The Army Painter updated their Colour Primer range, amongst the new colours their first ever gold spray paint with a Colour Primer version of their Greedy Gold Warpaint. I was allowed to review the final prototype, and since gold spray paints with good value for money are hard to come by, I was very curious to see what The Army Painter had developed. Could it be the best gold spray paint on the market yet? We find out in this review.

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I don’t know about you, but so far I haven’t found a golden spray primer that satisfies me. First of all, there are only a few hobby companies that sell gold spray paint. Retributor Armour spray from Games Workshop is extremely expensive, and the gold hue doesn’t really match Retributor Armour Base paint. I found this comparison picture on Reddit, and as you can see, the spray paint on the right is very different from the Base paint:

Comparison of Retributor Armour Base paint & spray primer
Source: Reddit, unknown poster

Gauntlet Gold from Colour Forge is much cheaper and has 100 ml more paint (see our review here), but although the gold tone is supposed to match Retributor Armour as well, it’s more similar to the more yellowish spray paint version and therefore not as rich as Retributor Armour Base paint. 

The Army Painter 7 new Colour Primers

Enter The Army Painter, which have been updating their Colour Primer range. A spray can version of their Greedy Gold Warpaint, as well as Oak Brown, Brainmatter Beige, and Ash Grey are permanent new additions to the range. Pixie Pink, Hydra Turquoise, and Deep Blue are splash releases available while stocks last. To make space for all the new colours, Crystal Blue, Goblin Green, and Chaotic Red Colour Primers are no longer produced and only available until stock has run out. 

The changes to the Colour Primer range only affect the colour selection, the formula has remained pretty much the same. Except for the new Greedy Gold – this spray paint has an optimised formula for the gold pigments. The can and nozzle are slightly different from the other Colour Primers, and the difference is also in the price, with an RRP of 16.99 € / £15 / $22.50, Greedy Gold costs 4 Euro / £3.50 / $5.50 more than the other Colour Primers. Question is – is it worth it? Can The Army Painter succeed where Games Workshop and Colour Forge have failed? Check out my video here:

Greedy Gold Colour Primer hands-on review

I have to be honest and admit that I have my issues with The Army Painter’s Colour Primers. Some colours work really well, like Uniform Grey, Angel Green, and Leather Brown, which I use regularly. And the colour match with The Army Painter’s acrylic Warpaints is generally pretty accurate. But it’s also true that Colour Primers are fickle to use. You have to shake the cans for a long time, and follow the instructions carefully, which means getting close to the miniatures and work in long sweeps rather than short bursts, otherwise the result can quickly become rough and grainy. In addition, Colour Primers are the only miniature spray paints I have worked with that regularly clog their nozzles. And it has happened to me not once but several times that half-full cans died on me, as they lost all their pressure.

The Army Painter Greedy Gold Colour Primer review & comparison

Fortunately, I did not have any of these problems with Greedy Gold. Notice that I tried the final prototype, but I was assured it is the real deal. Should I notice a difference to the retail version, I will update this post accordingly. 

Greedy Gold Colour Primer’s slightly different can shape seems to indicate a different producer than the other Colour Primers. The paint applies beautifully, no special treatment needed, just apply short bursts from a distance of about 20 cm, like with any other miniature spray paint your familiar with. The coverage is great, and two thin coats are enough to cover over bare plastic. Durability is also good, as this scratch test shows.

Comparison of The Army Painter Greedy Gold primer, Retributor Armour and Gauntlet Gold from Colour Forge review

The gold hue is beautifully rich and orange. The metallic flakes are relatively small and slightly finer than for example Colour Forge’s Gauntlet Gold. Coarse metallic particles are often a problem of metallic spray paints, as is a glossy finish that makes paint and especially washes adhere less well. Greedy Gold Colour Primer is no different, so my tip is to apply a thin layer of matt or satin varnish by spray can or airbrush, before you start painting.

The colour match to Greedy Gold Warpaint is excellent, a difference hardly distinguishable. Greedy Gold Warpaint is a solid golden acrylic paint, it’s a nuance more orange than Retributor Armour, and a pretty close match to Gehenna Gold Layer paint, but with slightly better opacity. The metallic flakes aren’t as fine as Retributor Armour Base paint, nor is the coverage as good, but in fact, Greedy Gold Colour Primer is a closer match to Retributor Armour base paint than Retributor Armour spray paint and Gauntlet Gold, as you can see here.

Value

As already mentioned, Greedy Gold Colour Primer with its RRP of 16.99 Euro / £15 / $22.50 for 400ml of paint is not only 4 Euro / £3.50 / $5.50 more expensive than Army Painter’s other Colour Primers, but also more expensive than any other miniature spray primer except for Citadel spray paints. The Army Painter justifies this with higher production costs, but I suspect that they want to capitalise on the higher price of Retributor Armour spray, after all, Colour Forge’s gold spray primer has the same price as their other paints. The more premium design in black also fits in with this, in order to position Greedy Gold Colour Primer as a premium product. Nevertheless, it is still cheaper than Retributor Armour spray, and the result speaks for itself. 

To save some extra money, I recommend our partner stores Wayland GamesElement Games, and Taschengelddieb, which all offer The Army Painter products at a 10% discount:

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9.0
Score

Pros

  • Rich and vibrant gold tone
  • Applies easily, no clogging, high coverage
  • Perfect match for the Warpaints version and a decent match for Retributor Armour base paint

Cons

  • More expensive than other Colour Primers and miniature spray paints
  • Like most metallic spray paints, the glossy finish doesn't take paint that well

Final Verdict

If you're currently looking for a spray paint with a rich and vibrant gold, there's no way around The Army Painter's Greedy Gold spray. It's easy to apply and doesn't clog, and matches its Warpaints version perfectly, and is also very close to Retributor Armour Base paint, closer than Games Workshop’s spray paint version in fact. For me, it’s the best gold spray paint currently on the market.