Paint cost?

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Building Materials & Supplies
1

If a man was out to outfit his model room with a few brands entire range of paints, what would the cost roughly be?

Tamiya?

Vallejo?

Ammo?

AK?

I only ask because I’m in the market for the full range from one of these manufacturers, and the product lines can get extremely confusing.

Wonder if I could call each of them and ask them what the whole line of products (paints, pigments, washes, etc…) would cost and cab they ship it all in one box?

I already own a ton of Vallejo colors and alot of testors enamels…but I’m building a new bench with new paint rack system and the blank spots I’m gonna have will kill me.

2

My 2 cents, just don’t do it.

I started out wanting to do what you think you want. I have 3 plastic cases of Vallejo, 72 bottles ea. Probably 6 of their little 16 pc specialty sets, and a bunch of misc colors.

Cost? Around $1,000. This is just Vallejo, and it is not their entire range. I’ll bet I’ve used less than 10% of the colors.

I love inventorying stuff. I maybe should have owned a hardware store or something. Sounds like you might have the same affliction. Be careful!

To answer your question directly, finally, my best guess for the entire ranges of all paints you mentioned maybe $2,500 min. And that doesn’t even take into account some manufacturers have acrylic, enamel, lacquer, etc.

And you have it wrong about worrying about that blank space in your storage system to be. It will fill up faster than you can say “I need more paint”. That should be the least of your worries! [:D]

Whatever you end up doing, have fun and welcome back.

3

If this is what you wish to do, the easiest route would be to contact the manufacturers and distributors directly for quotes.

However, here’s a cautionary tale from my experiences - I once bought a full stock run of Model Master military enamels, including a display rack and one dozen bottles of each color in the line, just as you would see in any local hobby shop. It was in the fall of 1994 and I think it set me back $250 cash and a commission piece in trade.

Over the next decade, I found that I reached for the same colors over and over again because I built the same types of projects over and over again. Much of the full line was never touched at all, some random colors were only used once or twice over ten years. Where I was constantly restocking olive drabs, dark yellows, and other colors at the heart of armor modeling, the Italian, French, and Japanese colors never came up at all. They just gathered dust.

In 2014, I finally put the unused lots of paint up on e-Bay after running an inventory to sort out the stuff which was going bad from neglect. It bothered me that I was looking at empty slots in the display rack, so that eventually was sold off as well. I kept only what I used (about a dozen colors out of the line) but earned back my investment and made a modest profit on paint that would have otherwise gone unused.

There is a suit case sized travel box of Vallejo paint in my closet which I won in a raffle five years ago which may be the next to go to e-Bay. They are nice paints, but beyond the line for figure painting, I don’t really have much of a use for them and my airbrush doesn’t like Vallejo.

Before you make the investment in buying a full line of paints, consider what you like to use and make a list of the colors you’ll actually wind up using. Buy only what you need because the rest truly does nothing for you beyond occupying space and gathering dust.

4

You both raise valid points, and yes I am very much a curator of paints and supplies…i swear it is a disease.

Perhaps it’s just the thrill of being back in the saddle that sparks these urges? That and who doesn’t like to see there walls lined with every possible color for every possible situation organized and neat along the wall?

Perhaps I am being a bit dimwitted…

For some reason I want it all! And I’m not really certain why?

Thanks for the support fellas

5

I have several dozen Humbrol enamel tins most purchased over 10 years ago for my Regia Aeronautica Italia builds, except for couple of “bad apples” those I’ve used since have held up very well.

Testors 1/4th ounce flats are my “utility” paints, they also hold up well if properly mixed & sealed, flat green, red & yellow in particular need to be thinned, mixed & well sealed to last.

Testors Model Masters always are problematic working with, at least with me, store them as all my paints in a dark, cool place though for years the Humbrols were in the folk’s garage where it did get hot, didn’t affect them though.

6

I tend to buy the paints I need for each kit. If I have leftovers, they go in a “get lucky” box.

For instance, I’m in the process of building two 1/350 WW2 USN Carriers. I bought four jars each of Navy Blue, Deck Blue and two each of Haze Gray and Ocean Gray. Toss in two rattlers of Hull Red, a jar or two of black, and the project is mostly painted. Oh, and two jars of Blue Gray for the air wing.

I don’t know what I’d do with all that red, yellow, orange, green and purple.

7

I have considered humbrol in the past but they aren’t widely available here in the states that I’m aware of.

Perhaps I have all I really need other than a few weathering products id like to try.

I’m just weird I guess I either want it all or nothing.

8

Click This Link For U.S. Retailers Selling Humbrol Paints

Check directly with retailer to be sure they’re still stocked. R/C Hobbies in Sacramento, CA for example did but no longer, Viking Hobby also in Sacramento stocks Humbrols but isn’t listed, latter is closest “brick & mortar” store I still can go to buy most any color.

Also peruse the Internet for other retailers; I may have to buy them that way sooner rather than later alas.

9

That’s pretty much exactly what happened to me. Aside from useless colors as mentioned by Bill, I have my share of neat-o modeling-specific tools that will probably never be used.

Remember what Nancy Reagan said; “Just say no to buying modeling stuff you don’t need!” (she did say that, right??)

