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Recently got back into the hobby and need a serious paint restock, however citadel paints seem quite expensive compared to alternatives. So just curious as to what you guys use, the main alternative I've seen are Vallejo and Army painter. Does anyone have any recommendations as to which are best value for money? I'm not an expert painter so am not too worried about having the absolute highest quality, just a decent standard of paint that can be used to paint to a reasonable level.

Also with regards to brushes, is there much variation between suppliers or does it not matter too much?

Vallejo Game Colour for painting and Army Painter priming spray for me.

Stay away from army Painter paints, their coverage is really bad. Their primers are really good tho.

Army painter brushes do the job for me too. Dont get really cheap ones basically.

When it comes to quality, brushes matter more than the paint I'd say.

After some practice you'll get better at getting the coverage you want even with awkward paints. I get the colour that's closest to what I want from whichever manufacturer makes it. Typically I use, GW, Vallejo, Army Painter and P3, occasionally Revell or Tamiya stuff too.

An awful brush however will always be awful.

Rik

Talking of brushes, never ever ever use Citadel brushes unless you like spending £14 plus for a tiny brush.

Shop around and find a good brush for less

99% Vallejo, mostly Model Colour and a few Game Colour.

Vallejo Model Color = 60%

Vallejo Game Color + Vallejo Panzer Aces + Scale 75 + Scale 75 Warfront + Scale 75 Fantasy & games + Ak Interactive Figure = 40 %
I have about 10 Army painter paints but I can't make them work.

I would stay away from Citadel and their pots (most expensive per ml + worst container possible).

 Corennus wrote:
Talking of brushes, never ever ever use Citadel brushes unless you like spending £14 plus for a tiny brush.

I've found that the small drybrush is worth the price.

We're a new player in the market and (as Model Box would put it) making a lot of noise in the industry at the moment.

We've been featured in Hobby Hoard, Asset Drop and Model box and now starting to supply small retailers.

If you're looking for a resupply that won't break the bank with almost 98-99% shade match to most Citadel colours, we're worth checking out!

Rosemary and co do excellent brushes for painting,
Paint wise I use gw, vallejo, a little army painter and warcolor paints who have amazing metallics.

I use Vallejo, Model Color, Air and Game Color. I got some Tamiya pigments for weathering and some effect products.
I tested Vallejo Mecha Color (Titan Dark Blue) and so far the are GREAT for airbrushing (ready to use, got good coverage, don't stick in the cup).
I also use home made washes.

I use Winsor et Newton serie 7 for anything but base coat, dry brush and rough jobs.

About primers, I use Vallejo polyurethane primer with airbrush (most of time). Black primer works great but white primer cause clogging. Nothing to serious and I'm quite satisfied with them (but I prefer the black one, even to paint white after).

I have atm mostly citadel pots and a couple of Tamiya acrylics , army painter primers because of the colour and the price

Personally for me there is not a clear divide. Yes Citadel paints are more expensive per ml than the Vallejo equivalent (if there is one) and the pots are not designed to preserve the paint once opened. With regards to cost I don't fixate on it as this is already and expensive hobby and sometimes convenience is more important than cost as up until recently there was not a convenient local supplier of Vallejo or Army Painter (Thanks Atomic Hobby Shop!). Also being a paint by numbers type, it has been much easier to follow the Citadel system at times. As for the pot design, I transfer my paints to droppers so that fixes the preservation and waste problem.

That said there are some Citadel paints that I don’t bother with a Vallejo or someone else’s alternatives. Many of the base paints, their washes, and technical paints. There are also a couple of metallic, Retributor Armor and Stormhost Sliver that I really like as well. I also like using their texture paints as well.

For priming I use either Dupli-Color sandable auto body primer (Black, White, and Grey) as it works great in all conditions, dries quick, and doesn’t clog details, plus its relatively cheap (~$6 USD). I have only recently started trying Army Painter colored primers with some inconsistent results as they are much more temperature/humidity sensitive. I have used Citadel sprays and they are very good in IMHO, but they are god awful expensive.

As far as brushes, again some of the Citadel ones are good, like the wash brushes and the larger base brushes. The small detail brushes are not worth their cost. Just starting out though I wouldn’t recommend spending a lot on Windsor Newton(s). In fact for putting on the base colors (blocking) I use cheap acrylic brushes saving my Windsor Newton(s) for the details.
The next thing I would recommend you include in your initial painting budget which can be done on the cheap is a wet palette. I’m a slow painter and one of my biggest sources of waste was paint drying on the pallet before I could get it on the model.

Just my two (or four) cents worth. YMMV

I got back into the hobby about 18months ago. Got a Vallejo starter set, Game Color I think. Been adding GW paints into the rotation as I've needed more variation, including washes, the Technical paints and such. Still use some Tamiya paint now and then if the colour suits. I mix my paints as I go with a very ill-defined recipe but rarely have problems. I would prefer to have a full stock of Vallejo colours but Citadel are easier to pick up.

I've used GW and Vallejo Model Colour mostly, with some Game Colour added, and lately I've been exploring Scale75.

