Global Scale Modeller

Hey guys i was just wondering how other get there paints. do you build up your paint collections up by over time and buy as and when you need a certain colour, or do you buy the whole range of paint colours in one go of a certain brand e.g tamiya or vellajo, and if you buy the full range in bulk where are the best places to buy the full ranges and decent prices????

Thanks

At first I built mine up slowly and bought paints as I needed them but, it turned out a bit expensive in postage and what not when only ordering 3 or 4 at a time. I then started ordering all the paints I needed for all my models. My wife just bought me the whole model air collection for my birthday, well chuffed with that!

yeah i know what you mean im always popping down modelzone to pick up a couple paints lol annoying hopfully someone will tell me a online place where i can buy the whole range for a decent price

I think we all need a wife like yours then lol

SnM stuff do the full Vallejo set for £212 about 125 bottles.

EModels are the only shop that stocks ALL the gunze paints, other places do bits and pieces. Paul's just bought the full set so, he could tell you how much it costs for the lot.

Tamiya you can get at loads of places and will cost you about £150 for the full set

Lee wrote:SnM stuff do the full Vallejo set for £212 about 125 bottles.

EModels are the only shop that stocks ALL the gunze paints, other places do bits and pieces. Paul's just bought the full set so, he could tell you how much it costs for the lot.

Tamiya you can get at loads of places and will cost you about £150 for the full set

Sadly emodels didnt have them all in stock but they usually do, rrp is £2 a bottle and is approx 150 bottles.

To be honest i've only just started using the tamiya paints, and ive never used the vellejo paints before so them to i would probs get the set of if i did. Only really been used to the humbrol range up to now :/

Not long been back doing modelling to be fair so since i last did modelling when i was younger before i found out about women and booze lol there so much changed and so many new products you can buy. building at the moment is slow because im just about to start re-arranging my bench for more room andso i can start to do airbrushing

Ive bought alot of my paints as ive gone and then i thought sod buying them one at a time and started to buy them in bulk. Often if you ask you may get a disount if buying alot together, its worth asking.

I had to quit my hobby of shooting due to injury and had alot of expensive shooting equipment which i sold and plowed into this hobby so while i had the money i used it accordingly. i also dont drink (very often anyway) dont smoke, dont do drugs, so all my money can be spent on a hobby i enjoy.

I use vallejo, I just get them as I need, I'm lucky that I can order from eModels and pick up from the warehouse/store on my way home from work.

yeah thats what i was thinking see if i can get a discount if i buy bulk i just ask around i guess

I'm jobless at the min so money is abit tight but arnt we all lol so modelling on a budget all part of the fun, if your wondering what i am building at the moment is the 1/48 airfix red arrow will add photos soon once im done

brummiemodeller wrote:yeah thats what i was thinking see if i can get a discount if i buy bulk i just ask around i guess

I'm jobless at the min so money is abit tight but arnt we all lol so modelling on a budget all part of the fun, if your wondering what i am building at the moment is the 1/48 airfix red arrow will add photos soon once im done

Look forward to seeing it mate.

I think everyone is struggling in the current economic climate, I was unable to work for two years due to injury so I know what a struggle it can be, self employed if you don't work you don't earn and i refused to sign on too.

Yep its a defo a struggle these days, i did go self employed for a while just didnt work out wasnt earning enough. plasterer by trade and jack of all other trades, but ended up signing on

Modelling is the only thing that keeps me sain lol

brummiemodeller wrote:Yep its a defo a struggle these days, i did go self employed for a while just didnt work out wasnt earning enough. plasterer by trade and jack of all other trades, but ended up signing on

Modelling is the only thing that keeps me sain lol

The trades really are suffering especially up north, I've never see trade counters so quiet. I just hope it picks up (eventually)

Yeah they certainly are, hopfully it will pick up but untill then we will have to just make war and battles and aircraft crashing and tanks blowing things up on our shelves in our man caves haha

brummiemodeller wrote:Yeah they certainly are, hopfully it will pick up but untill then we will have to just make war and battles and aircraft crashing and tanks blowing things up on our shelves in our man caves haha

Ha ha indeed

thanks for the help guys

brummiemodeller wrote: thanks for the help guys

It's a pleasure dan, take care buddy

I bought all the grey colors available at my local hobby store in one package, now I dont need paint anymore unless I want to paint something different than ships.

