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Hey guys. Ive been using Vallejo and Games workshop paints along with a few Army Painter and Minitaire paints as well. Im looking into using something else and was wondering which one was the better of the two as Ive heard good things about both. Im looking at Reaper Master Paints and Privateer Press Paints. Any suggestions? Which is better and why? Thanks

It's not really a case of "better" so much as what you technically want from a paint.
For example GW paints are very thick, so if you want fast coverage, and easy drybrushing, they're great for that.
Other brands let you layer thinly from the get-go, or are even thicker.

Experiment, we all end up with favourites. Remember you can let down a thick paint with water or medium, but you can't easily thicken a super runny one to get it to drybrush.

Reaper and P3 are two very different beasts...
Reaper comes in dropper bottles, and is very matte...
P3 comes in flip-tops, and is more satin...

personally, i don't like droppers very much, and i don't like a matte finish...
people who like Reaper paints usually praise the triad grouping, and the more naturalistic look of the matte finish...

P3 has been my paint of choice for the last ten years...
i was sold from day 1...
i like my flip-tops, since i paint right out of the pot, for the most part, and don't use a wet-palette...
i prefer a satin finish, because i like my colors to really pop...
the undertones to most of the colors are funky and unexpected...
a lot of blue or green undertones in the greys, red or yellow in the browns...
they have great coverage, and go on very smooth...
i can't say enough good things about P3, really, but if you don't like flip-tops (a pain in the neck for airbrushers), then they may not be for you...

i hope that helps...

cheers
jah

There is no superior brand, only superior paints. GW do pretty good metallics, PP do pretty good bright colours, Vallejo do good bases - it really comes down to your personal preference and what works for you. Some people will disagree with what I just wrote due to their own preferences as well, which is fine, it is a personal thing.

I prefer Vallejo a lot of the time, but I just bought a batch of Warcolours, which have good reviews.

They're all quite similar IMO. There's good paints and bad paints in each range but even then it's subjective and depends what you plan to do with them.

The only paints that I find behave massively different are the ones that are alcohol based by tamiya and gunze.

I just buy whichever range has the colour I want and tend to favour dropper bottles.

Thanks everyone! For the most part I paint with a brush but Im also getting into using an airbrush some but for now I dont mind using and mixing the Citadel to spray with. I do like the dropper bottles and have some empties to transfer my Citadels into. Im looking at primarily RED paint right now since Im painting Khorne based stuff and Blood Angels. How do these stack up with what I currently have?

my biased opinion is that you can't go wrong with P3 reds...
you can see them in action in my WIP blog:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/599549.page

cheers
jah

For punchy reds, I'd look at GW and Wargames Foundry.
If you wish to airbrush later, GW or Vallejo as you can then buy the matching airbrush red later along.

It's not essential to buy airbrush paints to airbrush with, but it sure is easier when you're doing an army scale job.

 jah-joshua wrote:
my biased opinion is that you can't go wrong with P3 reds...
you can see them in action in my WIP blog:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/599549.page

cheers
jah

Thanks for the link! I will be sure to check it out right now!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Buttery Commissar wrote:
For punchy reds, I'd look at GW and Wargames Foundry.
If you wish to airbrush later, GW or Vallejo as you can then buy the matching airbrush red later along.

It's not essential to buy airbrush paints to airbrush with, but it sure is easier when you're doing an army scale job.

How is the Wargames Foundry paints? I havent been able to find that much about them yet

you can't go wrong with Foundry, again, unless you don't like flip-top pots...
they are from the same manufacturer as P3...
Mike and Aly McVey used them a lot before making the P3 line...
a lot of the original PP minis were painted with Foundry colors, and i believe she still uses them for some of the step-by-step stuff on their Studio McVey blog...
the only difficulty may be finding a stockist in the US...

cheers
jah

If I had two options, and they were to exclusively paint with flip top pots or to get a cramp in my calf muscle every night at 3:30am, I'd take the cramps every time.

I am super impressed that you managed to paint like you do straight from the pot, Jah - your results are brilliant

thanks, kb...
everything i do, technique-wise, is pretty much the exact opposite of what every tutorial and teacher would tell you to do...
that's why i don't teach...
my way of painting has developed from pure instinct...
i don't know anything about color theory, don't have a color wheel, don't plan anything, don't watch videos, or follow tutorials...
it's all just flying by the seat of my pants...
somehow, it all works out through sheer bloody-minded stubbornness...
in the end, my work looks distinctive (i hope), which is my biggest concern...

i hate those 3:30am calf cramps!!!

cheers
jah

 Godly12 wrote:

How is the Wargames Foundry paints? I havent been able to find that much about them yet

Consistently good coverage, decent triads, some of the best flesh tones around.
Had some for 6-7 years, I'm a convert.

Pain in the ass to get hold of.

