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So, I've just got an airbrush and about to use it for the first time. One of the things I'm really looking forward to is being able to prime my minis since where I live it's now a very cold and wet winter - no good for spray cans. But one thing I can't seem to find info on is the kind of paint I need. I want to undercoat some in black, some in white. I've got some Citadel Corvus Black and some White Scar airbrush paints and am hoping to use those. Will that be possible? Or do I need to have a rethink and buy some special priming paint? And if I am going to use those do I need to thin them down or am I good to go straight from the pot?

I use Vallejo polyurethane primers and get on with them fine, but some people find they don't adhere to the models perfectly. It does spray fine undiluted, but I tend to add in a drop or two of flow improver to try to help with the inevitable tip-drying.

I see a lot of people recommend Badger's Stynylrez range, if I was going to try something else that would be top of my list.

You could try using the regular Citadel air paints but I'm not sure how well they'll key on to the bare plastic. It might be vulnerable to rubbing off. As a workaround you could maybe try a coat of airbrushable varnish first, if you have some of that?

I'm not really familiar with the GWS airbrushes colors you describe, but I too can vouch for Vallejo polyurethane primers. I prime virtually every model I paint with either white or German Panzer Grey (nearly black) and have been happy with them going back many years with no issues. They both do tend to settle fast so you must must must shake them pretty vigorously prior to use - if you don't, they will be thin with poor coverage because you're not getting all the pigments - but otherwise I use them right from the bottle, no problem.

Note also that there is a pretty substantial price difference between Citadel air and Vallejo primer; .30 per ML for GWS vs .09 per ML for Vallejo. The fact the GWS paint is more that triple the price is a pretty tough argument against it even if it were substantially better, which i kind of doubt it is - I tried one of the GWS air metallics and it kind of sucked.

I use Vallejo primers thinned for consistency with Vallejo Airbrush Thinner (about 1:4 ratio) and never had a problem. Just wash your minis and let the primer cure for 24hrs before handling the mini.

That said, what really separates airbrush priming from rattle cans is zenithal priming, so learn how to do this and how to incorporate it into your basic scheme.

I use Green Stuff World primers, I’ve found them great via air brush or hairy brush.

I have also used Vallejo white primer which is good via airbrush.

The citadel paints you mentioned are not primers and are not made for airbrush. Primers create a layer of paint that all your other paints will stick to better than the plastic of the model.

A good primer also shrinks as it dries so it creates a really smooth tight layer on the model showing al the detail.

My favorite is Testors flat enamels. A thinner based (versus a water based) paint is easier to clean and atomizes much finer. The flat can be found in nearly any color needed and provides a great tooth for subsequent top coat paint layers. It just means you have a few more VOCs floating around, so I spray outside or in the garage.

Currently use Vallejo primers through my airbrush but as mentioned the Badger products are often recommended.

Aside from whether or not the GW colors would work for priming is the cost. Given the coverage you need to prime, you will be spending a lot of money on GW paint vs. Vallejo or Badger for likely inferior results.

Crispy78 wrote:
I use Vallejo polyurethane primers and get on with them fine, but some people find they don't adhere to the models perfectly. It does spray fine undiluted, but I tend to add in a drop or two of flow improver to try to help with the inevitable tip-drying.

I see a lot of people recommend Badger's Stynylrez range, if I was going to try something else that would be top of my list.

Second both of these.

I find more value with Stylnyrez. It comes in bigger bottles and thins better for when you want a finer undercoat.

bit Offtopic
Just a caution with wet and cold winters.

It was not mentioned and I made assumption that airbrushing will be done indoors.
Airbrush with water based paint needs ventilation and a mask filter.

pigments have heavy metals in em.

That is one of the reasons why I never got a airbrush for a long time, where I lived I couldn't get ventilation set up. Cheers

Molotow ink from their glossy black permanent ink line. Vallejo rubs off the model, citadel clogs detail... molotow won't come off anything.

Psa, be prepared to have to clean your airbrush quickly and also wear gloves so you don't have ink stuck to your hands for a week.

I mostly gave up on airbrush priming. Most airbrush primers I found either sucked or were too toxic for my likings. Went back to rattle can primers, even in bad weather I just prep everything inside the house, step outside under the porch for a few seconds to spray it, then back inside.

I used Gunze's lacquer primers through the airbrush for a while, they work great but being lacquers you need to be sure your airbrush station is exhausting all the fumes at a high rate. My cheap chinese airbrushing booth does not evacuate the air fast enough, my home made one did but it was too cumbersome so I no longer use it which means I can no longer use the Gunze primer.



Automatically Appended Next Post:

nou wrote:
That said, what really separates airbrush priming from rattle cans is zenithal priming, so learn how to do this and how to incorporate it into your basic scheme.

You can just use a black rattle can primer then do the zenithal highlight with a white ink.