Vellajo Paints Options

[For the Horde]

Hi All,

Any difference between vellajo colour range, game colour and model colour paints i.e. texture, application??

which would be best used for miniatures?? or are they completely the same.

Sorry if its a newb question

Thanks

[cmdr_roy]

Same product, different shades.

[Winter]

They are all pretty much the same.

Game colour is the traditional fantasy colours, bright bold colours that stand out on the table top.

Model colour consists of more realistic muted tones, really good for historical modelling or war modelling or just doing realistic tones.

There is no difference between these two ranges other than just their colours.

The model air range however is designed to run directly through an airbrush, it still sticks to the traditional scale modelling colours like model colour however it is much thinner, can be great for blending.

[lobo]

Nice reply.

[radle]

It's Vallejo - not to be pedantic, but you'll have a bugger of a time finding info or stores if you're spelling it incorrectly.

Game colour also matches up paint-for-paint with citadel, just with minor name changes so you can use all the tutorials and schemes. Eg bloody red va blood red, that sort of thing.

[J.D.Entropy]

One small thing - the game colour range also withstands handling better than model colour - may be a slightly different/thicker binding medium. I use elements from all 3 for different things.

[majere77]

Hey, dont want to be argumentative But i could not Disagree more with some of the responses above.

Model color, Game color and Model air are all vastly different products ( well as vastly different as miniature paints can get). For a start The Binder medium and pigment are made out of differnt things

Model colours use a much thicker resin pigmment which gives a realistic matte finish and a slightly grainy texture or feel. They are very useful for Historical painting or those who prefer a realistic feel to their fantasy sci-fi painting. Many showcase painters prefer this look also.
the product does settle in the bottle but is easily shaken. There is a higher pidment density too giving greater coverage.
The product is known however to wear / rub off quicker under "gaming use" much quicker.

Game color line was brought out to adress three issues. Firstly a line of paints with a brighter more vibrant and slightly glossier look to match the science fiction fantasy Genre they are aimed at. Secondly to target equivalencies in the GW range, and lastly to give a harder wearing surface More suited for gaming (hence the name) which it does by using a thinner milled Acrylic pigment and a 100% acrylic binder medium.
the paint has thinner coverage and will be harder wearing. These paints can suffer from bad mixing and settling problems aand can seperate badly when watered down.

I dont know too much about the model air paints but i know they are not simply watered down model color paints designed to save money as many people acuse. The piments are ground finer again than game color and will not clog an airbrush in the same way game and model color can. coverage is excellnt and they apply very well from a brush. The Metallics in particular, i cannot recommend highly enough.

[Shoots McG]

Thanks for the info majere77.
I have a question though if anyone can answer, hopefully the OP doesnt mind and it helps him also.

With the game colour, how bad is the seperating issue when its thinned. Is it just a case of giving it a quick stir to mix it every now and then. Or does it make the paint a real hassel to work with?

I mainly have GW and P3 paints at the moment, I really like the p3 stuff to paint with, but now ive been using p3 im finding im not a fan of the gw stuff, but I do like a lot of the colours so im looking to get the game colour set to replace the gw stuff and give me a lot of the colours I dont have yet, but the seperating issue has me worried.
Thanks

[For the Horde]

thats cool

thanks for the info.

i prefer the vallejo colours now to GW paints as well. i find they have a better consistency.

so it seems for gaming the game colours would be best........makes sense.

but i imgaine if you put some matte varnish on the models colours the chipping etc wont be an issue??

[Winter]

With the game colour, how bad is the seperating issue when its thinned. Is it just a case of giving it a quick stir to mix it every now and then. Or does it make the paint a real hassel to work with?

I mainly have GW and P3 paints at the moment, I really like the p3 stuff to paint with, but now ive been using p3 im finding im not a fan of the gw stuff, but I do like a lot of the colours so im looking to get the game colour set to replace the gw stuff and give me a lot of the colours I dont have yet, but the seperating issue has me worried.
Thanks

I personally don't find my Vallejo paints to separate all that much. That said I paint using a wet palette and thin as I go so it could be different if you are using a dry one.

As for comparing them to P3 paints, it will be a little bit different namely due to the pigment type used in the different paints. GW and Vallejo still use a solid pigment which is then dissolved in a solvent to create their paint, pretty much the reason why the paint can settle out if you leave it to sit for a while. P3 however us a liquid pigment, its a little thicker but doesn't sediment out and sometimes can show better coverage.

@For the Horde - Irrespective of what paint range you use to paint a model, if you intend to game with it, I would suggest applying at least one layer of varnish to model.

[Blind Pig]

Vallejo make a thinner for their paints called "Thinner"; it is a "Thinner for Model Air and Liquid Acrylic . Dilutes colour without loss of adhesion, resistance and consistency" (32mls)

I have it and it works. I'm sure you could find a Jo Sonjia product that does a similar thing for much less, for a larger volume.

[majere77]

....I have a question though if anyone can answer, hopefully the OP doesnt mind and it helps him also.

With the game colour, how bad is the seperating issue when its thinned. Is it just a case of giving it a quick stir to mix it every now and then. Or does it make the paint a real hassel to work with?
...., but the seperating issue has me worried.

Some colours are worse than others. Most will seperate in the bottle. I bought a pack of small fishing sinkers and put one in each bottle to mix the paint when i shake... ball bearings would probably work better as i am sure this sinkers will probably rust eventually.... their blood red is particularly bad and some of the reds and yellows as well but a real good shake with the sinker inside usually does it.

what affects me more as someone who thins their paints quite a bit is that they sepperate when watered down. As blind pig states, using a thinning medium can lessen this and sometimes stop it entirelybut mediums can effect the characteristics of the paint (make it more or less opaque lighten or yellow it slightly etc.) so you have to be carefull of that. I am in no way trying to turn you of Vallejo paints. they are fine paints and i use many of them in my collection.

Just something to bear in mind.

....but i imgaine if you put some matte varnish on the models colours the chipping etc wont be an issue??

Drop a metal model and all the Varnish in the world wont save you.... In all honesty though in terms of durability there is not an enourmous difference between the two but i will confirm even with varnish, game color is less likely to rub of with constant touching and rubbing against game case foam than model colour

Vallejo make a thinner for their paints called "Thinner"; it is a "Thinner for Model Air and Liquid Acrylic . Dilutes colour without loss of adhesion, resistance and consistency" (32mls)

I have it and it works. I'm sure you could find a Jo Sonjia product that does a similar thing for much less, for a larger volume.

I have used a Jo sonja product called flow medium to thin in the past.. worked pretty well and was only $10 for a 250ml bottle at bunnings, which should realistically last for years.

Personally now i use a recipe of a matte medium / water /slow dry / & flow aid that i mix i mix in an empty dropper bottle.

[Shoots McG]

Thanks again for the info.
I think you have all convinced me to buy a couple of colours to try them out before I go for a whole set. I often like to thin my paints a fair bit so its probably a good idea to try it out first and see how they perform.

This post has been edited by Shoots McG: Mar 8 2012, 09:51 PM