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Well I picked up the new Privateer Press Paint sets at FanXpo this past weekend and I figured I'd give a quick review.

Talking to the Privateer lads at the booth; apparently these paints use a liquid, instead of ground pigment. They expounded upon the quality of coverage that this gives as ground pigment tends to 'clot' and leave streaks or (on if drying while painting) brushmarks. The liquid pigment means that as you thin the paint the coverage remains consistant and won't dry 'chalky' or dull.

So, somewhat skeptical (I used to make paint in art school, and ground my own pigments) as I've been using Vallejo and GW paints for ages, both of which use ground pigment I picked up one of each of the paint sets. As it was part of a pretty huge purchase the guys at the booth sold it all to me for the US price instead of a Canadian Conversion which was nice, so at 18 bucks for 6 paints, I decided to get the whole current range (thanks again Privateer lads!).

So on sunday I decided to have a lazy day inside and put together some of my swag from the con. I assmebled my Exemplar Vengers, Vilmon and Epic Feora and did some painting. 

So, about 8 hours and lots of painting later I've got some comments of my own about the P3 paints.

1) The pigment coverage IS really nice and consistent. Menoth Base White which is a pretty close match to Kommando Khaki goes on absolutely clean over a black primercoat. I was impressed by this. Their yellow is also fairly strong but still 'greens' a bit over a darker coloured base. Their reds and blues are excellent and both paint perfectly over black.

2) The paints are a tad thick. I don't know if it's this liquid pigment or just a lack of medium but they come out just a LITTLE more viscous than GW or Vallejo paints when they're first opened. Not a major problem, but I'd recommend putting a couple drops of flow release on your pallette or just adding a few drops of acrylic medium to the pot directly (what I did).

3) The pots are old-school GW/Coat D'arms. Nice lids with a good seal. Just like those old paints though the hinge is just as flimsy and you do have to be careful about paint getting into the seal. As it seems EVERY gaming company has used these pots at some point it's not usually a big deal, but worth a comment.

4) The Pallette was SO designed by Mike McVey. The colour range is designed for one colour to highlight another without mixing, right down to the names! People who remember the old Citadel line before certain colours were dropped (Billious and Scorpion green, practically the same colour) will remember this. Menoth Base White and Menoth Top Highlight White are good examples of this. Not a criticism, but the paints ARE designed to be easy to use. Nice for beginners as they're fairly self explanatory, but may make the overall range somewhat weird as there are a lot of browns and beiges that are REALLY close together colour wise.

So, after painting my IKRPG Paladin, Vilmon and an Amon with these paints I'm real happy with them. Definately great paints for beginners, but need additives to get really smooth blends or colour transitions. If you're playing Wehrmacht and want to get some colours to match the studio paintjobs, or want some good basecoat colours then definately pick up a set or two!

Will they replace my Vallejos and old and comfy old Citadel Paints? No... But the range is a nice supplement and something neat to try out. If they expand the line a bit I'll definately pick up the rest of the colours, but then I'm a whore for paint.  

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

 

 

Don't care how good they are I am not buying paints that have lids. Droppers, purely IMHO, are the only way to go. Pots are old fashioned. The people who argue that pots are more hands on and don't strip the art of painting to %ages remind me of the vinyl die hards, who swore CD's ruined the music listening experience.

I keep a book with color combo's I have used for returning to models at monthly intervals, and am able to get virtually perfect color matching.

my only problem with droppers is when they clog (which they do)
I was squeezing my vallejo crap....I mean blue ink...
when instead of ink coming out of the dropper, the whole top came off, covering my desk and myself and my models with their ink.
I've never had that happen with a pot!
=Þ

Posted By deitpike on 09/04/2006 3:36 PM
my only problem with droppers is when they clog (which they do)
I was squeezing my vallejo crap....I mean blue ink...
when instead of ink coming out of the dropper, the whole top came off, covering my desk and myself and my models with their ink.
I've never had that happen with a pot!
=Þ

No, you just bump the pot and knock it over and have paint all over the place anyway.

