Vallejo Acrylics..... so many confusing choices!

There are tons of choices. The two types of paints Vallejo really makes are Model Color, for brush work, and Model Air for Air brush work. You can use Model color in the AB, but it really takes a lot of thinning and work to make it spray well, but it will. The Model Air line sprays right from the bottle with no thinning needed, but you can thin it more if you wish.

Colorwise just get what you need and go with it. I have changed over to almost exclusively Vallejo over the last year and am still working out the spraying needs of Model color when I need that color. The Air line has always worked well.

Hobby Lobby, in my area, only carries the Model Color line in individual bottles and some of the Model Air line in kits for certain segments like US Navy WWII, or USAAF Pacific WWII or Modern US Navy and such. Those are nice as they give you several colors that work well on several planes. There Model Color line is, in my opinion, the best brush paint out there. It is awesome to use for that work that just can't be sprayed. Each builder has their personal choices, but I find Vallejo very nice to use. Just know which line you are using and work accordingly.

Oh, I forgot to mention. They have a thinner that does just that, it thins and cleans. The Retarder slows the drying time but thickens the paint so I seldom use it. The varnishes are just various clears that I don't use as I use Model Master until they are gone and then I'll use the Vallejo satin for finish work and Tamiya clear with Mr Color Leveling thinner for decal work.

Vallejo paints thin with water or Windex, or their Thinner line. I use the thinner to "thin" the paint and the Windex to clean my AB and brushes. Don't use paint thinner with Vallejo, bad things happen.

BK

RickS

So I'm at Hobby Lobby the other day, looking over some of the limited Vallejo paints they have and noticed all this stuff.  I've looked online for answers, but I seem to get only more confused.  I am eager to try out the Vallejo paints in my airbrush, but I want to use the right products and not make a mess of either the paint job, or the airbrush!  Can someone please explain the different products in the pic, and the proper use for each.  I would be most grateful!

PS.... Looking at Scale Hobbyist.com, there are even more choices..... airbrush thinner, airbrush cleaner, airbrush flow improver..... Yikes!

 

These are for the Model Color/Game Color/Panzer Aces lines of paints.   These are not pre-thinned for airbrush use, as are Model Air/Game Air.  They are more for hand brushing.  Much of the info is on the label on the side of the bottle.

Right to left:

Airbrush Thinner is, wait for it, to thin the thicker paints for airbrush use.  May also be used to adjust the paint viscosity of Model Air/Game Air. 

Retarder purpose it to slow the drying of the brushed paints to allow for blending.

Glaze purpose is to adjust the opacity of the brush paints to a more transparent appearance, i.e. rosy cheeks on a flesh colored face.   Glazes are thicker,  not thin washes.  Generally does not affect drying time

Thinner is used to thin the thicker brush paints without affecting the opacity or greatly affect the drying time and to clean up after painting

Else ...

Airbrush flow improver contains some surfactants to attempt to minimize tip drying.   I'll add Flow Improver 1 part to 3 or 4 parts paint,  even for Model Air.

Airbrush Cleaner is designed to help break down Vallejo's proprietary paint vehicles, especially if you don;t clean your brush after a painting session

EdGrune

 

 

RickS

So I'm at Hobby Lobby the other day, looking over some of the limited Vallejo paints they have and noticed all this stuff.  I've looked online for answers, but I seem to get only more confused.  I am eager to try out the Vallejo paints in my airbrush, but I want to use the right products and not make a mess of either the paint job, or the airbrush!  Can someone please explain the different products in the pic, and the proper use for each.  I would be most grateful!

PS.... Looking at Scale Hobbyist.com, there are even more choices..... airbrush thinner, airbrush cleaner, airbrush flow improver..... Yikes!

 

 

 

 

These are for the Model Color/Game Color/Panzer Aces lines of paints.   These are not pre-thinned for airbrush use, as are Model Air/Game Air.  They are more for hand brushing.  Much of the info is on the label on the side of the bottle.

Right to left:

Airbrush Thinner is, wait for it, to thin the thicker paints for airbrush use.  May also be used to adjust the paint viscosity of Model Air/Game Air. 

Retarder purpose it to slow the drying of the brushed paints to allow for blending.

Glaze purpose is to adjust the opacity of the brush paints to a more transparent appearance, i.e. rosy cheeks on a flesh colored face.   Glazes are thicker,  not thin washes.  Generally does not affect drying time

Thinner is used to thin the thicker brush paints without affecting the opacity or greatly affect the drying time and to clean up after painting

Else ...

Airbrush flow improver contains some surfactants to attempt to minimize tip drying.   I'll add Flow Improver 1 part to 3 or 4 parts paint,  even for Model Air.

Airbrush Cleaner is designed to help break down Vallejo's proprietary paint vehicles, especially if you don;t clean your brush after a painting session

 

Excellent expanation of those 4 products pictured, Ed.

You should write for Vallejo, your descriptions are lots better than their own.

To the OP, Vallejo product nomenclature sure can be confusing. Great question.

Thank you all for the feedback, it's very helpful!  One more question, not Vallejo related.  I just picked up a copy of Airbrushing for Scale Modelers by Aaron Skinner.  It has a chart with paint-to-thinner ratios, and is very helpful as well, detailing a wide variety of paints, and their associated thinners.  Except for one....  Testors Model Master Acryl.  For that, it says "universal thinner" but does not say what universal thinner is....  and I can't find a more detailed answer in the book.

Update:  Further internet searching came up with Testors Aztek Universal Thinner for their acrylic paints.  Of course, it's backordered everywhere except Amazon, at 14 bucks for a 4 oz. bottle.  So now the question becomes, what is an equivalent substitute?

RickS

Thank you all for the feedback, it's very helpful!  One more question, not Vallejo related.  I just picked up a copy of Airbrushing for Scale Modelers by Aaron Skinner.  It has a chart with paint-to-thinner ratios, and is very helpful as well, detailing a wide variety of paints, and their associated thinners.  Except for one....  Testors Model Master Acryl.  For that, it says "universal thinner" but does not say what universal thinner is....  and I can't find a more detailed answer in the book.

 

Yeah Never alcohol and Vallejo! It will turn to a gummy mess!