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I have finally decided to upgrade my paint collection. I used to own around 200 bottles of old GW that I bought 10 years ago and they kept getting drier and drier, but I could still use them so I just made do with what I had and kept using crappy paint. But I just got a tax refund and have decided to unload all my old paint to a young kid at our club and buy myself a whole new set of paints!

So, what I want from dakka is input on what is the "dream paint set" so to speak. I'm prepared to use around 300$ at least, so don't be shy with the suggestions. I airbrush a lot and I like to use watered down paints, and I mostly paint 40k but some WHFB.

I have been eyeballing a 75 paints set of Vallejo Air - but now Vallejo Game Air just came out, so I'm conflicted... Should I get the Game Air range? And will a paint set comprised of Vallejo Air only give me enough colours for every project? Or is there some third company that I really should check out?

This has been discussed here:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/425994.page
In summary the "Game Air" is to closely match GW paints in color and description so it is an easier transition.
I suspect there is little difference aside from that.

Honestly, I think the best way to build your paint range is build from whatever range that suits the need you have at that time.

The majority of my paints are GW (that is because they are more often than not available to me, and Vallejo can be a bit rarer), however I do have a number of paints from other ranges. I frequently use Vallejo Model Air metallics, P3 reds and whites (I like that they use liquid pigments, gives nice coverage), Minatare Browns and Sands, Vallejo Game colour for some replacements to the old GW (tentacle pink). I have a few Tamiya acrylics and the Liquid metals from Vallejo.

If you are looking for a starting point the Game Air range would be decent for the more "fantasy" style brighter colours. If you require you could then supplement with the other ranges as you require.

However, my ideal starting point would be the colours that I need for the current painting that I am doing, and just go from there. Build as you need.

Get the GW paint set. 160 paints for $560.

yeah, like Winter said, you are probably better off building your collection over time...
it is possible that you will not like the paints from a certain brand, especially for the airbrush...

i know a lot of people are liking the Miniature range from Badger...
Angel seems pretty happy with Vallejo Air...
i personally use P3 exclusively, but i don't airbrush...

with whole sets, you can end up with a lot of colors that you don't necessarily use...
unless you are getting one of the amazing deals that Amazon runs sometimes, you are better off trying a few different brands from a discounter, and see what you prefer...

good luck...
there is a lot to choose from out there!!!

cheers
jah

If you don't paint a very large variety of models, I would discourage you from buying an entire paint range. Over the years, you will find that there are paints you never use (or could easily substitute/mix for the tiny amount you need) and they simply go dry as you've discovered. Instead, I would buy core colors plus all of the colors I think I'll use. Also, in my opion, a dream set would not be all one brand, because every brand has a few standout paints.

For example, IMO, Leadbelcher and Mephiston Red from GW are leaps above other red/gunmetal paints by other companies. VMC Silver really shines as a brilliant silver, much more brightly than other colors. I dislike Vallejo washes buy that's just me.

On the topic of Vallejo Game Air -- I own the entire range, and most of model air for airbrush. I would not use them as a primary paint for a paintbrush. They are quite runny, making certain thins really hard (like precision details). And, the Metallic paints are very different from paintbrush counterparts.

If you look at the entire Game Color range, there are many holes that would require Model Color to fill, if you want "every color you'll ever use" type of thing. Sadly, you can't get to every desirable paint scheme without mixing using just VGC or VGA. And, if you're willing to mix your own colors, there are some you don't need, I suppose.

In summary, I think you could get all the paints you need for a few themes, with the bed of each brand for $300, but not a "studio library" of color type of thing.

@Talys: i think P3 Pig Iron and Skorne Red are better than the GW Leadbelcher and Mephiston Red...
funny that you think just the opposite...
i find they have better coverage, go on smoother, and don't dry out as quickly...

it's like how some people love the Reaper Masters Series, but i find the colors to be way too matte for how i like my minis to look...
this definitely reinforces what Talys, Winter, and i are saying about trying different brands, and seeing what suits you best before jumping in on a whole set, Gorlack...

cheers
jah

@Phobos - that's way over his budget of $300, even with a discounter :(

@Jah - Yeah, I understand completely. We all end up with our favorites and go-to paints for certain colors I think P3 Skorne and Pig Iron are a close second And I often use Skorne Red for blending.

But I think Vallejo red is awful (almost all of them...) , and I don't like their gunmetal nearly as much. Vallejo reds reminds me of old GW reds, which were so painful to use.

Personally I use Vallejo for nearly everything except the various additives in which case I use Jo Sonja.

I think that there is a benefit in the various kits that you can get, but be careful that you don't end up with 17 shades of matt black and matt white, because they all seem to have black and white in them.

So, I'd get the largest kit that you can get that complies with all of your current painting requirements and then add to it from there.

Keep a reserve of cash so that you can buy what you need later.

I was actually thinking about this again, I'd probably still suggest Vallejo, but only because they have a few starter set boxes.

Things were you don't need to invest in the whole range first, but start of small and build from.

http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/en_US/game-color/family/18

If you take a look at that page (its for the Game Colour range, although they have it for all their ranges), you can see that they have 8 and 16 bottle colour sets, as well as the more complete 72 paint ones. It might be worth your while buying some of the smaller boxes (I did for the Vallejo air metallics) and build from there.

If I had my time again I'd go all in on Reaper.

@Winter -- When I started collecting Vallejo, it was because a local hobby store had great prices on 8 and 16 "themed" sets -- I think the way they had it priced, on 16's, I got 4 free paints. It was a terrific deal.

On the other hand, you get stuck with some paints you'll never use, though the basic primary color set is always useful. A good way to get into Game Air too -- there's a set with primary colors (all the low-numbered ones), plus silver and gold.

I always have to recommend Reaper in this case. They have a webtool called the power pallete which shows you the closest matching paint they have to a picture you point to from the web or upload. That's how I get all my paints now for a new paint scheme. 11 paints at 3.29 each gets over the $35 free shipping level and they sometimes will give you a free mini or paint like during Christmas. Made in Texas on top of it all. Love that company.

I do use Citadel washes because I have them, I don't know if I'll switch when they run out or if I'll just make my own. I also use Citadel reds since I had them already and they do provide great coverage. The Citadel metallics are also pretty good. So I have to admit that not all of my paints are from Reaper.

I agree that you shouldn't bother with a huge painting set. I would bet you that you really want a painting set because of the "get it all at once super awesome treat myself toy" experience that comes from buying such things. I can't blame you for that but I think you'll get the same satisfaction and more bang for your buck if you piecemeal it out. Go for it and spend your $300 all at once for paint if you want, but if I were you I'd buy myself the 15 paints I really want right now and either save the other $250 or buy something else like higher quality brushes or some magnifying glasses.

Let us know what you do, the hobby is pricey and some of us have to live vicariously through others now and then...not that I'm going through that or anything...