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State of Paints today.


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Ok after selling up a few years ago I have decided to start up again but I will only buy what I need and not a ton of stuff.

 

So to that end paints..

 

I used the newest range of GW stuff before but I want not a big fan of the metallics.

 

So to that end are most fo the ranges available pretty similar?

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I swear by Vallejo. Price, quality, colour range and dropper bottle as well.

 

Game, model and airbrush range...

 

What more could you want...

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The main ones are Vallejo, Reaper, P3 and Coat D'arms. There are a few smaller companies around too like Scale 75 who are relative newcomers.

What you go with depends on what you want to achieve and how you want to achieve it. Will you be wanting to air brush? Vallejo has two dedicated air brush lines and there are other manufacturers who specialise in air brush paints. Do you want your models to have a really matte finish? In which case Reaper or Scale 75 would be your best bet, though Vallejo's model colour line is quite good in this regard,

I have mostly Vallejo, but, if I was starting again, I'd go for almost exclusively Reaper.

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I use:

 

Vallejo Model Air for metallics.

 

Vallejo Game Colour for Smoky Ink (and nothing else - I can't stand the weird, plasticky consistency of the regular paint).

 

Citadel for some of the Shade, Glaze, Edge, Dry and Technical paints.

 

Tamiya for the Clear range.

 

Winsor & Newton for inks and media.

 

Scale 75 for everything else.

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How are Vallejo's version of the foundation paints?

 

Go back before the last 2 ranges of GW (yeah, before devland mud!!!).

 

GW and Vallejo were in talking terms of bringing out a new range...but something went wrong in the way and they split path.

 

Since Vallejo is an old time historical model paint manufacturer, they brought out the range all the same (Game color). These are exactly like the traditional GW paints (I know nothing of foundation/layer/shade/whatnot)

 

You also have the model air range, specific for airbrush but can be use with brushes straight out of the pot (I still dilute them a bit).

 

TL;DR. Vallejo Model Color is your workhorse if you use brushes only, model air for the rest (including the metallics, which are awesome). Also try Liquid Gold...will blow you out of your socks!!

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Is there an art store in the U.S. that sells a wide range of Vallejo paints? The Hobby Lobby by my house is the only place I have ever found Vallejo and they only have about 10 different colors.

 

I don't think there is a big retail level store like Hobby Lobby or Michael's that carries Vallejo consistently. One of the local hobby shops carries the Vallejo Model Color, but I've resorted to ordering online, usually from The Warstore.

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Is there an art store in the U.S. that sells a wide range of Vallejo paints? The Hobby Lobby by my house is the only place I have ever found Vallejo and they only have about 10 different colors.

Have you checked the HobbyTown at 4634 S. Cooper Street, Suite 182 in Arlington? While their national website doesn't show Vallejo, my local store (Kentucky) sometimes has items not on the site.

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Is there an art store in the U.S. that sells a wide range of Vallejo paints? The Hobby Lobby by my house is the only place I have ever found Vallejo and they only have about 10 different colors.

 

I don't think there is a big retail level store like Hobby Lobby or Michael's that carries Vallejo consistently. One of the local hobby shops carries the Vallejo Model Color, but I've resorted to ordering online, usually from The Warstore.

 

 your michael's carries vallejo? mine only gets testors.......

I use vallejo and P3 paints to paint, and use a sable kolinsky brush

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I use:

 

Vallejo Model Air for metallics.

 

Vallejo Game Colour for Smoky Ink (and nothing else - I can't stand the weird, plasticky consistency of the regular paint).

 

Citadel for some of the Shade, Glaze, Edge, Dry and Technical paints.

 

Tamiya for the Clear range.

 

Winsor & Newton for inks and media.

 

Scale 75 for everything else.

 

Always interesting to hear other's kit!

 

I'm still majority GW, both for colours and technicals, with a few select P3 and Vallejo paints for specific colours, Vallejo Fluos, Army Painter inks in certain colours - although I've got a few Scale 75 boxes that I'm really excited to use. And, Master's Brush Cleaner for it all!

 

Sounds obvious - but you'll soon find what suits you, and how you paint!

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I use paints from a few lines, because each has their advantages:

 

Citadel has the widest range of colors, and some are specifically formulated for what I'm painting.  If you have a particular chapter or army, they'll have your color.

 

Vallejo has a pretty wide range (most of Citadel's main colors are imitated but not exactly dupicated here) and the dropper bottles are my preferred container.

 

But the best actual paint is Privateer's P3 line.  Not nearly as many colors but it uses a liquid pigment, which means it can be thinned without loss of color.  You can thin with water if desired and the pigment doesn't break down.  If P3 had as many colors as Citadel, in dropper bottles like Vallejo, I'd use nothing else.

 

When it comes to inks, I also use Army Painter Quick Shades.  These are the true-color replacements for Sepia, Badab Black and Devlan Mud.

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I just used P3 primer and it's 10x better than GW's stuff at half the price. Still more than your average rattle can by three, but coats absolutely wonderful with no spattering or pooling. The perfect thickness in my opinion.

 

Vallejo paints are also great. I vastly prefer their bottle over GW. Much easier to mix and no worries about mess.

 

Afraid that's all the vouching I can do, but I promise you'll do great between those two. Vallejo has all the technicals covered that you would want from GW at a more reasonable price.

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I don't even use spray primer anymore.  I use the Vallejo Polyurethane Acrylic Surface Primer.  Goes on super thin, very durable, self-levelling, dries fast, does not obscure detail, can be used in an airbrush or painted on with a brush... is there any reason to use an aerosol?

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All I really need is these paints or as close as possible.

Mephiston / Mechrite Red (Its coverage was awesome)

Badab Black Wash

Devlan Mud (Yeah the Holy Grail:P)

Gryphonne Sepia Wash

And NO GW Metallics I really did not like the new ones.

The rest I would be happy with close as possible. smile.png

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Badab Black = Army Painter Dark Tone
Devlan Mud = Army Painter Strong Tone
Sepia = Army Painter Soft Tone

Those three are the closest matches to the old GW washes you want without question.

As said above I'd go Army Painter for any silvers you might want and Reaper for other metallics.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Paint_Range_Compatibility_Chart

^ this is pretty helpful, shows you equivalent paints across several ranges. The matches are generally similar rather than the same, though, so be mindful of that.

There won't be much out there that covers as well as GW foundation (now base) paints in my experience.

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I second the recommendation of Army Painter Quick Shades.  Those three tones will be the best match for the old GW shades.

 

Mechrite Red's coverage (well, any of the Foundation paints, actually) did not come from its pigment formulation, but from its thickness.  This is not a trait you want in a good paint - it obscures all the fine detail.  Try instead to get a paint that has good pigment saturation and don't try for first-coat coverage.  I still like to use (thinned-down) Mephiston Red, but if you're looking for a red that's a little less bright, try P3's Skorne Red.

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