Vallejo Model Air Sets - Pamphlets Misleading

[CedB]

Just to let you know that some of us are having problems with the sets of paints (details of my problems in the thread here).

The WWII RAF set suggests that 047 should be used for Medium Sea Grey - this is actually US Grey and much too dark. They should have provided and referenced their 049 in the set.

SO before you use the pamphlet in the set for guidance on your colour schemes, check that the paint they suggest is actually the right colour.

That said I find the coverage good and easy to use, possibly a bit thinned, in an airbrush.

[Rick Brown]

I personally find Vallejo MA very good to use, but yes, you do have to watch their colour suggestions!

Rick.

[Discodaz]

Can I just hyjack this thread slightly..

After reading lots on here ive found the general consensus is to use the vellego paints for airbrushing.i currently use thinned enamels (purely because it's all ive ever used so,better the devil you know kinda thing).

My question is this..I do modern fighter jets,what kit do I need to buy for these.is it a case of you get the basic colours in the kit then add to it.obviously your not going to get every possible colour you would need per build in a kit.

So,for my needs,what's the best starter kit to buy?

I have seen a kit on ebay that comes with a h&s airbrush for circa 80 quid,ish.

I am however,slightly concearned about this colour issue

Daz

[Andy Moore]

Can I just hyjack this thread slightly..

After reading lots on here ive found the general consensus is to use the vellego paints for airbrushing.i currently use thinned enamels (purely because it's all ive ever used so,better the devil you know kinda thing).

My question is this..I do modern fighter jets,what kit do I need to buy for these.is it a case of you get the basic colours in the kit then add to it.obviously your not going to get every possible colour you would need per build in a kit.

So,for my needs,what's the best starter kit to buy?

I have seen a kit on ebay that comes with a h&s airbrush for circa 80 quid,ish.

I am however,slightly concearned about this colour issue

Daz

In general I'd stay away from the various paint sets around as they tend to cost as much as buying the paints individually and as you say they don't necessarily contain all the colours you'd need. You're better off just buying the colours you need for each build and slowly building up a paint collection.

Vallejo, Tamiya and Gunze all work well for airbrushing but if you're used to enamels you may be better off sticking with them.

Andy

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Just general FYI for Vallejo users, I've found Model Air DSG is a good match for EDSG.

[Cookenbacher]

Hi Daz, Vallejo acrylic Light Ghost grey primer was a nice introduction to their paint line for me (also an enamel guy). It matches other Light Ghost greys I have, and it goes on very smooth, so I've used it as a top coat as well.

Their black and white primers need to be thinned to get the same results for me.

[CedB]

Here's the email I sent on 28 Feb to [email protected]:

I purchased a WWII British Aircraft RAF & FAA set (Ref. 71.189) and, following the guidance in the pamphlet (picture here), have just sprayed two models with the "Medium Sea Grey” (MSG). It’s too dark.

I’ve checked the Vallejo colour chart on your website and it says MSG is 71.049 and that 71.047 is “US Grey” - the bottle (but not the pamphlet) also says this.

The set "WWII RAF Day Fighters" has the US Grey too.

Can I ask that you please change the set contents, including the pamphlet, as soon as possible to prevent others making the same error? The paints are great but it appears that the colour matching in the pamphlets is incorrect.

Regards

No reply as yet, surprise, surprise.

And Tweet:

@vallejocolors RAF set Ref. 71.189 has US Grey (047) instead of Medium Sea Grey (049) and the pamphlet refers to the wrong colour.

[CedB]

In general I'd stay away from the various paint sets around as they tend to cost as much as buying the paints individually and as you say they don't necessarily contain all the colours you'd need. You're better off just buying the colours you need for each build and slowly building up a paint collection.

Vallejo, Tamiya and Gunze all work well for airbrushing but if you're used to enamels you may be better off sticking with them.

Andy

Agreed. These sets are very attractive (I've bought the WWII RAF and Luftwaffe sets) but in reality you won't use all the colours, some are wrong anyway (see above) and you don't get other colours you need (like black).

If I had my time again I'd find a paint I got on with (for me, so far, Humbrol acrylic for brushing and Vallejo Model Air for AB), follow the colour guide on the kit and use a conversion chart to find the colours you need.

If we're lucky someone experienced will see this and give us 'starter set' colours for popular schemes. Guys?

