Maybe a wizard here can help me out.

Model colour (Vallejo) - Black Grey -

I have this colour ,it is extremely dark, but not black by any means. I want a primer/rattle can of paint I can use to get the same near colour for my base coating of the masses and save myself a boatload of time without investing in an air brush rig. REcommendations? Any bran/colour you can think of off the top of your head is fine.

So I was in a model shop and got first hand glances at Tamiya colours. After speaking with the owner (who also had the black grey on site for reference). At a glance from the wet paint, the Tamiya gunship grey he said would be too light, try Nato or Tire Black. I went with Tire Black as it looks a hair lighter (on the cap). Turns out it is a hair darker than the black grey applied, and very similar to the black grey (very very similar) with a wash of nuln oil. Just saved a good deal of time for a small 10$ rattle can for infantry. This is great.

Krylon ultra-flat brown camouflage might give you the right undercoat tone you are looking for. Otherwise head to a good Ace and look at their wall-o-paint.

1 hour ago, Mep said:

Krylon ultra-flat brown camouflage might give you the right undercoat tone you are looking for. Otherwise head to a good Ace and look at their wall-o-paint.

I live in Canadia, we have no Ace.

Army painter has a ton of primer colors. Also German grey is a good almost black.

I use Plastic Soldier Company Early Panzer Grey spray, and I find that Vallejo Panzer Grey matches very closely to it.

1 hour ago, Jukey said:

Army painter has a ton of primer colors. Also German grey is a good almost black.

Do you mean their 'uniform grey', as that doesn't look quite as dark as I want to go.

Yeh it looks black until you put it on the model, then it looks very dark grey, with a very slight blue hue hidden in there. Not sure about a good color in between there.

Be straight up - as someone who's been in this business for 30-odd years.... Here's your problem, man.

You;'re not going to find it.

The "Near black" colours that are available (such as Paynes Grey, which is a perennial favourite of mine) - just don't exist in sprays, because you're basically expected to paint black and then highlight up from there. Outside of some very specialised mixes through Army Painted (which are all recent in the grand sceme of things) and the classics of Testors sprays - there's not a lot to be had.

If you're not willing to invest in a full spray rig, what I can suggest is basically an aerosolizing rig... Check out in Michaels in the Model paint department - its the cheapest airbrush you'll find with a pressurised spraycan of propellant. Cost you maybe $40.

Otherwise, Michaels might also be able to set you up with some of the Testors or Tamiya sprays, and a dark German Grey (like a Dark Luftwaffe Grey) might work too... But even then, they're not going to be that "Off-Black" you're really after...

I'll see if I can do some more research at PM Hobbycraft (one of my big locals that tries to carry everything) to see if I can find something specific for you.

EDIT:

Tamiya German Grey

or

Tamiya NATO Black

both are about as far as it;ll go.

http://www.tamiya.com/english/products/list/spray.htm

Can well be available at Michaels or a Genuine Hobby/Model Train store

Yeah, I am not sure what Canada has, other than a lot of soft wood which always seems to be an issue which I don't understand - I thought there was a pill for that. In the US Michael's has cheap air brushes and caned air on the cheap. Hobby Lobby has their 40% off coupons. An air brush is a good option.

I still think you will get a good under tone with a brown and can just paint on the black-gray.

9 hours ago, Mep said:

Yeah, I am not sure what Canada has, other than a lot of soft wood which always seems to be an issue which I don't understand - I thought there was a pill for that. In the US Michael's has cheap air brushes and caned air on the cheap. Hobby Lobby has their 40% off coupons. An air brush is a good option.

I still think you will get a good under tone with a brown and can just paint on the black-gray.

The whole point of this hunt is to NOT have to paint the black-grey though. I'm trying to short cut the time spent on grunt force spearmen by being super lazy and finding a spray on that can act as my base coat when I'm not working detail.

What if you just do a sloppy dry brush of the model in dark grey after you've primed in black? It keeps all the recesses extra dark, but the model ends up a lighter tone. It probably won't be as precise as you're aiming for, but I thought I'd chime in anyway.

3 hours ago, Parakitor said:

What if you just do a sloppy dry brush of the model in dark grey after you've primed in black? It keeps all the recesses extra dark, but the model ends up a lighter tone. It probably won't be as precise as you're aiming for, but I thought I'd chime in anyway.

because the spray primer I bought was white, because my store was out of black.