The figure on the left is undercoated white; the right one in black. I painted the two figures at the same time and here are my observations:
1. Black is easier to block-paint without trouble getting into all the nooks and crannies.
2. Finished look is about the same regardless of primer used although I did find I had extra work (extra layers) covering the white undercoat.
3. With my current choices, the white undercoat is stronger and has better bite to it. See below...
One thing about undercoating minis with lead content or softer metal is that the paint must have a good bite to it and be able to pass my 'scratch' test. This is simply to paint the mini in the undercoat and allow to dry overnight. Once dry, I lightly run my fingernail over the helmet three times. If the undercoat stays, its strong enough for wargaming. Sadly both the Armorcoat and Krylon did not pass muster. The Krylon was worst of all, coming off in big flakes. I am still looking for a stronger black paint and will try some of the automotive primers.
Pictured above is my old standby Flat White Tremclad and the test subject blacks.
Each test mini was given a single coat of well shaken paint and allowed to dry overnight. Each is rated from 1 to 4 with 1 best. Here are the results:
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BRAND
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NOZZLE
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FINISH
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ADHESION
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COVERAGE
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Tremclad Rust Paint
Flat White
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4. Very coarse
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1. Dead Flat
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1. Excellent
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1. Single pass -too much paint
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Armor Coat Enamel
Flat Black
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1. Ultra-fine
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4. Satin
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4. Poor
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3. Three passes
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Krylon Indoor/Outdoor
Flat Black
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2. Fine mist
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4. Satin
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4. Poor
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2. A couple passes
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|
Krylon Dual Paint and Primer Flat Black
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2. Fine mist
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2. Flat
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2. Very Good
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2. A couple passes
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Dupli-color Sandable Primer Flat Black
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2. Fine Mist
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3. Slight sheen
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3. Good
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4. Multiple passes
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Overall, I liked the Krylon Dual best. Its lower price and good adhesion make it the clear winner. One thing that may make a difference is that each paint took different amounts of passes to get good coverage and this may mean that 2 coats may make the product work better than a single.
Cheers!
Troy
3 comments:
So what is your final verdict? Black or white? The skin on your German mini looks considerably darker than on Russian.
I have similar doubts about white primer. Although the one major issue with black it's a need of doing several layers of light colors.
I am going to try the black for the next while.
Troy
Just a quick tip for your UK readers. Halfords matt black spray gives a nice base to start painting from. I've used it for 20 years and have had no problems with coverage or consistency. I highly recommend it.
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