Multiple brands of paint on your bench?

I have 4 brands that I use. My main one is Xtracolor, followed by Tamiya. I also have some Humbrol and have recently started using Vallejo for certain things.

O, actually, I guess its 5, I forgot the Alclad.

Modelmaster Enamel,Tamiya,Vallejo,Mig Ammo,WEM,Life Color and Polyscale

Damn, make that 6. I forgot the WEM. Only 4 colours at the moment, for my German ship builds.

Let's see:

AK Interactive, Italeri, Tamiya, Model Master, Vallejo Model Color, Vallejo Game Colors, Vallejo Model Air,  LifeColor, Testors, Winsor-Newton oil paints, CreateX

I tend to buy whatever Hobby Lobby or whomever I am buying off the internet has on sale.

You should use for what ever suits you. I would say most of us have reasons for different brands.

Damn it Tim, now you have done it. I forgot the oils. WnM and MiG. So that's 8. Now you guys have me thinking if I have missed any more. I hadn't realised how many I used.

Aeromaster

Polly Scale (from two different paint lines)

LifeColor

Badger

XtraCrylix

Model Master Acrylic

Vallejo (+ other companies with that same formula)

MisterKit

Testors little square Acrylics

Many various Primers and Clear Coats

Citadel

Talon Acrylic Metallics

AK Interactive Metals

Some tins of XtraColour and WEM Colour Coats enamels

I bought/buy my paints by color match first, then by paint company, in roughly the order I have listed them above. The first three companies are my "go to" paints, and then the others if any of them have a better match than those three for any certain color. (or to replace Aeromaster and Polly Scale if/when I ever run out of a color)

Your store clerk is a little off base on that whole "sticking to one paint line" deal. If you do that, then you could go through life modeling away with Model Master Enamels and wondering why your International Orange paint, and your Flourescent Red Orange paint, have no Red in them, while your buddies' models all seem to have that Red in theirs. (just one example, other companies have their own "missed the color" paints)

Rex

My main one is Tamiya.  I have about 120 Tamiya bottles.

I use Vallejo (about 50 bottles) for paint brushing and MM enamels (about 30 bottles) for dry brushing.

I have lots of brands... Some new, some discontinued:

Humbrol

Testors Enamel Model Master

Testors Acryl & Acrylic Model Master

Polly Scale

Polly S

Aeromaster enamel & acrylics

Revell

Xtracolour

Pactra

Testors square bottles

Floquil

Vallejo,

Color of Eagles

Italeri

Gunze Aqueous

Gunze Mr Color

Monogram Promodeler

Badger

Andrea

Tamiya

some other acrylic paint lines carried by a LHS I can't recall the name of...

some I have only a few, some I have a good percentage of their product lines...

Not sure why the clerk would even say that?!    I would think they would want to sell everything!

I predominately use Tamiya.  I like the acrylics being water based.  But I do have some Testors both the regular and Model Masters paints, and some Testors acrylics also.   Have a few bottles of Vallejo and actually some old Pactra bottles!    But looking at some the other guys here, I'm behind on the brands!  Need to check some of these out.

Like it has been said, use what works for you.  More than one brand?  Why not.  Some colors are hard to find in one brand, so having more than one is actually a wise thing.  Just like glue/solvents.  I have 5-6 different ones I use, just depends on the job at hand. 

That's one of the cool things about the hobby....so many choices! 

Eagle90

For airbrushing, only two, Testors MM enamel and Alclad.

However, for rattle can I use quite a variety. In addition to the Testors enamel cans, I have Krylon, Duplicolor (auto paint) and several other brands, especially for economical clear coats on things like wooden bases.

I think that is the reason that I have so many brands, every company makes different colors, and one color made by each company may not be exactly alike. Lets take good old Olive Drab for example. Polly Scale made 5 different shades, Gunze Aqueous another 3, and Model Master has 4 more, Humbrol 2 more... plus Tamiya, and Revell's, Aeromaster another... and each one is different, some slightly, some markedly. I have all of them! And some paint companies had colors not offered by any others. The Aeromaster lines had Soviet aircraft camouflage colors and Japanese manufacturer specific colors not available under anyone else's labels. Gunze's Mr Hobby and Mr Color lines were not identical... I like the slight variety in a specific color at times to represent newer and faded paint if I am trying to represent that look on a build. And sadly some paint lines are long gone. Pactra had the best Dark Olive Drab out there for using on Vietnam era US vehicles. Nobody makes that shade nowadays. Their uniform Khaki from their long gone Pactra International line was my favorite, having just a hint of yellow to it commonly seen on US uniforms, as opposed to Humbrol's more grayish Khaki Drill. Now don't even get me started on the recently discontinued Floquil and Polly Scale railroad colors.... need some good tonal variety on black? those were the place to go... sadly no more.

Then of course we have their painting properties. Some airbrush better, some handbrush better, some do both well. Whatever your particular building genre is may dictate certain paints over another as a result.

Model Master Acryl and Vallejo.  Sometimes I tap into my old stash of Model Master Enamel.  

My selection comes down to simple availability.  I use what I can get without having to order online.

