Vallejo Model Color vs. Game Color

[FenrisWolf]

Hail brothers!

 

Can I get some discussion of Vallejo's line?  There is much overlap between their model color and the game color line.  Which do people think preferable for our minis?

[Z00Z]

there are 3 lines of interest. model air, game and model color. model air is primarily a much diluted for pure airbrush applications. game is the halfway house and model having the highest pigment count as well as pigment size. Therefore, model color isnt ideal for airbrush as you will get dry tips and some clogging. You can resolve this with retarder and appropriate airbrush thinners but needs more finesse over game/air ranges.

 

If you going to airbrush, go for game/air dependent on application, (basing, shadows, highlights, glow effects etc). Game or model is 100% fine for brush applications. 

 

Personally I use game as both airbrush and brush work. Just take note some yellows and reds in game color contain cadmium and should not be atomised (airbrush). It does indicate on the bottles with a no-airbrush symbol on it. 

 

The pigment count on game color is far higher than GW range so this will allow you to dilute to a really good consistency prior to application. I normally use distilled water just purely to not introduce other metals, chemicals found in tap water. The best way to dilute is to test on a piece of transparent glass. This gives you a very good idea on its color saturation/transparency prior to application. 

 

For valejo metals, you dont dilute with water but with rubbing alcohol, bought at chemists/drug stores/pharmacies. a.k.a. isopropanol. (excuse spelling). 

 

The overlap you referring to is actually same colours. You can find all the colors in game color in model color range but not vice-versa. There is a color chart which the reseller should have if you ask. The color chart will also give you comparative colors to GW and a few other manufacturers colors. 

 

What I can say about Valejo is it is 2ml more per bottle than GW, is about 1/2 price (where I live) and you get far superior coverage. The bottle design allows you to be able to dispense 1 drop at a time, seals well and your colours can last a long time in the cupboard between applications. 

 

I'd recommend Valejo. Personal preference. 

[WG Vrox]

nice answer zooz, what percent alcohol on the rubbing alcohol do you suggest? the stores usually will have 70 80 and 90

[FenrisWolf]

The cost and the quality of the Vallejo is what is prompting me to choose Vallejo over Citadel. The main reason I was asking is the materials from Vallejo are a little marketing-ish (if that's a word!) and I have to buy the paints at two different locations - model color is at a local hobby shop, game color is at my FLGS.  

 

I don't have an airbrush currently, that's a thought for the future, but not any time soon, due mostly to the fact that I have no work space in my apartment and all my model building and painting is done at store paint nights.  But I like the fact that the Vallejo paints work so well in an airbrush for when I do eventually get one.

 

And thanks for the note about the cadmium in some of the yellows.  I have very little yellow in my army and I can probably just avoid it, which is better for my health and my little one's too!

nice answer zooz, what percent alcohol on the rubbing alcohol do you suggest? the stores usually will have 70 80 and 90

 

Exactly what I was going to ask too!

[Thunder_god]

nice answer zooz, what percent alcohol on the rubbing alcohol do you suggest? the stores usually will have 70 80 and 90

90 or 91% works best in my experience. It also works well to thin Tamiya acrylics and Testors Dullcote for airbrushing.

 

Hope this helps.

[Z00Z]

nice answer zooz, what percent alcohol on the rubbing alcohol do you suggest? the stores usually will have 70 80 and 90

90 or 91% works best in my experience. It also works well to thin Tamiya acrylics and Testors Dullcote for airbrushing.

Hope this helps.

Yup yup, 91% Is what I use and works just fine. The secret in using the liquid metal paints (metallics) from valejo is use a deep paint palette, a fridge egg-holder will work well to. Dispense from the paint to the palette after shacking really really well. make sure you can see the liquid move around completely at the bottom of the paint bottle before dispensing. If you dont have a pipette, you can use a straw to transfer the paint to the deep-dish palette. With the liquid metals, you dont want to thin and mix on a flat surface as the paint is alcohol based and will dry on you quite quickly, so you want to reduce the evaporation by reducing the surface area exposed to air. Oh, and use a synthetic brush, it makes cleaning the brush after (with alcohol) easier.

