That's weird, I've been using both for quite a while now and had great results. I used the black spray in basically every video of mine. But there might be one of these things going on. Maybe you didn't shake long enough? Or it might help to leave the sprays in some lukewarm water before spraying. Also, humidity plays a big role, so if it's too humid results might not be great. Or lastly, it might be due to mold release or something similar still stuck to the model. Hope this helps! If not, it might be a bad batch, it is the action after all 😅
That's the conclusion I have come to as well, although I did no 'clinical' testing but am speaking from experience. Black and grey are awesome, just like the varnishes. I've also had pretty good results with the silver though...
Awesome, good to know others came to the same conclusion. And I think the silver is decent, but compared to something like lead belcher it just can't compete in my opinion. But this also depends kn what you want to use it for ofc. Thanks for watching :)
@@tabletop-craftsman I should state that I use the silver almost exclusively as a basecoat for washes and glazes (Dropzone and -fleet Scourge) and it works every bit as well as the enamel based one I used to use before (Hema discontinued it)...
Hi there, fellow Dutchman. I have been using Spectrum cans for some time now as well. Interesting to note, Action sells white paint and white primer. I have had little trouble with the white (actual) primer, and more of a problem with the white paint spray can (such as the pooling you mentioned). Also, these cheaper cans need some work. A little more agressive shaking, the right temperature when you spray. That sort of extra care. They work fine otherwise. Of course, with the Dutch climate you just never know when the right temperature might be. Regarding the grey primer, that has never been a miss for me. One fine dusting of grey primer, followed by the white or black sprays and you should be set for success. Funny question. Where do you live? (No need to actually answer publicly, of course, just food for thought) but I get the feeling Action sort of randomises their supplies when sent to the various locations. I never found a black primer, just matt black spraypaint cans. Perhaps that is why I have had some problems with black priming, as opposed to priming grey, and then using black to, well, paint it black. In my opinion, the grey primer and the white primer, if handled properly, can handle regular acrylic paints just fine, and I have had some success with Citadel Contrast paints too. Cheerio.
Hi there! Didn't know they also had an actual white primer. I think they do offer more spray now then they did when I made that video, they also have green, pink and some other colors now. Maybe it's different per store, I'm not sure, I'll have a look at another Action soon if they have different stuff. Also, I think the black primer I used might not even have been a primer in hindsight, but I still use it to this day and get great results! And thanks for letting me know! I'll try the white primer as well to see if I get better results. Have a nice day :)
I don't get any frosting unless I use way too much or other conditions aren't right (like to much humidity or spraying too close). So multiple thin layers if you have to. So if you keep those in mind you should be good 👌
I believe the can says 10 minutes until dry to touch and 1 hour to fully dry. From my experience this is correct, but I always tend to play it safe and go with the 1 hour wait time just in case. Hope that helps :)
Ofc, no problem. Do make sure you use thin coats! If you try to apply one thick coat it might become a bit cloudy/frosty, which might ruin your nice guitar project. Hope it works out great :)
@@tabletop-craftsman nice! Thanks for the advice. Generally people are recommended to apply thin coats. How many coats do you recommend to apply? I mean i know you have prolly no experience in guitar projects but with your personal projects in mind
With my own projects I usually do only one coat, because you have to be very careful with miniatures in general. But for bigger stuff, like gaming boards which get a lot of use and get touched a lot I do at least 4 or 5 coats. So that might also be good for your guitar since you'll probably be handling it a lot.
The one I used in the video and the link points to is not a primer. But it works great! Have been using it for a very long time now. They do however also have a primer version, and from what I've heard and tested myself it also works great. But I haven't nearly used it as much as the "non primer" version.
Sadly, no 😔 From my experience it tends to pool in the recesses, so the coverage isn't very good. Also, the primed surface becomes quite hydrofobic, meaning other paints won't adhere to it and can rub off easily. But the grey is quite light, so if your intention is to use it for contrast/speed paints, I recommend the grey primer instead.
The one I used in the video is absolutely horrendous. Do not use that. But I do believe they now have different matt white primer (which actually says primer on the can). I have tested that one as well after making this video and it seems fine. Still not as good as the black, but waaaaay better than the one I used in the video.
