Possibly, a viable acrylic paint line alternative for some modelers. A manufacturer's link for the complete (and rather extensive) line of Vallejo Model Paints and Pigments: http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/en_US/model-paints/division/3 Njoy
Well now, has anyone here used Vallejo acrylics? My question is more specifically for the "Model Air" line intended for airbrushing, which sounds like a finer pigment grind. Storage is a concern, but at least I'll be able to use up a smaller bottle faster. I do not like Modelflex drying into hockey pucks in storage - I've found enough of those in LHSs. And the pucks don't reconstitute like solvent-based hockey pucks do. There are 5 distributors in the US now, but I would think the bigs and surviving littles that serve the RR and other hobbies would be looking for another paint supplier rather soon. I'd hope they'd get the message and cover themselves with other sources. At first glance, I see some useful RR colors. Overall, there's a bigger range here vs., say, Tamiya. Still, we lose the premixed RR colors. Then we also lose the premixed RR colors that nobody considered correct. Trainboard then will be the place to exchange mixing formulas (or dogfight over?). Make up your own drift cards if you're not already doing so. The price point per ml/fl oz. looks to be about PollyScale level. Now who's going to write the thread about building the locking, temperature-controlled, nitrogen-filled paint safe?
David, Unfortunately, the Tru-Color paints are solvent based and can't be shipped overseas. I think I have enough Polly Scale to last until I make it back to the States, but we'll see... Otherwise, back to Modelflex for me. Brian
Got my Tru Color paint ordered. They seemed to have a VERY wide selection with most in stock, DRGW Aspen Gold have had to mix that most times.
I have some Vallejo paints. I haven't done much with them yet, but the Goldbrown is an exact match for the B&M's gold stripes on early diesels.
Re Vallejo: I think I may order the "Non-death Chaos" set - the name alone is worth it, and my layout is often in "non-death chaos" state! John C.
I don't know why so many people have had Modelflex dry up on them. I've got some Accu-Flex Signal Red that has to date from the late 80's or early 90s -- only a few swabs of paint left in the bottle and its still liquid. I've never had a bottle of this stuff dry out on me, and I've had some of these bottles as long as the red one (a guy I knew tried them and didn't like them so I inherited a batch of bottles). I remember there was some problems with consistency and quality when they first came out, but they fixed that pretty quickly. I'd have to say, if your Modelflex paint is drying up into hockey pucks then there must be something wrong with the seal on the bottle. This stuff sets up when the solvent evaporates. And it can't evaporate if it's completely saturated the air space in the sealed bottle with vapor. Ergo, you have a leaky seal. Also, best to check on any paint you have stored every 2-3 months. I have a few bottles of enamel paint that the pigments will separate out of if they're left standing too long. So I keep them out on the top of my computer desk, on their sides, and every day I rotate the bottles 1/4 turn (they're square bottles). Once in a while I'll let them sit a day upright, then a day upsidedown. They don't separate out then. And I mix them thoroughly whenever I use them.
Best advice I ever got was to store the paints upside down on their lids. This does two things: a. Let's you know if you have a bad seal. b. Creates an air tight seal against the lid. I've had the same experience as backshop in very few bottles have dried out on me. Some of my bottles have changed continents three times in 7 years and are still good to go. If anyone wants a link to a guy selling his stash of Accuflex paints, just google Accuflex Paint and it should be the first few links. Picked up 36 bottles at a buck each. I'm happy for now. Brian
The problems noted with acrylic brands on the other thread http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?151005-Bye-Bye-Floquil-Pollyscale-amp-Pactra are IMO from batches from certain time frames. They keep changing the formulas, not always necessarily for the better IMO. The Modelflex dryout I have experienced is from bottles I've bought/seen sold from about year 2000 and a bit later. It doesn't happen with every color nor every bottle of the same color. And I agree some Modelflex colors dry grainy. Perhaps that problem has been solved in the last couple of years? - I haven't bought or used any in that time. All of my partly used PollyScale bottles from the mid-90s are still excellent. I have ones from the last year or so that have congealed. Maybe if we can get a RR colors set titled similar to Non-Death Chaos, all will be well.
The paint line may be there, but how the heck do you get it? I'm looking through and not finding a US-online source anywhere via their web page, US distributors. In 'non hobby shop land', is there an online source?
Good idea to rotate. That gives me one more thing to do, though. I store mine upside down and the pigment does settle but the bottle doesn't dry out.
That's the same bottle and packaging as Polly-scale, different label, also from RPM, that owns Testors. Either they are keeping it (which is even more infuriating, as they could fold the colors into that line) or ditching it (and not bothing to tell anybody). Looks like a custom-color blend for Canadian colors to me, but equally endangered: "True Line Train paint is blended by the RPM corporation to our strict standards and is consistent from batch to batch."
What is needed is a chart for mixing specific railroad colours from an existing brand of model paint that is readily available around the world such as Tamiya.
There is a website with color formulas for railroad colors. At least I think it does. It's for Southern Pacific but has a lot of generic colors, too. Da Trains!! I think is the name, by Rick Blanchard. Home page. Painting and Weathering. For example, here are the formulas for Espee. Most other railroads are listed, too.
Unfortunately formulas that use Floquil paint are not going to be of much use anymore, or comparisons to Scalecoat which can't be shipped outside the USA. Besides the only Santa Fe colour listed on the above site is something called Tuscan which I've never heard of before now and uses Floquil Tuscon which doesn't match any Santa Fe colour that I know of.
