Alternative Paints

[Mealstorm]

I'm looking for a couple different paint brands people have experimented with which they have had great success with. I would love to keep using the GW line but all stores remotely close to my location have been closed down with the nearest retailor being 2 hours away haha.

 

So brand names, with the pros and cons of those paints would be excellent. Thank you for all your help :)

 

**EDIT** NOTE: I'm looking for paints other then the ones posted in the FAQ, seeing as how I haven't been able to find any of those brands either.

[Kurgan the Lurker]

If you can't find even Apple Barrel or Delta locally then chances are no other paints listed are going to be found by you in local shop.

 

Internet is the way to go, in which case you can easily find all the paint brands listed in the FAQ.

[stayeatingpaint]

If you can't find even Apple Barrel or Delta locally then chances are no other paints listed are going to be found by you in local shop.

 

 

yeah Apple Barrel and Delta are found in craft stores, like Michael's (sp?) and they also have them in my local Wal-Mart maybe try places like thoughs? hope this helps!

[Daeothar]

In addition to the paints in the FAQ, I'd like to add the new Privateer Press Formula P3 line of paints, which looks very promissing. As soon as I try them myself (and their supposedly superior opacity and coverage), and the experience is a good one, I'll add them to the FAQ.

 

The line is rather limited in its palette at the moment, but it's slowly being expanded to a full line of (if I recall correctly) 72 colours. As Kurgan said though; if you have to rely on the internet to get your paints, you might as well go for the good stuff. I prefer VGC and VMC myself, but still use lots of GW paints too (and soonish, I'll try P3, as mentioned), so I'd recommend ordering any one of them. I have no experience with Applebarrel, Delta or Reaper paints though...

[madscuzzy]

P3 is very similar to vallejo, cept the bottle is the old school ones... The colours are different too, and do not match our GW colours. They are, however a good filler...:blink: Imagine, highlighting bleach bone, not using white haha...

[BOBMAKENZIE]

If you have a hobby Store that Carryies Breyers (A type of Model horse) they usualy have a paint brand with them. The only problem with that Acrylic is that its generaly slightly rubbery and Thick and doesnt water down to well.

 

Testors make some interesting paints aswell, not my favorite but they can be usefuul...just make sure not to get the enamel ones. Thoose are annoying >.>

 

DAve

 

My school uses some real nice paints, Illl see if I can find the name.

[Shinohai]

try the formula P3 paints, they cover quite nicely. as stated the color choices arent very signicant at the moment but soon it will be. i'd avoid apple barrel paints, they are unbelievably awful. i tried to use them since i was poor when i started painting but decided after many models and much disappointment that spending more for better paints, even slowly becasue of little money to spend is worth it.

[Mealstorm]

thanks for all the help so far guys :) i've been wondering about Testors, and i'm gonna go buy a pot of it to give it a shot. i've written down all the names you guys have thrown at me and walked into all the local stores we have here asking to see if they have it/can order it for me. so far one store owner has told me he's been considering stocking vallejo and since i asked about it he might. so there's is hope!!

[asmodai650]

I have used testos military airplane colors set, and they worked great for my space wolves. the paints are already some what thin, but a little extra water helps. I've recently started using vellajo, and I am going to start switching over to them.

[Lemmingspawn]

I've heard that the P3 Privateer Press paints are a bit different to the standard paints we use, in that their pigment is actually liquid instead of powdered. This bodes well for master blenders, if the paint range covers really well. I'd be interested in testing it out myself, once they're available in my area.

[theredcorsair]

Get reaper paints. They're supposed to be higher quality than GW and look nicer.

Also, Testors sucks

[Dusktiger]

Testors Enamel paints i would suggest staying away from if your brushing it on. even on model cars, this is a paint line that can annoy you because it starts to dry and gunk up on the bristles pretty fast being as it's an enamel paint. ask your gf's what its like painting their nails if they take their sweet time with the brush, they'll know cause nail polish is the same as testors paints.

 

Now, if your basecoating a primary color, and then painting your details on afterwards, then i'd recommend Testors Spray paint cans. it does go on very nice and even with zero detail loss if you feather it (that's short controlled bursts btw.) on. I used the chrome on a squad of terminators, and i had 100% detail on their armour and even the sergeant's face on a single coating.

 

stay AWAY from Model Master sprays! they are runny, and worse yet, they'll bubble over the surfaces theyre sprayed onto. they make some awesome colors that would look great for marine armor, but the chance that the paint will bubble and thereby crater the surface of your figures is not worth the risk.

 

Tamiya Paints; very good stuff. this is an acrylic based paint with a large lineup of colors, including Transparent Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Violet. these are great for doing your lenses up, you just basecoat the eyes in flat aluminum, then daub some of one of these colors over when its dried, and you have a translucent lens. "XF-56 Metallic Grey" turns out identical to GW Boltgun Metal, and "X-11 Chrome Silver" looks just like GW Mithril Silver. they also have a Flat Black, Semi-Gloss Black (looks like chaos black with a light hint of polish to it), and Gloss Black. Their white is also far far farrrr better than GW Skull white pots. where when dealing with skull white, you normally get a crappy bottle all the time for various reasons in its mixture, a tamiya bottle of white is always a good pot.

 

Tamiya is a smooth, consistent, high quality paint that they made for their own high quality model kits they produce. their kits are like the Forge World of model cars. never having to shave or sand or trim pieces to fit together is a hell of a good sign of quality molds. Tamiya paints also have the thinned consistancy right out of the pot that's needed for using them in your airbrushes, so even if your just using them with a brush, you wont have to thin them down or anything to make them go on smooth and evenly. once you've use the metals, you prolly wont go back, because these go on seemlessly. i'll edit this reply later with a picture of what the metal can look like on weapons.

 

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/dusktiger/P1000015.jpg

[MajorKhaos]

I've moved away from using GW paints to VMC and VCG exclusively for over a year now. For me, the dropper bottles are perfect. I'd consider getting the Reaper Master paints too if I found a UK stockist.