Now there's something to be put down here that needs to be said - NOT ALL ACRYLICS ARE THE SAME.

What do I mean by that? GW and, I think, Game Colour, lines dry and cure rather quickly. some Model and the Scale75 paints I have found do not like rough handling just after application. The paint takes a bit longer to Cure after drying, which is when it gets to be a fully solid coat and doesn't chip off easily. Shake vigorously, but you'll still find it on the edges of things if you're not careful.

That is something to be mindful of. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Model Colour and Scale75 paints, but you have to know that and come into it with that knowledge.. Now, the easy answer is to seal them quickly afterwards to give that hard finish, but that's not always an option because you have other steps to go through.

Just be mindful.

Over the years and being in and out of the hobby when life has allowed have acquired all sorts of paints and other bit and bobs. Often I think I collect paint more them miniatures. But I tend to use them for a few other craft things I produce and sell they can make back their initial costs.

If you are lucky and don't mind using old paint that someone else has previously owned then it could be a way forward to getting a lot of paints for very little. But just make sure what you are buying has not been contaminated with any additives and is still good to use. Best always to know who you are buying from and track down old paints from close friends or relatives. I recently purchased about 60 citadel paints from the current range for £10 from a mate of my brother in law. He had given up and just wanted to get rid of everything quickly as he was going into the Army and could not take them with him.Most had hardly been used and a couple were still sealed.

My main workhorse brushes are Rosemary & Co Series 33. They are reasonably priced and last for ages if looked after well. I also use them for watercolour painting so have a long history with them. I also have a few Windsor and Newton Series 7 brushes, fairly expensive so use very sparingly and rarely.

Citadel brushes I never really got on with. Found it hard to keep a point for long. Their dry brushes are something totally different and are excellent for the job they do.

Also kept are a lot of cheap poor quality hobby brushes for basing and gluing.

Paints is another subject in itself. My main go to paints are Citadel/GW. I was there when they first appeared all those years ago. So I have sort of just stuck with them on and off through the good times and bad times. Their paints at the moment are really good despite the container and small quantity you get for your money. Most people tend to start with them as they are easily obtainable in most hobby shops. I am a hobby painter and paint for the gaming table and there are lots of great tutorials out there that use Citadel paints.

Somehow I have acquired quite a few Vallejo Game paints. These are similar in colour to the old Citadel Bolter pot range in colour. Nice paints to use, but like all paints will separate easily if not shaken regularly . I also seem to carry some of their Panzer colour range which I also like. More paint for less money and dropper bottles.

Coat d'Arms. Said to be the old original Citadel paints from the 80's and 90's long before the bolter pot range came out. I have had mixed results with these and can say they also paint like the old Citadel range of the 80's. Not the easiest paints to use. I have got very attached to their Deadly nightshade. Their main problem seems to be consistency or keeping the paints consistent in quality from one bottle to the next. They are very cheap and you do get more then your moneys worth with them and they do have a very strong nostalgia feel about them.

Army painter. Very cheap and will not hurt your pocket but another tricky one to use. Paints very greatly in consistency and quality. If you can get hold of their mid and dark tones washes they are very good.

P3.I have just started to look at these and what I have seen so far I am starting to really fall in love with. They have some interesting colours like Sanguine Base. The consistency of the paints I have are really smooth with superb coverage. They can be cheaper then Citadel, but best to shop around for them.

Two more company's paints I have started to mess around with are Scalecolour and Darkstar. I do not have that much experience with them as yet. Darkstar mostly produce metallic which are expensive but look promising. Scalecolour are about the same price as Citadel but you get more paint in the bottle.Swatch tests on paper look a little grainy, but the paint may act differently on plastic or metal. They have a good range of colours and could be worth checking out.

Golden Black Gesso
VMC metals, black, white, and primary colors
Citadel skintones, washes, and textures

My first choice these days is Coat D'Arms paints. If you've been out of the hobby for a very log time, this is the company that originally made Citadel paints back in the 90s (GW just relabeled them). Very high quality: thin with excellent coverage and bold colors.

They're kind of hard to find, but worth the effort. Black Hat sells them in the UK.

https://www.blackhat.co.uk/product-category/coat-darms-paints/

My paints are split between Citadel and Vallejo. I've been thinking about branching out to Coat D'Arms for some of those original GW colours, but as LuigiX said, they're kinda hard to find (although I haven't yet looked extensively online).
Like Lord of Deeds though, I don't fixate upon the price of paints. Sure they're pricey already, and the Citadel ones more so. But that's just part of it. If it's a colour I want, i'll get it.
I haven't used Army Painters paints so can't comment on them, but have had plenty of success with their range of sprays. YMMV with them though because I have seen plenty of folks cite problems with coverage or pressure and the like.

