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Question about Vallejo Model Color

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  • Member since
    July 2012
Question about Vallejo Model Color
Posted by zfazzio on Monday, July 2, 2012 7:41 PM

I am new to the hobby and about to begin my first build (a Tamiya 1:48 P-51 "Blue Nose").  Although I do plan on eventually airbrushing my models, I want to take things slowly and get familiar with the "basics" of the hobby.  I am, therefore,  starting off handbrushing exclusively.  I was going to use Tamiya paints (to match the model), but after reading so much about their poor performance via handbrushing, I have decided to go with Vallejo Model Color paints instead.  However, when looking at a Tamiya/Vallejo conversion chart, I noticed that it appears that unlike Tamiya, Vallejo doesn't make gloss paints.  Instead one must mix their flat paints with a separate Vallejo gloss (#510?) to achieve the desired glossy effect.  Is this correct?  If so, is it difficult to master this additional step?  Can anyone provide some more details on this, or set me straight if I am wrong?

Thanks so much!

  • Member since
    March 2010
  • From: Democratic Peoples Republic of Illinois
Posted by Hercmech on Monday, July 2, 2012 7:56 PM

You are right. The Vallejo stuff is dead flat right out of the bottle. But since you need to thin it anyway before you brush it. Just use a little gloss and it should be fine. You can also just brush it on and hit it with a spray gloss when you are done. Either way should work for you.


13151015

  • Member since
    July 2012
Posted by zfazzio on Monday, July 2, 2012 8:59 PM

Thanks, Herc.  So you are saying that instead of using water or Vallejo's proprietary thinner to thin the paint, I should use the gloss itself AS the thinner?  So a 50/50 mix then, or just trial-and-error until I get it to somewhere around that often talked about "cream/milk" consistency?

Thanks again!

  • Member since
    June 2010
Posted by montague on Monday, July 2, 2012 9:19 PM

Vallejo is far better for brush painting than Tamiya. Stay with it.

  • Member since
    June 2010
  • From: Austin, TX
Posted by DoogsATX on Monday, July 2, 2012 10:55 PM

In my experience, even though they're supposedly dead flat, a lot of Vallejo colors actually dry more of an eggshell or satin finish when brushed.

If you want gloss, you can add in their gloss varnish or just go with some Future.

On the Bench: 1/32 Trumpeter P-47 | 1/32 Hasegawa Bf 109G | 1/144 Eduard MiG-21MF x2

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