"Your preferred primer" Topic

What are your preferred primers for:

Soft plastic figures (such as Reaper Bones, or most board game figures?
Hard plastic (such as Games Workshop)?
Metal?

And what specific brands? (In other words, don't just say "the 99 cent can at Walmart." Tell us which specific brands work for you.)

For me --
-- Soft plastic: Army Painter followed with a brushed-on layer of Delta Ceramcoat craft paint.
-- Hard plastic and Metal: For both, I just use Testers Matte Black (1249)

Do primers for metal count? If so I use black gesso from arts and craft stores. Goop it on, dried tight with excellent coverage. Then highlight white. Works for me.

For me, that cheap matte black primer from Walmart. It has no other brand name to give it.

Related topics with useful info:

TMP link
TMP link
TMP link
TMP link
TMP link
TMP link
TMP link
TMP link
TMP link

Wal-Mart white.

Some scenics: Armory Black (which I've had for ages)

Everything else: GW white spray primer. I forget what it's called. If it even says on that United Nation's daily minutes plastered all over the can.

Delta Ceramcoat primer.

Gesso for me.

For small miniatures (most of what I paint), any made for miniatures and/or models: GW, Armory, Army Painter, Testors, etc. I usually use Armory these days because it's currently cheapest.

For larger items without fine detail, the cheapest I can find, which are usually the store brand primers from Orchard Supply Hardware at about $2 USD per can. They used to have a dark green, which was really convenient for scenery and basing projects.

For plastic, Krylon Fusion or Rustoleum plastic primer.

I've used Gesso for some projects, but I'm not impressed by it's coverage or strength.

- Ix

I never prime, straight onto acrylic basecoat.

Walmart Grey and occasionally Gesso.

Down here in the Texas heat, Rustoleum and Krylon dry too smooth, and anything black shrinks while drying, leaving bare gaps.

Gesso. I hated going outdside in the winter to prime figs. With gesso I can prime figs indoors with no bad smells.

Walmart Grey and Gesso.

Another vote for gesso.

Any sort of acrylic white wood primer.

I've been using Krylon or Rustoleum White Primer (spray) for all-purpose priming for years, but lately have found that Krylon Fusion (spray) seems to work as well for metals as plastics -- maybe even better because it seems to dry less grainy or tend to go powdery in heat or high humidity (a persistent issue in Texas). I may switch to Krylon Fusion exclusively once my old stocks are used up.

Walmart Grey Primer.

Halfords primer, usually grey but sometimes white or red depending on the subject.

Krylon spray can . Gey, white or black depending what I paint.

Wal Mart Gray: 90% (figures / terrain).

Tamiya Fine White Surface Primer: scale models.

Vallejo Model Air Surface Primer: vehicles.

Like Luisoto – Krylon in black or white

Krylon Fusion, Satin White for everything if the weahter is conducive to outside spraying, Gesso if not.

Dupli-Color white sandable auto primer.

For soft plastic, a coat of undiluted PVA.

For both soft plastic and everything else too, a big can Matt black spray paint. Either Halfords Matt black, or GW Chaos Black when I can't be bothered to drive to Halfords.

Scotch for me, brush on white gesso for my figures.

Black gesso for me.

90% of what I paint is metal. I use army painter sprays. I try to prime with colors that will augment the figures primary colors.

Liquitex Gesso in white, black, gray, clear, or clear mixed with color (usually a brown), either brushed on or airbrushed.

Liquitex black gesso