrees of success. They "all work" -- certainly well enough for painting tabletop armies -- with some being a little thicker than others.

One thing relatively interesting. I decided that I didn't really want to paint one of the blue models ultramarine (because I already have like, 50 ultramarine tacticals...) . It had already been primed and cured (1 week+), so I dunked it in alcohol for a couple of hours. I took it out and gave it a good scrub with a nail brush, which usually works for most spray primers that haven't cured forever... and the primer didn't come off, lol. However, lo and behold, the primer was no longer shiny, had a nice bit of grit on it, and was much thinner! I was pretty happy, and ended up painting the DV tactical guy as an ultramarine

For me, here's the answer to all of my undercoating prayers:



And a closeup of the models (could use another coat, but dayum!!!):

@hybridmoments -- I totally agree!!

Talys wrote:
@hybridmoments -- I totally agree!!

Hands-down totally sold on airbrush. Amazing!