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but I use GW's spray paint. I go out of my way to purchase it and most likely overpay for it.

I know GW doesn't manufacture this themselves, and most likely are just paying some company to put their names on their existing paints. But I can't help it. I have used many different primers in my time, and have been frustrated with many of them. I primarily use white, and was happy with their Skull White, but now since thats gone I use the Corax now. I have their black one as well, but rarely use it.

I build model kits too (well, in addition to GW's) and have been really happy with the outcomes.

So that being said, and now that I have finally gotten this off my chest, you may now point fingers and laugh. I am curious though, if you arent using GW's paint, who's are you using and where do you get it?

I don't think I'd bother with GW primer unless it was one of the coloured ones that I needed for a project.

I use Army Painter, and while I get frustrated by the occasional bad can (often fixed with a new nozzle), the cost ($12) outweighs the negatives. I buy mine online from the Warstore here stateside.

I'd buy a GW coloured primer if I needed as a base colour for an army. Personally even at the rather egregious $20+ cost, I simply calculate that vs. the hours spent base coating miniatures. I'd gladly pay someone with an airbrush $20+ to base coat my models in a certain colour, so it's a value exercise for me.

For terrain, I stick to mostly Krylon camo colours, and while also minorly expensive ($6) they're worthwhile, as I get a half tables worth of terrain out of each can.

I have had good luck with the GW rattle cans and the nozzle/top is tough to beat. Color matching is also handy if you're painting an army based on their 'codex' colors.


I've now gone on to using an airbrush and badgers Stynylrez primer. But there's still a few cans of GW spray rattling around.

Krylon Colormaster (the paint + primer kind).

Flat black almost exclusively. Occasionally I'll use flat white. I also have a can of the Army Painter blue-grey for a squad of SW I did up for a friend, but that doesn't see regular use.

It's a little thick, but not to the point where it obscures detail. My god, does it cover well though.

There is nothing embarrassing in that. You should go with what you fell most comfortable with, althou you pay with your money. There are better and cheaper primers out there.

Eh, in all honesty, given the expense and general pain-in-my-ass associated with airbrushes, I find it hard to fault people for just using GW rattlecans.

GW paints and sprays have never been a bad choice. Whilst one might quibble on prices, the product itself is a solid choice and widely used. The rattlecan sprays; the paints themselves etc... Brushes and tools are also quality makes (though I'd argue that their miniature tools have become far overpriced).

With GW the tools and such are quality, they are well made and widely used; yes there are other options and yes there are some just-as-good slightly cheaper choices, but the GW choices are never a bad choice in terms of quality.

Wait... I thought EVERYONE used Army Painter Skeleton Bone primer spray? No? ... ,)

Meh i will continue to pay out the nose for corax white

no shame required.

Started painting in 2012. Still using GW spray primers and not feeling any need to change.

Same, GW rattles have not let me down yet and I've undercoated 3 different armies + terrain boards with them.

Only pooper is shipping them to Paddy land is an extra cost since they are classed as high pressure containers. Or someat.

Wow, was not expecting the positive responses to GW's paint AT ALL.

I don't feel so embarrassed now.

Nah the GW primers are awesome sauce. Really really useful, excellent coverage. Yes there are others out there, but I don't agree they have better quality.

My only quibble with GW rattlecans is my environs sucks for that sort of spraying, I've found to my annoyance. I get a few days a year and that's it really. Otherwise the high humidity is just too much for that sort of spraying. (Even tried sticking it out a window and taking it back inside really fast, as a friend mentioned, nope)

So I stick with brushon and my airbrush and Stylenrez - but heck yeah if you can use 'em, GW cans are totally worth it. I've also managed to get a LOT out of one can (when I can use it).

I just buy whatever black spray paint I can find whether it be from GW, a random shop or just a carboot sale. Black car paint works well and is only about £2.50 a can.

Paint is not primer and there is no such thing as paint and primer in one. When something says it's paint and primer in one what they are saying is that paint will stick to itself, which all paint does. It's a sales gimmick. They are just selling you paint.

What GW sells is paint in a can. Not primer.

I use PP primer for White/Black. It has the best coverage and the thinnest layer (for a spray can).

For colors I use the Army Painter's primers. The steel color is now the base for my Astra Millitarum. The colors are vibrant and match what's on the can pretty well.

I hate GW primer. It's almost as thick as citadel paint, which is terrible in a primer. I can at least thin the paint.

 Guildenstern wrote:
My only quibble with GW rattlecans is my environs sucks for that sort of spraying, I've found to my annoyance. I get a few days a year and that's it really. Otherwise the high humidity is just too much for that sort of spraying. (Even tried sticking it out a window and taking it back inside really fast, as a friend mentioned, nope)

Just out of curiosity, where do you live? I am in Florida and it is humid here. How they turn our is all I know, so not sure how the paint actually looks in a non-humid environment.

