rich_nowak Posted April 13, 2014 Report Share Posted April 13, 2014 Hello , I am just about to take the next step and paint my 2e miniatures , I was wondering if any of you guys could give me some paint recommendations , I only used citadel paints when I was heavy into warhammer but from the looks of it their catalog got a total overhaul (haven't painted miniatures in a long time lol) and I don't see washes anymore . Also Is formula p3 any good ? I saw one write up on it and the author seemed to rave about it . Any help would be great ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan275 Posted April 13, 2014 Report Share Posted April 13, 2014 Hi Parallax Im new to malifaux but a kinda experienced painter If quality paints is what you want, and you aren't bothered about shipping/postage costs, Valejo paints are pretty much the best from experience. The dropper bottles are much better than gw pots, as you neednt use a brush, and since Valejo only make paints, you can be sure as hell they're good quality. The metallics are absolutly super and offer an amazing finish, far brighter than gw metallics. However, if you're not too bothered abou quality, or have a lot of them from doing WH or WH40K, citadel paints are just fine. I still use them, but I intend to make the full switch to Valejo when i run out. Washes are still in the GW range, they're just called shades now i think. GW are also beginner friendly, as they use a simple step by step process of base shade layer, but better effects can be produced when using valejo, as the colours aren't as limited. Unfortunately never used P3 paints so couldn't help you there, but my brother says they are hit and miss (some paints can be thick and others too thin), and valejo are ultimately better. Army painter do nice coloured sprays for batch painting, which is good for large model count at minimum effort, but I haven't tried the actual paints. Hopefully you can decide for yourself after reading this as to which paints you want to use. Valejo offer a larger range and are quality for (at least for me) inconveniece, as you may have to ship them in, yet GW are beginner friendly and are probably more accessible (GW's are everywhere now ) Have fun painting your gorgeous malifaux figs! Hope they turn out great! Jordan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted April 13, 2014 Report Share Posted April 13, 2014 I use Vallejo too (the Game colour range is a little easier to work with than Model colour, I think, it's also much closer in colour to the old citadel paints). P3 are pretty good (I have a few), as are Reaper Master Series from what I've heard. I know a lot of painters that use a mix of Vallejo with some P3 and Reaper thrown in for specific colours (P3 rucksack tan is great for blonde hair for example), along with the GW washes. There's also secret weapon washes that are supposedly very good. Some of it will come down to where you line and what you can get hold of - Reaper can be hard to get in the UK, Vallejo is harder to get up here in Canada than it is back in the UK. Honestly, if you're just starting out, it can be worth just going with the convenient choice so you don't have to carefully plan your paint ordering. Then if there's a specific colour that you don't like using from that range, try a different one to see if that's any better. It really is a personal preference thing, but the big makes (Reaper, P3, Vallejo and GW) are certainly good starting points. If you can work out what the GW paint names and types mean Don't be afraid to have paints of all makes, if over time and practice you find you like Reaper reds but Vallejo blues and browns, P3 white and yellow, and GWs washes then go for it. And when you're painting, feel free to post pictures, ask questions, and such, there's a lot of painting knowledge on the forum and people are pretty happy to help! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_nowak Posted April 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2014 Thank you both for your well put replies , as all of my hobby purchases are mail order postage doesn't bother me and if I get quality that's what counts ! Looks like I will try out Vallejo paints ! And would love to share my progress with you guys as well ! Again thank you so much ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zFiend Posted April 13, 2014 Report Share Posted April 13, 2014 I really like Vallejo colours as well. The bottles are so much more user friendly than GW paints. I have a couple of those as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierowmaniac Posted April 13, 2014 Report Share Posted April 13, 2014 Yeah you cant go wrong with Vallejo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenton Crack Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 Thank you both for your well put replies , as all of my hobby purchases are mail order postage doesn't bother me and if I get quality that's what counts ! Looks like I will try out Vallejo paints ! And would love to share my progress with you guys as well ! Again thank you so much ! Like the others that have posted, I too am partial to Vallejo paints. The "Game Color" range has most of the brighter, more expected shades