Hi all. My local hobby shop has just started stocking Vallejo paints. After a visit to their website I bought a few bottles Model Color to try. On their website they recommend you thin their paints with water, which I’ve done, but the thing is the paint (applied with brush or airbrush) won’t set (forms droplets) on the bare (washed & cleaned) plastic, it’s like painting water paint on silocone. If I paint over a painted surface no problem, perfect finish. Do Vallejo paints always require priming ?? And if you do prime, which colour do you use ?? What are your experiances with Vallejo paints??
Thanks as always for your time & energy.

I would highly recommend using the Vallejo paints. I started painting figures using artist oils and a good friend of mine told me of Vallejo paints..... I never went back to oils! Now, as for priming a figure or model, I always prime. The color [s] I use are Model Master primer or Model Master black. Do you know of a company by the name of "Games workshop"? They also have great primers as well. They are mainly for gamers and their metal figures, but they will work for us as figure modellers.

I prime withe either light grey or warm brown, depending on a.) what the final predominent color will be and b.) what I've loaded in the airbrush as I begin a project.

If I paint a metal figure I normally prime it. If it is plastic or resin I do not. You are right in saying that Vallejo paints give best results when thinned pretty heavily. You do, however need to apply a pretty thick and even base coat (or several thinner ones) first. Otherwise, the paint will not cover the area and will do what you said, form droplets.

I'm having the exact same problem, paint just forming droplets, looks just like rain on a freshly waxed car. Seems to be do it over either primer or bare plastic. It's very humid here, (South Louisiana). Could that have an effect? I'm really frustrated with the painting right now!
Should I just let the paint form the droplets, then go back over it later with another coat?
I'm also having much trouble with the Model Air clogging up my airbrush, even thinned. I'm using a Iwata HP-C, perhaps I'm not thinning enough?
Any Help would be most appreciated!

Bribo,

How well do you mix your paints before using them. Vallejo, although excellent in color, do require being well mixed (read shaken). If you do not mix them thoroughly the paint may separate and that could cause droplets to be formed.

Also, how much do you actually thin your paint? If it is too thin (mostly water) that might also give you droplets.

What do you use to thin your paints with?

I would need to get some more details from you to try to diagnose the problem.

I have been using Vallejo paint for years and have jet to have any problems with them.

Hi Marty,
Well, I've shaken the heck out of the bottle, but maybe i need something else, some BB's or something? Also, I've thinned them with either distilled water, as they say on the Vallejo site, or with the Vallejo thinner. When using the Vallejo thinner and Model Air, I couldn't spray at all, brush just completly clogged. Using model color and distilled water, it would spray fine one second, and then just run off the part the next second. I was at my wits end! Going to try again later, and I emailed Vallejo themselves, have to see if they answer.

Just as an update, I tried the Model Color again on Sunday. I thinned it with Distilled water, to about milky, and also added a drop or two of Vallejo Thinner. I set the pressure about 15 psi. I backed the airbrush further away fromthe model, and went for it. I found that if I slowed down a bit and built the paint up very slowly, that I was able to paint very successfully. I think I was maybe laying the paint on too thick before. Also, it was very humid Saturday, not as bad (although still very humid) Sunday. So... it may have just been the poor technique of the user causing the problems after all. (Not the first time).

One thing I have noticed, though. I did a pre-shade/cloud pattern on the Marder I'm building. It was nicely done, I thought, but when I looked at it last night, it was almost uniformly Dunkelgelb. It seemed as though the paints were more transparent wet, but became opaque as they dried. So be careful if you are tying that, perhaps much less is more...

Thanks for the help!