Posted By deitpike on 09/04/2006 3:36 PM
my only problem with droppers is when they clog (which they do)
I was squeezing my vallejo crap....I mean blue ink...
when instead of ink coming out of the dropper, the whole top came off, covering my desk and myself and my models with their ink.
I've never had that happen with a pot!
=Þ

ohhh duuuuude ...... I have had that happening a few times myself. My favourite is when I take the lid off and the dropper comes with it and I don't notice. Give the bottle a squeeze and all of a sudden I have a mix of 1 drop black 3/4 bottle of red.

I now clean the bottle top as I use it, which has improved clogging and having 3/4 of a bottle on my pallet.

Still beats the heck out of knocking over a lidden pot that goes all over a carpet to which I have to endure hours of guilt tripping by my lord and master.

Pots v droppers. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, but for me 99% of the time I get extremely controlled mixing with droppers and that is the appeal.

Pots vs. Droppers... I still choose with the paint inside.

I've always liked the screw-tops on old Ral Partha paints... but the paint inside SUCKED! LOL

Posted By Achilles on 09/04/2006 3:52 PM
Pots vs. Droppers... I still choose with the paint inside.

I've always liked the screw-tops on old Ral Partha paints... but the paint inside SUCKED! LOL

True. that is why I use a mix of paints. VGC, reaper and GW et al. I have yet to see one line of paints be the best. But, 90% of my paint is in droppers.

But if the P3 line is designed to reduce mixing for highlights then it maybe just what some people need. Horses for courses.

I'm another dropper convert. Far, far too many spilt jars (enamel being the worst... am I ever glad those days are over). In fact, speaking of enamels, I think the pots are going the same way. As far as clogging, keep the lids clean and don't force the paint out. If it does get clogged, having a simple needle or other poker to clear the way fixes the problem with no mess.

Regarding the p3 paints... why is every single miniature manufacturer producing their own line(s) of paint now? We have Citadel, Reaper, Reaper Pro Paint, Foundry, Privateer, and Rackham. Then you have PollyS, Tamiya, Vallejo, Testors, Humbrol, Coat d'Arms, and many more I'm sure I'm forgetting. This doesn't even touch the vast number of manufacturers of craft, student and artist grade pigments available in acrylic, alcohol, oil and enamel mediums.

I'd go as far as saying outside of Citadel (which sucks, but doesn't take up a huge amount of space and there is the brainwashed masses that refuse to try, much less use, anything else), Vallejo's two primary lines (Game Color and Model Color, throw in Air Color if a lot of airbrushers abound in your area), Testor's Model Master and Tamiya, a shop doesn't need any more paint lines. Those four can cover everything all the others can. I just don't see the need for yet another paint line in an alrady overcrowded and oversaturated market place, new "liquid pigment" technology or not. But that was a good review!

Posted By fullheadofhair on 09/04/2006 3:59 PM
But if the P3 line is designed to reduce mixing for highlights then it maybe just what some people need. Horses for courses.

Try the Reaper Master Series paints.  They come in dropper bottles, are grouped in triads (shade, base and highlight) and are every bit as good as the Vallejo paints.  Also if you like flat colors the Master Series paints dry perfectly matte.  If you haven't tried them, it is definitely worth picking up at least one triad to experiment with.

That having been said, I will most likely pick up the Cryx set of Formula P3 paints.  It looks like it will have more colors that I would initially want than the other sets, especially the Blighted Gold.

I just wish I could come up with an 8 hour stretch to paint!

When I was a lad, we hunted THREE days for the berries to
make our paints. Then we went through the mountains, uphill
both ways!, to gather stones of the finest materials to grind our
berries. Those were the golden days of painting, I tell you.

Tell us again how you got the white paint for the highlights, Mr. Felix.

Posted By Jester on 09/05/2006 7:31 PM
Tell us again how you got the white paint for the highlights, Mr. Felix.

First, I need to make sure that the face needs some coverage...

Berries?  You guys were chumps.  Everyone knows that REAL paint pigments come from the sea.

That's noth'n. I remember when "Blood Red" really was...