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$200 for Rest of Canada
We are currently not shipping to the USA

Army Painter Colour Primer — Complete Guide & All 24 Colours

Wheels & Wings Hobbies · Paint Reference

The Army Painter Colour Primer

Complete listing · 400ml aerosol · 24 colours · Primer & base coat in one · Aerosol varnishes

The most colour-varied primer range in the hobby

The Army Painter Colour Primers are 400ml aerosol sprays that prime and base coat a model in a single application — 24 shades covering black, white, grey, flesh, bone, red, blue, green, yellow, purple, metallic, and more. Each can bonds to plastic, resin, and metal, and is colour-matched to the Warpaints Fanatic acrylic range so you move seamlessly from primer to brush work. No other primer range offers this breadth of colour.

The key advantage of a coloured primer is eliminating the brush basecoat step entirely. Prime an Orc army with Greenskin and go straight to shading. Prime undead with Skeleton Bone and apply a wash for an instant result. For large armies where speed matters, choosing the right Colour Primer cuts painting time significantly. All 24 primers are listed below alongside two aerosol varnishes for model protection.

Click any SKU to check stock and purchase.

Format 400ml aerosol
Price $18.95 (black/white) · $22.95 (colour) · $28.95 (Greedy Gold)
Bonds to Plastic, resin, metal
Compatible with All Warpaints Fanatic & Speedpaint products

Getting the best from Colour Primers

Spray in good conditions. Apply at 15–25°C, low humidity, light air movement. Cold or damp conditions cause frosting (a chalky, rough texture) — if in doubt, prime indoors or wait for better weather.

Shake well and test first. Shake for at least 2 minutes before use. Test on a spare model or piece of sprue before spraying your actual models — this confirms the can is working correctly and clears any blockage.

Multiple thin coats. Apply 2–3 light passes rather than one heavy coat. A heavy single coat obscures detail — the goal is a thin, even coverage that grips the surface without filling recesses.

Colour-matching to Fanatic acrylics. Each Colour Primer is matched to the equivalent Warpaints Fanatic paint of the same name — Greenskin Primer matches Greenskin acrylic, Dragon Red Primer matches Dragon Red acrylic. This means any touch-ups after priming use the exact same colour.

