Warhammer Tone Pro Paints + Drybrushes

[appiah4]

Reality check review:

 

 

[Arkhanist]

That's actually a useful video, so genuinely thanks for that appiah.

 

To save others the half hour:

 

It's not a primer.

Super blobbing it on does actually settle out really well, but obviously will still potentially cost you a little detail and is there as a 'why would you do that' save.

Thinning it down does reduce coverage so you need two coats. 

Still using same GW pots.

Wet blending is nice, drybrushing is nice and doesn't go chalky.

If you don't let it dry, it will tear up.

You do need to make to really wet to try and glaze with it as it stays strongly pigmented.

Colours are nicely vibrant.

If you take GW marketing literally it's a miracle, it isn't, and in the end it's still just paint.

 

Basically confirmed everything we're seeing, I think. The coverage is up there with other ranges, but it's still not magic in a pot that makes e.g. pro acryl obsolete. If you want max coverage you do need to use it unthinned, and the self-levelling will sort it out - but don't go back over in this state or it will tear up, and it probably will still need some small touchups as a base paint. Or you can do two thinner coats like a usual modern paint. The strengths are using it for highlighting, drybrushing, and the vibrancy is very good and not pastel. Pentads are good if you like pre-made graduations without having to mix. Expensive per ml, and still in GW pots. A lot better than current citadel layers, but not beyond other brands, particularly if you're just looking for one-coat coverage. 

 

 

 

[Antarius]

I gotta say I'm a little bit confused by the whole "blobbing it on" angle. Is that just a thing that youtubers have taken to doing or is there some other reason why that would suddenly be a thing that we're expected to do? I mean, it seems pretty obvious that it's not a great approach for miniature painting (even with actual primer, although I am continually amazed at how well priming with black gesso tends to work).

[appiah4]

It's just people who have been using Citdael paints only for 15 years discovering how properly leveling paints behave and being excited about it, then YouTubers capitalizing on the hype for clicks.

[Lord Marshal]

45 minutes ago, Antarius said:

I gotta say I'm a little bit confused by the whole "blobbing it on" angle. Is that just a thing that youtubers have taken to doing or is there some other reason why that would suddenly be a thing that we're expected to do? I mean, it seems pretty obvious that it's not a great approach for miniature painting (even with actual primer, although I am continually amazed at how well priming with black gesso tends to work).

 

I think the initial logic behind it was, 'if this is the result you get when blobbing it on, imagine how much easier it will be for inexperienced painters to get good results when they're actually trying to apply it properly, reducing streaking and detail being covered'.

 

However it's definitely morphed into influencers noticing how many clicks it got and doing their own The Blob (1988) impressions purely for the spectacle, which in turn inevitably courts the GW Bad dramatubers to tell you why it's the worst paint ever and only dumb consoomers would buy a single pot.

 

The end result will probably lie somewhere in the middle (it won't turn you into a Golden Daemon winner within a week and you don't need to dump your entire non-Pro collection but neither will it cause your grey plastic to explode on contact while a GW exec skins your family alive).

 

Edited Tuesday at 09:28 AM by Lord Marshal

[StraightSilver]

I got to try some of the paints over the weekend and I have to say I like them, but with one caveat.

 

One thing nobody seems to be talking about is control.

 

I have been painting for over 30 years and these do not act like regular Citadel paints. They are more similar to Contrast paints in consistency so if you use these regularly you will know what I mean.

I don't think this is a negative but for me it's going to take some getting used to. For base coating etc they are great, but I didn't feel I had as much control over where I wanted the paint to go as I normally do and I am not saying I will have to relearn to paint again but my first few attempts were pretty messy for me.

However, I feel the same way about Contrast paints - they have their uses but I wouldn't be using them for fine detail work.....

I am going to get at least one of the pentads to try them out more but first impressions are they will take some getting used to if you only use Citadel paints.

Edited Tuesday at 09:26 AM by StraightSilver

[Griefbringer]

The control issue does not sound surprising, if the paint is designed as a low viscosity, reduced surface tension formulation that levels easily. Sounds useful for undercoating or base coat, where you want the paint to cover large areas evenly.

 

As for beginning painters, one common problem is using too thick paint, which clogs the detail. I certainly did that in my early painting days, until I learned to thin down the paints sufficiently.

[The Praetorian of Inwit]

I tried these out in store on Sunday. I loved them. I'll be using them in the future. Heck, at my pace, I could have as many as 5 or even 6 miniatures painted by next year!

[appiah4]

1 hour ago, StraightSilver said:

One thing nobody seems to be talking about is control.

 

I have been painting for over 30 years and these do not act like regular Citadel paints. They are more similar to Contrast paints in consistency so if you use these regularly you will know what I mean.

 

I specifically called this out, predicting that these paints will NOT stay put where you apply them because of the apparent amount of self leveling gel medium and/or flow improver they have in them..

