"Citadel Black Primer " Topic

I have tried and tried to get a primer that will stick. So I purchased a spray can of Citadel black Primer. I have read maybe on these forums that only Citadel products work on Citadel models. In frustrations I sprayed my figures and so far all seems well. Strange it worked out this way. Keep in mind that I am not convinced of this.
Now if only I can get it through my airbrush. Though the spray can works good.
What do you all think of the Citadel Primers?

Castellan,

Don`t know about the citadel/citadel bit, but I always use Halfords matt car primer in grey, white or black and so far (hundreds of citadel and other figures) no problems.

The only spray that i have had problems with has been plasticote, purchased from B&Q.

SW

I quite frequently spend the extra on GW primer, as it seems to work particularly well. That said, I've been using plastikote *satin* black recently with some success; the plastikote matt is rubbish….

Dom.

You have never read it here that only Citadel ppaints work on Citadel products. If someoen would be stupid enough to say that, he would be immediately hooted down in derision.

I use any quality (Rustoleum, Krylon, etc.) flat black or flat white paint, and absolutely refuse to use ANY "hobby primer". reason? Large manufacturers have very large lot runs. They are sold through WalMart and KMart who have a policy of refunding anything for any reason. They are absolutely ruthless in policing their suppliers. I know, I used to work for KMart.

Hobby "primers" are sold through hobby shops, who have no clout whatever with their suppliers. They have no leverage over defective products.

Not only that, so-called "hobby primers" suck, and big time. Fully 40% of the primers I got with hobby labels, whether ral Partha, Floquil, Armuoury, etc., were defective, spitting out grainy chunks, or not spraying at all.
As much as I like to suppport the hobby, I refuse to do it with primer.

Those cans were every bit as defective as my speling in the above post!

I pick up a generic flat black spray primer at Wal Mart for less than a buck a can. ColorPlace. I have not had any complaints and I have gone through dozens of cans.

John the OFM, I will agree with you that I did not read it here. I just could not remember. I must be getting old.
After getting unstisfactory results time after time with primers, I wanted a fix right now. Though I paid for it at a ridiculous price of $10.00 USD a can. This purchase from a money point of view was not smart.
I can't afford Citadel for the long haul. It seems ro now I got my problem fixed. I will give the Automotive, KMart or WalMart primers a try when I get a figure to experiment with.

When all the moons are aligned and all the other Karma related things are working Citadel Spray primers are fine. However for $10 USD a can that will more often than not clog, malfunction or become useless I give them a miss. There are plenty of cheaper just as good alternatives that John mentioned above. Personally I buy the Orchard Supply House brand primers for $2.00 USD a can and they work fine on just about anything. Out of the last 40 cans of OSH primer I have had one bad can. Out of a similar number of Citadel Spray paints I have had around 10 bad cans. I define a bad can as one where it sprays bad paint, clogs to the point where it is useless, or where I cannot use all of the product.

The brush painting is going great. It seems that my choice of black primer was a good one. The painting seems to look better with less coats of paint. It looks like in a way that some shading is already done.
I hope that I don't have a lot of trouble with the white.

It is all personal taste. Personally I use G.W. black primer armory grey primer and krylon white primer as I have found theese to give me the best results. Other people use other things.

Remember GW don't make their own sprays- they buy from a supplier and stick their own label on it.

This supplier also sells to a number of other companies. So, if your lucky you can find the citadel black spray (mainly I'm talking in the UK of course) much cheaper.

Citadel spray is £6.00 GBP I think. I found the exact spray (I mean it is the same product for sure with a different label) for £1.35.

It's labelled as Hycote car spray. I bought it in a local discount place called trago mills.

It is rare to find a black spray that goes on well and even like the GW one. that's how I know this is the same product- right down to the can..

I use Armoury Black or Grey primer, never had any problem with it not "sticking" to any figure from any manufacturer. Not to mention Armoury is about $4.00 USD cheaper.

jim

I am new to painting mini's. So I am not qualified to evaluate products for them. But so far I can say this primer covered very well and it appears that I have not lost any detail. I am surprised that it came from a can and I prefer to use an airbrush. The can method is way more convienient and I was painting the mini's in less time as the primer dried fast. I was ready to go in about an hour.
My painting method may be poor as I handle them while painting. The primer stays on well during handling. Someday I should mount them on a cork.
I hope to identify the maker of this primer for Citadel.

I use Krylon Untra-Flat white & black spray or painter's touch black or white primers. For $3-4 a can I have been VERY happy with them. The only time I've had problems with the result so far is when I have some something wrong (too humid out or holding the can too close when spraying).

I rarely even used GW primers when I *WORKED* at GW. The only time I did was when I needed something for a project and could not get to the store on my way home.

Thier color sprays are nice though… just don't expaect them to match the bottle equivalent. I used the Boltgun Metal for my marine army and while I like the color it is a semi-metalic grey instead of being…well…boltgun metal.

For sealants I tend to stick to a coat of Testors Dullcote between layers of paint and heven never had a single problem. (Plus it seems to help with blending/evening colors for some reason.)

~WW

Floquil Back figure primer is awesome for plastic. It forms a solid "skin" over the model that actually tightens when it dries and makes the plastic model more durable than before.

But for metal, an automotive primer is the best bet.

Another one for Halfords Matt Black. For the same price as a GW black primer I got two larger cans, one in the aforementioned black and a grey. Very nice. No problems.

Has anyone had any problems getting Citadel Primer to stick to resin? I've heard this can be an issue and so car bodywork primers should be used instead, although my Forgeworld Warhound seems ok at the moment with the Citadel black primer I used.

I can't seem to get citadel primers to stick to the resin Forgeworld models. when it does coat, the slightest brush with the model will cause it to flake away.

Have you washed the model thoroughly? I know it sounds obvious, but the amounts of mould release agent on some resin stuff can be a big problem.

I second the praise for Floquil primer. It's one of the nicest primers available. I've also had good luck with the armory primer and one called DupliColor(sp?). All in black mind you. I will mention two primers I despise though. One is Krylons Flat Black I tried it on a recommendation and the paint just smears on it. It also flakes off if the plastic it too smooth. The other which really isn't a primer but another recommendation I received it Glass and Tile Medium or just G&T as its referred to. Goes on fairly well lacks any real tooth and any real bite.