SKU Colour Price Best For & Army Applications
Black, White & Grey
TAPCP3001
Matt Black		 $18.95 The universal dark primer. Used for dark armies where all metallics will be drybrushed up from black — Black Legion, Raven Guard, Chaos undivided, heavily armoured dark knights. Also the standard primer for models that will be painted with a layered approach starting from dark shadows. Equivalent to Citadel Chaos Black spray. Works with Speedpaint (apply Grim Black Speedpaint for automatic panel shading) and all Fanatic acrylics.
TAPCP3002
Matt White		 $18.95 The standard base for Speedpaint 2.0. Essential for any army being painted primarily with Speedpaint — produces the most vivid, saturated results from all 89 Speedpaint colours. Also used for White Scars Space Marines, Sisters of Battle white armour, and any light-colour scheme where maximum brightness is the goal. Equivalent to Citadel White Scar spray.
TAPCP3010
Uniform Grey		 $22.95 Dark neutral mid-grey primer and basecoat. Used for Adeptus Mechanicus Skitarii, Iron Hands Space Marines, Grey Knights as a dark base before silver highlighting, and any dark grey armour scheme. Also an excellent zenithal primer base (black underneath, grey from above) for shading any army. Equivalent to Citadel Mechanicus Standard Grey spray.
TAPCP3029
Ash Grey		 $22.95 Mid-tone neutral grey primer. Used for armies that will primarily be silver metallic (Grey Knights, Stormcast Eternals in silver, high-shine armoured knights) — gives a grey base that reduces the coats needed before silver metallic looks opaque. Also useful as a cool, neutral basecoat for stone and masonry models and terrain.
Colour Primers
TAPCP3031
Brainmatter Beige		 $22.95 Warm off-white. Army Painter's equivalent to Citadel Wraithbone spray — the warm alternative to Matt White for Speedpaint. Produces slightly warmer, more muted Speedpaint results than white. Also the base for parchment, bone, and undead armies, and any Speedpaint user who prefers a warmer, slightly less vivid Contrast-style result across their models.
TAPCP3012
Skeleton Bone		 $22.95 Warm bone yellow. The fastest start for any undead army — prime, apply Pallid Bone Speedpaint or Strong Tone wash, done. Used for Tomb Kings, Ossiarch Bonereapers, Deathrattle skeletons, and undead infantry where bone is the dominant colour. Also for desert armies, Necron tomb stone constructs, and ancient world models where a sandy base saves multiple painting stages.
TAPCP3014
Greenskin		 $22.95 Mid-dark Ork green. The cornerstone primer for any Orc, Ork, Orruk, or Goblin army — prime the entire force with Greenskin and go straight to Green Tone wash and highlights. Saves the basecoat step on every skin surface. Also used for Death Guard armour equivalent and any army where green is the dominant colour. One of the most popular Army Painter primers in the range.
TAPCP3018
Dragon Red		 $22.95 Deep crimson red. Used for Blood Angels equivalents, Khorne Berserkers, red-armoured Chaos warbands, and red dragon models — primes and base coats the dominant red in one pass. Shade with Dark Red Tone wash and highlight with Pure Red and Resplendent Red Fanatic acrylics. Also excellent for Blood Bowl human teams. Equivalent to Citadel Mephiston Red spray.
TAPCP3006
Pure Red		 $22.95 Bright vivid red. A step brighter than Dragon Red — used when a clean, vivid red result is more important than the dark, shadowy crimson tone of Dragon Red. Useful for heraldic red on fantasy knights, vivid red creature scales, and any model where a bright, unshadowed red base gives better results than a deeper crimson start.
TAPCP3022
Ultramarine Blue		 $22.95 Classic Ultramarine blue. The primary primer for any blue Space Marine chapter equivalent — prime the entire army and go straight to Blue Tone wash and highlights without ever touching a base coat brush. Also used for Stormcast Eternals blue-armoured chambers, Idoneth Deepkin, and any blue-dominant fantasy army. Equivalent to Citadel Macragge Blue spray.
TAPCP3021
Wolf Grey		 $22.95 Blue-grey. The dedicated Space Wolves primer — prime the entire army and move straight to shading and highlighting without a brush basecoat. Also used for Grey Knights mid-grey start, any blue-grey armoured model, and cold climate or winter-themed models. One of the more distinctive Colour Primer colours — immediately establishes the cool, icy Space Wolf look.
TAPCP3015
Daemonic Yellow		 $22.95 Golden yellow. The only practical way to base coat a yellow army quickly — yellow paint over dark primer requires many coats to achieve opacity. Priming in Daemonic Yellow gives a solid yellow base from the first brushstroke. Used for Imperial Fists equivalents, Iyanden ghost warriors, Yellow-armoured Chaos warbands, and any yellow-dominant army. Solves yellow's fundamental painting challenge.
TAPCP3005
Army Green		 $22.95 Military olive-green. Used for Astra Militarum Catachan jungle fighters, WWII and modern military historical models, Death Guard green armour, and any military-green dominant army. Saves the base coat step on uniforms, fatigues, and armour across an entire force. One of the most versatile primers for historical wargaming — covers most WWII Allied army uniform tones.
TAPCP3020
Angel Green		 $22.95 Bright vivid green. A brighter, more vivid green than Army Green — used for brightly coloured fantasy models, Goblin and Grot armies, vividly coloured nature and forest creatures, and any model where the green should be bright and eye-catching rather than military and drab. Also useful as a base for Speedpaint green applications over a light vivid green start.
TAPCP3019
