Painting on a black undercoat...

[Harry Faversham]

What would the Brethren say was the best make of acrylics to cover a black undercoat, on a bunch of Vikings? I've being toying with switching from enamels for a while now and want to get the best 'uns out there... any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Cubs]

Citadel, Vallejo, Coat D'Arms, Army Painter ... A.N.Other. There's a myriad of opinions over which is the 'best', any of the best selling ones will have their advantages and disadvantages, so the best advice is possibly to use whatever one is most convenient for you to buy.

I personally buy Vallejo more than any other, but some people don't get on with the dropper bottle and the translucent bottles (which make it hard to see the exact colour of the paint).

[Major_Gilbear]

...They are all different really, and it does depend on what you prefer

I'd find out what ranges you can reasonably acquire without too much fuss, and maybe order a few colours from each to see how you fare.

Personally, I like P3 paints and mostly use them. I like Vallejo a lot too (both Model Colour and Game Colour), and Reaper's paints are brilliant (but very hard to get in the UK).

Other brands to look at are:

Army Painter
Andrea
Coat D'Arms
Citadel
Foundry

You can also have a look at brands that cater for more historical modelling, like Tamiya, and some that are more "craft" paints (like Apple Barrel, Anita's, Decoart, etc).

The other thing about acrylics is that they are all inter-mixable, so you can always cherrypick what you like from each range/brand that takes your fancy (like I do).

[Connectamabob]

If you're undercoating the entire figures, then I'd say don't undercoat at all: just switch to a black primer.

If you're undercoating selective bits of the figures, it kinda doesn't matter IMO, as long as it's something that goes on without brushmarks or too much thickness. Undercoats don't need super fine ground pigments since they aren't being blended or feathered, and the primer's doing all the heavy lifting adhesion wise, so you're okay with using whatever's handy instead of whatever's "best".

Also, IMO enamels are fine for undercoats. Top colors are where the handling differences between enamel and acrylic make the big technique/results differences you've been hearing/reading about.

[grant]

Citadel, Vallejo, Coat D'Arms, Army Painter ... A.N.Other. There's a myriad of opinions over which is the 'best', any of the best selling ones will have their advantages and disadvantages, so the best advice is possibly to use whatever one is most convenient for you to buy.

I personally buy Vallejo more than any other, but some people don't get on with the dropper bottle and the translucent bottles (which make it hard to see the exact colour of the paint).

Nailed it.

[Norm]

Following a black primer, I dry brush in white or off white so that the following colours remain vibrant. My acrylics are a mix of GW layer colours and Vallejo.

[julesav]

The GW 'Base colours' work well over black undercoat - it's what they were designed for. The inks/washes, dry-brush paints and 'technical paints, are great too. I've been less impressed by their 'layer paints' which to me simply seem to be watered down to the point of uselessness! YMMV.

[obsidian3d]

For brushing on directly over black primer I've had the best success with P3.

[6milPhil]

Vallejo, Coat D'Arms, P3, some Humbrol, some Revell.

I'd dare to suggest undercoating in grey, Halfords car primer is what I use, saves eyesight. 

[obsidian3d]

Phil's advice is sound. As I've continued in the hobby I've definitely found that priming figures in a light grey or white not only lends itself to more vibrant colours, but it's also MUCH easier to see the details of the figure. Often on a black primed model I have to give it a quick dry-brush before I start painting, just so I can see where some of the details are going to be.

For scenery however, I still use black primer.

[Braxandur]

I think the main questin should be:"How do you want you paint job to end up?"

Vibrant and clear colours? use white, with or without a wash, or black with a white drybrush or just grey.
Dull and muted? Paint straight over the black undercoat.

Which paints to use? To be honest, I mix and match everything. Each brands has a few colours that stand out and no brand in itself is imho the best, it again really depends on what kind of a finish you are aiming for.

Considering vikings. I had very good results with a black undercoat followed by GW foundation paints and washes an/or highlightes. This keeps them just a bit drab, making the clothing often look well used. Allthough I often don't do it due to being lazy, a good matt varnish in the end makes everything look even better and protects them against some damage over time.