"Preferred Primer Color WWII and Modern Armor?" Topic

Just curious what primer color people use. For myself (all scales) have gravitated towards black for years, with occasional grey. Find that works particularly well with most darker armor colors (green, etc.), for lighter armor base colors (sand, etc.) will generally use grey.

Have never used white on armor, but do so on figures.

Gray and then pre-shade with Black or Umber.

I use Humbrol no1 primer, which is a light grey colour, seems to be fairly neutral with anything you want to paint onto it.

I paint my armor the base color I want in spray paint, generally dark green or olive drab.

Hanford's grey primer on everything, then base coat with the main shade and do any cammo before dry brushing with lighter shades. Then gloss varnish then use weathering inks and powder before final application of matt varnish.

I model in 6mm, and I airbrush the undercoat with Stynylrez primers, using whatever colour corresponds best to the main final colour of the vehicle – gray, neutral yellow and olive green mostly. I find that black primer tends to make these small models rather dark. Stynylrez is great for this – it's pre-mixed to a good consistency for airbrushing, and it gives a very nice smooth finish that doesn't obscure any of the details.

I generally prime micro armor with the base color, then add other colors and dry brush highlights. They can get dark fast.
pjm

Lately,I've been using desert yellow spray primer. Then another spray with my base color(varied dull green shades mainly.)

For anything WWII German I use red brown primer. Makes the Dark Yellow really pop. For OD & Russian Green I use black. For lighter shades (like FREX Israeli sand colors), I'll use gray. Figures always get primed in white.

Damon.

Great info as I'm starting Soviets for Team Yankee.

Later
John

My figs and vehicles are 6mm. I prime both in white.

I have used gray and black in the past. I came to prefer white.

I've seen pretty good evidence that the undercoat does effect the final shade. Some folks (including me) have tried lighter and darker undercoats, and seen the difference they cause on the final look. In this medium to light gray is pretty neutral. But black will definitely darken your models, while white will lighten them.

At this small scale folks often recommend lightening colors for the "scale effect". I find that a white primer undercoat does a little of this for me. It also starts the process of highlighting, as a single basecoat is seldom thick enough to completely and consistently cover every raised surface.

I use basic "fine, flat" white primer in spray cans. "Krylon" is my favorite brand. I buy it at my local auto parts store.

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)

Another vote for desert yellow/sand etc

Krylon sells spray cans of various shades of tan and olive drab paint that are intended for all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) here in the USA. They are perfect for primers and final coats and very inexpensive (under $4.00 USD a can at the big box stores like Home Depot).

green spray primer