Opinions about Vallejo acrylic paints sought

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- Tomcat
  
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posted
18 years ago

Sun, Nov 13, 2005 8:15 PM

Hello, at a recent model show I bought some bottles of Vallejo Model Color (for brush painting) and Model Air (the one for direct use in airbrushes). I tested them on some plastic sheet with (for me) astonishing results. Model Color do not adhere well, even after a month drying time they can be easily scratched. More tests on primed surfaces, specially (alcohol) cleaned plastic surfaces showed no improvements. On the other hand, Model Air is perfect on any of the tested surfaces, not more prone to scratches as enamel paints. Has anyone of you similar experiences and what can be done against it? Or alternatively, show the Xtralicx acrylis better behaviour (haven?t tested them so far)? Any comments about this and other acrylics (to paint modern jets in

1/72) are most welcome.

Thank you very much,

Martin

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- Greg Heilers
  
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posted
18 years ago

Sun, Nov 13, 2005 9:39 PM

Vallejo paints are *very* popular with figure artists; as well as figure artists who also do armor and aircraft. Adherence and coverage is excellent. I have never heard anyone complain about their being prone to "scratching off"...but I don't know any figure artists who would intentionally deface a finished piece like that...lol. And since figures *always* get permanently affixed to bases; such a situation would rarely arise "in nature", or by accident.

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- Wulf Corbett
  
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posted
18 years ago

Sun, Nov 13, 2005 10:00 PM

I agree in spades, I've sadly abandoned Vallejo (they have some excellent colours, and a very nice range of metallics) in favour of Lifecolor. I've tried Vallejo on figures (both smaller metal ones and large resin), some tanks and a few aircraft, and they do not adhere well (but far better with primer). It's as though they were a thin ruberised coating on top of the model.

Wulf

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- dancho
  
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posted
18 years ago

Mon, Nov 14, 2005 2:45 AM

I tried Vallejo paints (the kind used for brushing) because I paint my models with brushes-- no spray painting. I compared them to Model Master and Polyscale and I found the same lack of adhesion and severe "brush stokes" (i.e. not self-leveling). But, I just used some of the Vallejo paint that I bought-- to paint the yellow nose and rudder on a BF-109E. I'm still trying to use the paint-- hey, it was expensive!

I have tried many acrylic paints for brush painting and I'm 100% sold on Testors products-- either Model Master or Polyscale. They are about the same stuff as far as I can tell. I get very good results with these paints.