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Cheap Primers?


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May have already been asked; couldn't find it with the search bar. If you can refer me somewhere that'd be great.

 

Anyone use other primers other than GW ones? I've heard krylon is good from Walmart and so are some other cheap ones. I'm not looking to spend 15$ on a can of paint...

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Krylon, Dupli-Color, Rustoleum. These are the only cheap brands with good reputations that I would trust in NA.

 

In EU and AU people love Halford's as well as Humbrol especially the whites and grays, but I have no idea what their price is. Should be cheaper than GW.

 

I personally use Army Painter which is still pretty expensive, but I can vouch for at least Krylon acrylic mattes.

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I've used Rustoleom and it turned out fine, typically use Krylon though. Flat Black for models that will be dark but not black, Satin for models that will be primarily black, my Templars, and Flat White for my white-armored models, and finally a nice Gloss Black for my Necrons.

 

One issue I've noticed is GW paints are typically Satin, but occasionally some are closer to Flat. If you plan on having the armor or a main portion of a model remain the color of the primer, be aware you may need to look into a non-GW brand of model paint that does distinguish between Gloss, Flat and Satin, to have on hand for touch-ups. This is only a possibility, though, I advise to test it out so you don't end up buying paint you don't need.

 

I would be weary of an Automotive labeled spray, as November mentioned, they tend to be thicker.

 

I have had friends who are into 40k but never heard of Satin/Flat/Gloss paint, so to clarify, just in case, it refers to the shininess. Flat paint will be matte, no shine at all, Satin is in the middle, and Gloss is shiny.

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Krylon's new 'Dual' primer and paint in one is my new favorites for cost vs performance. I've tested it on plastic, resin, and metal, and it has a very good bite that holds well and produces a very paint friendly flat surface. On plastic and resin in particular it's very tough resisting scratching.

 

GW primer is just a relabeled product that is very region dependent, so it can vary wildly.

 

I agree with other sentiments; avoid automotive unless you're good with a can, it can go on heavy. Flats and Satins are usually good for taking/holding paint. I prefer Flat and just paint the entire model with a light layer or acrylic to even the base, get any missed nooks-and-crannies, and uniform it for painting. Doing that makes any miss-match due to brand shifting all but unnoticeable. Same is true with the final protective varnish coat; it usually evens any miss-matched gloss/satin/flat surfaces, so don't worry too much about it, in my opinion.

 

Finally, less is more with primer; you don't need to get the entire model completely uniform in colour in every nook-and-crannie. A light layer that covers all of the 'most exposed' surfaces is what's really needed. This is why I find the first light coat of Acrylic paint very useful.

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base coat should prime your mini in collor, to give you starting point for further painting. But further it should have good rip on model, and present good grip for new layers of collors.

 

I think any base coat, you find in modelar stores and such should serve well, but stay away from paints you can find cheap in big stors like wallmarts and such, those are not paints for models.

 

They can damage your plastic. They can have to thick consistecy and cover your model details. They could easely be stripd down with finger tip, destroying your work. Or they could be really glossy and un-provide a grip for your paint... so many things that can go wrong with those paints.

 

I use paints like this only for basecoating terrain pieces that are home made, and I always look for paints with acrylic base.

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so, the rustoluem was too thick. Im pretty good with a can but wasn't comfortable using that on my minis. I tested it on an army man because I couldn't find any sprues around and that was all I had.. so it is different but it gives me a good idea of what it'd look like. are other automotive primers as thick? I will probably go to a local hobby shop and look for some craft primer and see if that works. if I can't find anything there ill look into the flat primers. I can't find any krylon around here sad.png

EDIT:

after messing around with it for a while I have actualy figured the automotive out. I wasn't far away enough I believe was my problem. I actually primed a beaky marine I have with it and none of the details that I can see are obscured. So it seems that the rustoleum actually works!!

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Thats the nice thing about Krylon. Black, White, Brown, Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, etc, etc. It isn't necessarily thin, it just isn't thick. Always be careful of spraying too thick or getting overspray regardless of how thin the paint is or isn't, you can cake up with a think spray if you are spraying too close or slow. It doesn't have to be Krylon, thats just what I know and like. Check the can, if you see anything in regards to texture, weatherproofing or automotive, do not buy it.

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I use army painter (which, as mentioned, is $15 a can), and the Armory which is cheaper and does a good job (and has Dork Tower characters on the can). The only problem with the Armory brand primer is it leaves a lot of dusty residue in the area you spray. Not so bad in the warmer months when you can spray outside, but if you're like me and have an area to spray inside you will eventually have to clean the floor, etc in the area you spray.
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I believe Krylon has a line of camouflage colors that are very, very matte. It sprays on thin enough, and binds to plastic decently well. I think it's around $6.00 USD a can.

 

It's a real shame, though... before they changed the formula a few years back, GW Black Primer was worth every penny in fine, smooth primer. Now it's just this semi-gloss paint. :( 

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