Im new to using this,Im using field gray as a base and when it dries a notice a satin gloss, is this normal?

do you guys thin the Vallejo when brush painting?

Interested in this also as I just got some Vallejo to try for the first time..

I thin my Vallejo paints quite a lot before painting.

Here's the formula that I use for my thinner:

1:1 water and Vallejo's proprietary thinner. To this mixture, I add 5% each, by volume, of an artist acrylic flow aide (Grumbacher, Golden, W&N, etc.) and Vallejo's Matt Medium. (You can also use any other artist acrylic matt medium, like Grumbacher, Golden, W&N, etc.)

When ever acrylic paints are thinned, you must always add back in the required acrylic binders. This is why Vallejo's thinner is milky colored. It has the additional binders in it. The Vallejo Matt Medium also has added binders, but it will also help the paint dry flat. If you don't add the required binders back into the thinned acrylic paints, they will be very fragile and have very little durability and handling resistance.

I keep a bottle of this thinner mixed up on my painting bench and use it to thin the Vallejo Model Color paints about 3:2, paint to thinner. Some colors will require more thinning and some maybe a little less. A lot depends on how old the paint is and how well it's been mixed.

I generally plan and expect to paint on at least two coats, and more often three to get good coverage over large areas primed with Tamiya Flat White (airbrushed on). Smaller details will often cover with just one or two coats.

Never apply a second coat over an earlier coat that's not dry. The first coat doesn't have to set hard, just dry with no wet spots. If you do, the brush will pull the earlier, partially dry paint off the surface in clumps and at the least you get heavy brush marks.

I use round liner brushes for my acrylic work instead of round "brights." The longer bristles on the liner brushes hold more paint, especially when doing fine details.

Keep your brushes clean when painting with acrylics. As soon as the paint starts to set in the tips of the bristles, then it will no longer flow off the brush, so every few minutes, you need to give the brush a "swish" in clean water or water with just a touch of glass cleaner in it. Take a glance at the bristles to note if there's any paint still clumped on the tips, and if not, give a touch to a piece of paper towel to draw off the excess water, and continue painting. If there's still some clumped paint in the bristle tips, roll the wet bristles between the tips of the fingers on your non-painting hand, give the brush another swish, a wicking pass, and then continue painting.

All of this only takes a couple of moments and with practice, you'll hardly notice the time taken.

However, the difference in how better the paint will flow from the brush is huge.

Good luck. Vallejo Model Colors are great paints once you learn how to use them.

Like Mike said, there's a bit of a learning curve but they are great to work with once you get the hang of it. I've had good success thinning with just water but you will need a flat coat to help protect the surface afterwards, or conversely, you can use the wear from handling to your advantage to show worn paint. Vallejo's matt dries nice and flat and brushes on well. You will find that some colours need more thinning than others and if you get the Game Color paints, they will need roughly twice as much thinning as a comparable Model Color paint. Primer is important, whether it's Vallejo's own (great stuff with some interesting properties) or from a spray can or what have you. Just make sure the primer is fully cured if you use a solvent based paint. I started using Vallejo about 2 years ago when I got back into the hobby and was hooked almost immediately. I actually look forward to detail painting and metallic finishes nowadays.

Kimmo

thanks for the great replys, I brushed on Vallejo white primer, let it sit 24 hours, I noticed how easily it comes off the figure,like its not biting into the plastic,am I doing something wrong?

Vallejo primer doesn't bite like a solvent would. It's designed so that if you have complete coverage, it forms a film and that's what holds it in place. If it's peeling off, I suspect the figure might need washing, regular dish washing liquid is fine. So clean off the primer, wash and try again making sure you cover everything well. You'll probably need a couple of coats, maybe three. The stuff really snuggles down well so don't worry about it sounding excessive. Let each coat touch dry so you don't accidentally lift the previous layer.

Kimmo