Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Just wondering what peoples opinions are regarding different paint company comparisons. Who prefers Citadel, Vallejo Game Colors, or Coat D'Arms (or any other brands)??? Please make sure you give a reason to why you like one over the other (pricing, availability, color selection, paint quality, etc). Or if you like to mix and match!


I look forward to hearing your thoughts

Thanks a bunch!

I am a fan of a mix of P3 formula and Vallejo game color. P3 since they have some really good base coats and a good value for what you get, Vallejo for the metallics, color selection, and pricing as well.

Secert Weapon washes as well since I have had some really good effects and washing with them.

GW do a great range of bright colours, yellows, reds etc... Almost cartoon like sometimes, although, I probably prefer Vallejo to actually paint with.

Metallics vallejo with their liquid metal range are by far the best metallics out there. (In my view anyway)

GW's paints range is pretty easy to get (at least in the UK) from their stores or from independent retailers, the latter usually with a discount.
When I was painting and modelling in the late Nineties I used GW paint exclusively and eventually obtained the full range. I can't afford to do that now but I think the expansion of GW's range can only be a good thing, and some of their 'technical' products - the drybrush, textured and blood/rust/oxidisation paints - are really good. I'm not a huge fan of the flip-top lids GW use but it means I don't always have to use a palette...

When I got back into P&M I started with an Army Painter set and that sold me on the dropper bottles. The range is small but mixing your own colours is actively encouraged and they provide charts for this.
If my 10yo son can follow them to paint his Night Goblins pink, anyone can.

Vallejo make a huge range of paints for different customers - artists, modellers, gamers - and again, they're in dropper bottles. I paint 1/35 scale models as well as wargame mini's and happily mix their Vallejo Model Color paints between ranges.

I use all the above paints, sometimes on the same mini, and I haven't had any problems. They do what I need them to. I think they're pretty much all of the same high quality so my only preference is due to price per ml and local availability. I can get everything I want from a FLGS (Element Games) after a 8-mile bus ride, but can also just walk into town to GW Manchester, so sometimes I'll pay the full price for that convenience.

I am pretty sick of my GW paints, and am trying to paint as much as I can to use them up.

Way overpriced, stupid bottle design, can be quite temperamental

Minitaire are OK, but have given me interesting results so far (some are super glossy). Dirt cheap though, and work quite well.

Vallejo model air is brilliant, I have some VGC, VMC and P3 stuff, but haven't used enough of it to really form an opinion - they seem pretty good so far.

I use both gw and vallejo colours: both have their perks and you may mix even between them.
Gw base colour (not unlike vallejo extra opaque, i'd say) have a good coverage and both brands are of good quality (botched bottles/pots may happen, but it is not the norm).
Gw colours (base and layer) are more similar to vmc range: bright, highly pigmented (vallejo may be thicker, but have the advantage of the dropper bottle)
Vmc are more opaque, more desaturated, more "natural" and definitely thick: they must be carefully thinned (espcially if like me you aim to glaze-layering)
I do not know enough vallejo air nor panzer ace, so I won't talk about them
Gw shades are good (straight from the pot) and so are vallejo washes, the former dry a bit glossier than the latter, both with good flowing capacity
Gw for drybrushing or basing... again I don't know them so I'll skip them. Technicals may have their use (but glazing may achieve similar effects), and glazes have their use (but you may thin up to glaze consistency, or mix to reinforce the colours, or "play" with layers).

i use P3...
i love how you can really notice the subtle undertones in the colors...
the greys have a variety in the blue, green, and brown tones...
all the colors are rich, and have very solid coverage...
the fine liquid pigment allows me to lay down a lot of layers without getting chunky...

the only other paint i use regularly are the Vallejo Air Metals, Gold and Aluminium...
these are such strong, bright colors...
i use them to finish off all metallics i paint...

i also use a few Vallejo products like brush-on primer, varnish, and the Smoke wash...

it's always interesting to see what is in other people's toolbox...

cheers
jah

I use a mix of VGC and GW depending on what I can find. Generally the VGC is seems better.

GW's bright colours are great - I'm hoping to replace them with Vallejo eventually but some of the Vallejo "bright" colours just look weak.

I have now mainly swapped to Vallejo paints but still use a few older GW paints I have left.

I use GW, Tamiya acrylics, and Vallejo. VMC is the best overall in my opinion. All dropper bottles, more paint for less per bottle in comparison to GW's, MASSIVE range of colors (not even including VMA, VGC, etc.), and they make an entire range of mediums to mix your paint with such as thinners, retarder mediums, and glazes. I also use VMA for airbrushing but dilute it before spraying.

I'm a big fan of Vallejo Model Air, thin enough to not need much extra thinning and can work with normal brushes or airbrush, and give good and even coverage. I'm not sold on their metallics (I still think GW or maybe Coat D'arms have it here) but the rest is a great range.

GW get my vote as I grew up using them, its a pity that they got crappy with the pots after a while, most of my 18 year old pots are fine but ones I got only a few years back and never even used are rock solid, the new range seems to be very good tho, I tried vallejo and although the bottles are great I felt they lacked pigment or something + they tasted horrible.

Lol, what people who don't paint must think about us when we tell them a certain paint has a bad taste