[Redcomet]

35 minutes ago, The Praetorian of Inwit said:

I tried these out in store on Sunday. I loved them. I'll be using them in the future. Heck, at my pace, I could have as many as 5 or even 6 miniatures painted by next year!

I tried them out this weekend and I love them too. They are so smooth and so vibrant. It is going to be a joy painting blood angels

[Arkhanist]

1 hour ago, StraightSilver said:

I got to try some of the paints over the weekend and I have to say I like them, but with one caveat.

 

One thing nobody seems to be talking about is control.

 

I have been painting for over 30 years and these do not act like regular Citadel paints. They are more similar to Contrast paints in consistency so if you use these regularly you will know what I mean.

I don't think this is a negative but for me it's going to take some getting used to. For base coating etc they are great, but I didn't feel I had as much control over where I wanted the paint to go as I normally do and I am not saying I will have to relearn to paint again but my first few attempts were pretty messy for me.

However, I feel the same way about Contrast paints - they have their uses but I wouldn't be using them for fine detail work.....

I am going to get at least one of the pentads to try them out more but first impressions are they will take some getting used to if you only use Citadel paints.

 

Definitely. I think it depends upon what other paints you use, but coming from citadel base/layers it's going to be a learning curve.

 

I wouldn't put it as liquid as contrast, but somewhere between a layer paint and contrast, but the medium definitely has echos of contrast so I'm sure it's got some commonalities. It's approximately the level I thin all my paints to on a wet palette, so having a ready-to-use paint is quite nice. It is noticeably more fluid than e.g. AK or citadel out the pot.

 

If you don't thin your paints very much, it's going to feel very different.

 

I think there's two ways of using them. There's the 'one thick coat' approach, i.e. pushing round a loaded brush, where you will need brush control to avoid it going onto areas you don't want (but unlike contrast, you can fix mistakes with the other colour), but does give you pretty good coverage - one coat for easy colour combos, less so for e.g. yellow/reds over black where even a thick coat will struggle. But you shouldn't need 3 or 4. The difference is how much saturation they've had to sacrifice to get that coverage, which does feel less than other paints; for the vibrancy, I'd normally expect worse coverage particularly in the tricky colours (but it's still not like, magic, that makes other paint obsolete, obviously)

 

Doing one thick coat will feel wrong coming from citadel paints, as you think you'll get visible brush strokes, texture, obscured detail etc - but self-levelling will fix that and take it down smooth. Also don't touch it once it's started to dry, let it finish or it'll tear the top part dried layer, just like contrast. 

 

The other way is to use less on your brush than you think - it goes further, and less streaky than you're used for light application of a thinned paint of the same consistency. That makes control much easier than moderate blobbing. Having it be similar consistency/coverage/vibrancy across the range is a strength here, so once you've got used to it, you'll know it for all of them. You will get some showthrough of the underlayer if it's a strong colour. I was impressed that you can heavy drybrush a single model with one (makeup) brushload though. I genuinely don't think you need to thin them generally unless making up a shade or glaze etc, or maybe for wet-blending with an extender, but the underlayer will determine if you need one or two coats.

 

As an aside, the super-blob approach was funny the first couple of times, but it has reached silly proportions now where it's a mandatory part of any video. I've used self-levelling stynylrez and pro acryl for years, and never felt the need to test the Blob....

 

[Sabadin]

For what little detail work I tested them with I didn't find control an issue. Like with any other paint doing detail work I'd load the brush, then give a quick tap on some paper towel to wick off any excess, and everything stayed where I put it.

[Emperor Ming]

Maybe im just getting old

 

All I see is the latest cash grab

[sitnam]

47 minutes ago, Emperor Ming said:

Maybe im just getting old

 

All I see is the latest cash grab

I mean...isn't this entire hobby a cash grab?

 

Did anyone that tries these paints try dry brushing with them? That's the part that has me most interested

[Jukkiz]

4 hours ago, Antarius said:

I gotta say I'm a little bit confused by the whole "blobbing it on" angle. Is that just a thing that youtubers have taken to doing or is there some other reason why that would suddenly be a thing that we're expected to do? I mean, it seems pretty obvious that it's not a great approach for miniature painting (even with actual primer, although I am continually amazed at how well priming with black gesso tends to work).

Because it´s the "current thing" to do and gets views/clicks. 

"try on this one blob method instead of two coats that cost time"

[Orange Knight]

I have now used Tone Pro paints.

I was very, very impressed. I will only use them for things like main armour, capes, etc, not for details and weapons.

Will definitely buy Some of the reds, Greens, Blues and Yellows.

[DarkMark]

1 hour ago, sitnam said:

I mean...isn't this entire hobby a cash grab?

 

Did anyone that tries these paints try dry brushing with them? That's the part that has me most interested

Warhipster dry brushes several models in the video above. They seemed to work quite well. When Juan Hidalgo uses his slap chop technique he recommends using a satin paint underneath. Tone Pro should in theory work quite well. 