[Foghorn Leghorn]

If we're lucky someone experienced will see this and give us 'starter set' colours for popular schemes. Guys?

What we actually need is some enterprising soul to buy all the Vallejo colours, do a test paint and match the outcomes with colour chips, like FS595.

Alas that would cost the 'enterprising soul' a fortune. I suggested it to Jon Mock (before he was banned from BM) but nowt happened, which isn't surprising becuase it's a hell of a job to plough through. The advantage was he already had virtually every Vallejo colour. In fact his paint collection was mind boggling, but I digress.

Maybe the best best bet would be to start a thread on BM and as modellers come across good paint matches we list it in the thread, ergo like my post above (#5)

Neil

[kev67]

I used Model Air USAF grey for a substitute to BEA grey on the underbelly of my Vanguard, and I found it sprayed great, I mixed mine with some de-ionised water and a drop of retarder, their paints are quite thick and I find they do need some thinning down. from such a small bottle you get quite a lot from them.

[Breaker]

Can I just hyjack this thread slightly..

After reading lots on here ive found the general consensus is to use the vellego paints for airbrushing.i currently use thinned enamels (purely because it's all ive ever used so,better the devil you know kinda thing).

My question is this..I do modern fighter jets,what kit do I need to buy for these.is it a case of you get the basic colours in the kit then add to it.obviously your not going to get every possible colour you would need per build in a kit.

So,for my needs,what's the best starter kit to buy?

I have seen a kit on ebay that comes with a h&s airbrush for circa 80 quid,ish.

I am however,slightly concearned about this colour issue

Daz

Try AK Interactive. They do a modern USAF/USN set that's got the majority of the main camo colours in it. I can't speak for their accuracy though.

[Giorgio N]

What we actually need is some enterprising soul to buy all the Vallejo colours, do a test paint and match the outcomes with colour chips, like FS595.

Alas that would cost the 'enterprising soul' a fortune. I suggested it to Jon Mock (before he was banned from BM) but nowt happened, which isn't surprising becuase it's a hell of a job to plough through. The advantage was he already had virtually every Vallejo colour. In fact his paint collection was mind boggling, but I digress.

Maybe the best best bet would be to start a thread on BM and as modellers come across good paint matches we list it in the thread, ergo like my post above (#5)

Neil

This would be the best way ! In the end Vallejo paints started their life for figure painters more than aircraft modellers, some are matched to standards used for aircrafts, some are not.. and most ranges have some wrong colours anyway.

Personally I prefer to use the standard range instead of the model airs, as I can both brush and spray the standard ones. If the standard range is of interest, I've used some for RAF aircrafts and I'll be happy to share my thoughts on these

[Duncan B]

I have the Luftwaffe set and have been disappointed with some of the colour matches. I should have stuck to buying individual colours and would have saved some money by not buying paints I wouldn't use.

Duncan B

[little-cars]

Personally I usually see paint colours as an approximation and mix paint to make them darker or lighter.

I haven't had any feedback of the AK sets, RAF, German, japanese or modern jets, but they are selling well !

I'm hoping to have a play with the AK paints when I get the next shipment in, will report back then. .

Paul

[Dynamo11]

I hate to add fuel to this contentious fire but I've been using Vallejo Model Air 046 "Pale Blue Grey" for the RAF Day Fighter undersides.

Please forgive this rushed attempt at a Mk.IX Spitfire (a cheap kit I bought to refine my airbrush technique about 2 years ago) but I think it shows off what I'm trying to get at:

Not to say 049 is wrong in any way, just I haven't used it as it seems too dark to me. Then again I model exclusively in 1:72 right now and although I've never adhered to scale fading I suppose that "Pale Blue Grey" would be too light for larger models such as a 1:24 Typhoon. So if anything maybe we can just chalk this one up to the scale fade effect.

[CedB]

I hate to add fuel to this contentious fire but I've been using Vallejo Model Air 046 "Pale Blue Grey" for the RAF Day Fighter undersides.

Not to say 049 is wrong in any way, just I haven't used it as it seems too dark to me. Then again I model exclusively in 1:72 right now and although I've never adhered to scale fading I suppose that "Pale Blue Grey" would be too light for larger models such as a 1:24 Typhoon. So if anything maybe we can just chalk this one up to the scale fade effect.

