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I primarily use Vallejo Game Color, and am very satisfied with most of the colors I have used. However, I am not overly impressed with the metallics. They just seem far too grainy and thick. Even when diluted, they are very unmanageable. I have heard Vallejo Model Air is very nice, as well as their Liquid Gold line. I have also been told that some of the newer Citadel metallics are quite amazing. Does anyone have any other suggestions? What metallic paints have you found to be the best?

As far as gold goes the 2 new citadel colors that came out on the release of age of sigmar work fantastic.

Also have used Badger Minitaire. Work pretty well but my airbrush clogs alot using any metallic I have tried. Not sure what the trick is to honest.

The Citadel Base metallics are awesome for coverage. Retributor gold is the new one, and is absolutely the best acrylic yellow gold paint, in my opinion. The new Liberator gold is an excellent highlight color, as it is very silvery and bright.

Balthazar Gold gives you an excellent coverage copper (it doesn't look gold at all, however, IMO), and Warplock Bronze a very good dark metallic brown. Leadbelcher is very similar in color to Vallejo gunmetal, and is an exceptional dark silver, IMO.

All of the base paints will go on nice and flat as long as you don't have too much paint on your brush, and it covers well with just a little bit of paint.

All of the citadel LAYER metallic paints are translucent. This is REALLY important to note, as it will take you an infuriating amount of layers cover something, for instance, with Auric gold, if you try to apply that directly onto your Khorne hero painted red. On the other hand, it is really awesome in that you can layer it over top of another base metallic paint that has been washed (for example, Retributor gold with Reikland Fleshshade).

I only thin the Citadel metallic paints with a little bit of water from a wet palette.

This model was painted using Citadel metallics -

Vallejo Model Air metallics are fantastic, but they are realistic. You will not get a gleaming finish as above, you'll get what brushed or unpolished metals look like in reality. If you want fantastical colours, Citadel or Poison are the go-to.

Vallejo recently introduced a new Metal Color line of airbrush paints you might want to look into.

@Ghaz - Neat. I'll have to try to get a hold of that!

@Buttery -- I airbrush the Model and Game Air metallics often, but I find they are way too runny to get on with any precision with a paintbrush. For example, try to highlight a bolter with model air chrome, and it just turns out a mess.

I like using the Vallejo air metallics through an airbrush for things like vehicle parts that will get weathered afterwards (not to mention it saves a ton of time). But for models that *don't* get weathering, I find that the airbrushed metallic paints have a plastic look to them, because they are too flat. That is, they look more like chrome than like brushed steel or aluminum, and when you wash them, washes like Nuhln Oil don't look as good as a brushed-on paint. But that's just a preference thing for me

 Talys wrote:
@Ghaz - Neat. I'll have to try to get a hold of that!

Here's a pic from their Facebook page where they airbrushed unprimed plastic spoons. The results look pretty good.

I have some of Vallejo's Metal Color Airbrush range, I just bought them recently and have played with them on test pieces but not tried it on an actual model. It's pretty damned good for airbrushing.

What I dislike about most metallics I've tried is that the flakes are too prominent which makes it look like a paint instead of a true metal.

But the Vallejo Metal Color stuff has really impressed me. If you airbrush it on to a smooth surface there's no flecks or flakes visible. It's actually inspired me to buy a Tamiya P-51 Mustang to try it out. I'll be working on the P-51 after I finish the Hurricane I'm currently working on.

That said, I don't know how it'll go when hairy brush painting it. It's very thin to the point where you have to be careful to not let it pool when spraying even when you don't thin it, so it may be inappropriate for brush painting.

Liquid Gold is another option, but it's alcohol based which can be a bit annoying. Humbrol has the Metal Cote paints but the range is extremely limited and they're enamels and they're trickier to use, but they can be polished up to look nice.

AK interactive have several metals now, I haven't tested any of them but they look nice.

One thing to be wary of when looking at metallics on the interwebs, pictures are only of limited use unless they are super extreme close ups. Cameras don't pick up the tiny flecks that can make a metallic paint look poor to the eye unless the photos are really heavily zoomed in.

Personally I own use GW,P3 and Vallejo metallics...
Vallejo a mix of Model Air and Game Colour..
For brush work.. GW paints rock.
VGC I find very finicky and temperemental, by that I mean it thins down poorly. It seperates far to much when thinned..
Not my fave metallics, but usable if you can deal with seperation issues..
VMA on the other hand. My fave paint so far metallics concerned.
P3 is a mixed bag.. Gold sucks a.. as far as I'm concerned..
No experience with other brands metallics except Humbrol, which is an entirely different beast of a paint to deal with..

