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So after doing much looking for suitable paints for an upcoming project of mine, I saw that my local hobby store stocks mostly enamel paint. Up to this point I have only used the citadel paints. The brand is Humbrol and since they come in nice pots they certainly appeal to me. However I have not used enamel paints before so I was wondering what the differences are, if any?

This has also led me to search for a paint set containing a wide range of colours, since my current collection lacks some important colours and shades, however the only one I have come across that looks decent is the Vallejo paint sets. Only problem is they are in what looks like drop bottles and this is not to my taste really (I like the pots I don't know why). So if anyone knows anything I would appricate it, exahausted from searching for a panzer grey recipe .

Those Humbrol enamels are petroleum-based. You will need solvents to dilute the paint and clean your brushes. They will also tend to be glossier and harder-wearing than the citadel acrylics you are used to.

There's nothing intrinsically wrong with them. Many modellers use them with success, but most people find the water-soluble acrylics easier to deal with.

If your project is to do with fantasy or sci-fi (probably historicals too) tabletop miniatures, you'll find a lot more support around these parts for Vallejo or Citadel, such as how to paint a certain scheme or achieve an effect. You can easily and cheaply source vallejo paints online (such as from Wayland in the UK).

Dropper bottles vs paint tubs is somewhat personal preference, but some pros and cons are: dropper bottles are easier to use with palettes, when airbrushing, for exact colour matching and are less likely to dry your paint or open up accidentally. Tubs are easier if you paint straight from the tub.

I use Humbrol Enamels almost exclusively and find them fine to work with.

However I have been told that they are harder to use than Acrylics for miniature painting (I've only used Enamels and so have had plenty of practice).

The main thing is that being solvent based they do smell (and many people really don't like the smell) and you need white spirit (which also smells) or an equivalent to dilute the paints and clean your brushes.

There is a wider variety of colours though and you can get both gloss and matt (and some satin) for most of them.

But if you want to follow certain paint schemes (which are usually in Citadel paints) it can be tricky to find an equivalent colour without resorting to comparing by eye.

All of the above. Plus, enamels are impossible to strip from plastic minis without damaging the mini itself, and if applied too thickly can dissolve any detail.

Super Clean, Brake Fluid and Oven Cleaner all remove enamels from plastic without damaging the plastic. In many ways it is easier to paint thin coats with enamels than acrylics as you can thin them down to nearly nothing and they still will bind just fine, wheras heavily thinned water based paints often can dry powdery and lack adhesion.

I use both for different reasons and at different times. Enamels are great for doing skin tones, weathering and various effect colors (metallics, clears, pearls and flipping colors). Acrylics are excellent for blocking in colors and doing certain paint effects. if you have ever become frustrated with trying to get a nice blended edge or color glaze with acrylics....enamels will allow you to achieve that effect with little effort.

You might want to take a close look at the Humbrol paints too, they make acrylics as well as enamels, so you may have access to those already. The colors tend to be more subdued for scale modelers, but many people prefer that as opposed to the miniature colors.

Indeed the local model centre is more for scale models and train sets. I thought I saw some acrylic humbrol paints in there but I was put off by the fairly sinister looking enamel paints next to them lol.

Just need to find me a good paint collection now, I often find when painting that I am missing a certain shade or colour that would really make my schemes. I bought the Lizardmen citadel paint collection from GW and have been vary pleased but as one can guess its more suited to well lizardmen rather than tanks and other armoured things.

tomcat31 wrote:
All of the above. Plus, enamels are impossible to strip from plastic minis without damaging the mini itself, and if applied too thickly can dissolve any detail.

dot3 brake fluid WILL strip enamels and leave the plastic unharmed.
I've used it to strip enamel autoprimer off plastics with no ill effects to the plastic (and they were old RT era plastic SM). You will need to scrub with a toothbrush as well, and then dispose of the mess responsibly (not my problem) but enamel paints CAN be stripped.

The other common strippers for enamels, however, will more than likely turn plastic into goo as well.

Simple green will struggle to shift it (if it does anything).

Vallejos are rather decent. With dropper bottles, you want to use a wet palette. As mentioned, main benefit of droppers is that they are easy to mix on a palette - you can write down recipes as "one drop of this, two of that".

Of course you can mix ranges and manufacturers freely, as long as the paints are roughly of the same type, ie. water-based acrylics. You probably want to look into ordering online, plenty of stores in the UK for that.

The differance is that enamel paints are gak and acrylics are awsome.