[TopToffee]

That's interesting info about the 3 (now 4) different Vallejo lines... Doesn't quite tally with what I was previously told, which was as follows:

 

Game Color and Model Color are basically the same formulations (same pigment concentration/size), but simply in different ranges of colours... Model for more "military" type painting (historical wargaming etc) with Game Color made to match more closely with the Citadel line - bolder, brighter colours for fantasy/sci-fi gaming... and then Model Air and Game Air are simply those two lines, but made with smaller pigments, to facilitate airbrushing...

[Z00Z]

That's interesting info about the 3 (now 4) different Vallejo lines... Doesn't quite tally with what I was previously told, which was as follows:

 

Game Color and Model Color are basically the same formulations (same pigment concentration/size), but simply in different ranges of colours... Model for more "military" type painting (historical wargaming etc) with Game Color made to match more closely with the Citadel line - bolder, brighter colours for fantasy/sci-fi gaming... and then Model Air and Game Air are simply those two lines, but made with smaller pigments, to facilitate airbrushing...

That's interesting info about the 3 (now 4) different Vallejo lines... Doesn't quite tally with what I was previously told, which was as follows: Game Color and Model Color are basically the same formulations (same pigment concentration/size), but simply in different ranges of colours... Model for more "military" type painting (historical wargaming etc) with Game Color made to match more closely with the Citadel line - bolder, brighter colours for fantasy/sci-fi gaming... and then Model Air and Game Air are simply those two lines, but made with smaller pigments, to facilitate airbrushing...

I too was told they are the same by an uninformed model store owner. But its not the case. Both from personal experience using both in an airbrush extensively in both .25 - .50 needle sizes from 15 to 30 psi and from valejo website itself...Vallejo offers four different water-based chemical formulas in these colors lines, each one created for a particular segment of the hobby market, but all compatible with one another.Model Color and Panzer Aces are creamy, highly opaque acrylics formulated principally for brush application: the two ranges total some 246 matte colors and mediums, and 8 brilliant alcohol based metallic colors.Game Color has been developed for tabletop games. The range consists of 119 acrylic colors, washes and inks; designed for painting small figures, the formula has a lower viscosity than Model Color and a resin more resistant to frequent handling. The colors provide opaque coverage without loss of minute detail.Model Air is a line of 129 colors which have been formulated especially for airbrushing, although they are also frequently used for painting small details with a brush.These product lines are further augmented with a line of Washes, and a complete assortment of Medium, Varnishes and auxiliary products.Premium Color, a new range of 51 colors and 8 auxiliary products, developed with a new hybrid acrylic-polyurethane resin of extreme strength, has been designed principally for use in an Airbrush and for surfaces exposed to handling and exterior conditions.

[FenrisWolf]

Thanks so much for the info, Zooz!  Have a tun of ale on me!  This is the info I was trying to get, and having actual experience is awesome! 

 

Has anyone used the model color and experienced any handling issues?  I plan on sealing the models anyway, so that isn't much concern for me.

[Ironwulf]

Excellent write-ups, ZOOZ! Thank you!

 

Something I didn't see in there is the comparison between Game Color and Model Color in shine/flatness. As Game Color was developed to directly compete with Games Workshop colors, that range of paint was given a semi-gloss finish, whereas the normal Model Color range has a flat finish. To me, the semi-gloss finish survives a bit more handling than the flat, despite the fact that Model Color (flat) has more pigment in it. It might be phrased that Game Color survives the "rub test" better than Model Color. It is slightly more difficult to rub it off a primed mini.

 

I like many of the Game Color paints, as they mimic many of my favorite OLD GW colors, even if they are not the exact mix or color blend. For example: Game Color "Cobra Leather" is a good color, but it isn't an exact match for GW's old "Snakebite Leather." (Cobra Leather has a little more green in the blend, but only a little.) Some colors, like Black, White, and Bone, are my absolute go-to paint to buy.  Good coverage for my money…  Of course, when GW couldn't copyright "Chaos Black," "Blood Red," or "Skull White," they decided to change their paint names and color mixes again. ("Abbadon Black," "Mephiston Red," and "White Scar," respectively.) I'll admit, there have been a few new paints from GW that are trying to make painting easier, but I still love my Vallejo Game Color paints.

