Paint collections?

[Tomathee]

Afternoon painters. Looking at what paint I'll need for my second build and I'm going to have to buy a few in addition to what is in the starter set. For info I prefer acrylics at the moment (for the easier cleanup and no toxic bottles of spirit around) and only brush paint (again cleanup and no permanent space).

I wrote several paragraphs of waffle that I've just deleted to ask some simpler questions.

Do you stick to one brand of paint? I've only bought one pot so far and gotten by my first model with those from the several starter sets I have. Apart from the odd shade that might not be available in your preferred brand do you have a box of alsorts or one uniform row of similar pots.

Do you stick to paints that you can buy locally or go online for better quality/range? Locally I can buy humbrol, revell or tamiya. It seems like tamiya might not be best for brush anyway, and there wasn't many in the revell range. Hearing about others such as vallejo or ak interactive has me curious whether I should commit to buying all I need online in one hit due to postage. I suspect this is largely subjective but didn't know if other aspects came into it, one brand is better for planes for example.

Side question, the aforementioned 'online' brands do box sets for certain areas or periods, they seem better value than buying single, are they worth pursuing, if those brands are the route to take?

Think that's all to get me started, thanks for reading.

[Scarlet]

Mr Hobby and Tamiya acrylics for me, plus the odd enamel metallic and some Alclad. The nearest shop to me that sells Tamiya paint is 30 miles away so I normally stock up on a few that are getting low. The Mr Hobby stuff is a bit harder to get so I get that at shows or via mail order, again waiting until I need a few to fill a decent order.

[Graham Boak]

If you are doing a subject that requires the specific colours in a set, then by all means buy the set. No doubt it will include colours you won't use immediately, but it looks as though building up a stock would come in useful to you anyway.

I use mainly enamels, so I won't name specific brands, but you will find that no single company offers you the full range of the paints you want, and no single company can be relied on to always get the colour right, whatever it says on the tin/bottle. This is something you can only learn from experience and browsing in the forums. By all means try several different ranges until you find the one that suits you best, whether for consistency/coverage or the choice available. In the long run, having options available will prove useful when the wrong tin goes solid, or runs out, or just doesn't look quite right.

[Nick Belbin]

Do you have a Games Workshop nearby? Great paints they are with some colours in aerosol form that spray beautifully.

Nick

[rayprit]

When I first started, many years ago, I bought from my local hobby shop...........airfix paints in square bottles, when I returned to model shop for more paint, that particular was not in stock, so, I bought similar, that being humbrol, thus started diversification, swop meets, model railway exhibitions and model shows(Stoneleigh I think was my first IPMS annual show) I had heard of authentic paints becoming available, thus, ensign, xtracolor, Vallejo, Tamiya slowly started to filter into my paint collection..............so currently I have a mish mash to select from. However, as paints perish, run out or become redundant I am replacing them with Xtracolor

[Radleigh]

I started see off with enamels and have a vast collection of them, but use Tamiya now and mix my own colours if needed, but I do have the odd AKEN paint etc for colours id rather just buy, eg: Soviet turquoise cockpit colours.

Edited March 15, 2016 by Radleigh

[Tomjw]

I mainly use Gunze Mr Hobbie paints which I buy at shows or online. If I'm buying locally, I buy either Tamiya or Vallejo Model Color (for brush painting only).

For metallics, I use Alclad or Gunze Mr Metallic (for brush painting).

I do plan to try the Mr Paint and the Akan range at some point, as I've heard good things about them.

Cheers,

Tom.

[glatisant]

Anything and everything is going to be of some use at some point.Trial and error has a lot do with it,in my experience.I am an enamel user myself,though I would use acrylics for cockpit interior details,tyres and other areas that I don't want to wait to long to dry.It's always better to have a good selection of colours because you never know what might take your fancy!!

[Stuck]

Over the years i have built up quite a collection of different paints all have got their pros and cons , but for a newcomer to the hobby which I pressume you are all these different ranges can become quite confusing. So if I was starting off in the hobby I think out of all I would start with a collection of Vallejo Model Air., because they can be both sprayed and brush painted successfully the range is vast and the metalics are good. Personally I would steer well clear of Revell and Humbrol enamels because they have caused me more heartbreak of the years with not drying, etc , etc.

I have just started building a collection of Tamiya enamels, which I am beginning to swear by.

[Tomathee]

Thanks for all the replies, a lot of useful information. I think apart from the four included I'll use Vallejo as much as possible for the extra paints I'll need for my next model. See how I get on then maybe try another brand for the model after that, for colours I don't already have. Nobody has mentioned any drawback to mixing brands which I thought might come up e.g. 'x brand will wreck the model if it meets y'. Now starts the minefield of comparison charts and matching colours.....