Yeah the new GW golds (Retributors Armor and Liberator Gold) are incredible. Their other metallics don't impress me much. I've heard great things about Vallejo Liquid Gold, and I'm very curious to try the Scale 75 metallics. I have their flesh paint set, which is great, and they have metallic sets for gold, copper and steel.

P3 Pig Iron and Cold Steel work great for me...
final highlights are done with Vallejo Model Air Aluminium...

P3 Rhulic Gold is a great red-gold (i like my golds with some red or purple tones in them)...
i mix it with VMA Gold, and finish with VMA Aluminium...

i paint exclusively with hairy sticks, and use a ceramic tile, rather than a wet palette...
i've have never had a problem using VMA with the brush...
VMA coverage is amazing, and the pigment seems very, very fine...
the gold and aluminium are very bright, though, so it took a little experimenting to figure out how to get the look i prefer with the gold...

good luck...
there are so many choices out there!!!

cheers
jah

The Vallejo Metal Colors is a new line, not Model Air or Color Air.

 Ghaz wrote:
The Vallejo Metal Colors is a new line, not Model Air or Color Air.

Just to be clear, what I was talking about in my previous post was Metal Color, NOT VMA or VGA, There are several reviews online...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLJRGScHoRE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKsnvxF4_fw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKtJ2sx3VJY

One thing I do disagree with is one of the reviews says it's easy to clean out the airbrush. I think that's a bit of a lie, like airbrushing any metallics it's a right royal pain in the arse to get all those little metallic flakes out of your airbrush. I had to wash the airbrush through several times, pull it apart, clean the parts individually, put it back together and then flush it out a couple of times again before I reached the point where I was no longer seeing metallic flakes in the cup, That's going to be the case when you airbrush any sort of metallic though, any left over residue = metal flakes everywhere!

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Just to be clear, what I was talking about in my previous post was Metal Color, NOT VMA or VGA,

I was making sure jah-joshua knew we were talking about a relatively new line of paints

 Ghaz wrote:

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Just to be clear, what I was talking about in my previous post was Metal Color, NOT VMA or VGA,

I was making sure jah-joshua knew we were talking about a relatively new line of paints

i understood you...
dude asked for a general comment on metalics, so i stated what i use...
i'm not sure why you thought i was commenting on your post...
i did enjoy all the spoons, though...

cheers
jah

I guess I read to much into the lack of context between Skink's post and yours...

I'm going to go sit in a corner now and pry my foot out of my mouth

I'll give Army Painter's silvers a big shout out.

Gun Metal = Boltgun Metal and is the basis of pretty much any silver metallic I paint. Plate Mail Metal is slightly lighter and Shining Silver does what it says on the tin. All 3 apply wonderfully.

Other favourites are:

P3 Blighted Gold
VGC Tinny Tin
Reaper Old Bronze

it's all good, Ghaz...

@sock: i'm pretty sure Mike Mcvey was working with Army Painter on their current line, so it's not a surprise that they have nice silvers...
he's designed a few good lines of paints over the years...

i still haven't found a good use for my P3 Blighted Gold, but it is one of my favorite colors to look at in the pot...
such a funky dark green gold...
i might have to try and work it in on the Nurgle mini i am painting right now, or maybe try it on a piece of broken statue on a base...
now i'm inspired to work tonight!!!

cheers
jah

AllSeeingSkink wrote:

 Ghaz wrote:
The Vallejo Metal Colors is a new line, not Model Air or Color Air.

Just to be clear, what I was talking about in my previous post was Metal Color, NOT VMA or VGA, There are several reviews online...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLJRGScHoRE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKsnvxF4_fw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKtJ2sx3VJY

One thing I do disagree with is one of the reviews says it's easy to clean out the airbrush. I think that's a bit of a lie, like airbrushing any metallics it's a right royal pain in the arse to get all those little metallic flakes out of your airbrush. I had to wash the airbrush through several times, pull it apart, clean the parts individually, put it back together and then flush it out a couple of times again before I reached the point where I was no longer seeing metallic flakes in the cup, That's going to be the case when you airbrush any sort of metallic though, any left over residue = metal flakes everywhere!

I've found the Tamiya metallics (along with all other Tamiya paints) really easy to clean out of my airbrush. On the down side the Gun Metal can be appear a little bit flakey in finish, but the Chrome Silver is great

Bought Vallejo Metal Colour Gun Metal, Dark Aluminium and Silver today. Looking forward to trying them out on my Grey Knights

 jah-joshua wrote:
it's all good, Ghaz...

@sock:
i still haven't found a good use for my P3 Blighted Gold, but it is one of my favorite colors to look at in the pot...
such a funky dark green gold...
i might have to try and work it in on the Nurgle mini i am painting right now, or maybe try it on a piece of broken statue on a base...
now i'm inspired to work tonight!!!

cheers
jah

Ha, I think the fact it looks so cool in the pot is why I've made myself use it so much.