Primer for painting miniatures

For most painting projects over the years, except miniatures, I have tended to use a grey car primer. That's in part because I already have lots of it to hand. It's convenient and quick to apply. For miniatures, I primarily use water based acrylic paint for the top coats. For the base layer primer I prefer black or sometimes white depending on the colour scheme.

I have used hand painted primers on miniatures in the distant past, but that was never as satisfactory as a spray finish. For one off models I've tended to use Vallejo airbrush primer. It has a good finish but it is very time consuming to apply. Recently I've been experimenting with rattle can primers as a quicker alternative.

I've selected a few from Amazon. I'm in the UK, so the paint vendors are likely to be different to those found in other countries.

Hycote grey is the one I've used for years on larger projects. It is the best value that I can find in the UK, followed closely by the Motip black. The Army Painter black is more than twice as expensive. The Citadel Chaos black costs so much more that I have not bought any to try.

So far I've established the following;

Drying time: I established a long time ago that primer needs to be allowed to dry thoroughly to ensure reliable compatibility with the top coat paint. To that end, I let primer dry for at least 24 hours.

Temperature: My experience is that all commonly available paint has poor adhesion when applied to cold surfaces and it dries with a better surface if the first couple of hours of drying are in a warmer environment. This may be academic for those who paint inside their home but I usually paint in my shed or, when the weather is good, outside.

If it feels cold to me, I run a small heater to warm up the model and the paint before use. Not in any scientific way. I also keep the area warm for the first hour or so of drying time.

Ventilation: I am sure that anyone who has tried using a paint spray can inside knows the problem with the solvent smell. Even though I have a spray booth, my preference is to use rattle cans outside when the weather is suitable. It does not really matter what the temperature is because I'm only outside for a minute or two, but it needs to be calm and dry. Wind makes the surface finish uneven and frequently rough rather than a nice smooth coating.

If I have to spray a rattle can inside, I'll wear a mask and use my spray booth and then leave the room until the worst of the solvent smell has dissipated.

Vallejo airbrush primer

• Colours used: Black and white.
• Quantity: Still on the first bottles of each colour.
• Adhesion: Good on plastic and resin but not robust on metal.
• Application: Time consuming but a smooth result.
• Cost: £, the bottles go a very long way.

Airbrush primer probably gives the best result and is much more controllable. However, it takes too long for my liking.

Hycote primer

• Colours used: Grey. (white purchased but not yet used.)
• Quantity: Hundreds of spray cans over the years.
• Adhesion: Good on plastic, resin and metal.
• Application: Quick, slightly thick, mild surface grain but an acceptable result.
• Cost: £

I will continue to use Hycote for scenery and all larger projects, but there are others that I prefer for miniature figures.

At the time of writing, I cannot find Hycote primer in black. I have purchased white primer, but not tried it yet.

Motip primer

• Colours used: Black and white.
• Quantity: Three cans of black and one of white.
• Adhesion: Good on plastic, resin and metal.
• Application: Quick, fairly liquid with a smooth result.
• Cost: £

Motip is currently my preferred primer for miniatures.

Army Painter primer

• Colours used: Black.
• Quantity: Only the one spray can.
• Adhesion: Good on plastic, resin and metal.
• Application: Quick, strong spray, fairly liquid, mild surface grain. Disappointing spatter.
• Cost: ££

Please bear in mind, that although I had poor results with the Army Painter primer, this was only with one spray can. I've had the odd rogue can of other makes over the years.

Citadel Chaos primer

• Not purchased. 
• Cost: £££, noticeably more expensive than the others.

I am unlikely to even try the Citadel primer because of the cost.

Motip

Army Painter grainy and spatter

As I try them more, I'll update this page with my conclusions.

Motip black and white primer

Army Painter thick hairs

Motip fine hairs

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Latest Update: 2 May 2026.

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