Are flames of war paints any good? Also do you know of any good brands?

[Dark Artisan]

View attachment 7832Hi Guys, Im new to this forum, but not to painting. I have been painting for 11 years, since i was 7 years old. And all that time Ive stayed loyal to GW paints (mostly because I can't get any others on my high street). Now I'm starting out as a professional painter doing commission jobs, and as such I need to start filling out my collection of paints. I was saying this to a friend and he said that "flames of war paints are quite good and that I should try them". Sadly I can't relibably take his advice on paints as I took his advice with Dulux tester cans (I was young and cheap) and ruined loads of models. So Im asking, are Flames of war paints any good? and by extension, is there any other good brands of paint?

 

[No Such Agency]

I've used them a few times, they seem decent enough. Specifically, coverage was pretty consistently good and colours seemed pretty accurate (if that matters). And my brother's army of FoW Panzergrenadiers all seem to be happily painted, for what it's worth...

 

[Chern Ann]

I would recommend Reaper's Master Series paints. Good pigment density and thus far very consistent.

 

[Einion]

and by extension, is there any other good brands of paint?

Quite a few - many threads on this topic.

My personal favourite would be Jo Sonja, but as they're sold in tubes and are much thicker than you're used to you'd probably prefer to use a dedicated hobby paint like Vallejo Model Colour, Vallejo Game Colour or Reaper Master Series.

Einion

 

[ktooloo]

And the FoW paints are just Vallejo paints with different labels so your good to go there if you want. I'm fond of Vallejo's lines, Reaper's Master and HD lines, and P3 brand.

Also, for a commission service, if you're going to be using washes, I would recommend investing in making your own in bulk. AwsomePaintJob's channel on Youtube is quite helpful and the washes have done good by me.

 

[Kalidane]

I would recommend Reaper's Master Series paints. Good pigment density and thus far very consistent.

Quite a few - many threads on this topic.

My personal favourite would be Jo Sonja, but as they're sold in tubes and are much thicker than you're used to you'd probably prefer to use a dedicated hobby paint like Vallejo Model Colour, Vallejo Game Colour or Reaper Master Series.

Einion

What they said.

Also Coat d'arms for the old school GW range and cheap as.

IIRC Mantic paints are by Army Painter, ex-GW guys, neither of which I've used yet.

Pick and choose. It's the best part!!

 

[MrPickles]

gw paints are good man. gw gets alot of hate cause theyre the big dog but devlan mud and baal red is an amazing combo. gryphonne sepia, mud, baal red, all amazing. paints like blood red/blazing orange u cant go wrong either.

from what iv used vallejo game colour is also really good.

 

[Einion]

Price should come into the equation too and GW paints are among the most expensive (and have been steadily rising in price over the years, even with reductions in the volume of each jar).

Einion

 

[Hasdrubal]

Reaper, Vallejo, P3 and GW are all good choices to start. You'll eventually accumulate colours from different providers, based on the tones/shades you like and use often. GW Citadel colors tend to be quite primary and vivid, Blood Red is often regarded as the best bright red on the market. Likewise, their metallics (Boltgun Metal to Mithril Silver) are very good.
The Vallejo ranges (VMC and VAC) have more muted palettes and a selection of colours based on the military universe.
P3 are somewhat unique because they use liquid pigments, they aren't prone to set at the bottom of the pot as other brands do. They have colors that compliment GW's well, with more choice of muted tones.
I don't have any experience with Reaper as they aren't widely distributed in continental Europe, so won't comment on them.

Hope that helps!

 

[Kalidane]

gw paints are good man. gw gets alot of hate cause theyre the big dog but devlan mud and baal red is an amazing combo. gryphonne sepia, mud, baal red, all amazing. paints like blood red/blazing orange u cant go wrong either.

Einion has the answers again.

In my house they get a lot of hate because:
small volume
high price (leading to silly volume/price compared to... every competitor)
years of crappy containers leading to 50+ disposals of paints used fewer than two times.

Their range includes about 1 dozen products I'd recommend. It's a big world out there so try it all and enjoy the variety.

