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Hi everyone,

We'd like to announce (Although it is a week later ) that we have officially launched our webstore!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with us if you don't visit the P&M Forum, let me give you some background.

We started the company six months ago after a small accident in our lab gave us an idea, that idea has now bloomed into the INSTAR range and has been entirely driven by the Dakka community not only in interest, but ideas, directions and things they would like to see, it has been tested but numerous members and all the feedback was very positive. We currently have three lines that we're expanding with plans for two more to be added by the summer.

INSTAR Paint

Our flagship range and the place where it all started, this range currently boasts 39 Paints (With several more to be added soon) of which 38 of them are direct shade matches to the Citadel Base range to with 98-99%, but because the paint is slightly thinner than the base paint range means our paint can be used as either a Base paint, Layer paint or Edge Paint with no compromise on quality. The product can also be used straight out of our unique dropper bottles without any thinning and still gives results that are almost akin to a model being painted with multiple thin layers, this makes our paint an excellent choice for beginners who are unfamiliar with the thinning process, those who have been away from the hobby for a while or those that need a paint that can give good coverage in one layer such as those painting freehand symbols or tiny details without the need to go over it two or three times to get a decent layer.

INSTAR Metallic

Our unique metallics go beyond the usual silvers, golds, bronzes and coppers, we have currently only introduced our Rich Blue metallic but we are planning to extend this range shortly with reds, greens, purples and other unique formulations. Our Metallics are also pre thinned which means less of the pigment is washed out giving awesome results with extreme ease of use as they also come in our unique dropper bottle solution.

We are also looking into a potential introduction of chameleon paints but we wil keep you posted on that development.

INSTAR Vintage

This is a line that was designed entirely by the Dakka community after a message was sent to us asking if we were bringing back any of the older colours that are no longer in production, we took up the challenge and decided to investigate the possibility. With the help of the community and our technical know-how with our flagship range, we have successfully resurrected our first two paints from years gone by, Charadon Granite and Scab Red. We've had to code them as we're not allowed to use the original names for legal reasons, but these colours are now becoming a reality and now available again for those who have unique army schemes or even just like the colours through INSTAR.

We are planning to add more colours to this range soon and we have colours that go back to the late 90's-early 00's, however we could always use the help and we have set up a separate page on Dakka asking for the colours we are looking for, the rarer the better (Colours like Titillating Pink from the 80's are almost the holy grail for us!)

INSTAR Vintage - The list of colours needed

We also ship worldwide at a fair price balanced with speed, our aim is to have packages anywhere in the world within 5-7 days however it does depend upon customs delays (which are beyond our control)


Without the Dakka community none of this would have been possible so we would like to say a massive thank you to all of you and If you wish to check out the store you can either click here or the button below, we look forward to seeing you

INSTAR Paint - Webstore

I'm looking to replace most of my (old, dried-out) paints this year, as it happens. Do you have any plans to offer a set?

Not yet but it's something we're now working on as there was a lot of interest for sets that we hadn't envisaged and we hadn't planned to introduce any until a little while later.

We'll post another announcement when we've got our first sets together

Just a suggestion.. would it be possible to mimic some of the colours in the scale 75 range? I really like some of their colors but hate the EXTREMELY matt finish they have and how they need shaking so much before use each time.

anab0lic wrote:
Just a suggestion.. would it be possible to mimic some of the colours in the scale 75 range? I really like some of their colors but hate the EXTREMELY matt finish they have and how they need shaking so much before use each time.

There are plans to do some of the other manufacturers colours but we're so busy at the moment with the plans we already have in place and moved forward that we currently don't have the time to do it.

Saying that though, it's not to say that we won't, just not quite yet

Hope that helps!

Your website annoys me. I went looking for just a standard store page where I could see the full range in a standard list format and buy it, but instead I found I had to go through two different lists, try and remember what a GW paint looked like to try and figure out what your one would look like; then when I change the size of the bottle it doesn't give me the actual price of the new size until I subsequently pick whether I want matte or sheen.

All of which combined to just make me go elsewhere. There's a lot of companies out there, and there's nothing worse than an annoying web interface for purchasing.

 Ketara wrote:
Your website annoys me. I went looking for just a standard store page where I could see the full range in a standard list format and buy it, but instead I found I had to go through two different lists, try and remember what a GW paint looked like to try and figure out what your one would look like; then when I change the size of the bottle it doesn't give me the actual price of the new size until I subsequently pick whether I want matte or sheen.

