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Hi All,
With GW changing all of there paint names/options and screwing up a paint order I had been thinking of for a while, I got to thinking I know many modeling paint companies but I honestly don't know which company is better to buy paint from. So I would like to hear from other people and ask what company people think is best. or what companies paint is best used for certain techniques.

Also, Is there a tutorial on how to make a good wash?

Thanks,
Alswash

I have recently fallen in love with Vallejo paints. They go on super smooth and the dropper bottles destroy the stupid GW pots.

As far as washes go, Les from awesomepaintjob.com posted some YouTube videos detailing his wash recipes. I've never used them, but I admire the hell out of the guy so I know they're legit.

i dunno, I tried alot of different kinds, I just have GW paints so im sticking with them no real preference though XD

personally , i like using the reaper paints (also yay dropper bottles), though i have a few vallejo also that i'm happy with

I have GW, Valejo and P3, I like them all, I find the Valejo Model series goes on best though.

Oh and I moved all my GW paints (and my P3) over to dropper bottles, cost me about $15 to do it.

I have GW almost exclusively for my paints though I have recently picked up Humbrol model paints as a base spray across my guard (and ofcourse an acrylic pot to touch up after spray) just because its easiesr to use and get ahold of than airbrush paints locally. Plus its a colour I like.

As for the rest of my paints being GW, personally I dont find the price disagreeable, its what I've always used and it hasnt ever really let me down. There might be better things out there but why change when there's nothing wrong with what I use now.

I've had good luck with Vallejo. Haven't tried any P3 or Reaper paints, but I've heard good things. Citadel is all I can get locally, aside from craft paints and enamels, so I use a mix of VGC and GW. There's no reason to limit yourself to a single company (barring limited availability or some some sort of attractive discount on a single brand), so shop around and find what you like.

As for making washes, I'd echo the suggestion of checking out L.Bursley's wash recipe. He generally does good work and I've heard several success stories from people who have used his recipe.

I've tried a few different varieties of paint since I started. Currently, I've pretty much settled on Reaper since I like their Triad system, colour selection and how their paint mixes (liquid pigment for the win!). I'm a dropper bottle fan as well (though Reaper doesn't have a monopoly on that packaging method). The new Reaper HD Series, basically the equivalent of Citadel Foundations is on my list of things to try.

In terms of GW, their (I suppose it's previous now) range of standard paints tend to be thick and some of the consistency is a bit funny. That's the standard range. I still like to use Citadel Foundations (often as a primer) and the washes have become a staple of my hobby tools. Unsurprisingly, the biggest advantage of Citadel paints is that you can want into most hobby shops and pick up what you need. Availability of other brands of paint can vary widely depending on your area.

I tried the P3 paints a couple of years ago and they were nice. Like Reaper, P3 uses liquid pigment and mixes nicely. The pots are relatively large and seal well (they're basically the old GW pots from the 80's).. The finish is satin, so if you want flat, you'll have to add matte medium or use a flat varnish after the fact. The one thing to mention on P3 is that their colour range is limited, so you'll often have to mix colours to create the colour you want. Fortunately, P3 paints seem to be designed for mixing, so it's less of a problem. These paints also seem to work just as well as Vallejo Air Colour for air brushing if you're doing that.

Vallejo paints are pretty high end as these things go. The colour range (all three of them in fact) at least rivals Reaper's and might even exceed it. I really haven't bothered to count. Suffice it to say that both vendors have a massive range of colours. Vallejo also sells lots of additives and medium; gloss, matte, metallic, smoke, verdigris; I'm probably missing a few, but you get the idea. Bottom line with Vallejo is that there's a tonne of variety in terms of bases, binders, pigments, finishes and the rest. As to working with the Vallejo paints, I've tried a few and the only hiccup I ran into was the fact that they're quite a bit thicker coming out of the bottle than Reaper. Definitely good paints though.

Apple Barrel, Folk Art and the like can be used as well. These paints are dirt cheap (as model paints go), widely available and have a massive variety of colours. Their quality also varies greatly and you'll definitely have to thin them. They're not my pick for paint unless I'm covering large pieces of home built scenery.

Secret Weapon Miniatures out of California also produces a line of washes. I ordered some last week since I've heard good things, but I've not tried them yet. One thing I can attest to though is the fact that they've got a great variety of colours available in their washes.