Vellejo Paint review?
- Thread starter sillyface
- Start date
I wouldn\'t say they are categorically, significantly better. Personally, I like them better (and I am talking about the Model Colors here, and not Game Colors), but what paints to use is very much a subjective matter. Some people like Citadel paints better than Vallejos.
The things I like about Vallejo (Model Colors) are:
- Huuuge selection of colours
- Very nice, matte finish
- Pigment rich and dilutes well
- Bigger bottles, so more paint for the money
- Dropper bottles make it easy to measure out paint when mixing (although some people HATE dropper bottles)
Some bad things about them:
- You need to shake the paints a LOT before using them
- They tend to separate, especially if you use additives (but you can easily just stir them a bit with a toothpick to get the paint good again)
- The dropper bottles clog sometimes (easy to clean with a paper clip or a bit of steel wire or something)
- They aren\'t as durable as some other paints (but, if you want to use minis for gaming you should varnish them anyway)
I don\'t like the Game Color range that much. They are a bit too thin and weak in pigment for my taste and they don\'t take to thining that well (or at least they are a bit hit and miss in that respect). They are more durable, though. But, they match the colour selection from GW pretty exactly, so you don\'t have other colours to chose from.
The things I like about Vallejo (Model Colors) are:
- Huuuge selection of colours
- Very nice, matte finish
- Pigment rich and dilutes well
- Bigger bottles, so more paint for the money
- Dropper bottles make it easy to measure out paint when mixing (although some people HATE dropper bottles)
Some bad things about them:
- You need to shake the paints a LOT before using them
- They tend to separate, especially if you use additives (but you can easily just stir them a bit with a toothpick to get the paint good again)
- The dropper bottles clog sometimes (easy to clean with a paper clip or a bit of steel wire or something)
- They aren\'t as durable as some other paints (but, if you want to use minis for gaming you should varnish them anyway)
I don\'t like the Game Color range that much. They are a bit too thin and weak in pigment for my taste and they don\'t take to thining that well (or at least they are a bit hit and miss in that respect). They are more durable, though. But, they match the colour selection from GW pretty exactly, so you don\'t have other colours to chose from.
Ritual has pretty much summed up all there is to say about Vallejo Model Colour paints.
Personally I have not had trouble with clogged droppers but I have had a problem with buying split nozzles so when you buy - open them up before you take em home and check they are intact. Sure, you can tape them up if you need but having paid good money for them you shouldnt have to. They cannot be left as is due to to amount of shaking you need to do with the bottle. You will end up with the bottle\'s contents inside the cap.
I have gone from GW paints to Vallejo myself and I would never go back. I now only use GW if I have to as I find with Vallejo there is less trouble with brush strokes and it dries to a beautiful matte finish.
As paint choice is very much a personal one you might want to buy a few bottles to try them out before you consider forking out good money for a set or case even.
And as has been mentioned....some of the Game Colour paints are very difficult to work with. The greens especially are very thin and streaky....think of old time GW reds and Bad Moon Yellow.
Personally I have not had trouble with clogged droppers but I have had a problem with buying split nozzles so when you buy - open them up before you take em home and check they are intact. Sure, you can tape them up if you need but having paid good money for them you shouldnt have to. They cannot be left as is due to to amount of shaking you need to do with the bottle. You will end up with the bottle\'s contents inside the cap.
I have gone from GW paints to Vallejo myself and I would never go back. I now only use GW if I have to as I find with Vallejo there is less trouble with brush strokes and it dries to a beautiful matte finish.
As paint choice is very much a personal one you might want to buy a few bottles to try them out before you consider forking out good money for a set or case even.
And as has been mentioned....some of the Game Colour paints are very difficult to work with. The greens especially are very thin and streaky....think of old time GW reds and Bad Moon Yellow.
I like the model color much more than the GAME color.
The game color chips and rubs off extremely easy. The paint dries in the handy dandy nozzle, but sometimes even worse, the nozzle gets dried paint under it, so when you remove the lid, you remove the nozzle. That comes as a shock when you unthinkingly go to drop off a single drop, only to have the whole bottle pour out.
I don\'t care how much I shake some particular colors, they never seem to become mixed well enough to use (i also have an electric bottle shaker!)
I hate to say it, but with GW\'s newer flip top lids, I am migrating BACK to them. Or at least migrating away from Vallejo.
The model color is serviceable, as the paint seems to be a bit heartier, but I\'ve still had the issues with the lids and the nozzles.
The game color chips and rubs off extremely easy. The paint dries in the handy dandy nozzle, but sometimes even worse, the nozzle gets dried paint under it, so when you remove the lid, you remove the nozzle. That comes as a shock when you unthinkingly go to drop off a single drop, only to have the whole bottle pour out.
I don\'t care how much I shake some particular colors, they never seem to become mixed well enough to use (i also have an electric bottle shaker!)
I hate to say it, but with GW\'s newer flip top lids, I am migrating BACK to them. Or at least migrating away from Vallejo.
The model color is serviceable, as the paint seems to be a bit heartier, but I\'ve still had the issues with the lids and the nozzles.
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I\'m going to stick my oar in and support Vallejo Game Colour.