for game miniatures, however I would not discount their their "Model Color" line especially for some great muted colors and their spot on military shades, that can certainly be used on more than just uniforms. On a side note, the trick that helped me save some time with Vallejo dropper bottles has been to add small stainless steel nits into each bottle as a "mixing bead". It speeds up your mixing immeasurably, and the nut cannot block flow when dispensing, since the paint can go around it if parallel to the nozzle, or through the hole if perpendicular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengt Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 On a side note, the trick that helped me save some time with Vallejo dropper bottles has been to add small stainless steel nits into each bottle as a "mixing bead". It speeds up your mixing immeasurably, and the nut cannot block flow when dispensing, since the paint can go around it if parallel to the nozzle, or through the hole if perpendicular. Be careful what kind of steel you put in your paints, stainless steel for marine applications is the most corrosion resistant. "Regular" stainless might not cut it (there are a lot of different alloys that get called stainless). After some bad experiences I got 5 mm glass beads from a chemistry supply store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenton Crack Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 Be careful what kind of steel you put in your paints, stainless steel for marine applications is the most corrosion resistant. "Regular" stainless might not cut it (there are a lot of different alloys that get called stainless). After some bad experiences I got 5 mm glass beads from a chemistry supply store. I'll have to keep an eye on them, especially the lighter colors. They have been good for a year or so, and hopefully will remain such. Thanks for the head's up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simian Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 The Army painter Inks are brilliant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rover1013 Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 I too have a load of citadel paints and am slowly switching away. I've moved all my citadel paints into dropper bottles for my own sanity and that helps until I can accumulate a full game color range. I've used some P3/Reaper/Army Painter and really, none of them have been truly disappointing. I've found some specific colors in those ranges that I prefer over other ranges. It's kind of a "try things as you go", but the Vallejo game color range is a super solid base. I have moved to Secret Weapon washes for basically all of my wash/ink use and I love them. Oddly enough, my favorite application is mixed with some of citadel's medium (lahmian or 'eavy metal) because the washes seem to dry a little glossy for my taste and the uber-matte medium makes for a nice combination. For some, that might muck with the flow too much for their taste, but it works for me With the Vallejo, they also shoot well through an airbrush with some thinning (with many thinners), so bonus! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyboy30672 Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 I still use a couple GW paints, but not many. I have tried out a few P3 paints, and I like them, for the most part. I find their color range a bit limiting, though, and it's hard to match up their colors to some older models I have painted with GW or Vallejo paints. Vallejo are the best around, in my opnion, but I haven't used Army Painter or Reaper paints. Army Painter Primer is the best, in my opinion, just the matte black and matte white. I haven't used the colored primers. I do use the Citadel Shades (or Inks, or whatever they're calling them now). I haven't tried any others, just because I have a lot of the GW stuff and haven't run out of any of it yet. As far as buying any of this stuff, if you can't find it locally, then The Warstore should have all of it. And they ship worldwide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_nowak Posted April 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2014 Like the others that have posted, I too am partial to Vallejo paints. The "Game Color" range has most of the brighter, more expected shades for game miniatures, however I would not discount their their "Model Color" line especially for some great muted colors and their spot on military shades, that can certainly be used on more than just uniforms. I am really liking the brown leather from the model line as I'm using it for the coats on my judge and death Marshalls .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfallsgamer Posted April 26, 2014 Report Share Posted April 26, 2014 There is a ton of great information above. However, in my opinion paint for our miniatures are as personal is picking a favorite beer or soda. We all have different needs and preferences. Some paints work better for different styles. Like a lot of people I started out with GW's Citadel paints when I first got into the hobby with 40K. I then switched to Vallejo Model and Game paints. I then switched over to try several different Reaper Master Series and HD. Lastly, I've begun using more Vallejo Model Air paints as I dabble with an airbrush and also like the smoothness of them with a traditional brush. To sum it up its nice to branch out and try different types and styles of painting as we grow in the hobby. But I do know must of us are not using disposable income and have to watch out budget. The progress I spoke of above has been over almost a 5 year period. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_nowak Posted April 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2014 There is a ton of great information above. However, in my opinion paint for our miniatures are as personal is picking a favorite beer or soda. We all have different needs and preferences. Some paints work better for different styles. Like a lot of people I started out with GW's Citadel paints when I first got into the hobby with 40K. I then switched to Vallejo Model and Game paints. I then switched over to try several different Reaper Master Series and HD. Lastly, I've begun using more Vallejo Model Air paints as I dabble with an airbrush and also like the smoothness of them with a traditional brush. To sum it up its nice to branch out and try different types and styles of painting as we grow in the hobby. But I do know must of us are not using disposable income and have to watch out budget. The progress I spoke of above has been over almost a 5 year period. LOL I agree that it is like picking our favorite beer or should I say our usual , Citadel had been my go to through out all my years of warhammer and lord of the rings gaming(then again it's all that was sold ). being out of the hobby for so long and seeing citadel revamped their line it through me off . I will say I am glad I did come here for help as all the recommendations of Vallejo paints are well warranted ! Love the colors , how the paint is consistent , and the eye dropper bottles have me sold in this line ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bry4 Posted May 20, 2014 Report Share Posted May 20, 2014 I have a wife and four kids so my money for paint is limited at this time i am using Citadel bases, layers, and washes ( I got them by trading in some MTG cards to my local shop) Now to my question I saw Apple Bottom paints at Walmart for 50 cents a piece does anyone use them and how much of a downgrade would i be taking by using them. (I'm assuming that the paints are like everything else in this world and more expensive means better) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Caroland Posted May 20, 2014 Report Share Posted May 20, 2014 We had someone on here years ago that purchased some Apple Bottom paints due to them being nice and cheap and trying to make a go at it. From what I remember, it basically came down to them going into the trash because they wouldn't thin very well and ended up getting very grainy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ataraxianj Posted May 20, 2014 Report Share Posted May 20, 2014 Yeah the cheap art paints you see at Walmart or Michaels work great for terrain (especially on a Zuzzy matt), but not so well on minis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bry4 Posted May 20, 2014 Report Share Posted May 20, 2014 That is what i thought thanks for the advice and i have lots and lots of MTG to get the paints i need. But I will try it out on my terrain so i don't burn through my Citadel paint as fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenton Crack Posted May 20, 2014 Report Share Posted May 20, 2014 I saw Apple Bottom paints at Walmart for 50 cents a piece does anyone use them and how much of a downgrade would i be taking by using them. (I'm assuming that the paints are like everything else in this world and more expensive means better) I have never used the Walmart "Apple Bottom" paints previously mentioned, but I have actually painted a crew or two using "Delta Ceramcoat" (a line they sell at Michael's) to good affect. Now, don't get me wrong, I still prefer Vallejo, but since I had a huge range of 60-100 colors left over from when I used them to restore pinball machines, I figured I would give them a go on some Malifaux models since I was asked to paint a crew in colors I did not have in my "miniatures paint" range, and still use some of the colors in my own crews from time to time. Their metallics are certainly colors I would avoid for modeling, but the standard colors worked surprisingly well once properly thinned. They did not seem to thin very well with water, staying somewhat uneven (although in full disclosure they are like 8 years old), but thinning them with Vallejo airbrush thinner on the other hand made them shoot well through the brush, and I got pretty good results with a matte mediuim/flow enhancer/distilled water mix thinning them for use with a standard brush, but the acrylic airbrush thinner worked fine using the standard brush as well. If you already have some "craft paints" I would recommend experimenting with them if you have the time, but you may get certainly get the results you are after faster and easier by using mini specific paints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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