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Vallejo Products
Vallejo FAQ
This page will evolve over time !
We get a wide range of questions on Vallejo's products, and although they have an excellent FAQ section on their own website (see our "Links" page), we've decided to make an FAQ of some of the most popular (and entertaining !) here. Simply click on a topic below, and you'll be taken to the section of the page with the relevant answer.
We are also in the process of creating several pages of colour charts, equivalencies and reference information on which colours work for various uniform & camouflage colour schemes.
How reflective is Model Color #890, Reflective Green, and do you sell any other reflective colours ?
Despite the name Reflective Green is, in fact, completely non-reflective ! It's a camouflage colour used by the British army during World War II and in the early stages of the Cold War. All we can think is that the name was a cunning piece of disinformation designed to confuse the enemy.
Although it's possible to use the Model Color Metallic Medium (#521) to impart a metallic sheen to all their colours, at present we don't sell any truly reflective or luminous paints. We're actively looking for any manufacturer of high quality reflective and luminous acrylics, but most of them do "craft" type paints which are too glue-like for modelling purposes. If you know of a company which makes them, do let us know !
Do I have to use Vallejo thinners to dilute their paints ?
No - they will dilute very successfully with water up to a point. If you are diluting significantly, you'll find that there is a point where the acrylic resin medium becomes so dilute that you lose adhesion, and that's the point where you need to add thinners, which includes more resin. It's perfectly okay to use a mixture of water and thinners, as well. Experimentation is the key !
If you are diluting Model Air colours with water, we strongly recommend using distilled water (the same stuff you top car batteries up with !) This is because the minerals, fluoride and impurities in tap water will clog or corrode your airbrush in the long term.
Can you tell me which Model Color / Model Air paints match the colours of the Aldershot and District Bus Company ?
You'd be amazed how many requests we get for colour matches with the liveries of long-defunct transport companies ! Our main areas of knowledge are more on the military side, but we're starting to do some research to identify exact matches to train and bus liveries. It'll be a very long term project, though - we understand the importance of an exact match, not just an approximate one ! We've heard of a company which sells acrylics which are designed for this, and will be contacting them shortly. If it turns out they don't meet the need, then we'll probably end up mixing batches ourselves of blended Vallejo colours to provide accurate matches of our own.
Can I use Model Color / Game Color in an airbrush ?
Yes ! Although the Model Air range are specifically designed for it, and have much better adhesion, we have quite a few customers who have used Model Color and Game Color successfully with an airbrush. You'll need to dilute them quite a bit, and we strongly suggest using their airbrush thinners in addition to water, in order to maintain the best level of adhesion. Yet again, experimentation is the key. Try a few levels of dilution out on some old models before you rush off and spray your newly-completed pride and joy !
Are Vallejo paints matt or gloss ?
Vallejo acrylic paints are all matt, apart from;
The metallics in all ranges.
Model Color Glossy White (#842) & Glossy Black (#861).
The Game Color inks and Model Color transparents & glazes.
The gloss and satin varnishes and mediums (which can be used to make any of the other colours gloss or satin, if that's the finish you prefer).
Help ! No paint is coming out when I squeeze the bottle !
First things first....don't squeeze any harder; you could end up with a paint explosion on your hands !
Is the bottle empty ? If so, buy a new one, but you can wash the old one out and re-use it for your own mixes, or as a dropper-bottle to control the amount of water you use to dilute the paint on your pallet.
If there's paint in the bottle, it's likely you've got a plug of dried up paint blocking the nozzle. The solution is easy, if maybe a bit messy. The nozzle is a separate cap that fits into the mouth of the bottle. You should be able to gently prise it out (wiggle it back and forth, don't pull hard or paint will go everywhere). Then, unfold an ordinary paperclip and push it down the nozzle, which should push the blockage down and out. Make sure you do it over a disused corner of your palette, as you'll probably get a big glob of paint along with the hardened lump. Most of this will be perfectly usable, so close the bottle up and use the glob.
What is the nearest Vallejo colour to a paint made by another company ?
Vallejo publish an excellent table of equivalencies for several popular competing paints, which can be found on their website (see our links section). We've also accumulated additional information over the years; when we've got several days with nothing on our "to do" list, we'll add a page bringing it all together !