I’ve just started brushing my StuG IIIB and am frankly astounded by the quality of coverage a single coat of Vallejo’s Model Color “Dark Grey” is accomplishing. Thinned with plain tap water at about a 1:1,5 ratio (which seems about the thinnest useful mix before the surface tension of the water starts causing problems), I’m getting a nice smooth finish unlike any of the “wargamer paints” I’ve hitherto used. Despite using what amounts to a massively oversized stiff drybrush (a Games Workshop “tank brush”) for much of the basecoat, the fine detail seems as crisp as it was in its unpainted state (which I was worried about when I began work).
It’s too early by far to say how the finished product will look (I will be using a hodgepodge of Citadel acrylic washes and inks for weathering and blacklining), but already with only one color on the chassis, my Sturmgeschütz has stopped looking like a toy and started looking like a thing that kills people. I suppose this is a bit irrelevant thread, but I felt like sharing my triumph, well, and recommeding Vallejo paints for anyone who has to do models the low-tech way.
Glad to hear about another convert. [:)] Switched over to VMC a while back and never regretted it. They really are a lot better to work with than GW paints. Vallejo’s Game Color range is more of a “budget” range in line with GW. VMC mixed with a few drops of Future will do excellent washes. In fact, I always thin my paints with about 1/5 of Future to water (I have a syringe where I draw up 1/5 Future and the rest water, then I can easily drip it in).
I’m sick and tired of Tamiya colors. I think I know a shop here in Tokyo that sells Vallejo, I’ll have a look this weekend. What is price range of vallejo compared to nomal paint?
I am a Vallejo addict as well, most of my collection is Model Air but they also brush on fine with no thinning at all! (They are already thin enough to airbrush so thin enough to brush)
And NikToo was right, the Tamiya comes in a 10ml bottle, the Vallejo in a 17ml bottle. Here in the US it is about $2.99 US for a bottle but they last forever as they are in a eyedropper type bottle that gives out fairly small amount per drop. It can be metered exactly like this…
I picked up 12 bottles yesterday of Vallejo and 2 from Andrea. I did some painting with them, it’s a big difference compared to Tamiya. It covers nicely, flows wonderful and the drip dispencer is awesome.
Unfortunately they had sold out some of the colors I wanted, like one shade of brown and flesh. So I’ll go next month to pick some more up.
I recommend this to all people that are using brush, or at least they should pick up one color and try it. I thought to myself when I started, can there actually be any difference? It’s twice the price for Tamiya here in Japan, but after painting one face I was convinced, it’s a better paint then Tamiya and worth the money.
Glad you are on well with your vallejo paints. The only thing i was going to say is its better if you use distilled water & not tap water as using tap water can leave a white film when the paint dry.
That’s dependent on your local water supply, the hardness and impurities thereof, etc. I decided to trust the Finnish plumbing for now, and certainly I have never had ill effects during drying.