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Looking at the threads on this board I see it comes up repeatedly that GW's current spray undercoat is not actually primer anymore but regular spray paint. But at the same time most people seem to agree that it performs well as an undercoat. I also see recommendations for Krylon's spray paint (not just their primer) as an undercoat.

So I'm a little confused. If they both work as an undercoat, why use one over the other? Does it even matter? Is the fact that GW is now using a spray paint rather than a primer the reason for their testimony that their undercoat shrinks to detail where "other primers" expand?

pick krylon because they make outstanding paint at a fraction of the GW cost if you just want to spray a base coat to paint on.

but don't take my word for it, get some krylon and gw and see what you think. I know krylon "shrinks" because I shot a bunch of it on my dark vengeance set, and though they looked a globby mess they actually came out really nice after they dried.

Oh and they are way cheaper than GW and offer a superior paint, imo.

Tyronus Fruitridge Powers wrote:
pick krylon because they make outstanding paint at a fraction of the GW cost if you just want to spray a base coat to paint on.

but don't take my word for it, get some krylon and gw and see what you think. I know krylon "shrinks" because I shot a bunch of it on my dark vengeance set, and though they looked a globby mess they actually came out really nice after they dried.

Oh and they are way cheaper than GW and offer a superior paint, imo.

While I bet Krylon does a good job, what I'm actually curious about is not GW vs Krylon, but spray paint vs primers as an undercoat in general. I see people recommending both, even from brand names that carry both (like Wal-Mart's colorplaces).

Primer has more tooth and can be sanded and is meant for painting over. how well a paint adheres to a surface depends on what type of paint it is, lacquer based strongest, enamel adheres strongly and acrylic is the weakest. paints usually are meant to be a "finish" which isn't to say it can't be painted or sanded but usually comes in a color and an endless variety of properties meant for all sorts of applications.

A true primer will bond with the material that it is put on, a paint will simply sit on the surface.

With primer you can strip back to it easily, but getting primer off is painful. In the case of some models it can also help the paint adhere to the model (e.g. my battle games in middle earth models sometimes have trouble with paint sticking to them despite washing them thoroughly, but priming fixes this)

Spray paint is just paint that is sprayed on rather than brushed/airbrushed.

All hype. I haven't found any black spray paint that won't etch itself to plastic models. The same stuff that causes it to melt styrofoam is what causes it to bond to the surface.

Be it a $1 can of generic walmart spray black which I don't recommend as the finish can be rough.
Krylon works good and is in face advertised to bond with plastic.
GW smooth if somewhat glossy finish.
Vallejo about the same as GW primer.

That said nothing beats an airbrush for priming with a good priming paint. Everything else I've found hurts the details even the high end primers if ever so slightly.

Touch n Tone brand primers from Autozone are by far the best for priming minis that I have ever seen. Very even finish, thin layers, works amazingly well, and it is only about $3/can.

DupliColor Sandable Auto Primer is what's been referred to me by every serious mini painter in the local area. So I'm going to be trying it myself on my current project.

 CIsaac wrote:
DupliColor Sandable Auto Primer is what's been referred to me by every serious mini painter in the local area. So I'm going to be trying it myself on my current project.

This is my first time painting miniatures, so in classic OCD fashion I bought all of the brands recommended here that were easily obtainable at my local stores for gauntlet style testing. I've got GW - Chaos Black ($16!), DupliColor Sandable Primer Black ($5), Krylon Flat Black ($4), and Wal-Mart brand Flat Black (96¢).

So the DupliColor is the only true primer, I could not find suitable primers in any of the other brands. My Wal-Mart only carries the new Krylon fusion primers, which didn't seem appropriate. I will determine which I like best, without regard to price. But I can only hope that the winner trends toward the affordable side of the spectrum.

I use a lot the Krylon and Rustoleum camo brands (green, khaki, brown, etc) for priming and as a base coat. They are made for outdoor use and are quite durable.

Initial results are indicating DupliColor to be my favorite.

Krylon Flat Black and GW's Chaos Black are the most similar. Both have a glossy finish and preserve detail decently. Although the GW can definitely dries faster than the Krylon, which seems to be the slowest drying of the products I bought.

The Wal-Mart paint is clearly the most matte finish, almost looking grey. It might be my technique, but it seems to go on pretty thick and the details are harder to make out.

The DupliColor seems to be the most balanced. Very smooth finish, not as glossy as GW/Krylon, but this paint allows me to discern the details with the most ease. It dries quicker than the Krylon.

We'll see how they perform when it comes to painting them.

GW's spray paints are actually primers, they're just listed as spray paints. People use other primers because A. More colours. B. Cheaper.

I've had excellent luck with Krylon primer. The cost is reasonable, and it does "shrink" nicely to preserve detail. Plus I can easily purchase it at any hardware or big box store.

I used Army Painter for a little while, but the price was nearly double that of the Krylon and I had some issues with dodgy sprayers.

Before that I used GW but again price and availability was a factor. Though I thought it had a fine quality about it.

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm really happy with the DupliColor Sandable Primer. Got it at Fred Meyers for $5, comes in black/white/grey and red. I likes its finish the best. I'd say I even prefer it over GW's.

The GW and Krylon came out good too though.