So which line has the best metallics?

[appiah4]

I paint pretty much everything with cheap craft paints, but over time I started making use of different ranges for sepcialized needs, such as Vallejo Extra Opaques for foundations and Army Painter Inks for washing..

 

Lately, I've grown sick of craft paint metallics.  I am open to B&C's recommendations for a line to buy metallics from, mainly gunmetal/silver and old/bright gold tones.  Who carries the best covering and most realistic tones for these?

[shaun03]

AK true metals and extreme metals are amazing I use both. There great with brush or air brush.

 

Scale 75 are top line as well, I also used them great with brush and airbrushes as well.

[N1SB]

This is a purely personal preference, Brother, and it may be due to cultural bias on my part, but I like the Tamiya brand.

 

Specifically, Tamiya's spray for Light Gun Metal (TS-42), then I wash with Tamiya Smoke wash.

 

It just seems to have a more metallic sheen than other paints, while still having a shading effect, bringing attention to all the grooves even when I'm just speedpainting.  The only tricky bit is Tamiya Smoke wash is a little thicker than you may be used to.  I also am not an expert on all brands, but I've compared my miniatures with better painters than I am, and just found my metal to be more metal.  Example:

 

http://oi64.tinypic.com/zx2opc.jpg

 

Here, I used the Light Gun Metal TS-42 Tamiya spray I mentioned, as well as Tamiya Red.  I also did a rust effect with a brown and a wash of GW's Agrax Earthshade, just to have a non-metallic thing to offset against so much metal.

 

And tbh, the most important element is probably just Tamiya Smoke, which is an excellent ink for metals all around IMHO.

[appiah4]

I dont use an airbrush if that matters.

[NovemberIX]

I'm somewhat split between Vallejo air metallic and GW's range of metallics, both brush on well enough (and the Vallejo sprays great) to give good coverage. I've tried the Testors line of acrylics, and those need to be shot out of an airbrush for any sort of quality.

[Razblood]

Army Painters metallics are pretty nice, smooth and have a nice sheen.

 

VMA silvers are good, though the darker metals seem to be a bit sparkly when I've used them.

 

VGC golds/brass/bronze/copper are pretty nice, as is Tinny Tin.

 

VMC metals are a bit of a let down compred to their other ranges, but Oily Steel is pretty nice.

 

P3 are good all round, really nice overall.

 

GW's metallics are a bit weird, half the range is average at best and the other half (ie; the ones released since Liberator Gold & Retributor Armour) are really nice if over priced compared to all the other ranges.

 

Vallejo's newer Metal Color line are apparently some of the best water-based silvers you can get, but the golds are not as good.

 

I've not used Scale 75, but from what I've seen they separate pretty badly and are also quite pricey. 

 

Warcolours metallics are interesting, widest range of colours available (turquoise metallic ftw!) and they come with agitators in the bottle. They're also probably the cheapest range available so definitely worth a try.

 

Finally there are Humbrol Acrylics, which you can find pretty cheap if you shop around, they come in small pots but the density of the paint means that you can thin the hell out of them and get easily as much paint out of them as a pot of P3 (18ml) if not more. I've used them quite a bit and they are pretty nice, though they do heavily separate and you will need to stir the pots with a toothpick to rebind the pigment and medium everytime you use them (unless you transfer them to droppers and add a couple of agitators :tu: ) but I'd definitely recommend them if you can get get them.

 

Best advice I can give is to try them out, but here's a comparison chart from the guys at Massive Voodoo :)

 

http://www.pixelgod.net/massivevoodoo/metallic_color_comparison_chart.jpg

[appiah4]

@Razblood thanks a lot for a lengthy explanation.  I like Army Painter for value for buck so I guess I'll be ordering some of their stuff soon.  I love their Ink Washes anyway :)  Cheers!

[Major_Gilbear]

I really hate painting with metallic paints, but I have found the Vallejo Air Color to be very metallic (they use aluminium powder rather than mica chips in the paint), very smooth and even, and easy to use/thin. I rather like the colours too, but mostly paint silvers and occasional golds/platinums.

 

Colour-wise, I do quite like the Privateer Press P3 metallic paints. These remind of the "good old" Citadel paints from about 10+ years ago, and come in a very useful range of colours. However, they use mica flakes to simulate the metallic effect (not as good as the aluminium powder), and I find they can misbehave a bit when thinned (and if you don't thin them, they can be gloopy to apply. If you do use them, be prepared to thin them a bit and apply several layers to get the best from them.

 

I have used Vallejo Game Colour too, and whilst I they are similar to the P3 metallics in most ways, they just dry too fast for my liking.

 

(NB: The above comments all apply to hand-painting with a traditional sable brush, not an airbrush).

[Grand Master Laertes]

I quite like Forge World's airbrush paints (but they work just fine if you brush them on your miniatures).

[appiah4]

Ended up ordering a bunch of VGC metallics because they were really cheaply available locally.. Will also try P3 and AP if Im dissatisfied.

[Mango Polo]

After using Vallejo Metal Colour, Vallejo Model Air Metallic and Scale 75 Metallic I can't go back to other ranges. I got bottles of various Model Colour and Game Colour metals and the big, obvious shimmering flakes are pretty horrid in comparison.

 

V Metal Colour is the undisputed king, but awfully limited in non-silvers and steels. The one gold has a pale, green tint that makes it hard to use. The copper is amazing though. When brushed-on you want to be a little careful and remove most of the paint, as they are very liquid. I also use this range to mix into colors to increase fluidity and opacity.

 

V Model Air Metallic provides different shades from metal Colour. Comparatively they are on the colder side, which is nice. But the non-silvers/steels are... finnicky and unreliable. In particular I hate the gold.

 

Scale 75 metals have very fine flakes. The steel range is done better by Metal Colour, but their golds, coppers and brasses are superior and consistent.

 

IMO a combo of Vallejo Metal Colour and Scale 75 covers everything that one might need.

[Evil Eye]

Tamiya stuff is great, especially through an airbrush. Their Chrome Silver is one of the best acrylic metallics on the market.

 

GW is mixed. Their silvers are merely OK. Their golds are largely pretty good. Warplock Bronze is GORGEOUS and I love it. I largely just love the colour I must admit. The rest of the range is good, and the metallics released since Retributor Armour are good too.

 

I have one further suggestion and that's Humbrol's enamel range. I only have one of their paints- their Chrome Silver- but it's great. Tricky to work with and needs multiple coats (at least via brush, can't comment via airbrush yet) but it has a really nice high-gloss shine to it. I reckon the medium it's in is glossy or something. In any case, I'm now using it for all the silver details on my CSM.

[Brother Aiwass]

The best I've seen are Aclad II.