Rotbraun Primer and Ready Painter One: Priming Workflow
By SCALE75 - HOBBIES & GAMES – SCALE75 - Hobbies & Games | Published: 2026-10-17
Category: How-to Guides
A practical miniature priming workflow using Rotbraun Primer and Ready Painter One, with ordered steps, checkpoints, and common mistakes to avoid.
Quick answer
For a reliable miniature priming workflow, start with Rotbraun Primer as a thin, matte acrylic base coat, then use Ready Painter One for coverage and colour work once the primer has fully cured. Rotbraun Primer is a 17ml matte acrylic that works with both brush and airbrush, and Ready Painter One is a premium acrylic paint and ink set also compatible with brush and airbrush. Keep coats thin, let each dry, and check coverage under good light before moving on.
Why Rotbraun Primer works as a starting layer
Rotbraun Primer is a matte finish acrylic paint in a 17ml bottle, part of the Warfront range. The catalog describes these paints as creamy with opacity that allows glazes to be created easily, and the tones are suitable for modeling and military figures. That combination matters at the priming stage: a creamy, opaque primer can be brushed or airbrushed without needing heavy layers, and the matte finish gives subsequent acrylics something to grip. Because it is valid for brush and airbrush, you can use the same bottle whether you prefer a brush-on prime for small details or an airbrush prime for larger batches. The limitation is that the catalog does not list a drying time or a specific thinner ratio, so test on a spare figure or piece of sprue before committing a full squad.
Where Ready Painter One fits after priming
Ready Painter One is a paint set built around a range of premium creamy acrylic paints and high coverage inks. The catalog states it is recommended for novice or professional painters and is valid for brush and airbrush. In a priming workflow, Ready Painter One is not the primer itself; it is what you reach for after the Rotbraun Primer has cured. The high coverage inks are useful for tinting or glazing over the brown base, while the creamy acrylics handle basecoats and layering. If you are priming a military figure, a brown primer like Rotbraun gives a warm mid-tone that can reduce the number of layers needed for earth tones, leather, and skin. Keep in mind that the catalog does not specify individual colours inside the set, so plan your palette after you open it rather than assuming a fixed selection.
Priming workflow steps
- Prepare and clean the miniature: Remove mould lines, scrape flash, and wash the figure in warm soapy water to remove release agent. Let it dry completely. Common mistake: priming over dust or oily fingerprints, which causes the primer to pull away from the surface. Checkpoint: the surface should feel dry and look uniformly clean before you open the Rotbraun Primer. A clean, dry surface is the foundation of every later layer.
- Shake and test the Rotbraun Primer: Shake the 17ml bottle thoroughly, then test the consistency on a piece of sprue or an old base. The catalog describes Warfront paints as creamy with opacity that supports glazes, so you may not need heavy application. Common mistake: skipping the test and discovering the primer is too thick or too thin on a finished figure. Checkpoint: the test stroke should cover evenly without hiding detail. Test first; adjust with small amounts of thinner only if needed.
- Apply thin coats with brush or airbrush: For brush-on priming, load a small amount and spread it evenly, working from one area to the next. For airbrush, apply light passes and build coverage gradually. Rotbraun Primer is valid for both brush and airbrush. Common mistake: flooding the miniature in one pass, which fills recesses and obscures fine detail. Checkpoint: after the first pass, detail should still be visible and the surface should look damp, not pooled. Two or three thin coats beat one thick coat every time.
- Let the primer cure fully: Set the figure aside in a dust-free area and let the Rotbraun Primer dry completely before handling. The catalog does not list a specific drying time, so use the test piece to judge when the surface is no longer tacky. Common mistake: starting colour work while the primer is still soft, which leads to smearing and poor adhesion. Checkpoint: gently touch the sprue test; if it feels dry and matte, the figure is likely ready. Patience here prevents rework later.
- Check coverage and decide on a second coat: Hold the figure under a neutral light and look for missed spots, thin patches, or shiny areas that suggest uneven primer. If you can still see bare plastic or resin in recesses, apply another thin coat of Rotbraun Primer. Common mistake: assuming one coat is enough because the colour looks brown overall. Checkpoint: coverage should be consistent across the whole figure, with no grey or shiny gaps. Even, thin coverage matters more than a dark, heavy base.
- Move to Ready Painter One for colour: Once the primer has cured, begin basecoating with Ready Painter One acrylics, or use the high coverage inks for tinting and glazing. Both the paints and inks are valid for brush and airbrush. Common mistake: thinning inks too much and losing control, or applying acrylics so thickly that they obscure the primer texture. Checkpoint: the first colour layer should sit smoothly over the brown base without beading or pulling back. The primer is your foundation; Ready Painter One builds the finished look.
- Add mid-tones like Olive Brown where needed: For military figures, Olive Brown is a matte 17ml Warfront acrylic that can serve as a mid-tone over Rotbraun Primer. Apply it in thin layers to build muted, natural transitions. Common mistake: jumping straight to bright highlights before the mid-tone is smooth. Checkpoint: the transition from primer to mid-tone should look gradual, not patchy. Use the same thin-coat discipline at every stage.
Product facts
- ROTBRAUN PRIMER: Warfront acrylic paints are creamy and their opacity allows us to create glazes with ease, achieving excellent results. With tones suitable for modeling and military figures. Valid for brush and airbrush. Matte finish acrylic paint 17ml. A creamy, opaque matte primer in a 17ml bottle gives you a brush-and-airbrush option that can be thinned into glazes rather than applied as a heavy coat.
- READY PAINTER ONE: Range of premium creamy acrylic paints and high coverage inks. Due to the quality of their pigments and formulation, they are absolutely recommended for novice or professional painters. Valid for brush and airbrush. Paint set. After priming, this set covers both standard acrylic layers and high coverage inks, so you can move from basecoat to glaze without switching brands.
- OLIVE BROWN: Warfront acrylic paints are creamy and their opacity allows us to create glazes with ease, achieving excellent results. With tones suitable for modeling and military figures. Valid for brush and airbrush. Matte finish acrylic paint 17ml. Olive Brown is a matte 17ml acrylic in the same Warfront line, useful as a mid-tone layer over Rotbraun Primer when you want a muted military palette.
