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Is there any manufacturer that produces something like the old GW foundation paints? Something a bit thicker then ordinary paints. I work a lot with washes and dipping, so usually I just want a good initial coverage and dont wanna waste time painting several layers. My go to these last few years have been army painter, but they seem to have become thinner over time so I have started looking for alternatives.

GW has their "Base" range which is quite nice and Vallejo has the "Extra Opaque", but is there anyone else doing something like this?

Our man on here who set up Instar Paints has just reproduced the entire GW foundation range, apparently...

Hi there, we are that company mentioned, INSTAR Paint

We have reproduced the foundation line in shade only to within 99% of the original colour, our paints sit somewhere between GW and Vallejo in terms of coverage and viscosity. We do however unlike them, offer 2ml sample bottles so you can try them out.

We’ve recently had a whole bunch of people try the ptoduct and review it, for a better analysis check on the review Death if a Rubricist did, he received our Charadon granite replacement IV-02.

https://apologentsia.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/inload-instar-paints-review.html?m=1

Reaper makes HIGH DENSITY PAINTS HD SERIES. They work ok.

the old foundation paints probably had the best coverage of any paints I've used, but that came with the downside of often gumming up detail.

I was obsessed with coverage for years, until I finally learned that there are often techniques to get around coverage issues. For example, zenithal priming gives you the best of having black shadows and lighter highlights. Also, if you can get an airbrush (or even colored primer), you can speed through base coating.

The old GW foundations had exceptionally good coverage. I never really had trouble with it gumming up details, but the colours were a bit washed out and chalky, but coverage was great, I haven't come across many paints that can match them, usually just individual paints within lines rather than entire lines (e.g. some Vallejo model colour paints, but not all of them). It seems like GW pushed the pigment density to the extreme.

I've been long searching for good paints beyond Citadel (which arguably, are pretty good though some of the one's I've bought have been off, too thick, or apparently badly formulated).

I tried Armypainter paints but they are "thick" with low pigment count so you thin them down and they are almost a "tint" or translucent. Which sometimes is what I want. But it is abundantly clear that they cost less because.. less pigment. Pigment is king.. pigment is also the most expensive part of the paint.

Pigment quality is also critical. Mix-ability, color strength, and grain size come from this.

Outside of Citadel I've found nothing that really beats out the vast range of Vallejo, but that is also the most hard paint to get a hold of here in the states.

Though the Vallejo paints have a critical failing, shelf-life. Especially the lighter colors and the large primers. The large primers will start to form pigment granules that will clog air-brushes. It's a kind of accretion process in the primers. Then the lighter colors can undergo some kind of chemical reaction as they age and if you agitate them they will turn into a non-Newtonian fluid, Gack. I've had three paints lost this way from their airbrush starter set. All light colors. Which is pretty annoying considering the sheer cost of the set. Specifically light orange, light green, and a yellow.

Certain Vallejo paints that are not even from their high pigment lines have extremely good coverage. Certain reds, greens, and blues. They are vibrant and their pigment level is high.

Someone once told me I could call Vallejo and get them to replace the bad paints but that seems a bit silly. Paints go bad. I just like to remind people that some paints have a worse shelf-life and to buy accordingly. It's not Vallejo's fault. Though I've often found paints in the US from Vallejo that are OLD when I've webordered. Like 4+ years old. So.... yeah. I'd love some direct and LGS Vallejo distribution in the US. They are a great company.

meatybtz wrote:

Though the Vallejo paints have a critical failing, shelf-life. Especially the lighter colors and the large primers. The large primers will start to form pigment granules that will clog air-brushes. It's a kind of accretion process in the primers. Then the lighter colors can undergo some kind of chemical reaction as they age and if you agitate them they will turn into a non-Newtonian fluid, Gack. I've had three paints lost this way from their airbrush starter set. All light colors. Which is pretty annoying considering the sheer cost of the set. Specifically light orange, light green, and a yellow.

I believe it's only their airbrush line and PU primers that has shelf life issues. The airbrush line is glossier, thinner but also seems to have some sort of rubberiser in it that sometimes makes the paints go bad. That said I've only had a couple go bad, the vast majority have been fine. Where do you store the paints? Make sure to keep them in a cool area in the house in a spot where it avoids direct sunlight shining on them.

But it's only the airbrush line, the "model colour" line is bullet proof in my experience. I've bought model colour paints that were many years sitting on the shelf (based on knowing when they changed packaging) and then have sat in my cupboard for years and still work fine.

I've swapped from a averland sunset to Vallejo model colour yellow ocre because my pots of averland kept going chunky. It's a colour I use a lot and yellow ocre thus far is still working fine and has similar levels of vibrabce and coverage.

Their game colour line I don't have as much experience with, but it seems to behave a lot like GW's paints.