You can always give the new paint brand WARCOLOURS a try.
Really good paints for a really good price!

We had really good reviews for all our paint line and the metallics.

also there is an actual human behind the brand, bending backwards to deliver what the painters want and need!

Seconding poison there!
Just bought a large (for me) batch of paints from Warcolours and they're great. Smooth, great coverage, come in nifty little dropper bottles and bigger than what you get from GW at less than half the price!
Total convert ^^

 poison_ wrote:
You can always give the new paint brand WARCOLOURS a try.
Really good paints for a really good price!

We had really good reviews for all our paint line and the metallics.

also there is an actual human behind the brand, bending backwards to deliver what the painters want and need!

Thats the name of the paints I was trying to think of!! I got yours and the Foundry paints mixed up in my brain so Im glad you posted your message. I have been wanting to try your paints since I first found out about it. Money is a large decision making factor for me as I am on a fixed income due to being disabled, which sucks when you have a hobby such as model building/miniature collecting. Can you post a link to the site that sells your paints? I will try to get some and try it if I have enough money left when I get the monthly bills paid up. I wish I could afford to just buy an entire paint range bundle but thats just a fantasy/pipe dream for me. LOL.

Reaper Paints in General = Good because drop bottle is great
Reaper High Density Paints = Really Good
Reaper Metallics = Not Good

Army Painter Colored Primers = Really Great
Army Painter Quickshade = Great if used correctly

GW Paints = OK, though paint pots are annoying

Testor's Metallics = Fantastic

 poison_ wrote:
You can always give the new paint brand WARCOLOURS a try.
Really good paints for a really good price!

We had really good reviews for all our paint line and the metallics.

also there is an actual human behind the brand, bending backwards to deliver what the painters want and need!

I found that there are a few colors I want / need, so I'm interested in placing an order.

My only concern would be consistency. If everything is done 'by hand' then how reliably are you able to produce the exact same shades of color, to the point that side-by-side comparisons won't show any discrepancy?

 poison_ wrote:
You can always give the new paint brand WARCOLOURS a try.
Really good paints for a really good price!

We had really good reviews for all our paint line and the metallics.

also there is an actual human behind the brand, bending backwards to deliver what the painters want and need!

I'm pretty fond of them, and think with time they'll be a very nice paint range.

Consistency on my first sets are a bit hit and miss, but I put that down to early days.

@Godly12: shoot me a PM with your address, and i'll send you my older P3 paint pots as i rotate them out...
they won't be as nice as buying them brand new, but they will be free...
at least you will get to try out some different colors...

i know it is tough to enjoy this hobby on a fixed budget...
i am happy to help out in any little way that i can...

cheers
jah

 womprat49 wrote:
Testor's Metallics = Fantastic

I haven't tried Testors metallics. Do you mean the enamels or the acrylics? The acrylics are really hard to get over here unfortunately.

 jah-joshua wrote:
@Godly12: shoot me a PM with your address, and i'll send you my older P3 paint pots as i rotate them out...
they won't be as nice as buying them brand new, but they will be free...
at least you will get to try out some different colors...

i know it is tough to enjoy this hobby on a fixed budget...
i am happy to help out in any little way that i can...

cheers
jah

WOW! Thanks Jah! I would really really appreciate that! PM sent.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:

 womprat49 wrote:
Testor's Metallics = Fantastic

I haven't tried Testors metallics. Do you mean the enamels or the acrylics? The acrylics are really hard to get over here unfortunately.

TESTORS ENAMEL METTALICS are amazing. You need to work with Turpentine to clean brushes and thin paint. Once you use Turpentine on a brush it tends to f it up a little bit so use an older separate brush for this.

All hobby stores under the sun have TESTORS model kit display with racks of paint.

Also the water based acylic paints used for Mom-type hobbies work fine too. You can get big bottles for $0.79 or more. Names like "Hobby Craft" are fine. Paint is paint in the long run. I use "Children's Poster Paint - BLACK" out of a huge squeeze tube for past 5 years. It cost me $.49 on sale bargain bin.

It's worth mentioning, I think, that most P3 paints paint a LOT nicer straight from the pot (unthinned) than other brands. They self-level better. They also have a slightly longer drying time, which makes wet-on-wet blending or feathering a little easier.

On the other hand, if you use a wet palette, P3 paints bleed a lot more than GW paints, and terribly so if you use flo-aid for anything. Like, you need to blot it all out, or by the next morning a half inch blob will expand out to the whole palette.

I am not really a huge fan of reaper paints, even though the price is great.

Scale 75 are a really good brand to use. They aren't the easiest paints to use, but the results are fantastic.

Am I the only person left on earth that uses Cote d'arms paint? It's the original Citadel line, with new names. Dirt cheap, and you get a decent sized pot for your money. Great paint line.