All of which combined to just make me go elsewhere. There's a lot of companies out there, and there's nothing worse than an annoying web interface for purchasing.

We’re sorry to hear that you found the store difficult to navigate, we tried to make it as user friendly as possible within the limitations of the store software we used.

We are aiming to have pictures of the bottles on the product pages but as we have many variations it takes time to get it altogether, we are however unaware of the issue you mentioned when changing bottle sizes and we will look into it.

Again, apologies for the difficulty you faced and I hope that you will revisit us again some time in the future.

You had me at Scab Red.

 HisDivineShadow wrote:
You had me at Scab Red.

We’ll be adding more to the Vintage range soon!

I like the web page - very pretty, informative. Easy to use, I think.
You might add a single page like the list that you had sent me on paper, with corresponding GW paint names next to the INSTAR paint names, and with checkboxes next to 100ml, 50, ... and so on bottle sizes. Add a button to the bottom that puts all checked boxes into the cart. That should make things easy for people who are in a hurry.

As for "sets", you might simply offer that people create their own sets.
You should sort out standard shipping box sizes, and let people collect 8 100ml sizes, or 16 50ml sizes, or something like that, and you just offer a discount on the total instead of packaging preset paint selections.

In every paint "set", there is always that one color or those many colors that don't get used. This of course takes way from the value of any such set. Better to offer customers their choices, let them get what they want and need.

Just have the cart automatically calculate a discount when the customer has fulfilled "set" requirements.

What kind of bottles/jars/pots do you use?

Plz make an ulthuan grey

jeff white wrote:I like the web page - very pretty, informative. Easy to use, I think.
You might add a single page like the list that you had sent me on paper, with corresponding GW paint names next to the INSTAR paint names, and with checkboxes next to 100ml, 50, ... and so on bottle sizes. Add a button to the bottom that puts all checked boxes into the cart. That should make things easy for people who are in a hurry.

As for "sets", you might simply offer that people create their own sets.
You should sort out standard shipping box sizes, and let people collect 8 100ml sizes, or 16 50ml sizes, or something like that, and you just offer a discount on the total instead of packaging preset paint selections.

In every paint "set", there is always that one color or those many colors that don't get used. This of course takes way from the value of any such set. Better to offer customers their choices, let them get what they want and need.

Just have the cart automatically calculate a discount when the customer has fulfilled "set" requirements.

Huginn wrote:What kind of bottles/jars/pots do you use?

MattW wrote:Plz make an ulthuan grey

jeff white

Great to hear from you again and thanks for the comments on the site, I did try to do something akin to what I sent you all those months back when you tested the paints and while it looked fine on desktops, it was awful on Tablets and Mobiles so I had to ditch the idea, in fact anything I was trying wasn't working so the colour conversion page is what it is, i've improved it by adding the ability to click on the name and it will take you straight to that colour but it's the best I can do with the limitations of the system unfortunately.

I think in the future we'll work on a dedicated store system that works in the way you said about having the list, but for now we're sticking with what we have until things are more established

With regards to the sets, I'm looking at making one similar to what I sent you back in August(?) and then other like Grassland packs, Ocean packs, Lava packs etc etc so mixes of Reds and Yellows, Greens and Blues etc in each size and obviously at a lower cost

With regards to the packs, you have just given me an idea regarding the point you made about some colours not getting used that much....might have to work on that during the week and see if it's viable.

Huginn

For everything apart from the 2ml Sample pots, they are in LDPE bottles so quite a soft material to squeeze which gives you accurate precision when dispensing paint so it's great for mixing when you just need a tiny amount of something and also if you don't need much in the way of paint i.e painting a pistol, sword, armour piece etc, there is a picture of them on the About section in the store as well as the main website (Which will be going under a revamp soon)

As for the 2ml Sample bottles, they come in a PET bottle, not as squeezable, but crystal clear so you can get a good look at the colour in it's wet state but still get that level of precision

MattW

We are planning to add some more paints to the line soon, two more unique colours and if we can plan it in, we'll add some extra GW matched shades including Ulthuan Grey

 Supershandy wrote:

We’re sorry to hear that you found the store difficult to navigate, we tried to make it as user friendly as possible within the limitations of the store software we used.

We are aiming to have pictures of the bottles on the product pages but as we have many variations it takes time to get it altogether, we are however unaware of the issue you mentioned when changing bottle sizes and we will look into it.