 Lance845 wrote:
What GW sells is paint in a can. Not primer.

Well, I do use it as a primer and it works for me. Not sure I would try to use it as a paint tho lol. I tend to think spray painted white is really hard to do. Would prefer airbrush to that.

KTG17 wrote:

 Lance845 wrote:
What GW sells is paint in a can. Not primer.

Well, I do use it as a primer and it works for me. Not sure I would try to use it as a paint tho lol. I tend to think spray painted white is really hard to do. Would prefer airbrush to that.

You have to understand that you are talking about 2 entirely different products that have entirely different jobs. Paints job is to seal and protect. Primers job is to prime the surface to be painted.

Your essentially starting with a base coat.

It's fine. That mostly works. But it doesn't work AS WELL. Because paint is not a product designed to do what primer is designed to do. These 2 products are mutually exclusive. The rough surface produced by primer makes it too rough for the protective coating of paint to be effective. Namely because durability is directly related to shine. The glossier the product the tougher it is and the more durable the end coating. If something says Enamel on it then it dries VERY hard and is super durable as far as paints go.

Essentially, your using the term "primer" as a misnomer. Your not priming anything. Your just painting it.

I quit using GW's spray black primer when I realized that it wasn't even the exact same black as the brush-on black (Abaddon Black). I have a lot of success with Rustoleum American Accents black primer. $4 per can at Walmart, compared to $17 or so for the GW stuff that doesn't do the job any better.
Now, for when I need a base color, I do use GW as their color ones match the brush-on paints perfectly. I recently sprayed a bunch of my Dark Angels models with the Caliban Green spray, and it was worth $20 to me just so I don't have to spend a lot of time putting two coats of basecoat on each model. I recently bought another can since I used up the first, and I have no regrets. I even bought a can of The Fang for when I start working on my Space Wolves (probably later this year). I have used some of the Army Painter sprays as well, but theirs aren't as good, although they are considerably cheaper.

One primer I would stay away from is Armory. I messed up a Land Raider with their white primer, clogging some details. It's salvageable, although the best idea would be to drop the vehicle into some Simple Green and start over. I won't use their products again.

Best primer I've found is Dupli-Color Sandable Primer. I've used it for years in all sorts of weather conditions without a single problem.

I used GW's black spray primer probably for 20 years. It works, it's always available and never caused me serious issues. Once I got an airbrush I stopped, because the PITA of cleaning the airbrush is worth not having to spray outside ever again (wind, sub-zero temps, etc), and a $15 bottle of Vajello primer lasts soooo much longer than a rattle can.

Used to use Chaos Black spray for years, hell even Mig Jimenez used and recommended it. Only stopped using it because of getting an airbrush and living in a flat.

I have a cupboard full of spray paint but I consistantly go back to gw - well I used to be able to get matt black auto for £1.50 that was amazing but apart from that.

I use GW's spray paints, as mentioned by others, it's always available and has never let me down. There's no shame to it!

Used to by Maston's spray. These days I actually prime by airbrush. Allows to skip weather issue. Handy when it's raining snow and minus degrees outside

For people in the UK Halford's Matt Black paint is awesome. It's essentially Chaos Black Spray (exact same finish and colour) for £8 but you get 500ml compare to Chaos Black Spray at £10.40 for 400ml.

But before I found this out I was very much a slave to GW's rattlecans and it was only due to the lack of a FLGS in my town that made me look for alternate sources.

I followed the temptation of going cheaper and used P3 or whatever it is and then Army Painter for my Tau. Both made my models look like crap or didn't have the consistency I wanted. I may as well have based them by hand.

I switched to the GW primer and haven't looked back since. Sure it's expensive but the entire can sprayed 2,000+ worth of points. Solid investment as it gave a solid coat, didn't obscure my details at all, not thick, etc.

Have no shame sir!

Army painter primers are far superior product for me than citadel brand.

Citadel brands don't allow thinned out paints to stick on to the surface as well as Army painter - I feel like it's engineered in a way that you use up paint faster.

To me, citadel sprays felt more of actual spray paint than a primer.

 skchsan wrote:
Army painter primers are far superior product for me than citadel brand.

Citadel brands don't allow thinned out paints to stick on to the surface as well as Army painter - I feel like it's engineered in a way that you use up paint faster.

To me, citadel sprays felt more of actual spray paint than a primer.

Meh never had a citadel spray primer melt off a whole squad of imperial fists before.

cant trust their yellow.

their white and leather brown is ok though they come out dusty on occasion.

I would recommend getting a large nozzle (0.5mm) airbrush and undercoating that way, if you get a cheapish model it can pretty much live in a cup of airbrush cleaner which removes the cleaning annoyance.

The GW rattle cans are good for what they are but the cost and need for ideal spraying conditions isn’t the best (plus a lot of paint is lost whilst spraying with a can.