Halfords primers

[valenswift]

Looking on the Halfords website and they have white and grey primers but no black. Would their matt black spray paint do the same job?

[MortarchCapa]

From experience, I dont want to sound like an a*s but Ive always found paying the little extra for GW or proper miniature primers is worth it. Ive used countless over the years from random places and for various applications. I know it can be more expensive but stick to the good, known brands and you wont be disappointed in the long run. 

However: If youre looking for good value primers which give an awesome finish, Ive always found Army Painter sprays to be worth your while  

[Borris45]

I use halfords sprays to undercoat my models, 

 

The white and grey primers are fantastic  but would not recommend the matt black as it comes out a bit thick!

[Bananaman]

Halfords Primers are tried and tested over many years by us hobbyists. The grey in particular is great.  I haven't tried the black - as you say it isn't a part of the same range. 

 

I recently picked up some of their new 'camo' range (these aren't primers so will work like the GW colour sprays)  and will be using the brown and khaki.

 

GW sprays are good. 

 

Army Painter I cannot recommend. I've seen so many bobbly, powdery results from their sprays and from experienced hobbyists. 

 

 

 

 

[RuneBrush]

I've used a mixture over the years.  GW black is probably one of the best in the business - super thin and a good finish.  GW sprays also have an etching property to them so will bind into miniature plastic better than other manufacturers.  Halfords grey is great, especially if you're using resin or similar, but they do take a good 24 hours to cure properly (ideally in a fairly open room).  I've only used the bone Army Painter spray and it worked faultlessly - however it doesn't have the same pressure behind it and you need to use sweeping motions rather than short bursts so using it if it's too warm or windy will certainly result in a poor finish.

[TalesOfSigmar]

I use loads of Halfords primers and they're great. The Black is fine once you know not to put it on too thick.

The 'Camo' range they do are fantastic, the brown is a great dryad bark alternative and was the base colour of my sylvaneth. The Khaki I use all the time and is just an off rakarth flesh but takes fleshshades straight away (picture below is Khaki colour.)

[Bananaman]

I think it was your Blight Kings(?) that put me on to the Halfords camo stuff. Can't wait to give it a whirl. 

[Mcthew]

Not used a GW primer yet, but Humbrol have been pretty good, and can for can, a bit cheaper than GW. I've had a bad experience with Army Painter though - I was priming my spirit hosts with the white spray, and was foolish enough to leave a glob of paint on the face of one.

The next day I had found the paint had eaten the face off the spirit host completely! Bloody hell! Had no idea these paints were corrosive in large quantities! 

I've also found that the white primer paint from Army Painter is flaking off when drying. Perhaps there's too much on it, but I don't get the same results from Humbrol.

To be honest, I'm not a fan of Army Painter at all. I've got eight bottles of their regular paints, and they are weak as hell. So thin that you need several coats to even get close to the finish you want. I don't have that kind of patience - GW paints or Vallejo are much better.

 

Rant over!

[zedatkinszed]

I've tried a few black primers and can't recommend any as an alternative to GW. TBH the best primers I use are the Vallejo airbrush range but obviously, you need an airbrush for them.

[Luke82]

The Halford’s dark brown spray is great for models with a lot of fur, leather, or wood. My can has lasted a good few models too.

I have found that Army Issue brand spray’s Flat Black drys exactly the same as GW chaos black and I can get it for £1 a can (albeit it’s about half size of a GW can), strong smell though!