Hello

I'd like to know the use of Vallejo paint. I once bought a giant set of Vallejo Game colors (I'm a scifi wargamer primarily- warhammer 40k) and found them to be grainy and inconsistent, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't mix the paints. I found the coverage factor to be horrible as well, and they chipped off my figures really quick (even though that was the selling factor for the Game Color line) with very little handling. I paint my miniatures with Reaper paints now, they are a tad thicker but cover like magic and can be properly thinned for detail work and layering The pigment also seems to be brighter. I find Vallejo to be *worse* than the $0.50 apple barrel stuff you buy at walmart.

So my question is- what would an AFV or aircraft modeler (or anybody else for that matter) value in Vallejo? I have fictional tanks I build and paint too, so I've been trying to learn techniques from that hobby.

Thanks ahead of time!
-Zack

Hi Zack,

I don't have experience with Vallejo Game colors, but I'm using the Model Color range for painting all my figures and don't have any problem with them. Great coverage, no problem with mixing. Only some color when dry have a bit semi gloss appearance.

Cheers,
Marcel.

vallejo are one of the best for detail painting so you should be fine,
prime,
paint,
seal.

maybe mix and shake the bottles a lot more too?

I use vallejo with no problems and mix them regularly a good primer like car primer should help

Are you following the directions on the Vallejo site? You need to thin these with distilled water and apply several thin coats. A single coat of paint will ownt give you good coverage. It's not designed to. (Even with multiple coats, the paint goes a long way...I have 5 years of figures from my base flesh color. The bottle is just about empty and I just bought a second of that a couple weeks ago.) You also need to shake the bottle very thouroughly before the first use and if it's been sitting around for a long time. Are you cleaning your figures and priming them? Are you using good brushes, such as Kolinsky sables?

Yes with all of the above. I'm a good painter, and I'm not expecting my paints to cover in one coat when I am doing an "art piece". For the rank and file, I don't thin my Reaper paints because its overkill to put that much time into them, and the paints cover well. But if I am doing something I want to look excellent, I use proper thinning techniques. I used to use tap water, but I started using other artists chemicals in my thinning liquids.

The point I meant when I said the coverage was bad, wasn't that it wasn't covering in one coat. It was that it wasn't covering at all. I had problems where I would layer a color on, and by the time it got to a decent shade it was too thick to see the detail! The pigment separates from the binder and medium too easily I guess.

I did shake them, vigorously, every time I went in to paint. I even tried opening the cap and stirring with a paper clip. It just didn't help. And again, the texture was grainy, and the pigment quality was really bad.

I'm finding that others have had better results, and I've obviously had a bad experience. But my only question is- what are they good for? I want to know if there is anything worth justifying buying a set, instead of some other paint for my historical kits and fictional tanks.

Thanks for your input, and your help. Much appreciated!
-Zack

I don't know then. The only variable I'm seeing is the use of tap water which may have chemical values that are interfering with the paint. Have you tried distilled water ($2.00 a gallon at CVS and if it doesn't work, you can drink it!) Click on thelink to my photos below and see what can be achieved by an average painter. There are others who use these and gett much better results.

Haven't tried them yet myself, but plan on getting some in the next few weeks. What you are describing does not sound like anything I have heard about these paints.

Is there any chance they could have frozen? If it happened during transit or before you took possession, you may not realize it. You may want to pick up a bottle from somewhere else and see if you can detect any difference. Not sure if this will have an effect on these paints or not, but a lot of things go funky when that happens.

Just a thought...

Jamie

Thats entirely possible. I might just try to buy some from a shop, or mail order another bottle or two. I don't have an FLGS so I had to mail order the set. And hey, it gets cold in colorado.

And the thinner I use contains distilled water, but I didn't have that when I used vallejo. I didn't have too much trouble with tap water though, and I still use it to wash my brushes. I find a combination synthetic and red sable brush works the best. I also find that Boar bristle artists' brushes are great for a number of things.

It would probably be wise for me to not assume that they are as horrible as I think they are when they have a good reputation with nearly everybody else. I was willing to see the other side though, I just hadn't yet.

I think that may have answered my question. I'll figure it out. Thanks.
-Zack

Yeah, I just did some searching on the characteristics of freezing acrylic paints, and it sounds like what you are dealing with. The pigment tends to separate and will not mix up properly again. Part of the reason I don't order anything but kits in the winter, it gets damned cold up here too.
Let us know what you find out.

Jamie

EDIT- double post. Sorry.

You guys have been very helpful, thanks. I think its that then, I'll go do my own research though. Man all these years of hating vallejo over this.... Its worth picking up a bottle now, just to try it. There doesn't seem to be any other good acrylics for true modelers, or at least I haven't seen any. My reaper stuff isn't the best for tanks etc, I wouldn't think. I still like it for my miniatures.

Thanks again!
-Zack