Who uses Tamiya or Model Master paints and what do you pay

It depends what you want to paint:

Testors - Good for military stuff ( Plastic Kits ...military figures... ) lots of varieties and color. Preferbly with airbrush.
Tamiya - Forget it ( Dry up from the bottle pretty fast and hard to mix )
Gunze - Better than Tamiya, but only good for Gundam ( Air brush needed to see quality - White,BLue, Red, Yellow is tough to paint )

If you are using air brush , I suggest CAR PAINTS with CAR PAINTS SOFTENER. Mix your paints thin and spray it layer by layer...it will look smooth and gloss. Once its gloss its easier for you to wash and so on.

Hope helps....

Your optimus Is looking great so far, I have yet to tackle my leader or voyager "yet." Never had a good experience with testors or citadel paints (I am super picky) I finally took the plunge and bought Reaper Master paints. I love their bottles, range of colors, and the included agitator skulls just helped seal the deal for me.

For Transformers I'd say use the Model Master (Testors) paints since they are really durable and can probably stand-up to transforming. Citadel is just as tough but it has to cure completely (not just dry, you have to let it sort of "set" so that it bonds with whatever you're painting, I do a base coat and leave it alone for a few hours and do other customs in the meantime to make sure I don't tear-up the paint again with my fingers or brush before it completely sets).

I'm using Citadel on my Voyager Optimus Prime and the paint hasn't chipped at all yet (check-out my WIP topic).

$4.99?! Whoa, it's $2.99 here... where do you see them for 5 bucks? Your game shop? Online?

Things cost more in Canada than the States.

Its a sad but true part of life.

Whoa, I didn't know they came in droppers. I've heard a lot of good stuff about Vallejo paints, but I've always used Citadel paints...and mixing has been a hassle, especially if you are like me and stop painting in mid color and then can't remember how you mixed the paint up.

I'm gonna have to look into getting some Vallejo Game Color paints now.

Woot!!

$4.99?! Whoa, it's $2.99 here... where do you see them for 5 bucks? Your game shop? Online?

I've used the games workshop foudation paint.

It's great. It goes on in one coat and you usaully don't have to to another layer.

One coat your done.

I use game workshop regural paints to and there good but I find some times it takes a few layers ontop of a washed figure to really cover up the factory paint.

I've been thinking of switching to Vallejo as there 4.99 for 17 ml while my gamesworkshop stuff is 4.25 for 12 ml. I think 5 ml more for only .75 is a better deal.

Thanks Punstarr, I have been snooping around the net and I think I am going to try and get a masters set of Reaper paints. I found the Reaper forums and the person who developed the paint was posting and their paints seem to be the highest quality with the most pigment. I am a little worried though as I have not seen many figures done with this paint and your stuff is awesome so game color is also in the running.

Welcome to the Realm!

My game shop suggested Game Color, so that's the kind I use. It's worked out great for me.

Hi everyone! I am new but have done a couple of custom transformers. I use Tamiya right now but I absolutely hate that I am a klutz and always knocking my open jars open. I see a lot of you use Vallejo or Reaper paints but I am a little confused as to what type as I see pro, masters , model, and game types each with their own set of colors. Is their one that is better than the other for action figures and transformers? Thanks guys and I am really happy that I joined this site.

Ah yes... the long and bloody Citadel/Vallejo War of '98. Many a young customizer's life was lost in that ugly campaign...

Custromizers talking about paint is always a deadend road... like talking about religion or war. You just gotta figure it out for self and find whats best for you.

I've heard of reapers paint, I havent seen any around locally, and I agree, Rats paint apps are amazing! and nope, never tried the new citadels.

~Gj

I came across a real sweet deal on my Vallejo suitcase - was $130 or a little less. you just have to search those ebay sellers thoroughly to find the deals.

also let's not forget that Ratboy swears by Reapers paints and his stuff always looks killer!

Citadel came out with a new line of paints called Citadel Foundation. has anyone tried them yet?

here is the info from their site -

I think its 72 color case with brushes... I got mine New off ebay for 140 back in the day, and then looked at the seller real site and its 170 or so.

Hmm, maybe it's the distributor my local comic shop goes through, dunno. All I know is that through them the sets (80 paints or so) go for about $230. Cruddy.

They are sweet, but really dull colors compared the game color.. (great for military stuff... and my new agent x was base coated with)

yep pun kyles got you on that. also, hows the Vallejo air colors working?

~Gj

mine was 140, and they still sell them for that much (full breifcase) I linked the company on my web site... FPR games. When I got them, I poped off the tops of all ofem and dropped in 2 stailnless steel SHOTS (like BB's from a SHOTgun) and helps the mixing process BIG TIME... then the won't seem thin, the real thin stuff is Vellejo aircolor and I picked up some of that and its pre diluted for airbrushing.

Ah I'm curious, how much did you have to pay for that? They used to be $150 but the price got raised to $235 or so fairly recently. My local comic shop had one in stock at the old price for like a year, and I went in to buy it this last weekend only to find it had finally been sold the weekend before! If I wanted it now, I'd have to fork out $200+, which paint for paint I'd be better off buying them individually for $2.99 each.

You have to shake them -really- well before using them. Once shaken, I haven't had a problem with them being too thin.

Vallejo and Citadel is all I use. I agree with Pun and everyone about Game Color and the dropper. I have noticed though they are abit thin. I wonder if they are meant to use with airbrushes. Oh well.

I've been using the Vallejo as well but I have some Tamiya, Model Master and Citadel. they are $3 here at Hobbytown. no one carries Vallejo, had to buy it on ebay and it averaged about $2.70 a bottle I think... maybe less.

one problem I had with the Vallejo was that the Dark Green was just a big lump of pigment in the bottle, obviously a factory error.

other than that they work pretty good.

lol yea I've been using it for like the past months....bought the suit case. ^_^

~Gj

Im glad more people are picking up Vellejo game color... I thought I was the only one. GJ? you using it now too? I would'nt switch for the life of me. And Seconded with what pun said about them.

agreed with Pun there, but if I had a choice between the two, model master or testors ( I think theyre the same)

~Gj

I -highly- recommend Vallejo Game Color paints. Not only do they work really well for customs, but they come in droppers instead of jars, so mixing paint for custom colors is quite easy. 3 drops of black + 2 drops of white will always give you the same gray. 2 drops of red and 3 drops of blue will always give you the same shade of purple. I really dig that aspect.