Here are some topics about model vs. game colour: Dakkadakka , Coolminiornot , reddit .

It seems game colour tries to emulate GW's colours and they are brighter while the model colours are more natural and have a bigger selection of colours.

In my experience each has their place. When painting 15mm Flames of War models I found the Vallejo were fantastic as it gave a consistent coat in a single application. I was also just using an ink wash and highlighting just the face and one or two areas of the models I wanted to stand out. With GW you have slightly more translucent paints, which is fantastic for the larger 28/30mm models as you are going to base coat, wash and highlight many areas of the model and use many more coats making a far more subtle and gradual change of colours.

Which makes me think, base coat in Vallejo and highlight in GW.

5 hours ago, noteclado said:

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enlace mandado

For vallejo paint mixing, put a 6mm ball inside the bottle (best is glass or plastic, stainless steel should also be fine). This way, when you shake the bottle it will help make an even mix.

27 minutes ago, costi said:

For vallejo paint mixing, put a 6mm ball inside the bottle (best is glass or plastic, stainless steel should also be fine). This way, when you shake the bottle it will help make an even mix.

would this work for any paint or only vallejo? I have some army painter paints that have separated a bit and now my gray is leaning closer to a blue than a gray...

I would think so. It's simply adding something that will roll around inside, helping the paint mix.

And 6mm because it is big enough not to fit into the nozzle and small enough to do its job

2 minutes ago, costi said:

I would think so. It's simply adding something that will roll around inside, helping the paint mix.

And 6mm because it is big enough not to fit into the nozzle and small enough to do its job

cool i'll have to try this out, I suppose it is similar to the ball in spray paint...

Yeah, that's the idea. Something to break up the pigment.

Would airsoft balls work with it or is there a specific range of articles for those balls when used with paints ?

No, airsoft should be fine. Might be a bit light, though, if the paint is thick.

Plastic would not work as well as glass or metal because because it's not dense enough: it will move with the paint instead of through it so it won't break it up as well. You can find stainless steel balls by the 100s for reasonable prices

Thanks for all @costi ! and @Corto too

i'll check tomorrow for those balls. Hope to find some.

Weight is just as important as size. Just like in a rattle can (spray paint) the ball bearing needs weight to move the pigment around and size to stay out of the way when poring. A bead or bearing will work in any paint pot giving a moving surface inside the pot to assist with spending the pigment in the medium.

What you get in AP, V, P3, GW, and even Testors is a smaller grain pigment so that the paint layer flows across the smaller surfaces. Krylon, Duplicolor and all the other mainstream paints have a much larger pigment grain (makes the paint cheaper to produce) but those larger grains can become goosebumps on a miniature. Ball bearings can be purchased on line or at many machine parts supply centers.

8 hours ago, Elrad said:

i'll check tomorrow for those balls. Hope to find some.

Here is a possible source: http://www.greenstuffworld.com/en/83-mixing-paint-balls

I don't know how bad the postage would be to you

Not that bad indeed. Hmmm can have a look at it if I can't find any in town today

Like I said earlier, be careful not to cause glass or plastic chips from your paint bottles or glass or metal chips from the mixing device to get into your paints, it will make them clump and can jam airbrushes. The energy of the work is what is important, not the acceleration. I've also heard about soaking the bottles in warm water to help with mixing, but to be careful about getting water or water vapor into your paints (also it DESTROYS the labels).

18 hours ago, costi said:

For vallejo paint mixing, put a 6mm ball inside the bottle (best is glass or plastic, stainless steel should also be fine). This way, when you shake the bottle it will help make an even mix.

There are miniature paint mixers for 10 dollars that work much better, also if you add acrylic extender you can get a lot of life out of your paints

Ok guys. today, i went do some shopping and bought a small box of "The Masters Brush cleaner and preserver". I'll test it with my old brushes to see if I can get them back to a decent state.

Then I bought some Vallejo primers (one white, one black) and a can of matt varnish from Vallejo too. I'll see when the minis come what I'll do. Now I'll try every options you gave me to bring my old paints into action (which could spare me quite a lot of money).

Did you know that I hadn't realize that buying some stuff online and paying the shipping costs is often cheaper than going to the capital to get the product in question... like using the link given by @Corto some posts above me will have me pay like 3.83 or so euros for shipping those mini balls. To have them from the shop I went to today (they will only have the product back on friday), it would cost me 2.2+2.1 €.... so 4.3€ to have the benefit of having the item directly in hands... well when I want to buy something online that will cost me more to be shipped than going to a local store, there I pay my tickets and bye bye but still.

