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I am looking to add some more paints to my arsenal. I have a bottle of VMA black that I like pretty well, but I have not tried the badger minitaire series. Has anyone had any luck? I really can't even seem to find a place to purchase the badger minitaire paints online. Does anyone know a good US online supplier that carries them?

Reviews if possible?

Thanks!

Web airbrushes is where I bought my minitaire set for 50% off at launch. I think they still have a 25% coupon going bringing the set of 80 down to $200 for $2.50 a bottle. Direct link to Mintiare here.

VMA and Minitaire are both great. Depending on discount, Minitaire is cheaper per volume, and comes in larger bottles. The Minitaire bottles are also great, better than normal droppers imo, which are better again than GW style tubs. Minitaire paints are in general more glossy and they have a great range of colours. The metallics are bad though - they come out iridescent due to the metallic flakes used sadly. The candies are fine though I haven't had much of a use for them yet.

I'd say you can't go wrong with VMA or Mintiaire, but Minitaire have become my go-to paints since I bought them, largely replacing my ~100 VMA/MVC/VGC colours. Other than metallics - my VMA and VLG are far superior.

There are a lot of Youtube videos covering Minitaire paints, worth a look to help decide if you want them.

The major difference in the two is that minitaire is made comparable to the old gw/vgc lines but formulated as an airbrush color. they also have a range of "ghost tints" which if your familiar with other airbrushing mediums is also referred to as "candies" which are much thinner allowing colors underneath them to show up better. (ideal for flames or glowing effects, also easy to use highlighting)

The paint would be an overall preference thing, I use VMA colors for some things VMC, VGC, and minitaire as well as P3.

I bought the whole minitaire paintline on amazon for 50% off. it took over a month to get to me, but the savings meant i wouldn't need to buy new colors for a while, only replace lost ones.

Overall the paint works, pretty much like VGC thinned down except I don't waste paint working out my paint ratios. I can also use them on a brush as already thinned paint.

VMA doesn't really provide VGC colors, boltgun =/= gunmetal nor does steel. VMA is a more generic airbrush modeling line so you have to choose those colors because you want something much different. That said, there is never anything wrong with going against prescribed methods to create fantastic results.

How glossy is it when it dries? Nothing a layer of matte varnish won't fix, I assume?

I'm in love with my minitaire paints, mostly because I haven't had a single problem with clogging or airbrush flow since I changed, whereas I used to have lots of problems with that from the vallejo stuff.

I will just say though, the minitaire clearcoats are way too glossy. Even the matt varnish is glossy, somehow. So best avoid those unless you want a shiny finish.

I really like the minitaire color choices. I bought the Vallejo air suitcase, but sold it to buy minitaire. The Vallejo colors were just too "military"... I really don't need 20 shades each of brown, green, and grey, with only a single bright red and yellow!

 Micky wrote:
I'm in love with my minitaire paints, mostly because I haven't had a single problem with clogging or airbrush flow since I changed, whereas I used to have lots of problems with that from the vallejo stuff.

I will just say though, the minitaire clearcoats are way too glossy. Even the matt varnish is glossy, somehow. So best avoid those unless you want a shiny finish.

I'm going to have to disagree. I own the whole minitaire line and they have tip dry like no other. I use Lester airbrushthinner recipe at 1:5 - 1:7 paint to thinner and I still get gnarly tiip dry.

Paitryn wrote:
The major difference in the two is that minitaire is made comparable to the old gw/vgc lines but formulated as an airbrush color. they also have a range of "ghost tints" which if your familiar with other airbrushing mediums is also referred to as "candies" which are much thinner allowing colors underneath them to show up better. (ideal for flames or glowing effects, also easy to use highlighting)

As much as id love to be using candy on models, its genuinly too expensive, are the minitaire range of ghost tints actual candy paints? I.E concentrated dyes suspended in clear lacquer? Find it a little hard to imagine they are as candys definatly require sealing in underneath and over the top with high gloss lacquer in order to stop them bleeding and running. Although truth be told, theres no brighter, more vivid, or deeper paints available than candy colours.
So.. nayone who knows candy paint and has used it before, and has also used these ghost tints... what are we talking about here?

I use them both.

I like the colors in the minitaire range - but I personally prefer the dropper bottles of the VMA and their metallisc.

I find the minitaire bottles sealed tops a bit of pain to remove as well....but overall, I think they are both great paints.

Get a bottle of each, and see how you like them.

I use minitaire almost exclusively now and tip dry is always an issue with airbrushing.

You can mitigate it by using the slo-dry that they sell and something called needle juice. When they took forever to ship me mine due to high demand they gave me the needle juice free and I've been using it non stop. It helps a ton.

I have to say I am not overly impressed with the badger paints over VMA. Most colors are glossy and some are extremely glossy,at least in the set I got. Its a little difficult if your applying layers of color when you have to stop to apply a matte varnish in between layers because its so glossy the next layer won't stick to it. maybe if i add some ultra matte medium to it it might help but i really shouldnt have to. And the tip dry is insane compared to VMA.It was the first thing I noticed when trying them out. So mjch so that they needed to package a bottle of slow dry with the kit. With vma I usually dont have to add retarder.The bottles can be clumsy when trying to drop into the ab cup as well. And yes every clear varnish I got is glossy, even the matte, so they are pretty much useless. The ghost tints are nice but are tricky to use properly. It is a great range of colors but if I was honestly asked if I would buy them again I would say no. Just my experience and opinion.

The minitaire bottles are just the same bottles that almost all other airbrush paint comes in. Except for our hobby
Look at createx paints, wicked detail, auto air colours... its either those, or twisty tops like Pro colour, or the overly praised eye dropper form vallejo
each to their own, all have good and bad points tbh.
I like twistys. But wont cry about it.

@Bavius

How do you use the needle juice? Do you rub on your needle and leave to dry or add it to the paint?