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What is the best colour primer to use?

Traditionally, primers have been available in black, white and a few shades of grey, but nowadays, there is a whole range of colours to choose from, so which colour should you use?
Unfortunately, there is no right or wrong answer to this question as different colours will produce different effects so it rather depends on what you are trying to achieve, however, here is a little information to help you understand what to expect.
Primers are primarily used because they adhere to plastic and metal better than paints do, so - primer sticks to your model and paint then sticks to your primer, so far so good! But all paints are translucent when applied in thin layers (and when painting a model with fine details, you want thin layers). If you were to use a dark coloured primer under light coloured paint, your finished model would appear darker than expected and vice versa, to combat this primers are available in many different colours and shades.
Neutral coloured primers such as black, white or grey are excellent for matching the brightness of your primer to the brightness of your paint. Use black or dark grey primer under darker coloured paints such as dark blue or dark red or to create a deep, rich, metallic finish to your model, use a white primer under lighter paints such as yellow or sky blue and an appropriate grey for use under middle-of-the-road colours or on particularly dark sprues when a much lighter coloured paint is to be used.
Coloured primers (other than black, white or grey) allow you to take colour-matching to the next level, not only can you match or tinker with the brightness of your paintwork, you can also add a subtle hint of colour too. A good example of this is when painting a skeleton, using a beige primer will give an older more realistic appearance to the bones as opposed to a white primer which may make your skeleton appear a little like the plastic models found in a doctor's surgery.
In essence, if you are planning to finish your model with a wash to provide it with a specific effect such as shading, dirt, dust, grime or a metallic finish, then using an appropriately coloured primer will give you a head start, however, if you just want to avoid inadvertently changing the shade of your paint, a black, white or grey primer as close to the brightness of your paint as possible will do just fine.
Posted in: Painting

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