( ofc I also bought the traditional red, white , black, etc)

My paint collection is expanding as quick as my model kit stash. I usually buy Pactra acrylic paints because they are cheap and good, sometimes I'm picking up some Revell and Humbrol enamel paints for the typical hand painting areas. I have a hobby store in my town so I can go there any time and buy the color that I need. I'm really happy about the RAL standard.

Yeah I tend to just buy the odd colours here and there. But I am now starting to build planes etc that means I could do with having the RLM range at least, and more shades of greys etc. So next time I have some spare cash to splash on hobby related items then I think I will be looking at getting Vallejos Model Air RLM set, and possibly then the Allied set and others. Will never have a cool £200 odd lying around to be able to buy the entire range at once, but I am going to start getting the smaller sets at least I think.

I have never used Tamiya, Gunze, Xtracrylix either. Only ever Humbrol (not a fan), Citadel (good paints, but expensive and are much more "cartoony" colours), Revell (not bad) and Vallejo ranges (gorgeous lol).

Thanks gav yeah at the moment im just buying when i need them, i really do need to start buying the vellejo range tho and thanks others for your opinions and help.

Hey Dan. I am new to this so what I do is check out a model and find out say 5 or 6 paints I need. I order online as it's way cheaper than going to the model store. Then I just add more paints to my order until the shipping goes up. Then I take the last one off the order and place it. If I'm paying shipping I get as much as I can for the shipping I am prepared to pay and save a bit of money at the same time. I mentioned, in another thread, I use http://www.luckymodel.com from Hong Kong and find their prices great. Not sure about the UK but I know others in here use LuckyModel.Com too but I always order on line to get the cheapest prices and a way to build up my paints.

Cheers and good luck mate

Jim

Thanks you jim very helpful i will check that out

I am replacing all my enamel's with acrylic's as and when I need them. Been away from modelling for awhile but am into more than ever this time, there was a time when I wouldn't dream of using acrylic's but now I won't use anything else. Tamiya are my chosen brand at the moment, but for authentic scheme's I am starting to use extracrylic's.

Tamiyasnob wrote:I am replacing all my enamel's with acrylic's as and when I need them. Been away from modelling for awhile but am into more than ever this time, there was a time when I wouldn't dream of using acrylic's but now I won't use anything else. Tamiya are my chosen brand at the moment, but for authentic scheme's I am starting to use extracrylic's.

Xtracrylix rule

i´m blessed that a local shop sells some models and Revell paints, so if i need them right now i don´t have to order them and wait, i simply jump in my car and 10 minutes later i have the paints i need
i don´t buy any paint sets as the paints from Revell doing the job for me very well. I barely mix paints together, i just use the tone that seems suiting.
One set i can recommend anyway is the flesh paint set from Lifecolor, its great for figures and i use it very often.

HamilkarBarkas wrote:i´m blessed that a local shop sells some models and Revell paints, so if i need them right now i don´t have to order them and wait, i simply jump in my car and 10 minutes later i have the paints i need
i don´t buy any paint sets as the paints from Revell doing the job for me very well. I barely mix paints together, i just use the tone that seems suiting.
One set i can recommend anyway is the flesh paint set from Lifecolor, its great for figures and i use it very often.

Yes Michael I have that life colour set and it is very good indeed

I used to use only the enamels from Humbrol but started to get into the acrylics and a better accuracy of colours with other makes. I like the Lifecolors series of paints. They seem to cover quite well the areas that I am interested in. I am buying them in the 6 in a box sets at about a box every 2 months or so. I still buy in enamels if I need them for I find them much better to airbrush with.

