help me decide on the best Paint to use - Getting back after 4 - 5 years away

[TomxJ]

hello,

I\'ve recently decided to get back into the hobby after a break of about 4-5 years. Since then it seems so much has changed!

Breaking out my old paints (mostly Citadel) i found that all the old ones with the black screw tops were solid (although the older white pop lids were mostly fine), so I need to get some more. but i\'m hesitant to get more citadel paints as there are so many alternatives these days, plus they are expensive and going into the local games-workshop is a trumatic experience. So I\'m looking for advice on what brand to dip into.

I\'m painting some privateer press miniatures i have kicking around so i\'m thinking formula P3 paints, and i\'ve heard good things. I\'m also curiuos about the vallejo brand, but whats the difference between model colour and games colour?

I guess what i\'m looking for is a beginners guide to buying miniature paints.

Thanks in advance

tj -x-

 

[Ritual]

There\'s hundreds of threads with info about paints here. Do a search and you will find more than enough.

 

[Aliengod3]

I do not know about a guide but I can tell you that P3 paints are good, citadel are good, Reaper Master Series paints are great, and vallejo are good. With any line there are always problem paints that do not cover well or do not adhere to surfaces well. There is a thread on the forums somwhere where people list the paints that are the most troublesome.

 

[Amazon warrior]

Aliengod\'s pretty much nailed it. You\'re best off picking and choosing paints you like from available ranges as different paint lines have different strengths and weaknesses. They interchange pretty well usually (says the girl who owns six brands of paint, not counting different lines made by the same company! ).

 

[Einion]

Check all the links in the thread right at the top of the Painting & Conversions forum.

There is no one best paint and basically it comes down simply to personal preference. Many people also use a bit of this and a bit of that rather than sticking to one brand/range exclusively.

Einion

 

[Alchemist]

Don\'t forget about the bottle: Reaper Master Series and Vallejo use dropper bottles, which I greatly prefer.

But yeah, in my limited experience you aren\'t going to go wrong with the big name brands: Reaper, Games Workshop, Vallejo, P3. Which is why I would decide based upon whether you prefer dropper bottles or not; then you can at least focus on two of the four. But don\'t be afraid to pick-and-choose colors from different lines; but I would still focus primarily on one, which will keep you from too much crossover (e.g. buying very similar silvers from GW and Reaper).