[Jaiml]

Short version:

I need a large paint kit with lots of colors. I tried to order the Citadel Mega Kit but it has been discontinued. I am asking if anyone knows a local store in the US that has one of these kits OR a suggestion of a better kit from another company. I am not stuck on the Citadel paints but I am a noob and don't know what else to use.


Long Version:

I need lots of paint colors on hand because I am terrible at picturing what a color combination is going to look like until I apply it. I have a degree in mechanical engineering and am the typical non-artistic stereo type. I have the artistic talent of a cinder block. But I am trying to learn... =)

My local store is a VERY small one that will order whatever you want, but they have to wait till they get a certain dollar amount before they order. That can take 1-4 weeks. They will order paint for me but they don't really like it since they have to buy paint in packs of 6 and I only want one bottle. I could buy all the colors from GW but the cost is crazy when you buy them separate. I have purchased the foundation set and the basic paint set but I would really like to just make one big purcahse and get everything that I might need. With the Mega kit being discontinued I don't know what to do. I know, I read on here that the mega kit is a waste since I won't use all the colors, but how do I know what colors I am not going to use?

I am open to other paint companies, (Vallejo? I found that by searching the board) One reason I like Citadel is the nice charts they have in the painting book about what colors to use for shading. (See above about cinder block). So if I go with another company I need some sort of cheat sheet.

Kudos to you if you have read this far. I am open to reading any suggestions. My experience so far was a descision to paint my Fantasy Dark Elf army Silver and Blue. I ordered the paints with all the shading colors. Once they arrived I decided that I would rather have them Silver and Red. I still don't have the red, but who knows I might change to purple next week... So to date I have spent more time waiting for paints to arrive (8 weeks) and only a few days painting. I want to have everything at my finger tips so that in those few moments when my wife and I have our 8 week old and 2 year old under control I can run in and paint a few units before our house erupts into the chaos that is our normal life!

Thanks in advance!

 

[danjones87]

The Vallejo model colour range comes in a nice suitcase box, has 72 paints and 3 brushes and rolls in at £120s. If you have the money to invest, go for it. Id still suggest buying the citadel metallic paints.

Dan

 

[InquisitorAffe]

If you're uncomfortable with working with color one of the things that might be good is the Reaper Master Series Triads. Essentially you get a base, a shade, and a highlight all with the same hue but progressing tonal values. Takes a lot of the magic out of mixing for your base colors. Privateer P3 does a similar thing, never used their product though, so can't recommend it. GW (and by extension Vallejo game color) has a couple "surprises" in it with oddball colors. (e.g., enchanted blue is not the tone between ultramarine and ice, it's a totally different blue hue with a lot of green in it)

As a sort of general remark on painting, it is great to have lots of colors to experiment with, but take a look and study color schemes used by the studio teams and other good painters. You will notice they tend to use fairly limited palettes on most models. 2 or 3 colors executed well looks way better than a model with 20 different colors dotted all over it

 

[CBrate]

Might I suggest purchasing the Citadel Washes. Very handy for instant shading.

 

[Jaiml]

Thanks for the replies they were a big help.

I've order the 72 Vallejo and I will order the Washes next month.

I must admit, during my months of lurking I found this forum to be the most helpful and respectful one I have ever seen. This is a very nice community!

 

[Canew]

I must admit, during my months of lurking I found this forum to be the most helpful and respectful one I have ever seen. This is a very nice community!

Glad you like it. That's what we're here for. Now, I'm not the resident painting guru (or even in the top five), but here are my thoughts. Take 'em for what they're worth:

The Vallejo set is a good start. I would also recommend the citadel metals, if you can get them. I have no experience with the Vallejo metals, but I've heard the Citadel metals are better. Citadel Foundation paints are invaluable if you prime black a lot, and I like the washes, too, particularly Badab Black and Devlan Mud. When doing a lot of models at once, these two little pots will become your new best friends.

I've also heard that Vallejo's "normal" (meaning, non-metallic, non wash, etc.) paints are better than GW's, and I have to admit I like the dropper bottles much better myself, so you're on your way to a nice setup there. Does the set include mediums, like glaze, matt, metal and others? If not, consider investing in those from Vallejo, too. Those are nice additives that will help a lot as you graduate to more advanced skills. I happen to be in the "large paint sets risk waste of money" crowd myself, but I sympathize with your color choice plight. I myself am a writer/editor by trade, and am lucky if my clothes match before I leave the house.

To that end, I've solicited lots of advice from lots of people, and found one tip very useful from Brushthralls that you might want to consider: People who paint their house or spare room often use paint chits they get from the hardware store. There's a relatively simple way to do this yourself.

Get yourself a piece of plasticard. If your store doesn't sell it, they know where you can get it. It doesn't have to be super-thick, but something with some stiffness to it won't hurt.

Next, prep it with your favorite primer (white is recommended for this, but whatever turns you on), and when you get your set, break the card up into little "chits." Basically, run your hobby knife along it to score it, then snap it off. On the non-primed side, write the name of the color, and the color's number (each color, regardless of range, should have one). Also, if you're like me and mix and match different paint ranges, put the name of the range, or some abbreviation, such as VGC, VMC, or Cit.

On the primed side, paint it with the noted color. When all these dry, you'll have some nice little chits to literally shuffle around on your table. Decide what colors you think work well together, and what you'll want to mix with each one (usually you have 2-3 overall) to make a good shade (look for a slightly darker version of your main color), and highlight (a lighter version).

Yes, this takes a little time and work, but it will give you a look at exactly what the paint can be expected to look like when dry on the model (something color charts can never really do), and it will be based on YOUR collection, so when you find a color scheme you like, all you gotta do is flip over the chits, grab the bottles, and start painting. I'm working on building a collection of chits myself right now. Very useful, that.

Good luck!