@@tabletop-craftsman i bought some matt black from action today, the exact same bottle you linked, (it's on discount, even cheaper), but there is no trace of "primer" word, not even "grondverf". So it's extremely weird.... i'll try to print some test minis to seen how it's handle.
It looks like you might be right! Thanks for pointing that out, it's the same for me. However, I still used this "non-primer" spray paint a lot with great success! So I think it should be fine, I hope you'll think the same :)
very cool what's the next video on by the way do you have any more recommendations for games like mini gangs I really enjoyed checking that out@@tabletop-craftsman
I'll be converting some toys I bought at a flea market into some scatter terrain. And the same guy that made Mini Gangs also made another game called nuclear renaissance. Haven't played it yet, but it looks very cool! It also has rules for vehicles and seems a bit more fleshed out, which is nice for people who are already familiar with games like this.
Thanks to @cujfab8962 for suggesting this video idea!
I hope it was helpful :)
If anyone has any more ideas, let me know!
Perfect execution on the showcase! Well done on the shooting side, differences showed through camera, that stuff is tricky. Crisp overview
Idk how, but I missed your reply until now 😅
But thank you very much, I appreciate it :)
Happy to hear you thought it was useful!
Glad i found the video good job! im using grey and black primer from action and it works well!!
Awesome! Nice to hear :)
Interesting to see such a difference between paints from the same brand. I wonder why that's the case 🤔.
Nice review!
Thanks :)
Yeah interesting indeed, but not all pigments are created equal I guess.
I've tried the grey and black but they don't stick too well to my GW plastic.
That's weird, I've been using both for quite a while now and had great results. I used the black spray in basically every video of mine.
But there might be one of these things going on. Maybe you didn't shake long enough? Or it might help to leave the sprays in some lukewarm water before spraying. Also, humidity plays a big role, so if it's too humid results might not be great. Or lastly, it might be due to mold release or something similar still stuck to the model. Hope this helps! If not, it might be a bad batch, it is the action after all 😅
Good video review. Thanks a lot.
Thanks, again 😉
Thanks for the video, have been wondering about cheap 'non-wargaming' primers just recently.
No problem at all, glad you liked it :)
There can really be some treasure amongst all the trash in dollar/discount stores.
That's the conclusion I have come to as well, although I did no 'clinical' testing but am speaking from experience. Black and grey are awesome, just like the varnishes. I've also had pretty good results with the silver though...
Awesome, good to know others came to the same conclusion.
And I think the silver is decent, but compared to something like lead belcher it just can't compete in my opinion. But this also depends kn what you want to use it for ofc.
Thanks for watching :)
@@tabletop-craftsman I should state that I use the silver almost exclusively as a basecoat for washes and glazes (Dropzone and -fleet Scourge) and it works every bit as well as the enamel based one I used to use before (Hema discontinued it)...
Never expected Hema used to make paints that would be usable for miniatures!
Hi there, fellow Dutchman.
I have been using Spectrum cans for some time now as well.
Interesting to note, Action sells white paint and white primer. I have had little trouble with the white (actual) primer, and more of a problem with the white paint spray can (such as the pooling you mentioned). Also, these cheaper cans need some work. A little more agressive shaking, the right temperature when you spray. That sort of extra care. They work fine otherwise. Of course, with the Dutch climate you just never know when the right temperature might be.
Regarding the grey primer, that has never been a miss for me. One fine dusting of grey primer, followed by the white or black sprays and you should be set for success. Funny question. Where do you live? (No need to actually answer publicly, of course, just food for thought) but I get the feeling Action sort of randomises their supplies when sent to the various locations. I never found a black primer, just matt black spraypaint cans. Perhaps that is why I have had some problems with black priming, as opposed to priming grey, and then using black to, well, paint it black.
In my opinion, the grey primer and the white primer, if handled properly, can handle regular acrylic paints just fine, and I have had some success with Citadel Contrast paints too.
Cheerio.
Hi there!
Didn't know they also had an actual white primer.
I think they do offer more spray now then they did when I made that video, they also have green, pink and some other colors now.
