Are Vallejo paints ready to spray from the bottle or do they need thinning?
If thinning needed, What is the best paint to thinner ratio for them?
Vallejo Model Air will spray straight out of bottle.
Many folks swear by adding just a drop or two of Vallejo Airbrush Thinner. I’m going to say somewhere around 1:15 to 1:30 or so.
Adding Vallejo Flow Improver will go a long way to avoid dry tip.
I’d avoid using any other products other than those two. That’s my advice, not gospel.
I wouldn’t even try spraying Vallejo Model Color, Game Color, or any of the other variants designed for brush painting until having some degree of confidence with the Model Air Line. Those products require heavy thinning and still don’t spray very well, IMO.
Hi Greg,
Model Color sprays nice with their thinner and flow improver,no issues,same with panzer aces colors
If I can do it,anybody can [;)]
I thin Model Color/Game Color with Flow Improver, about 3:1 and have had no major hiccups. I am familiar with the consistency of Model Air and shoot for that. I also thin Reaper MSP Core Colors and Scale75 at the same rate. No issues.
Always practice a new material or process before committing to a current model build
Thanks for the tip.
Thanks for the tip.
I’ve found that to be the key. Don’t be stingy with the FI. I’m using about 30% relative to paint and no thinner. IMO: Thinning makes the tip drying worse. Also, give the brush some air. 20-25psi and don’t try to “just barely” open the trigger. Let the paint keep moving.
AH VAllejo. I am sort of in the middle of actually working with these paints. Vallejo paints do kinda have a learning curve. THe model air paints are nice but, as said above I add flow improver to help with the dry tip thing. I also spray my brush at 20P.S.I. I have been using stynylrez as a primer and mixing about the same as said above with the model color and have gotten some really nice results. JUst break out the plastic bottles and find the mix best for you
Hey Tojo and Ed,
Thank you for setitng the record straight about spraying the Vallejo lines besides Model Air. I see now that my post was poorly worded and I wouldn’t want to scare off a potential new Vallejo user.
I agree that Model Color, Panzer Aces, Game Color, etc will spray ok when properly thinned, and I don’t even know why I said it won’t.
What I really meant was depending on a new user’s experience level, getting those products properly thinned might be challenging becuase the paint is so thick, whlist Model Air might be a better staring point.
Again, thanks fellas! [Y]
Do not add alcohol to Vallejo paints. Unless you want to spend an hour disassembling and cleaning your airbrush. It clogs the tip almost immediately.
Distilled water works fine.
I always run water (and/or Vallejo thinner and Flow Improver) through my airbrush before using Vallejo paints. I’ve had Vallejo clump up based on what I last ran through the airbrush when I cleaned it, even if it had dried.
I spray the Model Air most often thinned a bit extra with my own thinner in it. I thin it 20% or so, sometimes a bit more. Sprays great. And my thinner that I use on paints that don’t like alcohol has a little acrylic airbrush medium in it which improves adhesion. Just sayin, I like the paint and I really like it’s super fine pigments for light coat coverage.
Never shot Model Color. I have no doubt I could make it work but can’t comment because I’ve not done it yet.
… sure glad I only use Tamiya and an occasional acrylic craft paint.
…just saying
I hear you, and from all the negative stuff posted here about Vallejo, can’t say I blame you.
Just FWIW, it’s been my experience that if one sticks to the two Vallejo additives mentioned, it’s pretty great stuff.
Most of the troubles I’ve read here over the years usually lead back to folks using additives that don’t play well with the Vallejo chemistry.
The biggest negative was dry-tip, and that has been pretty much negated with their Flow-Improver product.
All that said, I’m becoming more and more fond of acrylic lacquers myself for their no-fuss spraying, fast-drying and durable finish…so in no way am I debating your comment!
[dto:]
I’m a big fan of the new acrylic lacquers too. Sure, you can mix this and that with Vallejo paints and make them work…but why?
I don’t mix up my own colors,it’s usually a case of finding the Color I need in the most user friendly paint.
I think it just adds a new fun dimension to the hobby. These are not paint right out of the bottle and bobs your uncle. – to get great results takes practice and as frustrating as it has been I really think that these are great paints.
Vallejo definitely has a learning curve lol.
I’ve been mixing MSP, Game Color, Model Color, Game Air, and the Model Air lines to varying success.
The flow improver helps, but after reading the other comments, I haven’t been using enough of it lol.
Tamiya is my favorite, easy to spray, paint so far, but Vallejo paints are easier to find locally.
The real fun is in mixing up your own colors! I typically mix stuff up in small batches in one of those medicine cups that come with Nyquil or Pepto Bismol before putting them in my brush.
Anyways, Vallejo is my primary paint line and I’m still working the kinks out after years of experimentation. You guys may have just given me an answer I’ve been looking for. Use more Flow Improver.
Thanks!
TAMIYA paints are my favorite its getting harder to find them localy not sure why i guess my hobby lobby has a lazy maneger
THIs is good advice tamiya is not a true acrylic but an achohol based product. Valoho piants are strictly water based
I don’t know if they need it or not but I usually mix for every 5 drops of Vallejo Model Air or Model Color paint/ 1 drop distilled water/ 1 drop Vallejo Flow Improver. I even use this mix with Joanne Fabrics Craft Paint. Haven’t had any problems with either paint except for those of my own making. You have to look through the racks of Joannes paints to find the color you need and sometimes you have to mix your own but they have always worked OK for me and sometimes they have sales. One day I walked in to a 3 for 1$ sale. $10 got me 30 bottles. Have an entire drawer in my bench full from there.
Jim [cptn]
Stay Safe.