Are you Using the Same Paint Manufacturer?

[reddogfive]

Having recently got back into painting more regularly I began going lthrough my collection of acrylic paints. I have a few different brands including the craft paints from our local craft store chain.

I was wondering which paint you useand why?

Is it the same brand that you started with?

If you changed why?

Do you use more than one brand?

I started with Citadel Games Workshop back when they had flip top containers. When they changed to the screw top "fast dry" plastic containers I started to look around. I picked up a lot of paint "cheap" from a neighborhood store including Polyscale and others. I liked the range of the Polyscale but I have now changed to Vallejo Acrylics. (tjough I still use those cheaper craft paints too)

I like the Vallejo bottles and their range of colours. I purchased their gimmicky crackle and other effects paints but have yet to use them.

Lefecolor brand is another company someone told me to look at. What say you all?

ArrOOoo, Reddog

[roguetrader]

well, started off with the old gw flip tops, then carried on withem but now i have changed over to rackham pigments i find them alot easier to paint with, altough im just learning to thin down with water etc, and you get more for your money than with gw

[Tim C]

When I first started I used Humbrol Enamel, Citadel Colour wasn't around then and when the first sets came out i wasn't impressed by them either.
It took me a long time to get used to using acrylics but I have used GW/ Citadel Colour ever since and I can't see me changing anytime soon.

[roguetrader]

arnt gw bringing some new ones out tim?

[Tim C]

Yup the foundation set will be available to buy from April 21st, I have no idea what they are like but I have pre-ordered the set and will give them a try.

[matty1001]

Started with GW because of accesibility, then at xmas recieved the VMC case off Laura, i prefer the vallejos because, bigger range of colours (IMO), more natural (why im not keen on game colour), bottles and they were cheaper than GW for the case set.
Iv now also bought a load of P3 paints, which IMO are amazing for basecoats.
I still use the citadels, but ony a few select colours.

[suladan]

I have some vellejo piants left from when i used to paint minis, tested them yesterday and they are fine but the GW paints are thick and gloopy

I would recommend them, they are pretty cheap to.

[jabberwocky]

I started out with a brand called Poly S a looong time ago. At that time, they were screw top pots--they have long since dried. When I rejoined the hobby in 2001, I went with Vallejo model color. I liked the wide range of colors and I still used them on occassion. I find them thicker than the other brands I use, but in general have good coverage. They require additional thinning due to the viscosity, but that is just a matter of getting used to them. They do tend to rub off rather easily, though. Currently, my paint line of choice is Reaper Master Series. They are organized into "triads", which give you a basecoat, highlight and shade color. I like having that option available to me and not having to mix my own highlights and shades (although in all actuality it really just minimizes that--I still end up mixing with the highlight and shade colors to add that 4th and 5th color). I think they have pretty good coverage and tend to stick much better to the lead than the Vallejos. I am still up in the air on which brand I prefer for the metallics, though. I have not tried any of the newer brands, but I doubt I will go back to a fliptop sort of container--I really like the droppers. I think all the acrylic brands one can mix and match. They all have different qualities and as long as you don't mind experimenting a bit, get whichever strikes you. I think most painters have bits from different lines.

[lono]

I used Humbrols to paint my first few Citadel minis too, under adult supevision due to their less friendly nature!

I soon got some GW paints to go with my GW minis though. I think the first was the Ork and Eldar paintset. I stuck with GW through the terror of some of their dreadful paint pot designs, pretty much because I only really knew of and respected GW product.

Once I started working for GW stuff was discounted so I continued to use them (The Mega Paintset becomes quite a bargain with 50% off it's price) but also branched into other manufacturers for certain things (Tamiya Clear for gore and metal staining, Humbrol for shiny metals etc.).

Now I am gradually phasing out my GW supplies and replacing them with Vallejo and Foundry paints.

Vallejo have a consistency I like more, the pippete bottles are handy and there are some great colours.

Foundry are basically GW paints, in the decent old style bottles and they seem to have vastly more pigment to them. They kick ass to be honest. I would recommend them over GW paints without any hesitation. The only reason I can see for not getting them is that they cost a little more and have slightly more limited buying options.

[roguetrader]

lono, did you work at a store for gw or head office?

[lono]

At Head Office, in the Northern Europe department. I was part of the marketing team (Don't laugh, I didn't realise such a thing as marketing existed in the GW vocabulary either until I saw the job!).

[roguetrader]

whats it like? fun atmosphere or whipcracking hard work ;D

[lono]

It's fun for sure.

Painting in your lunch hour, communal bits boxes, office campaigns, plenty of cool people who are into the hobby, plenty of cool people who aren't into it, pre-release minis to paint up (and any left over ones available to blag when they are out), office gaming board, painting and conversion competitions, all that sort of stuff. Discounts are huge once you've been there long enough to buy stuff at weight prices too! ;D

Hard work? Well sometimes it's a nightmare, but in general you can get away with doing less at GW than you would be able to in a lot of places I'd say. You shouldn't do less of course, and to tell the truth it's pretty easy to feel the urge to do more than you have to instead. It also depends on your department and the job you have too.

Downsides. The pay is far from great, I think everyone knows that one. There's a lot less job security there now than there used to be too. There are things that will get you down, but in general it's pretty sweet.

I left because I wanted to try working for myself, not because I was desperately unhappy. I'd definately be tempted to go back if the right job came up.

[tadme48]

I started with Humbrol as they were the only ones around at the time, oh the joy of fumes, maybe why my hair is so thin these days. I was only working on Airifix figures and machines then. When I discovered GW I also got some of the paints for that and used them till 3 years ago. Since then I have been using some GW for metals but mostly Vallajo. In the last few months I have been using Rackman colours and found there covereage the best so far even when very thinned down. I have also been adding Liquitex additives to the water and this has helped a lot.

[razhburz]

I only use GW, but I think I'm going to try out some rackham ones aswell

[menace]

The only purpose made mini paint ie acrylic with fast drying medium, available in Oslo at shop level is GW and so i'll stick with them, i'd hate to run out of colour and have to wait 2 weeks for a mail order. i also use golden artists acrylic colours, readily available, much slower drying, work well with mediums but can have a very high pigmentation in white and black which makes them useless for minis

ps..Top man lono, nothin' easier than to slate a previous job.... and you didn't

[chemicalcaveman]

Well I started off with GW, just as they were bringing in the new screw caps, so I didn't know much better for a couple of years. Man did I waste a lot of paints!

Then about a year ago I invested in the case of Vallejo GC paints. I use those now for just about everything. I still switch to GW metals and inks though. I have the GW foundation paint set ordered, so I'm looking forward to trying them out.