Why newer paints dry out...

[IBBoard]

I've just been into GW Manchester today to buy some more paints (I had a good selection, but had a few important ones missing because they were left at the family home with TGSC) and mentioned to the staff about how the old Citadel paints (in the hexagonal pots with white/blue/black flip lids) are still really liquid, but the new ones are nearly dry after a year of being closed (the screw-top 'new' ones).

Apparently, before the screwtop lids, GW were asking the paint company for some improved yellows that would cover darker colorus better (if anyone has seen the old Bad Moon Yellow, they'll know what the yellows were like for not covering anything!) and the old suplier said they couldn't do it without making them toxic. GW then tried several other paints in the 'Eavy Metal studio, and settled on the newer ones which use water mixed with something else for the filler, instead of just water.

So, it's a new recipe with less water in the new paints, and so less water means they dry out quicker, and stupid clogged screw-tops make it easier for them to dry out, but the new Citadel paints should cover better - apparently.

So now you know

[TGSC]

Ah, I thought it was just the new pots. The lid kept sticking on the new dark flesh pot, so I moved it into an empty old stle pot, it still seemed thick, I keep adding water to it to keep it runny. Might have to investigate other companies

[IBBoard]

They're meant to be slightly thicker though, and all you need to do is mix up enough water with them and really stir it in and it'll go back to its old consistency. It's probably best to keep it at new-mixturer thickness and then water it down on the palette so you can work with it. It'll help with paler colours like the yellows anyway.

I'm not sure of any other companies that do acrylics though, and even if they turn out cheaper, I'm not sure how good they would be (like the whole thing of GW models being way more expensive, but you do have to admit that they're better detailed)

[omegoku]

interesting, i agree that gw has the highest quality syuff, but the prices are ridiculous

[IBBoard]

That's one of the reasons TGSC is buying his squigs and trolls etc on eBay at the moment I might have to look into Ork Boyz at some point - I can only just manage to stretch to a 1000pt army even though I have more heavy choices than I do slots!

[TGSC]

apparently some of this stuff in the box that grandma includes "robots with orks in them, driving them, one of the robots is bigger than the other two", probably dreddies/killa kans, and "some orks with bombs on them" probably more stormboyz. It'll all be over here the beginning of next week

[IBBoard]

Cool I'll have to pop round and pick it up at some point, or wait until Savastore get the parts for my new computer in stock and then wait until dad brings it all round to the flat

The new paint pots look like they might be better for not letting the new formula paint dry out though

[DieterHellsghewer]

Testor makes some paints called model master.they do enamels (which actually work pretty well but are almost imposible to remove. an what they labled acryl. i know this cause i did normal modeling before Warhammer. now i don't know if they are available only in america but they work really well. for most things. be carefull and test them on the sprues first cause some of the types have an awfull ability to melt some of the stuff. oh and by the by. fortunately over here the paints still come in the hexagonal flip top containers. i have yet to see the screw tops even in offical GW hobby shop i went to when i went out to the city. (a ways off around an hour drive.)

[IBBoard]

A quick Google for "Model Master" doesn't seem to show any useful UK hits, and I've not heard of them or seen them in any shops. Paints that melt plastics sound a bit worrying, though.

Alternate suppliers can be a lot cheaper, although I didn't know about alternatives to Green Stuff. The only other thing I've seen was more like modelling clay than a good putty for really detailed modelling. I think I did see it in a normal craft store rather than a model shop, but there was no way you could do Warhammer scale detail with it.

I wonder why the US still has hex pots. From what I remember they're also a bit bigger pots than the newer ones. Does that mean you don't have the newer Foundation paints either?

[DieterHellsghewer]

No we have the foundation paints. But yeah we have the 12mL hex pots over here still. Its only the older MM paints that melted stuff but i guess you guys don't have it. The new stuff works pretty well and here it runs about $1.50 for 15mL. Its kinda nice plus the have a heck of a lot more colors. They were meant for models. Things that Testors or Airfix make. so they have all sorts of stuff. The tamiya putty workd well but you have to warm it up first. Unless that to is an America only thing. Which would be kind of sad really.

[DieterHellsghewer]

I guess you guys over there don't have some of the alternatives we do here. Thats really sad. There are so many nice alternatives over here. and most work better with my badger airbrush than the citidel ones. its kinda nice. though i use both don't get me wrong. i mix a lot of paint though.