White Wolf Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I'm going to depart from the majority here, I use Wargames Foundry 3 paint system (dark, medium and highlight) for nearly everything, I use Vallejo for metallics as I don't think they can be beaten. I use Andrea intense inks for shading and some of their specialist metallics, they are the best I have found. I have gotten rid of all my GW stuff except for the edge highlight paints which I find useful. For brushes I use Rosemary and Co series 323 spotters as I find the short bristle length give me better control than W & N Series 7 sables and I use Rosemary and Co filberts for dry brushing when I need to. All of the above constitutes my personal view and what works for my painting style - really you should find what works for you, experiment and have fun ATB WW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiffinberg Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I have been using the citadel stuff exclusively for a loooong time, maybe its time I explore some other options as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeBob Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 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. That's the exact store I go to. I can't complain too much because they actually have Vallejo, albeit only around 12 colors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoic Raptor Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 As long as those 12 colors are the ones you need for your Chapter, it wouldn't be so bad, eh? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razblood Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 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. I think you'll find that Vallejo has the widest variance of colours overall in the region of 500+ different shades ;) Back on Topic - Vallejo Model Air for metallics, I've yet to hear a bad word said about them. Army Painter for your washes, they also do a colour set which are pretty much identical to the old Citadel Washes. As far as Vallejo Extra Opaque, it's pretty much the same formulation as the Model Colors but with a resin base rather than vinyl and almost colour matched to the Citadel Foundation Range. It's lacking a Necron Abyss analogue, but has an Off-Black colour called Heavy Charcoal. P3 paints are pretty damn good, but the colour range is limited and a bit wierd. Coat D'Arms are 2nd Edition GW paints with a lot of extra shades, these are liquid pigment too but don't have great quality control sadly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoic Raptor Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 If you count Game Color and Model Color together, yes, Vallejo has more shades. But I'm not interested in most of the drab Model Color line (with the exception of the occasional Heavy color for a special purpose). For most 40K models, the Game Color line has pretty close analogues to GW colors. I have yet to try Coat d'Arms, I'm not even sure if they are available in the USA. I have tried Reaper Master series but they didn't stand out in any particular way to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imren Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 There are no metallic paints out there that beats these: http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/en_US/liquid-gold/family/11 But you'll need alcohol to dilute them and clean brushes, or you can also clean brushes with dishwashing detergent. Make sure you only use synthetic brushes. The result from these paints are so damn good its worth the hazzle messing about with alcohol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarlessllama Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Here is what I use: Base Coats and Hard Line Highlights: Vallejo Game Color Washes: GW and Army Painter Metallic: Army Painter Small Detail Highlights (helmets, weapon casings): GW Layer paints Vallejo paints are my workhorse because I can put them through either an airbrush or my regular brush with having two different types of paint. I just need to thin more when using an airbrush. I can't say enough good things about the Army Painter metallic paints. They flow really well and have great coverage. When I'm doing washes on small details I tend to use the Army Painter shades because they are a touch thinker and so offer a bit more control. But when I am slopping washing over a large area I go to the GW washes because they are already thinned and I can go right from the pot. For small detail highlighting I love the new GW layer paints. They have a lower pigment count, and so they are more subtle when I'm trying to bring up a color in thin layers without changing the color too much.But if you are trying to save cash and keep a low number of paints... then I would go with Vallejo. They are cheaper than GW, and the dropper bottles give you more control when you're dispensing the paint onto your pallet, and make mixing easier ( 2 drops + 1 drop is easier to repeat than 2 brush fulls + 1 brush full). I also like the Army Painter brushes. They offer multiple brush packs on Amazon for under $10. So if you have prime already, it is a steal. And they last a long time. I would also invest in a large bottle of Slo-Dri. Any art store is going to carry a drying retardant on the cheap. It is a great way to thin paints, and use less paint when you are painting for a while. Anywho, those are my two cents. On a related note, there are plenty of youtube channels dedicated to painting minis that offer tips and tricks to help you hobby on the cheap. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Captain Arkley Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 So I think I am sorted.. GW for the Base/Foundation Colours Army Painter for Badab, Devlan and Sepia. P3 for Metallics. That seems a good balance. And I will stick to W&N S7 brushes :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoic Raptor Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 If you're going to use GW Foundations/Base paints though, be sure to thin them! Lahmian Medium is a wonderful thing. They go on too thick otherwise and obscure fine detail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interrogator Stobz Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Seconded; I use Tamiya thinners to keep them working properly or they go glunky as hell in no time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Captain Arkley Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 I use Liquitex Acrylic Fluid Mediums :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJB2K3 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Vallejo and P3 are my tops but I do get good results from W&N FW acrylic ink and accessories. They have a metallic pigment and metallic ink that can be used to make custom colours along with thinners, retarders along with the mixing medium needed to properly thin the inks into wash's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Captain Arkley Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 If you're going to use GW Foundations/Base paints though, be sure to thin them! Lahmian Medium is a wonderful thing. They go on too thick otherwise and obscure fine detail. If I thought that Skorne Red Base was a good sub for Mephiston Red I would go all P3 Well it looks like Skorne Red is a good sub :) P3 it is. Are the P3 inks similar to GW Washes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Blaire Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Not sure why you guys think the Base Paints are so thick or will obscure details, I used them straight, only putting them from the bottle to the palette in this thread: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/251519-comparison-painting-das-updated-61512/ and I think it shows pretty well that there isn't any detail obscured or super thick paint applied. Arkley, I'd also make a recommendation against using nice brushes like the W&N S7 ones with metallics of any kind, alcohol based or not. The metallic/iridescent flecks will adhere to and break the individual hairs on the natural sable. I've actually been using the W&N Cotman line, which are lower quality, but still good brushes, and I'm still getting nice straight lines with them for my metallics without being too concerned if the bristles do break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoic Raptor Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Bryan, they still flow better if thinned. Citadel's strategy is coverage by a thicker coat. I get better results with a couple things coats. Flow is especially important when highlighting as well. I will second your recommendation about not using your W&Ns to do alcohol based metallics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Blaire Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Agreed that they flow better, but they won't automatically obscure anything, and truthfully, I don't think that their strategy is coverage by thicker coats, because the current WD painter guy usually shows that it should take 2+ coats to get good coverage with their paints in the GW videos (he also usually shows thinning, but with water, which is where I differ, because I stand whole-heartedly behind W&N's Flow Improver acrylic medium). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Captain Arkley Posted March 2, 2015 Author Share Posted March 2, 2015 After a lot of research, opinions etc I have decided to go for the Vallejo Model Air Metallics they seem to be extremely good :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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