There is a painting tip for the Acrylic paint fans in the meat of Stik's last post.

Whenever you are going around from hobby shop to hobby shop, if you happen upon some of the Polly Scale Railroad paints, pick up the blacks, the metallics, the reds, the blues, some of the greens, and the grays. (Sante Fe silver is one of the best acrylics to use for the "silver lacquer color" painted on some aircraft)

You will most likely see them for some sort of sale price (anything less than $6 for the 1 oz bottle is a sale),,,,,,,,but, you can still bump into them now and then. Avoid any bottles you see labeled "Polly S", no matter how many people confuse them, they are very much NOT the same formula as Polly Scale. The difference is as obvious as the new style Model Master Acrylic paints and the old formula with the Gray caps on them.

Even if all you find is some of the black colors, you will have the best Acrylic for brushing and airbrushing until you use it up. That is why people miss that paint so much, it just flat out works the way paint is supposed to work.

Rex

Tamiya

MM enamels

Floquil

Vallejo

Alclad

Pollyscale.

Scalecoat

All have particular uses for me, would however like to have less inventory to store. Current amount is well over 100, stupid to make a career out of maintaining paint selections.

As a kid on a North Dakota farm, (3/4 of a century ago,) there were five paints to use. Rustoleum red primer and their red or gray finish for metal, red or white wood paint for barn or house. Simpler then, but more fun now.

Patrick  

Thank you all for the input and info. I was beginning to think I was the only one that used multiple brands of paint or that I was just being picky.

Patrick, you made me "laugh out loud for real" with this comment. "well over 100, stupid to make a career out of maintaining paint selections."

that makes me wonder what you would call me for having 750 bottles, comprising 451 different colors, haha.

Rex

Echo139er,

          I have mainly Testors enamels in the “little” 1/4 oz square bottles, then I have a couple of bottles of Tamiya transparent, followed by several Model Master. I also have a dozen Testors acrylic paints that I was given when I’ve picked up some of my models from HHV (Helping Hospitalized Veterans) there’s about 1/10 of an oz of each color.

          One, is their “hobby kit” and the other is their Military acrylic paint set. Both sets came with this “real nice” white plastic handled brush, and a tube of the “blue” i.e. non-toxic cement for plastic models. Actually I’ve managed to “collect” several tubes of that “wonderful” non-toxic cement.

          Like you, my selection comes down to what is available locally, without having to go online to order paint. As I prefer to purchase locally, even if it is from a chain store vs. going online to purchase what I want.

          Plus, I don’t think that I would be happy having to wait for the confirmation e-mail and then the shipment to arrive. I like to be able to go to the store and see what colors they have and what I need. Call me “old fashioned,” call me “outdated” but that is how I prefer to “roll” as it were.

Lessee here....

Model Master Acrylics

Model Master Enamels

Tamiya Acrylics

Testors enamels (little square bottles)

Aeromaster

Life Color

Valejo Model Color

Gunze/Mr. Color

Akan

Humbrol (1 color - Antique Bronze)

Floquil (1 color -  Weathered Black)

Polly Scale (wished they never stopped making them)

Tarnship -

Rex, as I try to exhibit gentlemanly behavior, and since I don't know you well enough to apply my choice of words to describe your 750 bottle inventory, I say at just 100+  I'll count my blessings.

WOWZZA! That's a lotta bottles just to find space for, the little cabinet I made just for my paints takes up more room in my shop than I like. You da man this round, makes me a real piker. I have to wonder how a photo of that would look. My wife has already threatened me with terrible things, due to the space I take up. NO WAY could I run 750 by her.

Maybe I'll send you 50 of mine, sounds like you need them.

Patrick  

I had never thought of counting my paints before, but now... I'm sure it's well over 100, but well under 750....

You'd be surprised at how little space most of them take up. I'll take a pic, though,,,,,,,not for bragging purposes, just to show how the little plastic boxes I have work so well.

Believe it or not, I have sent out 4 packages of paints to other modelers as I "cut down" on my Enamels to almost Zero, and culled the bulk of the Vallejo out of my collection. I had to use Fed Ex Ground to ship the Enamels up to a modeler in Kentucky.

I have been meaning to get a current photo of the "active paint" rack for a few weeks now.

Rex

Right now my "collection" of paints is small enough that except for the Military acrylic paint set, that they fit into a "large" cigar box.  Which fits nicely on the shelf above the drawer on my workbench/desk.

I now will heed Rex's tip regarding PS railroad blacks, Santa Fe silver and the greys. Looks like another trip to my LHS is in order soon.

Tom, just to save starting another PM convo, if you have any certain paint color that you really need, and can't find, let me know. I could bring them up to New York with us in March. In the meantime, you do still have an "old, new, PM" that I don't know if you have noticed it or not.

I do have a couple colors in mind but have to look at my list..... I know I have it someplace..... How I hate it when I forget where I put it. LOL!

Eagle90

Not sure why the clerk would even say that?!    I would think they would want to sell everything!

That was my main thought on the subject. What an odd thing for a sales clerk to say.

Like so many others above, though Vallejo is my go to paint of the moment, I have and use multiple brands.