Best primer for figure painting

Not acrylic,but I use Mr Surfacer 1200 in the rattlecan,for figures you will not get much buildup in the basement,or I step outside briefly, it takes seconds to prime a few 1/35 figures

Jay I like Tamiya Fine Primer. They come in  different shades and goes on even and smooth and accepts paint very well. Rattle cans, very easy.

I was also thinking about getting the Tamiya Primer in rattle can. Easily available and not too expensive.

Is it good to spray on metallic (pewter) figures as well ? Like those Reaper Miniatures ?

I forgot, I also use that Tamiya Fine good stuff,but it isn't acrylic,and yes use it on resin,plastic,or metal figs

Are these vinyl figures, or resin, styrene, or metal?  If they are vinyl they are really hard to prime.  Few primers stick to vinyl.

Don : my soldiers are in styrene (WWII and modern army)

And I have a sword-wielding warrior, a big gargoyle and a futuristic looking cyborg with laser rifle, all in pewter

Like I said in the OP, I just want to practice and paint figures (flesh color on faces is quite tricky to do right)

I've used all kinds of primers (Tamiya, Vallejo, etc.).  My favorite is the AK acrylic primer. It's relatively new.  It bites plastic extremely well, sprays very well out of the bottle & hand-brushes well. Plus, it has zero smell and is very easy to clean with IPA or Windex.  I will only use the AK primer from now on.