Ok, that said, thanks for your adivces... if I make a wrong step when painting my Runewars minis after receiving so much info...then I'm a real walking catastrophe ^^

BUT if you have a local store that sells quality paints and products like this, make sure to buy from them even if it costs a bit more (and avoid big stores like Hobby Lobby and Walmart). This always leaves you with the option to go in and examine the product in person, or to meet others who can guide you or give you advice. I sadly must buy most of mine from the internet because the few stores that stock in my area are 45 min away and are limited to GW and Reaper lines.

2 hours ago, drkpnthr said:

BUT if you have a local store that sells quality paints and products like this, make sure to buy from them even if it costs a bit more (and avoid big stores like Hobby Lobby and Walmart). This always leaves you with the option to go in and examine the product in person, or to meet others who can guide you or give you advice. I sadly must buy most of mine from the internet because the few stores that stock in my area are 45 min away and are limited to GW and Reaper lines.

+1

buy local if you can. Hands on with paint can mean all the difference in the final layers. For extenders, if the paint manufacture offers an extender or mixing medium then consider using it as it will be formulated to blend correctly with the original pigment. Third party extenders or mixing brands can, in very few cases, have unexpected results.

I agree that buying local helps broaden the horizon. Sadly, today, I felt like I was buying stuffs to real strange peoples... I mean, I won't summary the conversation they had while I was looking at the paints and the attitude of the shopkeeper....not impolite (the attitude) but like..."you ask, I answer"... that's it. I know I'm a bit too easily offended for my own good but as I am the client... well that's one shop I'll never go back or only if I find no alternative. Buying local is always a good thing but I sadly had unsatisfying experiences. Like the shopkeeper does only care about you if you buy something (that's what happened at the gamesworkshop Brussels at a time) but to give you an advice it's just "you ask, I answer"...

Maybe am I fan of a hobby but not of the peoples getting around it... But that is here invalidated for example. You all spending time to kindly answer me makes me feel like at home more than when I go to a hobby shop/game shop where I more than often feel like a total foreigner in a country I've just crossed the border (nearly illegally). Neutral attitude is fair enough, but sometimes it's just not very attractive. I feel better with a friend or two of mine than in a shop full of unknowns who intimidate me by being in their world without showing the will to share their trip with you... so I always felt like left behind. Even with some of my friends back when we were playing Diplomacy... They came to my flat to play the game...I was just an accessory. To say the truth, When I went to Paris for my Erasmus, they bought the game to play it together.

Ok, sorry for this pathetic post.

back to business. (this post could have been longer but this is not the place to unburden yourself so, let's go back to our game )

37 minutes ago, Elrad said:

"you ask, I answer"...

Man that is quite intimidating, because in reality how would some one just starting in a hobby know anything about it?

Even a simple question of "Have you done this before?" could easily have started a conversation with you that would allow him to offer practical advice.

Mind you if you go to an art store for say the soap, odds are they won't know anything about painting miniatures. So you also have to understand their advice may be limited for not understanding your hobby. In this case you may have to lead the conversation as they just don't understand what you are trying to achieve.

1 hour ago, Amanal said:

Man that is quite intimidating, because in reality how would some one just starting in a hobby know anything about it?

Even a simple question of "Have you done this before?" could easily have started a conversation with you that would allow him to offer practical advice.

Mind you if you go to an art store for say the soap, odds are they won't know anything about painting miniatures. So you also have to understand their advice may be limited for not understanding your hobby. In this case you may have to lead the conversation as they just don't understand what you are trying to achieve.

That depends on the art store. If you go into a Hobby Lobby, you can get Vallejo or other kits for miniatures. Some stores will have people who know some basic stuff, usually for kits but sometimes for "our" types of miniatures (cars/planes/tanks scale models compared to X-Wing/Armada). I would know since I actually worked for an art store.

The larger chains, like Michaels or AC Moore, are going to have an actual model section. Yes, that's usually enamel paints and I don't recommend them for beginners. I do recommend some of the accessories and just to peruse the inventory. Hint, hint scenery.

I have seen that behavior in all kind of stores, it's like if they want you to excuse for disturbing them, i mean i can get life would be so much easier without those pesky customers and some customers are surely annoying/bad but it's essentialy us who pay their earnings.

I remember when I was a kid, going to the hobby store on a Saturday and sitting down talking to the owner and a bunch of regulars for hours...everybody sharing tips and advice, showing off their work...sigh...that store has been closed for 30 years. I miss that...those guys got me excited for the hobby and were happy to answer a million questions from a kid who knew nothing (me)...