UNDERCOAT

Before models are painted, they need to be undercoated, which means painting them with a thin layer of paint to seal the metal or plastic and provide a neutral surface for the paint to stick to.

The easiest and quickest way to undercoat models is to spray them with aerosol paint. However, if you only have one or two models to do, or you don't have anywhere safe to use aerosols, you could use a paint-on undercoat such as Citadel Smelly Primer.

Advice for undercoating with aerosol paint

Choose an undercoat colour to suit your models – white is the most popular colour because it gives a clear, bright background. If you were painting dark models (for example, Black Templar Space Marines, who wear black armour), black undercoat would be a better choice.

Citadel sells 400ml cans of white and black undercoat. Smaller cans of other colours may also be available. Please contact your local shop or mail order service for details.

Paint-on primer doesn't do paint brushes any good, so if you do use it, keep a scraggy old brush just for undercoating or you'll spoil a good one.

Back to Painting Equipment page