…and you’re going to do it anyway. [:D]

10

Yea I have amassed quite a bit of stuff over this past year.

I’m obsessed with organizing and displaying my stuff even though I’m the only one who sees it, unless the wife goes to my desk to grab something usually my scissors that she never puts back.

Something about having everything neat in front of me allows me to work at a much more relaxed smoother pace, if my desk is a mess then I can’t build anything until it is nice and neat.

And yes we will always do it anyway lol.

I believe it’s an addiction, probably an additive in the paint that draws us to it?

11

I don’t bother buying an entire line of certain paint brands. I use a wide variety of brands - Model Master enamels and acrylics, Tamiya, Gunze/Mr. Hobby. Pollyscale, Mission Models, Humbrol, and a couple oddball brands as well.

I try to stock up on what colors I need for a particular subject - not buy a whole line of paint line. Not worth the money.

Just get whatever color you need for the kit you’re working on. If you buy the entire line, more than likely you won’t even use over half the colors in that line.

12

Just my two cents. I bought my VJ Model Air in sets. 16 bottle set of Axis/Allies and USAAF colors for around 100$. Also got the VJ model air basic colors and Navy and marine 8 bottle sets for 50$. Probably set for years, tho I am thinking of getting the VJ building and weathering sets[:)]

13

Well I’ve successfully ruined my Tamiya Hanomag 251/1

14

Some generic colors you will almost always need: black, white, red, leather, flesh, silver, gun metal… always having those on hand will be pretty standard. All other colors should be bought as needed for whatever project you have going. Depending upon your subject preference some will be used more than others. If you don’t care for modern US aircraft, you won’t all the associated grays, greens, and such. If you don’t build WWII Luftwaffe, it’s a different batch of colors you won’t need…

15

Thats not possible. Joe Stalin did, but the rest of us can rest, refit, rebuild and redeploy. Let’s see what you did.

16

If I had a pc and wasn’t using the forum from my phone, I would be able to upload pics.

Let’s just say that the weathering phase got a little out of hand and my beautiful tri tone camo scheme is now a big rusty/dusty mess!

Looks like the thing got hauled up from the bottom of a lake after 70yrs submerged.

Note to self: DO NOT use a toothbrush to rub away chipping medium…it will just come off in huge completely non realistic patches.

I have completley “overcooked” it.

17

Hi;

I won’t go there . As I look at my paint supplies , many from a whole lot of years back this thought comes to mind . " How in Hades did I get so much paint in different brands "?

I have twenty four tins of the original Humbrol " Deck - Bleached Teak " . for instance .They don’t make it anymore . Now when I bought it in 1981 it was for a couple of projects that got blown away .

Would you believe ? It’s still good ! Even the few that had been opened . I have Tamiya Rattle and Bottle .The Bottle stuff ? You can keep it .The Rattle ? It’s okay , I guess . Vallejo . Well I could write a book of bad experience with it and one about the good experience with it .

Ammo ? Don’t know , I only have four and haven’t used them yet . A.K. the same .

Now if you’d asked about Model Master I would say about three retail Racks full Plus a lot of indie bottles and the Same for Testors Little Bottles . Some are at least twenty . Still good too . Even though some have been used .

There’s a real simple trick for Keeping all this stuff viable . NEVER store in a Sunlit bright , Hot space for one . Always be anal about cleaning off the bottle top inside and rim , Before you even use any of it . Then Clean the rim , real well , Before sealing it back up.

Now that said ,on the others Like Vallejo etc . Blow air out of the bottle when it is standing vertical .Then clean the tip and re-seal . By the way , on these kind of bottles , when you open them , take a " Q " tip and clean Inside the top .You’ll get a good re-seal then .

So you see , proper storage , and cleanliness , is paramount in handling paint of any kind . I have regular sized paint brushes I used on bright-work on real boats and they don’t look a day older than when I took them out of the factory wrapper .

I still have five quarts of " Spar Clear Varnish " for Boat-Wood and these cans all still flow well and spread smooth . They are going on twelve years old !

In closing . Buy only what you think you might need . If it’s a popular color for , say Armor , Get a large amount while you can .Then unlike me , or like me .You’ll have plenty for a later project , remember my Deck Bleached Teak ?

Plus , For instance , when Buying Black Semi- Gloss Model Master , I buy what I need in dealer packs of six . Now . Why ? Well , It seems like I can’t find it on the rack at Hobby - Town so I order it this way . Keep four and give away two to whomever needs it just then .

Remember I do belong to a Rail Museum and we are always re-painting and re-furbishing something .They never have the paints I use .Nuff Said ?

Oh , there is one more admonishment , that is Super Important . If You Thin a paint for whatever reason , NEVER put it back in the Original bottle .This is something many of us over the years have come to discover the hard way , early on in our modeling pursuits .

Now for the Bye - Bye kicker .There was a paint that was popular with car modelers waaay Back . It was called Pactra ! Guaranteed to leave No Brushmarks . They had some awesome colors . I still have forty bottles and they too , are still good !

Oh ! Paint Costs ? I started back when Testors Square Bottles were Ten cents and Pactra in the Model Master sized bottles was fifteen cents . I imagine for book-keeping purposes I would have to say about five thousand dollars worth . Remember , paint has taken some meteoric price increases in the last twenty years !