Again, apologies for the difficulty you faced and I hope that you will revisit us again some time in the future.

No need for apologies guv, I'm sure you're doing the best you can. Just figured I'd give feedback because if it irritates me, it may annoy other people too.

That being said; top points for a polite response. Romeo from Battlefoam could have learned a trick from you back in the day.

I think the website is OK but you really do need some sets or bundles. Being able to specify size etc is fine when ordering a small batch of colours but if you want to buy a whole range, you really don't want to have to individually add and specify size for all of them.

Ketara wrote:

 Supershandy wrote:

We’re sorry to hear that you found the store difficult to navigate, we tried to make it as user friendly as possible within the limitations of the store software we used.

We are aiming to have pictures of the bottles on the product pages but as we have many variations it takes time to get it altogether, we are however unaware of the issue you mentioned when changing bottle sizes and we will look into it.

Again, apologies for the difficulty you faced and I hope that you will revisit us again some time in the future.

No need for apologies guv, I'm sure you're doing the best you can. Just figured I'd give feedback because if it irritates me, it may annoy other people too.

That being said; top points for a polite response. Romeo from Battlefoam could have learned a trick from you back in the day.

filbert wrote:I think the website is OK but you really do need some sets or bundles. Being able to specify size etc is fine when ordering a small batch of colours but if you want to buy a whole range, you really don't want to have to individually add and specify size for all of them.

Ketara

Feedback is always good, it helps us identify where things could be better. For now as I mentioned to jeff white is that the webstore will probably stay as it is for now and once we're more established we'll probably get a more dedicated store built, it took long enough to just build the current one

I haven't heard of Battlefoam so I have no idea what the customer service was like....obviously not that good from the sounds of it.

filbert

You have no idea how many times i've been asked this question haha We have listened and we are working on bundle packs, we just need a small amount of time to get them sorted and then they'll be available to purchase

Galladoria Game's Scytale miniature painted with INSTAR paint's Gold/Green Kickflip and Red metallic!

Miniature review posted on RPG.net: https://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/18/18186.phtml

Do you have a Moody Blue equivalent? That's the thing that will have me pull the trigger.

(And yeah, also waiting for bundles, here)

 ced1106 wrote:

Galladoria Game's Scytale miniature painted with INSTAR paint's Gold/Green Kickflip and Red metallic!

Miniature review posted on RPG.net: https://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/18/18186.phtml

Oooo very nice!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Azazelx wrote:
Do you have a Moody Blue equivalent? That's the thing that will have me pull the trigger.

(And yeah, also waiting for bundles, here)

Not yet......We're a way off doing that era at the moment sorry!

I bought some paints. I was mainly interested in the Dheneb Stone equivalent. I am very happpy with the colour match.

Contrast equivalents?
I know that you had some discussion on another thread,
but maybe replay here?

 Fifty wrote:
I bought some paints. I was mainly interested in the Dheneb Stone equivalent. I am very happpy with the colour match.

Awesome! Glad we can be of service


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 jeff white wrote:
Contrast equivalents?
I know that you had some discussion on another thread,
but maybe replay here?

No, we're not planning a contrast equivilant.

From what we've seen and read, Contrast seems to have come up a little short on expectations.

Our new secret project though....oh my word is it good!

Thin as water with ultra high coverage that you can paint onto bare plastic with complete control over the application....you'll have to keep your ears to the ground on this one

My old Agrellan Earth (GW) texture paint ran out halfway through basing an army. I ordered a new one (in the new larger pot). As you can see, GW... changing colour again and this time keeping the name the same. I complained, showing the photo and all they did was send me another pot of the same new unmatching colour.

Hopefully the image shows the 2 products. (Old on the left)

Any thoughts of Instar making crackle paint, especially in the old GW colour?
I tried mixing colours into the new stuff, but it stops the crackle effect working correctly.

 Gimgamgoo wrote:
My old Agrellan Earth (GW) texture paint ran out halfway through basing an army. I ordered a new one (in the new larger pot). As you can see, GW... changing colour again and this time keeping the name the same. I complained, showing the photo and all they did was send me another pot of the same new unmatching colour.

Hopefully the image shows the 2 products. (Old on the left)

Any thoughts of Instar making crackle paint, especially in the old GW colour?
I tried mixing colours into the new stuff, but it stops the crackle effect working correctly.

Unfortunately not, we have looked into technical paints but we're currently working on other projects at the moment.

One day we might