With all of that said though… I have NOT tried the newer Game Air paint. I will defer to others' judgement and expertise in that manner for now…

[Z00Z]

You are absolutely right Ironwulf, even though there are comparative codes between game and model, (http://cdn.acrylicosvallejo.com/8fd17290d7e9c7bf61e6a487a1161d09/CC072-Rev14.pdf), I have found that the flatness or matt(ness) is greater on the model color on an equivalent colour/hue.

 

I have also found that the valejjo game color is more comparable to citadel old range than the new citadel range. Citadel is definitely shinier more now, but still less than tamiya. im not a big tamiya fan, except maybe for lenses and gems. I feel the end result with tamiya leaves the models too shiny and plastic looking. Almost like RC.

 

There also arent exact color matches for typical SW armor colours. I have found a happy medium where I airbrush basecoat (vallejo sombre grey), shadows in 4:1 sombre grey to black, and highlights 2:1 wolf grey to sombre grey. I then edge highlight with ghost grey. It gives sufficient contrast for my liking in natural light and when viewed up close to arms length.

 

I helped a fellow tabletop gamer with his GK army, and I sprayed the Game Air range as they have metallics that spray easy enough. You go through ALOT more paint than game color or model color. 2 units of paladins and a 5 termies used a whole bottle of Game AIR color. my first bottle of  sombre grey, sprayed :  

 

50+ PA

10 termies

5 IC

2 Rhinos

2 drop pods 

 

thats incredible bang-for-buck from a 17ml bottle... 

[FenrisWolf]

Zooz, would the flatness of the color from the Model color line be compensated somewhat if one did a semigloss clear varnish on the whole model to seal it (ala Purity Seal)?

 

Or maybe just use the Model color for the base coat?  The trouble I am seeing is none of the Game Color line has the dark grey shade I want for my armor.  I want a really dark grey armor, but I guess another way to do that would be a lighter grey and then a heavy black wash or even a black ink?

[Z00Z]

Zooz, would the flatness of the color from the Model color line be compensated somewhat if one did a semigloss clear varnish on the whole model to seal it (ala Purity Seal)?

 

Or maybe just use the Model color for the base coat?  The trouble I am seeing is none of the Game Color line has the dark grey shade I want for my armor.  I want a really dark grey armor, but I guess another way to do that would be a lighter grey and then a heavy black wash or even a black ink?

 

model color is absolutely fine for all brush applications, base/blending/highlights. It blends superbly and has very high coverage. If you want a slight shine and you worried about the the end result being too flat, there are a couple of options for sealing. Purity seal does leave a semi-gloss finish, but it can sometimes dependent on application have a yellowing effect. It takes some practice to get the right consistency of spraying. Again, and I promise I'm not a vallejo agent, but they make fantastic varnish sealers. These are water based so are easy to use with an airbrush or brush and you have the choice of matt (flat - can dull colours a little), satin (a matt finish which isnt 100% flat and my personal preference) or glos, which you can use for lenses, certain weapon/glow effects. 

 

All 3 you can water them down significantly similarly to a wash allowing for easy application and providing a sealed, protected coating. Varnish or purity seals shot out of cannisters can creating pooling or missed areas due to the nature of having less control. It takes some practice to use cannisters. 

 

For brush-work, if you not going to airbrush and you wanting to either wet-blend or minimise brush stroke lines, you can use their gloss/matt/metallic medium mixed with your paint when applying the last layer.

 

But yeah, model color is equally, if not better when using brushes over game color in my opinion. It has a tremendously high pigment count allowing you to dilute it immensely without losing structural integrity or opaqueness. I've only found that when using a fine needle in airbrushes shot through low psi's, you clog faster than with game color.  The only negative I've seen on model colour is if you want to transform the paint into a wash, which is easier to do with citadel paints. Again, you can do this if you mix the paint with the mediums above and a little bit of drying retarder.  

 

Both model and game are interchangeable and mixable. So by all means, find the colour you want in whichever range and use it. If you move onto airbrushing at a later stage, you just need to be aware of the differences in model vs game, but even this you can still get around by using a 10:10:1 ratio of color/vallejo airbrush thinners/drying retarder.