Brushes, I've used (old style) Citadel, Roymac, and generic craft store brushes and most recently some W&N Galleria brushes.. The old style (blue and red handles) Citadel brushes were hit and miss at the best of times. Serviceable but not the best. Can't comment on the current line though.
The Roymac ones were surprisingly good but didn't last long.
Generic craft store brushes were just that. You get what you pay for. I've got a larger one that is good for basecoasting, but gak otherwise.
The Galleria brushes have been worth the money so far. Got a 1, 0 and 00. I was a bit disappointed with the size 1. It didn't keep it's point for very long despite me being careful with it and using brush paint. It's still a good workhorse brush though. The 0 and 00 however are fantastic. So i'll certainly be looking at more W&N's in the future or potentially Rosemary & Co. because i've heard good things about them too.

Primary paints are MP.
Secondary are Foundry and Vallejo model colour (want to switch fully to vallejo model colour eventually)
Washes are GW and Army painter (switching fully to army painter)
Sprays are Halfords for Primer.
Plastic soldier company and humbrol for colours.
Humbrol and Testors for Matt Varnish.

Brushes are W&North made Citadel ones that I've had for 5 years and still keep point for detail work.
And cheapo brand brushes for mixing. Washing and drybrushing.

I use instar paints, citadel, kreul and MiG.
Kreul paints are without a dobut the best if you're looking for quantity of paint per $. They are a bit fragile though, and I reccomend using a primer and a protective coat. They don't have any other flaws though, they never split and their pots are good.
Instar paints are my go to paints when I want quality, they have good pots, and the quantity is also good.
I use citadel paints only because I have a lot left over from when I didn't know better. I still get their metalic paints though, but that's only because instar paints still don't have a mithril silver equivalent.
MiG products I use for airbrushing and enamel washes.

I use an almost silly range. Army painter sprays and washes, AK interactive, reaper,P3, citadel, all of the Vallejo lines, secret weapon, scale , tamyia,

Over the years I think I've collected more paints than minis. More about special paints or brand Y makes X color better than the others.

Painting miniatures is a hobby in nd of itself.

I use mainly Citadel and select paints from Army Painter. Spray cans from Citadel these days.

Yes the Citadel paints are more expensive and the pots need more maintenance than droppers, but it's just so much more convenient to follow painting guides etc when you have the actual colors suggested and don't have to guesstimate an equivalent every time.

That said I think I'm beyond the point of worrying about the cost of the hobby and I'm in the zone of worrying about having enough time for the hobby.

I think there needs to be a divide between the cost of the hobby (wargaming) and the cost of GW/Citadel
GW/Citadel isn't a hobby.

Wargaming is NOT an expensive hobby. Not by a long shot.

I'd say wargaming is a time and equipment intensive hobby compared to many. Money-wise it's not particularly expensive unless you are stuck buying new-in-the-box kits from Games Workshop, etc.

You can even do Games Workshop stuff pretty well if you're smart about how you shop and what you buy.

Compared to my other main hobby it's...comically cheap.

I use windor newton no7s brushes except for dry brushing where I have some old gw dry brushes that have held up well over the years.

Paint wise I'm using gw again after a stint of using vallejo. This is more of a convenience thing since I have a gw near me, and unless you're buying in bulk I found the postage adds up pretty quickly and negates any potential savings of using another brand.

But end of the day, they do the job and I'm pretty happy with them.

I use whatever I need. I don't stick with one brand in particular. Some stuff works great, other not so much.

I have lots of Citadel
I have a full set of Minitaire (I highly recommend the Ghost Tints)
Some key Vallejo Game Colors
A set of Vallejo Model Air Metallics for classic colors (Awesome)
Some Scale75 Metallics for weirder colors
A set of Colorshift paints from Greenstuffworld

Minitaire Ghost Tints allow for great effects and work very well for tinted cockpit windows.

Coat D'arms paints, plus some citadel paints from years ago.

Vallejo Airbrush Primer (Black) for priming.
Scale75's and Vallejo Air for painting.

I have a handful of Vallejo Model Color, P3, and GW paints I still use, but I'm slowly phasing them all out for the above.

MagicCookie54 wrote:
Recently got back into the hobby and need a serious paint restock, however citadel paints seem quite expensive compared to alternatives. So just curious as to what you guys use, the main alternative I've seen are Vallejo and Army painter. Does anyone have any recommendations as to which are best value for money? I'm not an expert painter so am not too worried about having the absolute highest quality, just a decent standard of paint that can be used to paint to a reasonable level.

Also with regards to brushes, is there much variation between suppliers or does it not matter too much?

I'd like to suggest that you buy whatever is stocked at your LGS. That way you know your hobby money is going towards supporting the store.

I recently spent a LOT of time researching different paint brands trying to figure out which would be best to get back into the hobby with, and ultimately came to the conclusion that minor differences in paint formulation don't matter all that much, unless you're trying to paint a Golden Daemon competition piece or something.

I would suggest avoiding Army Painter's regular paints for the most part. In my experience they have extremely poor coverage and are a real pain to work with. The blacks and browns seem okay, though. On the other hand, their washes, metallics, and technicals are all really nice.

In my case, my LGS only stocks Citadel and Army Painter, so I use Citadel for my main colors, Army Painter for metallics, and a mix of washes and technicals from both brands.

Scale 75, GW, Vallejo, Tamiya...I find that every brand has something I like which the other brand doesn't have.