[sitnam]

21 minutes ago, DarkMark said:

Warhipster dry brushes several models in the video above. They seemed to work quite well. When Juan Hidalgo uses his slap chop technique he recommends using a satin paint underneath. Tone Pro should in theory work quite well. 

 

Appreciate it, I didnt take the time to watch most of the videos (And I actually like Warhipsters style). 

[Kurgan the Lurker]

Darcy Bono. This time on what she doesn't like about the paints.

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dd3BCCKpNWn/?stkn=ZGQ3OGMwZGQ2N3M5

[Redcomet]

The bottle issue can be solved by not opening the bottle fully and scooping out some paint onto your palette. But I see her point. 
 

But if this is her main issue, it is a small one for me

[Evil Eye]

1 hour ago, Kurgan the Lurker said:

Darcy Bono. This time on what she doesn't like about the paints.

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dd3BCCKpNWn/?stkn=ZGQ3OGMwZGQ2N3M5

Was about to post this myself, so thanks for saving me the effort! I think the price will definitely be a deciding factor; if they're reasonably priced (audience laughs) that's a big plus, but GW being GW they'll likely be £6 a pot or something silly.

[ZeroWolf]

34 minutes ago, Evil Eye said:

Was about to post this myself, so thanks for saving me the effort! I think the price will definitely be a deciding factor; if they're reasonably priced (audience laughs) that's a big plus, but GW being GW they'll likely be £6 a pot or something silly.

Apparently £4 from what people are saying but as always, take it with a grain of salt.

[Arkhanist]

Big one for the pots for me was learning to close them at the back first. If you close them naturally at the front, it quite often leaves a little space by the hinge where it hasn't quite popped down, which can leave a small gap for air to get in.  If they do get clogged round the rim, you can also pull the entire lid + ring off quite easily, and then it's easier to clean around and pop back on (learned that one when I was decanting some citadel into droppers). I've had no issues with paint getting into the rim the last few years, but then I mostly dob into my palette then close, so I don't open all the way. Will see how they handle with the more liquid formula, because it will probably be more drippy as Darcy showed.

 

Speaking of decanting, they're so liquid that decanting them should be much easier than e.g. layer paints - the Drop Dripper was really useful for that, just remember to get any shakers out first or they clog the funnel. I've left most paints alone, but decanted some of my most used, like contrast medium and greys. I'm no great fan of the pots, but it's GW's 'unique brand' and easier for 'noobs' so I don't imagine they'll ever change, same with GW pricing. If it's a deal breaker, it's a deal breaker, and that's fair.

 

To be honest though I probably have more problems with clogged droppers than I do GW pots - my bold titanium white at the moment has been coming our rather thick and gel like, despite vortexing the hell out of it - there seems to be some sort of build up underneath the nozzle that doesn't respond to poking, so I'm going to have to properly strip it down and clean the whole thing out with stripper. And half my old reaper MSP droppers need pliers, brass rod and some real brute force before I can use them (partly why I want to replace them)

[Redcomet]

1 minute ago, Arkhanist said:

Big one for the pots for me was learning to close them at the back first. If you close them naturally at the front, it quite often leaves a little space by the hinge where it hasn't quite popped down, which can leave a small gap for air to get in.  If they do get clogged round the rim, you can also pull the entire lid + ring off quite easily, and then it's easier to clean around and pop back on (learned that one when I was decanting some citadel into droppers). I've had no issues with paint getting into the rim the last few years, but then I mostly dob into my palette then close, so I don't open all the way. Will see how they handle with the more liquid formula, because it will probably be more drippy as Darcy showed.

 

Speaking of decanting, they're so liquid that decanting them should be much easier than e.g. layer paints - the Drop Dripper was really useful for that, just remember to get any shakers out first or they clog the funnel. I've left most paints alone, but decanted some of my most used, like contrast medium and greys. I'm no great fan of the pots, but it's GW's 'unique brand' and easier for 'noobs' so I don't imagine they'll ever change, same with GW pricing. If it's a deal breaker, it's a deal breaker, and that's fair.

 

To be honest though I probably have more problems with clogged droppers than I do GW pots - my bold titanium white at the moment has been coming our rather thick and gel like, despite vortexing the hell out of it - there seems to be some sort of build up underneath the nozzle that doesn't respond to poking, so I'm going to have to properly strip it down and clean the whole thing out with stripper. And half my old reaper MSP droppers need pliers, brass rod and some real brute force before I can use them (partly why I want to replace them)

I have quite a few two thin coats paints, and those bottles have given me waaaay more issues than gw bottle. Paint leaks into the cap and dries, a lot of paint leaks into the caps in my experience 

[DemonGSides]

I re-bottled all of my GW paints into dropper bottles and, honestly, idk if it was worth the time.

Basically everything is going to have some sort of problem.  Just a matter of which one you care more about, I guess.  They are easier to store with the footprint being smaller.