| (A) |
Americana - one of the craft paints, it comes in a large 2oz
bottle. Some miniature painters dislike it for graininess and |
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for difficulty in mixing, but I like it. I've gotten some very nice
results if it is well mixed and used well diluted. When several layers
are built up, I find that the graininess doesn't show nearly as much. And
when the final protective coating is put on the figure, it looks very nice.
Besides, it comes in a large selection of colors and costs about ½
what other paints (specifically for miniatures) cost. A deciding factor! |
| (FA) |
Folk Art - another of the craft paints. It comes in the same
size bottles as the Americana, but has slightly fewer colors |
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and is a little cheaper. It is also has a little more graininess, but
can still be used if care is taken. Again, the deciding factor is cost,
especially on practice figures (which most of mine are, right now). |
| (C) |
Citadel - the first of the paints that I use that is specifically
formulated for small models & miniatures. It comes in a 12 ml |
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bottle and is a good paint, not the best out there but not too bad
either. There is a nice range of colors available and the price isn't too
high. But those bottles! 'Easy open' isn't in the description, believe
me! Snarl... I can seriously say that I've worn more Citadel paint than
any paint by any other manufacturer out there! (and that isn't a joke). |
| (R) |
Reaper Pro - a newer paint, it became available up here in Canada
just this summer. A very nice paint, it comes in a |
|
3/4 oz (21 ml) easy-to-open bottle similar to the Ral Partha bottle.
I have been told that it is the old Ral Partha paint in a new bottle, but
I can't say for sure. It is a little gummier than Ral Partha's paint for
some reason, but with good surface coverage and a large color range. It
mixes easily with whatever dilutant used for layering, which makes life
easier. The cost is about that of the old Ral Partha paints. I've only
been able to get my hands on one color (black) so far, because the local
miniatures shop is trying the line out to see how they sell. Since I got
the last one, and they were only put on the shelf a few days before, I'm
hoping that they will take the hint and bring the rest of the line in soon. |
| (RP) |
Ral Partha - this paint line has been discontinued. Which is
a real pity, as it is a very useful paint. I've been travelling to |
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shops that used to sell this line all summer, buying up any of their
old stock that I can get my hands on (one of each color, at least.. ).
Hopefully the rumours are right and the Reaper paint is a replacement for
it. |
| (PS) |
Polly S or Polly Scale - the granddaddy of miniatures paints,
it has a very fine pigment grind and covers surfaces very |
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well. It comes in a wide range of plain colors and metallics in ½
oz (14 ml) glass bottles. Their Stainless Steel is one of the best and
brightest silvers that I've come across so far. Apparently the Polly S
line isn't available any more, but the Polly Scale still is. I like this
brand best for any drybrushing that I have to do. It gives a smoother result
than most of the others. |
| (V) |
Vallejo - the newest paint (well, either it or Reaper Pro, I'm
not too sure which came out first) on the market, it is the |
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cadillac of paints. It comes in 17 ml, tall, thin bottles, and must
be shaken very vigorously before use. The paint has a very fine pigment
grind and it's surface coverage is the best of all the paints. The amount
of colors available is staggering. There are at least 220 of them out there,
plus the metallics (both water-based and alcohol-based)! It is best used
for painting in layers, as it dries quickly and is prone to leave brush
marks when applied too thickly. Other than that, the only other problem
is the price. It is easily the most expensive of all the manufacturers
lines ($4.75 CDN). The quaility is great, but I'm only using it (except
for experimentation) on my better figures. |