[piemaster]

Is this actually a good equivalent to chaos black undercoat spray?

If not has anybody got any suggestions? What do people use? I've pretty much ran out of undercoat and am wondering what to get next. The last can I got as a steal on the cheap. Thanks in advance.

 

[KingOfCheese]

I use cheap $2 matt black spray paint.
Tried a couple of brands that were crap, but found one that is amazing.
Covers the whole model very nicely, and goes on in a very thin coat to maximize the amount of detail.
The GW paints adhere to it perfectly too.
Its better than any other spray paint i have used. The GW spray paints are an absolute rip-off.

So basically, i would advise going to a $2 store and getting 2-3 cans of different brands. Try them out on models you dont really care about. See which one works best.

 

[humakt]

It doesnt seem like you saving much money on this unless your buying lots of the stuff once you factor in the cost of postage.

 

[Varakir]

£4.50 + postage isn't that cheap!

I've been using plasti-kote from wilkinsons which was about £3 i think.

 

[humakt]

I wondered if plasitcote was any good. Does it reduce the details at all?

 

[Varakir]

Not that i've noticed, i've never used the GW primer so i've got nothing to compare it against.

The one i used is called projekt paint or something, i do about 3 spray coats from different angles. There is usually a little bit of touching up to do with a brush, but it's never given me any major issues.

 

[keytag33]

Plasticote or Krylon matte black work just as good if not better than GW Chaos Black and for a hell of a lot cheaper.

 

[Otep]

be careful about non-gw stuff! my buddy bought a can of non-gw spray and its a blue based black vs GW which i believe he said was a red based black.... cant tell much but under that certain angle.... holy crap it looks weird.... but he runs BT....

 

[KingOfCheese]

be careful about non-gw stuff! my buddy bought a can of non-gw spray and its a blue based black vs GW which i believe he said was a red based black.... cant tell much but under that certain angle.... holy crap it looks weird.... but he runs BT....

I generally paint over the undercoat with Chaos Black anyway (from the paint pot, not the can).

 

[Varakir]

be careful about non-gw stuff! my buddy bought a can of non-gw spray and its a blue based black vs GW which i believe he said was a red based black.... cant tell much but under that certain angle.... holy crap it looks weird.... but he runs BT....

Is he not painting on top of the primer?

 

[GrizBe]

Never heard of the company, but i'd not trust that spray paint, looks like some of the real cheap and nasty stuff I've seen in Pound stores.

I've always just used the GW spray paints. Never had any problems with them. I've had friends try other companies stuff, and its screwed up their models.

 

[Whizzwang]

I've always used the GW black as that's what i know, and I know it works.

I've not used the plasti-kote black. However I have used a variety of others as base coats for different things and they've been fine. I imagine the black would be an OK alternative to the GW.

 

[Count_the_Seven]

I use Halford's own black and white primers.

Absolutely fine for minis, you can see some of mine in a thread lower down...

 

[Otep]

Is he not painting on top of the primer?

nope lol he plays BT the easy way.... spray, detail, paint the shoulders.... DONE!

He only paints black when he touches up

 

[Varakir]

nope lol he plays BT the easy way.... spray, detail, paint the shoulders.... DONE!

He only paints black when he touches up

Heh, tell him it's called primer for a reason :wink:

If i was painting like that then i'd probably invest in some army painter stuff tbh.

 

[Marneus Calgar]

Heh, tell him it's called primer for a reason :wink:

If i was painting like that then i'd probably invest in some army painter stuff tbh.

Yeah, thats what I'm gonna do when I paintstrip my Ultramarines. Get some Navy Blue army painter. And Detail from there, since Ultramarines are my gaming army I want to focus on the nicer models (ven dreads, tanks, commanders etc). Lucky I know a place that sells it!

 

[lav25gunner]

... I've always just used the GW spray paints. Never had any problems with them...

I don't think the issue is the quality of GW primer, but rather, the price. The GW primer costs 3 or 7 times more than other primer out there.

Heh, tell him it's called primer for a reason :wink:

If i was painting like that then i'd probably invest in some army painter stuff tbh.

I've heard repeatedly that GW primer is NOT primer, but spray paint. So why would you paint over paint? I can't tell the difference between a 'primed' black model and a painted black model and I don't think anyone can either. I never paint my black 'primed' models black unless I'm doing a touch up. Just seems silly to me.

 

[Tyrian]

Just wander into your local auto/mechanics shop and by a matt black primer from them... cheaper and good quality too.
At the moment i'm using Hycote matt black, £4.50 for 500ml and it goes on amazing on both metal and plastic, at first it looked a bit thick but once it's dried it is amazingly thin. I've got a plasticote white, i's ok, but i find it stays a bit sticky for a while and can easily be applied too thickly, although it works well on big areas...
I'd avoid a completely unbranded one from ebay though... at least if it's cheap from a shop and rubbish you can try to take it back :so_happy:

 

[Varakir]

I've heard repeatedly that GW primer is NOT primer, but spray paint. So why would you paint over paint? I can't tell the difference between a 'primed' black model and a painted black model and I don't think anyone can either. I never paint my black 'primed' models black unless I'm doing a touch up. Just seems silly to me.

From GW site:

Chaos Black Spray

Citadel Colour spray cans are designed for undercoating metal and plastic models. The purpose of the undercoat is twofold: it acts as a primer and it provides a flat base colour to paint onto. You will find that a spray finish is far flatter and better to paint onto than a brushed undercoat.

I don't have a problem with people not painting over the primer, but i can always tell the difference on my own models. Perhaps the GW stuff covers better than the one i use though.

 

[piemaster]

Well thanks for the advice. I usually get gw but since I don't like giving 'em any more money than is absolutely necessary, I was wondering what to get instead.

@ count the 7: is Halfords good to go straight away or does it need painting over? I have multiple black armies and don't want to have to paint them after priming.

@ Tryian: How is Hycote matt black? I've never heard of it myself. Is it the same as GW insofar as it doesn't have to be painted over once it has been sprayed?