None of the products being reviewed in this article were paid for by anyone other than the author, nor is this article commissioned by any third-party. This is an honest review of two products, gauging them against each other and the author’s experience with both.
There is so much to say about spray primer, it’s kind of funny there aren’t whole websites dedicated to just showing the differences. Because of recent experiences, I thought I’d review two to show just how different they can be in terms of application and finish. The two I’m going to demonstrate are also two that I think would be commonly used by a lot of miniature painters because of their cost and their sales channel. Yes, there are a lot more spray primers out there than these two but I can’t think of two that are easier to get your hands on than Army Painter and Green Stuff World sprays.
Green Stuff World
I’ve been shopping at Green Stuff World (GSW) for years now and there are a lot of products that I honestly love. I love their Maxx Matt brush-on varnish. I love their green stuff rollers. And I absolutely love their glue.
Where I am not so sure is when it comes to their sprays.
My first experiment with the GSW sprays was with the Spray Clear Matt Varnish. Since Games Workshop has decided to stop making their varnish, I’ve been looking around for a replacement. Something that will be generally matte but will leave a little shine so the metallics continue to pop. The GSW varnish is not that. It is NOT that at all. Much like the brush-on varnish, it will not just soak up any shine, it might empty your water glass of any liquids, it goes on that dry. Which makes the brush-on fantastic as it can be applied in very specific places, leaving a more traditional gloss varnish shining where it’s wanted. The spray has no such control so it just takes everything all the way down.
That said, when I saw that GSW was making a matte black spray primer, I’d thought €9 seemed like a pretty great price point and if their black was as matte as the varnish left it, that sounded like a really positive aspect. I wouldn’t mind a primer with a finish as dry as the Sahara.
In terms of color, the spray really is something else. The black is deep and rich and the color is as matte as anyone could ever want. The problem is in the application. Thus far, it’s put a small texture on everything I’ve sprayed with it, regardless of how much I’ve heated it or how much it’s been shaken. For larger things like my container boxes, it’s not really a big deal but on miniatures, it will leave a surface texture as the pictures of the Goliaths below demonstrate.
I honestly don’t know what causes this but it would be the number one thing I’d mention in warning people away from this paint because adding texture where there shouldn’t be any is a massive no-no in the miniature painting world.
Army Painter
When I first got back into the hobby, I got a can of Citadel Chaos Black because it was what they had in my local Warhammer shop when I picked up my box of Blood Bowl. I’d been out of the hobby for so long, I didn’t know anything about anything any more so I figured it was probably better than a can of spray paint from a hardware store. And it was! But it was a little on the thin side. I didn’t find the coverage to be great. And, because I was just getting started again, I over-sprayed the minis a bit, obscuring some of the details.
Like any shitty artist, I blamed my tools. So when that can ran out, I tried out Army Painter. With reluctance, I will admit, because I wasn’t a fan of their brush-on paint. At the time, over six years ago, I thought the paints weren’t very pigmented and ran darker than I generally preferred. (I don’t think this is a problem any more but they’ve also reformulated, like, three times since then…)
I immediately loved the spray. It applied evenly and, usually, one coat was often enough
I immediately loved the spray. It applied evenly and, usually, one coat was often enough. So, for me, it had solved the problem that the Citadel paint caused because I wasn’t hitting the same spot over and over. This also had the effect of making the paint stretch longer, so at least it felt like I was able to prime more minis with a less expensive can of paint that had much better coverage. For this reason I still mostly use Army Painter today and am damn happy with it.
What made me check out GSW instead of just buying another can of Army Painter were three things: I was already making an order on GSW and just added it to the basket, the price point being €3-4 cheaper a can, and that Army Painter Primer Black does have a slightly glossy finish.
The glossy finish isn’t a super big deal unless your paints have been thinned down to a glaze consistency. Then, when applying a thin layer on top, it becomes hydrophobic and the paint beads and pools in a way that’s unfortunate. It’s honestly not the end of the world and the effect is fixed by either adding a little more paint to the palette or adding a little more paint medium. Actual paint is probably the best answer because you usually want the extra pigments, for instance when painting over the primer black with your brush-on black to match color and finish.
Wrapping Up!
Until I can figure out why the GSW Black Primer is putting a texture into the paint, it’s essentially impossible to recommend its use unless looking for something cheap to paint MDF terrain. And, even then, there are even cheaper paints that can do the job at the hardware store. So, until I learn what’s causing the issue, I would actually recommend staying away from the GSW primers. Green Stuff World makes and sells a lot of other really good products but right now, primer doesn’t appear to be one of them.
Army Painter primer does have its slightly glossy finish but this is much less of a problem than the GSW texture issue because it just means thinning your paints a little less than you might otherwise. With careful applications, it’s easy to cover the primer paint without gunking up the details. Also, this finish may be color related. I’ve used the bone color on most models that will be painted tan like my Ash Wastes Nomads and I’ve never had any issues with hydrophobia. And at €12-14 per rattle-can, it’s actually an easy recommendation.
So much variation in spray paint. I never would have guessed but it’s pretty clear there are paints you should get to save some money and a point where trying to save money might actually screw up your project from the very start. For now, buy Army Painter.
