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So i've heard rumors here and there that the new colored GW spray paints double as primers and basecoats. Is this true, and if so, how good are they?
Thanks,
JATW

They're about as good as any $4-7 good brand colour primer spray from your local hardware. Which means it's not worth $20 or more to me depending on where you live.

I can say for the retributor armour spray that is isn't a very good primer. I went through a whole can doing about 20 marines and their packs (done separate). On plastic, it took several passes to get it to hold as good as one pass with the black. On resin from FW, it took even more to get the color to hold and it still never held good, I had to stop because I ran out. I've used mechanicus standard grey on a bunch of killa kans but I used it over a black primer and it held quick and looks great. I've got some lead belcher and a new can of retributor that I'm going to try over a black primer and see how they work.

The metallic sprays I wouldn't use as primers, as Tilarium said, they don't cover well over plain plastic.

I however have had no problems with Mephiston Red and Mournfang Brown going straight on to plastic, so I'd say any of the regular colours should be fine.

Was sceptical my self on them. Decided to breath some new life into my iron warriors army and really didn't fancy painting the silver on manual especially since i'v added a knight!

So got a can of leadbelcher on a friends recommendation and results so far have been pretty good, not sure if its just me unused to judging colour going on but it does feel a bit like it goes on thicker than normal GW black.

Test model really was a rhino (attached) one on the left is from 2004 painted with 'boltgun metal' one on the right is the WIP new one using the spray.

Other pic is some infantry i'm doing.

Has drastically cut time down, that rhino only took 1.5hr to get to that point! Spray, dry brush necron compound, bit of nuln oil in recesses and a highlight of stormhost silver, job done.

If in doubt, undercoat your model.

The owner of my local GW store told me, that its exactly what it's called: a colour spray, not a primer.
You should always use a primer before!

Aeri wrote:
The owner of my local GW store told me, that its exactly what it's called: a colour spray, not a primer.
You should always use a primer before!

Not necessary if are coating with spray can.

Forgot to mention the rhino above did have a black undercoat.

However the marines did not and i'v also sprayed the knight from raw plastic and it seems 'OK'

The GW site specifically states they're for basecoats not for primer aka undercoat.

Some of the AP coloured primers don't actually cover that well, so given these GW cans aren't designed as primers I would personally always usem the over a primer coat.

FYI, I've found the AP bone, red, and dark green primers cover brilliantly, their leadbelcher equivalent covers pretty well, and the yellow is absolutely and completely useless.

Thanks everybody for your responses. I seems most people find the color sprays to be ineffective for priming, especially metallics. But, it seems Latro_ has had some success with leadbelcher on his models. Are there any other good miniature color primers out there?

Well apart from Army Painter stuff I never heard of metallic primer. GW cans are just paint, the same thing you can do with almost any spray can out there.

I usually Prime with Gunzee stuff via my airbrush at winter and In better weather just coat with a 5 dollar spray can from the hardware.

If you want color primers go the Army Painter route, the color primers that GW has do not compare to the ones they produced in the past.

Army Painter's paint line also color matches with their primers, even if the primer is years old. GW can barely keep their paint line consistent for a year.

The new coloured sprays are not primers. I can attest as I've used mephiston red spray a tonne.

It's a great colour but not a primer.

 Joyous_Oblivion wrote:
The new coloured sprays are not primers. I can attest as I've used mephiston red spray a tonne.

It's a great colour but not a primer.

FWIW, I agree about the mephiston red spray, but I've also got the caliban green spray, and I tried it on a (resin) model as the primer, and it worked great. So it seems like it's not all colors the don't work for priming.

You need to check the paints individually. Some are designed to be used as undercoats while others are not.

In the BoP painting guide they don't say to prime. Just stick that spray right on.