Spray primer for miniatures: which primer spray to use, and what a miniature primer costs

Entry prices, checked

How to choose

1. Match the primer to the material. Plastic, resin and metal take primer differently, and resin in particular needs washing first to remove mould release. A primer that grips plastic beautifully can sit loose on an unwashed resin cast.
2. Choose the colour deliberately. Black, grey and white primers each change what goes on top. Light primers suit contrast and bright colours; dark primers suit metallics and speed; grey is the compromise most people settle on.
3. Spray in the right conditions. Cold and humid air is what produces the furry, chalky coat people blame on the can. Warm the can to room temperature, spray in short passes at a distance, and stop if the surface goes matt and rough.
4. Do not chase full coverage in one pass. Primer should be a thin veil that tints the model, not an opaque layer. Two light passes from different angles beat one heavy pass that pools in the recesses.

What primer is doing and why thin is better

Primer is a mechanical key. It gives a slightly toothed surface that paint can hold onto, which is why an unprimed model sheds paint at every handled edge. Because its job is adhesion rather than colour, it only needs to be thin enough to cover the surface uniformly, and a heavy coat is actively harmful: miniature detail is measured in fractions of a millimetre, and primer that pools in a recess or rounds off an edge has destroyed the sculpting the model was bought for. The instinct to keep spraying until the plastic disappears is the single most common priming mistake.

Why primer goes furry, and what to do about it

The chalky, sandpaper-textured coat that appears occasionally is the paint drying before it lands, and it is caused by cold air, high humidity, spraying from too far away, or a cold can. In practice all four often happen together, because the tempting time to spray is outdoors and the tempting place is a cold garage. Bringing the can to room temperature, spraying closer than feels natural in short controlled passes, and avoiding damp days prevents almost all of it. A model that has already gone furry can sometimes be recovered with a gloss varnish, but the reliable fix is stripping and starting again.

Spray can, airbrush or brush

A rattle can is fast, covers a batch of models in minutes and is the right tool for a unit. An airbrush gives far more control, wastes less, works indoors and lets you use a zenithal approach where the primer itself establishes light and shade. Brush-on primer is slower and leaves more texture, but it is the only option for a single model at a desk in a flat with no ventilation, and modern brush-on primers are considerably better than their reputation.

Common questions

What colour primer should I use?

Grey is the safe default. White gives the brightest result under contrast and bright colours, black is fastest for dark schemes and metallics, and the choice matters more than the brand.

Why is my primer rough and chalky?

Cold or humid air, or spraying from too far away, so the paint dries before it reaches the model. Warm the can, spray closer in short passes, and avoid damp conditions.

Do I need to wash miniatures before priming?

Resin yes, always, to remove mould release agent. Plastic usually benefits from it and metal is worth a rinse; unwashed resin is the classic cause of primer that peels.

By type

• Compare Model paint on printed prices