 

[MrPickles]

Einion has the answers again.

In my house they get a lot of hate because:
small volume
high price (leading to silly volume/price compared to... every competitor)
years of crappy containers leading to 50+ disposals of paints used fewer than two times.

Their range includes about 1 dozen products I'd recommend. It's a big world out there so try it all and enjoy the variety.

all true. their newest pots dont seem to be too bad and i doubt you could find better washes. has anyone tried the game colour washes? any good?

 

[RuneBrush]

I've tried Vallejo and GW - I personally prefer GW. Though the fact they dry out is a complete sod and the price is quite high, the paint works much better for me. I just didn't get on with the Vallejo (VGC and VMC), though do prefer the dropper bottles - but that's just me! I do have a couple of P3 paints that I need to try at some point soon.

 

[Elric2k]

I would take into consideration delivery method as well. P3 and GW both use paint pots, which i have come to loathe. It may not be as big of a deal to some, but the dropper bottles have never done me wrong. Easier to shake, easier to ratio (1:3 paint ratios and the like) and they've just worked brilliantly for me. RMS, VGC, VMC are all good quality paints in my experience. I haven't had a single paint in a dropper bottle dry up and cake up on me yet, however I've had to bring multiple GW paints back to life.

 

[MrPickles]

I would take into consideration delivery method as well. P3 and GW both use paint pots, which i have come to loathe. It may not be as big of a deal to some, but the dropper bottles have never done me wrong. Easier to shake, easier to ratio (1:3 paint ratios and the like) and they've just worked brilliantly for me. RMS, VGC, VMC are all good quality paints in my experience. I haven't had a single paint in a dropper bottle dry up and cake up on me yet, however I've had to bring multiple GW paints back to life.

pots are good too. P3 pots are like old school gw pots which means they'll never dry out. as long as the paint doesnt dry out i like pots.

dropper bottles are good too unless it's a ink or a wash. using a wash/ink from a dropper bottle annoys me.

 

[cannon_fodder]

You've gotta play with a few brands and see what works for you. Some can be manipulated better than others and therefore seat different styles.
personally, I'm converting from GW to P3, just like the master company better, but GW aren't bad. Of the two, GW has some of the best metals around and their afore mentioned washes are like liquid gold. I prefer p3's consistency for regular colors though and their pots seal better IMO, but they have reformulated quite a few times to this point (Also, I remember hearing rumors abour P3 being made by Coat d'arms, but don't quote me on that)

 

[Dragonsreach]

So Im asking, are Flames of war paints any good?
I can't speak from personal experiense on FoW paints but, my best mate was advised to buy a boxed set for his FOW Russians. Sadly the box contained nothing it was supposed to, as did the replacement and tertiary replacement. If you do go to FoW be selective and buy singly if you can.

and by extension, is there any other good brands of paint?

Other good brands of paint Probably hundreds, Most Painters I Know Pick & Mix their paint according to what colours they need (or want).
To me GW are over priced for what you get, but they still have colours I use, so I'm tending to move over towards the Vallejo GAME colours for those items, the rest I use are mostly Vallejo Model Colours and Vallejo Airbrush colours, with a smattering of Reaper Master Series paints, and Artist tubes.
But the major point is YOU don't have to be tied to one manufacturer for ALL your paints, be selective and find what you want in terms of colours, handling and price.

 

[DannyVasquez]

Other good brands of paint Probably hundreds, Most Painters I Know Pick & Mix their paint according to what colours they need (or want).
To me GW are over priced for what you get, but they still have colours I use, so I'm tending to move over towards the Vallejo GAME colours for those items, the rest I use are mostly Vallejo Model Colours and Vallejo Airbrush colours, with a smattering of Reaper Master Series paints, and Artist tubes.
But the major point is YOU don't have to be tied to one manufacturer for ALL your paints, be selective and find what you want in terms of colours, handling and price.

I second that one. I tend to use GW stuff but Ill take what I can get really as long as I use it. Vallejo is the other brand I use the most with Tamiya clear for specific techniques.