Greens can be a bit poor, but the reds, yellows and greys are lovely. I\'d recommend the Blood Red as a must have in any paint box. Good selection of very useable browns and many of the blues - especially the lighter ones and the blue/green ones are great. Don\'t bother with the flesh tones (too bright!). Bone is excellent. Metallics are an acquired taste, but are very useable and I reckon they thin better than GW metallics. Inks are spot on - mix with some glaze or matt medium to dull them down.
Game Colour is massively more hard wearing than Model Colour which is useful for gaming minis - Model Colour doesn\'t last long unless you don\'t mind caking your figs in multiple layers of varnish. :|~
Greens can be a bit poor, but the reds, yellows and greys are lovely. I\'d recommend the Blood Red as a must have in any paint box. Good selection of very useable browns and many of the blues - especially the lighter ones and the blue/green ones are great. Don\'t bother with the flesh tones (too bright!). Bone is excellent. Metallics are an acquired taste, but are very useable and I reckon they thin better than GW metallics. Inks are spot on - mix with some glaze or matt medium to dull them down.
Game Colour is massively more hard wearing than Model Colour which is useful for gaming minis - Model Colour doesn\'t last long unless you don\'t mind caking your figs in multiple layers of varnish. :|~
experience with Vallejo
I\'ve been using them for quite some time now, I can\'t state anything for fact, I mean, short of getting into some sort of insanely scientific measuring gear things like thickness fluidity etc are more or less opinions. that being said here\'s mine for what it\'s worth
I\'ve found Vallejo to be significantly thinner \"out of the jar\" than GW paints, Personally i like this, I tend to thin my paints a lot anyway, and only having to add 2 - 3 drops of water instead of 15 or so, to me is nice.
I like the nozzles bottle design, it makes it easier to measure out small amounts of paints, and also for mixing, I can accurately record, \"I used 5 drops of this, and 2 drops of this\" to re-make a colour later.
These are small differences though, and largely dependant on personal preference.
I\'ve been using them for quite some time now, I can\'t state anything for fact, I mean, short of getting into some sort of insanely scientific measuring gear things like thickness fluidity etc are more or less opinions. that being said here\'s mine for what it\'s worth
I\'ve found Vallejo to be significantly thinner \"out of the jar\" than GW paints, Personally i like this, I tend to thin my paints a lot anyway, and only having to add 2 - 3 drops of water instead of 15 or so, to me is nice.
I like the nozzles bottle design, it makes it easier to measure out small amounts of paints, and also for mixing, I can accurately record, \"I used 5 drops of this, and 2 drops of this\" to re-make a colour later.
These are small differences though, and largely dependant on personal preference.
I\'m gonna stick my oar in and support Vallejo paints. Find the Pigment/Medium balance to be better than GW\'s, the pigment to be a little finer and the quality better.
But I must really sing the praises of Vallejo Air brush paints as they are extremely fine pigments. The Metallics are to die for!
Been using the Airbrush metallics for some Orks and they really are the Dogs Bollocks, Smooth extremely fine Grain, even when drybrushed. Take tinting by washes without lifting, Everything you really want in a mettallic paint.
Might be able to get some NMM style real Metallics done properly now.
But I must really sing the praises of Vallejo Air brush paints as they are extremely fine pigments. The Metallics are to die for!
Been using the Airbrush metallics for some Orks and they really are the Dogs Bollocks, Smooth extremely fine Grain, even when drybrushed. Take tinting by washes without lifting, Everything you really want in a mettallic paint.
Might be able to get some NMM style real Metallics done properly now.
Get the primary colors, secondary & Flat black, Ivory & White.
Be sure to water them down a bit & experiment they are GREAT.
Vallejo Model color : Saves you time ( less coats to cover primer & to get a strong rich, solid tones )
Save you money ( comes in a dropper, so lasts longer does not dry out )
*** NOTE: be sure to romove the stopper ( this is the white dropper tip ) on all new paints or before use and cover opening with your finger & shake well to mix medium & pigment
If you do not the first squeeze will rid the bottle of all it\'s precious Medium & the paint will not preform as well.
SHAKE IT LIKE SHAKIRA ON CRACK!!!
Otherwise it will be hard to get the right feel for the paints because each color will not respond the same & you will be vexed.
Look up my posts \" search \" forums & you will find a topic about \" what are the best paints \"
I have a descriptive post there.
BUY EM! Save Time, Money, Sanity do more with less & get better results.
TH
Be sure to water them down a bit & experiment they are GREAT.
Vallejo Model color : Saves you time ( less coats to cover primer & to get a strong rich, solid tones )
Save you money ( comes in a dropper, so lasts longer does not dry out )
*** NOTE: be sure to romove the stopper ( this is the white dropper tip ) on all new paints or before use and cover opening with your finger & shake well to mix medium & pigment
If you do not the first squeeze will rid the bottle of all it\'s precious Medium & the paint will not preform as well.
SHAKE IT LIKE SHAKIRA ON CRACK!!!
Otherwise it will be hard to get the right feel for the paints because each color will not respond the same & you will be vexed.
Look up my posts \" search \" forums & you will find a topic about \" what are the best paints \"
I have a descriptive post there.
BUY EM! Save Time, Money, Sanity do more with less & get better results.
TH
Probably not. I started with GW, shifted to Vallejo model almost immediately and the moment use Reaper master more and more
The only difference between Vallejo Model and Reaper Master is that I feel, reaper has more binder, so I can dilute them more, but it could be subjective. Again, my feeling is that either Vallejo of Reaper tend to separate less then GW when you dilute them.