Dynamo (I love your magic by the way) that looks like a good finish but, like me and others, it's a pain when the colours aren't right.

I'm finding Vallejo Air a joy to airbrush and then a complete pain when the colour's obviously wrong. There are a couple of issues here:

1. Do the sets have the correct colours?

2. Is the pamphlet suggesting the correct Vallejo colour from the range?

I won't bore you with my problems (you can look it up here) and the paints are great for airbrushing... but the set's pamphlets guide you to the wrong colour and we need to double check, hence the warning. Sets should be treated with care, attractive though they are.

I've yet to hear anything from Vallejo in response to my email and Tweet so we're on our own, apparently.

[Dynamo11]

Oh yeah, I'm not disagreeing with your original argument at all. It's right that Vallejo should really get this stuff correct in the first place, especially seeing as those who usually buy these sets do so because they don't have any prior experience in what colours they do actually need so it's very misleading for Vallejo to do this. I recently purchased the Lifecolor Finnish Airforce set, simply because I knew it was the most accurate and complete set for Finnish aircraft out there. If I somehow found out the Olive Green is in fact nowhere near the Finnish shade and is simply a rebottled US Green then I'd be pretty miffed.

I just felt for reference, if anyone ever came looking for the right shade of WW2 MSG by Vallejo Model Air, they could not only read here (and in your build thread which I have been following) that 047 is not only wrong but they could come away with 2 recommendations, 049 and 046.

[CedB]

Received today:

Dear Ced,

Thanks for contacting us and we will soon be revising this issue.

We are going to check, together with our new air colors specialist, all the info; colors and sets for RAF .We noticed a few more request about 2 other colors that are not properly matched..

We apologize again for this incorrect info.

Regards

Alex Vallejo

Acrylicos Vallejo, S.L.

Tel. + 34 93 893 60 12

Fax +34 93 893 11 54

[email protected]

Alex Vallejo? Coo, an email from 'the man himself' (or, not being sexist, 'the person, um, themselves'?)

No mention of a new set of paints being sent in the mail (rats) so I've replied and asked for notification of the corrections. Let's hope their "new air colors specialist" does a more accurate job.

[Discodaz]

Flipping result Ceb in my book..the top dog themselves has listened..that i wasn't expecting..good on ya

Daz

[CedB]

..the top dog themselves has listened...

Daz

Either that or he's on his own... Picture buckets and wooden spoons.

[Discodaz]

Either that or he's on his own... Picture buckets and wooden spoons.

Very possible.unlikely i would have thought but..you never know.

Either way,your query has been acknowledged,that doesn't happen too often these days,sadly most complaints are ignored.

Daz

[Rick Brown]

I'm very impressed.

Rick.

[Dynamo11]

Alex Vallejo? Something about that name just tickles me. Like somewhere in Japan there is a REAL Mr Hobby (there is after all a Mr Tamiya)

[CedB]

Thanks Rick.

To be honest these are great paints and I'm loving them in the airbrush - they're easy to use, non-smelly and they cover well.

The sets are also very attractive - what newbie wouldn't want 'all the paints you need for...'. I've bought two - I do WWII so RAF and Luftwaffe.

But the disappointment comes, and it's a big disappointment, when you paint a carefully built model and you're trusted colleagues on BM say "Great, but er, um, that's not the right colour". And this has effected experienced modellers too with new sets.

Vallejo do (most of) the right colours I think - they've just got the set pamphlet wrong. This can cost you a lot of time and money.

Hopefully they, and the other set manufacturers, will realise that (with tiny bottles) we'll come back to them BUT only if they're trusted. BM is a great resource and an amazing group of modellers and, once manufacturers lose our trust, they're unlikely to get it back. No ones going to spend MORE money on another set of 'almost' right paints.

That's got that off my chest then. I'll let you know what Alex comes up with.

[perdu]

Just noticed this Ced

Wow

Great result getting that email, I hope they get it together soon

I have been having decent results withTamiya Acrylics thinned with water but it would be realy good if Vallejo answered the problem

I can use their 'stinkless' paints with impunity even though my guv'ner has "stinkystinky" breathing issues

I'd use them far more often if they got it right

Nice paint too and i find I can brush it even though it is airbrush paint which has made my modelling far better

Well done mate

b