Maybe it's different per store, I'm not sure, I'll have a look at another Action soon if they have different stuff.
Also, I think the black primer I used might not even have been a primer in hindsight, but I still use it to this day and get great results!
And thanks for letting me know! I'll try the white primer as well to see if I get better results.
Have a nice day :)
I've been using the grey primers since someone recommended them to me, but never the varnish, do you get any frosting on the varnish?
I don't get any frosting unless I use way too much or other conditions aren't right (like to much humidity or spraying too close). So multiple thin layers if you have to. So if you keep those in mind you should be good 👌
@@tabletop-craftsman thnxies, I still have to try out my army painter can but I've been so scared for colour change and frosting 😅
Understandable, color will always change a little though. You could try it out on one model first, so you don't ruin an entire army 😅
Hello regarding the varnish how long did it take to touch with no problems?
I believe the can says 10 minutes until dry to touch and 1 hour to fully dry. From my experience this is correct, but I always tend to play it safe and go with the 1 hour wait time just in case.
Hope that helps :)
@@tabletop-craftsman ok cause I am using it for a guitar project and I wanted to know your experiences with it. Thank you for the fast response.
Ofc, no problem. Do make sure you use thin coats! If you try to apply one thick coat it might become a bit cloudy/frosty, which might ruin your nice guitar project.
Hope it works out great :)
@@tabletop-craftsman nice! Thanks for the advice. Generally people are recommended to apply thin coats. How many coats do you recommend to apply? I mean i know you have prolly no experience in guitar projects but with your personal projects in mind
With my own projects I usually do only one coat, because you have to be very careful with miniatures in general.
But for bigger stuff, like gaming boards which get a lot of use and get touched a lot I do at least 4 or 5 coats.
So that might also be good for your guitar since you'll probably be handling it a lot.
Is the black actually a primer? since the link to it now is a matte spray paint but doesnt say primer
The one I used in the video and the link points to is not a primer. But it works great! Have been using it for a very long time now.
They do however also have a primer version, and from what I've heard and tested myself it also works great. But I haven't nearly used it as much as the "non primer" version.
I've bought primer from Action but in Matt White colour - you think it is gonna work the same as your grey one?
Sadly, no 😔
From my experience it tends to pool in the recesses, so the coverage isn't very good. Also, the primed surface becomes quite hydrofobic, meaning other paints won't adhere to it and can rub off easily. But the grey is quite light, so if your intention is to use it for contrast/speed paints, I recommend the grey primer instead.
what about white primer?
The one I used in the video is absolutely horrendous. Do not use that.
But I do believe they now have different matt white primer (which actually says primer on the can). I have tested that one as well after making this video and it seems fine. Still not as good as the black, but waaaaay better than the one I used in the video.
oh so the black primer doesn't actually say primer on it haha, thats why i couldnt find it
Yeah that's right. I believe they do say it's "grondverf" on the back (for me in the Netherlands at least), which is dutch for primer.
@@tabletop-craftsman i bought some matt black from action today, the exact same bottle you linked, (it's on discount, even cheaper), but there is no trace of "primer" word, not even "grondverf". So it's extremely weird.... i'll try to print some test minis to seen how it's handle.
It looks like you might be right! Thanks for pointing that out, it's the same for me. However, I still used this "non-primer" spray paint a lot with great success! So I think it should be fine, I hope you'll think the same :)
@tabletop-craftsman oh yeah you made me buy 6 cans of it
Wow that's a lot! 😅
Have you tried them yet?
Great video I hope you will make more soon
Thank you very much! I'm finishing up a video right now, so either today tomorrow :)
very cool what's the next video on by the way do you have any more recommendations for games like mini gangs I really enjoyed checking that out@@tabletop-craftsman
I'll be converting some toys I bought at a flea market into some scatter terrain.
And the same guy that made Mini Gangs also made another game called nuclear renaissance. Haven't played it yet, but it looks very cool! It also has rules for vehicles and seems a bit more fleshed out, which is nice for people who are already familiar with games like this.
Good video review. Thanks a lot.
No problem at all!
Glad you enjoyed it :)