Alien Purple		 $22.95 Mid-dark vivid purple. Used for Genestealer cult and Tyranid purple armies, Drukhari, Slaanesh and Emperor's Children Chaos forces, and any purple-dominant wargaming army. Having a purple primer available is a significant advantage for Tyranid and Genestealer players — saves the base coat step across hundreds of models in a horde army.
TAPCP3013
Nectrotic Flesh		 $22.95 Pale sickly yellow-green. Used for Plaguebearer and Nurgle daemon skin, Death Guard organic surfaces, zombie and ghoul hordes with a diseased pallor, and Undead armies needing a green-tinged start. Priming an entire Nurgle army with Nectrotic Flesh means the skin is already the correct colour before the brush is even picked up — apply Military Shade wash and it's essentially done.
TAPCP3007
Barbarian Flesh		 $22.95 Warm mid-flesh tone. Used for bare-chested barbarian and warrior models, Ogor and Ogre skin, and any large-scale model where skin covers a significant surface area (saving many brush coats over a dark primer). Also useful for armies with extensive exposed flesh — Chaos Marauders, Khorne Slaughterpriest types, and gladiatorial models.
TAPCP3004
Leather Brown		 $22.95 Warm mid-leather brown. Used for armies dominated by leather, hide, and brown organic material — Beastmen warbands, leather-armoured infantry, wild animal creature models, and Ork armour and equipment. Priming in Leather Brown means all leather straps, pouches, and armour are base coated before the brush touches the model. Also excellent for cavalry mounts and large creatures with leather barding.
TAPCP3016
Fur Brown		 $22.95 Warm red-brown. Used for wolf and bear cavalry mounts, fur-heavy Beastmen models, Space Wolf animal companion models, and any army where warm brown fur covers a large surface area. A slightly warmer, more orange-red brown than Leather Brown — specifically suited to animal fur rather than tanned leather equipment.
TAPCP3030
Oak Brown		 $22.95 Very dark warm brown. Used for terrain and scenery with a heavy wood element — wooden buildings, palisades, fences, and any large wooden structure where priming in dark brown eliminates the base coat stage on the wood. Also for weapon-heavy armies where wooden hafts cover significant model area. Darker than Leather Brown — better for aged, dark wood than fresh or tanned leather.
TAPCP3011
Desert Yellow		 $22.95 Sandy golden yellow. One of the most widely used primers for historical wargaming — used for WWII Deutsche Afrika Korps (DAK), Eighth Army desert vehicles and infantry, and all North African and Middle Eastern theatre forces. Also for Tau desert schemes, Ossiarch Bonereapers sandy stone constructs, and any model set in an arid environment. Provides the correct desert base colour in one coat.
Metallic Primers
TAPCP3008
Plate Mail Metal		 $22.95 Mid silver metallic. Used for heavily armoured silver armies — Grey Knights, silver-clad Stormcast Eternals, historical plate armour knights, Undead armoured cavalry. Priming in Plate Mail Metal means every silver surface on the model is already base coated before the brush is picked up — then apply Dark Tone wash and drybrush Shining Silver for a complete metallic result with minimal effort. Equivalent to Citadel Leadbelcher spray.
TAPCP3025
Gun Metal		 $22.95 Cool dark blue-grey metallic. Used for sci-fi weapon-heavy armies — Space Marine bolter and firearm casings, tank and vehicle metalwork, Adeptus Mechanicus gun barrels and mechanical components. A slightly cooler, darker metallic than Plate Mail Metal — suits firearms and machinery over polished armour plating.
TAPCP3028
Greedy Gold		 $28.95 Rich gold metallic. The most luxurious primer in the range — used for Stormcast Eternals gold armies, Custodes equivalent gold plate armour, Chaos gold-trimmed forces, and any army where gold is the dominant colour. Achieving solid gold coverage with brush paints over a dark primer requires many coats; priming gold eliminates the problem entirely. The higher price reflects the metallic pigment load in the aerosol.
Aerosol Varnishes
TAPCP3003
Anti Shine Matt Varnish		 $18.95 Matt protective varnish aerosol. The essential companion to Quickshade Dip — applied after the Dip has fully dried (24 hours) to remove the satin sheen and seal the model with a flat, protective coat. Apply to any completed model before it goes to the table to protect the paintwork against handling. One of the most commonly purchased Army Painter products alongside the Quickshade Dip tins. Equivalent to Citadel Munitorum Varnish spray.
TAPCP3027
Aegis Suit Satin Varnish		 $18.95 Satin protective varnish aerosol. Used when a slight sheen is preferred over a fully flat matt finish — sci-fi models, power armour, and vehicles often look better with a semi-gloss sheen than a dead matt surface. Also used as a mid-step sealing coat between painting stages to protect work in progress before applying washes or effects that might lift earlier layers.

Shopping for Colour Primers at Wheels & Wings

All 24 Colour Primer sprays and both aerosol varnishes are stocked at our Toronto store and ship across Canada. Army Painter Colour Primers work with all major acrylic paint brands — Citadel, Vallejo, Fanatic, and others — making them a practical choice for any painter regardless of which brushed paints they use.

Not sure which Colour Primer is right for your army? The staff at Wheels & Wings are happy to help in-store or by phone.

Browse and purchase all Army Painter Colour Primers and varnishes in our online store.

Shop Army Painter →
May 12, 2026 Wheels & Wings Hobbies

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