I find these paints Ok to airbrush with over other makes of acrylics, I use only water, no alcohols, if I am airbrushing, but they are fine with alcohols when brush painting for a quicker dry.

I also have a nice collection of the gift set pots from Airfix kits, they got to be handy sometime.
Dave.

Telegraphist wrote:I used to use only the enamels from Humbrol but started to get into the acrylics and a better accuracy of colours with other makes. I like the Lifecolors series of paints. They seem to cover quite well the areas that I am interested in. I am buying them in the 6 in a box sets at about a box every 2 months or so. I still buy in enamels if I need them for I find them much better to airbrush with.

I find these paints Ok to airbrush with over other makes of acrylics, I use only water, no alcohols, if I am airbrushing, but they are fine with alcohols when brush painting for a quicker dry.

I also have a nice collection of the gift set pots from Airfix kits, they got to be handy sometime.
Dave.

yes i have loads of them little humbrol pots you get in gift sets most people throw them away but like you said they can always come in handy sometime even if you get a group of the same colour and put them into a empty droper bottle for easyer use

I buy them as I need them. I am always weary of the shelf life of paints. Some are better than others. I have found Humbrol enamels to have an incredibly long shelf life under severe temperature conditions. From very cold to nasty humidity.

But I agree with a lot of the above statements. The economy is far from ideal right now. So, I budget my builds with paint and other supplies in mind. But man! I love seeing the workbenches with all the gear spread out. Because it really stinks when I'm in a groove and I have to go run out to the hobby shop to buy something

Russ

I've been trying to get my hands on some Vallejo Air for a few years but they aren't easy to get here in Nova Scotia.
Only one model shop here sells Vallejo but it's the standard brush paint (he also sells SCUBA gear and bathing suits).
The other shop refuses to buy it.
I have some of it and that's why I want to get the air. It's beautiful stuff.
All of my online sources in Canada, Asia, and Europe sell it small quantities that will cost too much in shipping to bother with. The US refuses to ship paint to Canada, I don't know why.
I checked out where Lee got his awesome set but it would cost nearly $600 Canadian to get my hands on it, including shipping and something call VAT (I think that it's a tax).
I've been pushing for my local guys to get some but they're not budging. Sigh.
I wish... I want... I whine!

Hi Coen.
Some of us use shops in Hong Kong as the prices are good and the shipping is not too bad and I have found I still save money than buying in country for a lot of stuff.

Check LuckyModel.com out. Here is the link to their Vallejo selection.

http://www.luckymodel.com/scale.aspx?de ... tbrand=VAL

Would be interested to know how the prices with shipping works out for you if you decide to use them.

Cheers
Jim

Good point Jim !

on anther note !!! Hobby Link Japan takes down (Removes) the Paints when You log in !!! depending if they can or can not ship those Dangerous goods via Mail depending on your Address !!! there was a problem with them importing Paints in the USA.... figures !

But Lucky Model HK still does ship paints by mail...and that's why I keep using them....
some of the saving you get by using them is... so great you end up buying extra paints LOL !!!

Get it as needed for me.

I think it's one of the rules of the hobby that no matter how many I paints you have there is at least one obscure colour you need to buy for each kit that you will use half a brush load of and never need it again.

Thanks Jim and schweinhund... I've ordered many times from luckymodels, they have the best prices on almost everything.
In fact they are one of my biggest suppliers of almost everything. Shipping is about a third of what everyone else charges. Sprue Brothers charges $12... Lucky will charge $7.50
They do carry some of the Vallejo stuff, but their stock isn't that great and their selection is a little thin right now.
It also takes them weeks if not months to restock.
HLJ doesn't have issues with shipping paint to Canada they just never have anything instock, at least nothing in Vallejo Air.
As always though for avid modellers... the search continues.

Johni044 wrote:Get it as needed for me.

I think it's one of the rules of the hobby that no matter how many I paints you have there is at least one obscure colour you need to buy for each kit that you will use half a brush load of and never need it again.

I'm usually ok in those circumstances