The Army Painter Colour Primer Base Spray: Matt Black

The Foundation Every Miniature Needs

Every strong paint job starts with a solid primer. Matt Black is the classic undercoat choice for dark colour schemes, metallic armour, and any miniature where you want shadows to stay deep and rich without extra work. The Army Painter Colour Primer range skips the grey undercoat step entirely — this is a basecoat and primer in one, delivering consistent, even coverage straight from the can and giving your paints something to grip onto without lifting or flaking.

What This Spray Does

Matt Black is an aerosol primer formulated specifically for miniature painting. It dries to a true matte finish with no shine, leaving a lightly textured surface that holds subsequent layers of paint cleanly. The fine nozzle delivers a controlled spray pattern suited to 28mm and 32mm scale models — you get coverage without filling in fine detail like rivets, chainmail, or facial features. Use it outdoors or in a well-ventilated space, apply in thin coats at around 25–30cm distance, and let it cure fully before painting. It bonds to plastic, resin, and metal miniatures, making it a versatile choice across any game system or model range.

Who Should Use It

Black primer is a staple in any hobbyist's toolkit. It is the go-to undercoat for armies with dark armour — Chaos Space Marines, Nighthaunt, Khador warjacks, undead warbands, and countless others — because the primer itself does half the shading work before you open a paint pot. Experienced painters working with metallic paints often prefer a black undercoat because it makes metallics appear deeper and more realistic than painting them over grey or white. New hobbyists will find it forgiving — missed spots stay dark and blend naturally into shadows rather than showing as white patches. At 400ml, a single can covers a meaningful batch of infantry models before running out.

Specifications