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is Vallejo, AK Interactive and MiG paint all the same?


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I was wondering if the Vallejo, AK Interactive and Mig paint all the same paint. Curiously they all come in the same bottles and all come from Spain. I have had really bad luck with the Vallejo paint and do not want to buy the other stuff it is all the same junk.

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I think the AK acrylics (not the new Real Colors, which are acrylic lacquers like Tamiya spray paint) and Ammo MiG are pretty similar.   Vallejo comes in two flavors, the brush ready Model Colors and the airbrush ready Model Air, each with their own thinners.  The Vallejo Model Air seem closer to the AK and Ammo MiG paints, but I’ve had less problems with the AK and Ammo MiG paints.  The annoying thing with all of them is that you really need to lay down a primer coat first, and then it takes hours for the paint coats to dry completely.

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The ones I tested are the Vallejo Model Air. I used no thinner at all. Every bottle I tested staid sticky for days. Not to mention the fact that out of the multiple bottles I bought of RLM 82, every one was totally a different color. And I don't mean just by a little bit. I just got in my first bottle of AK Interactive and it is just fine. I ordered my first bottle of MiG yesterday to try. If it is as good as the AK, I will be happy. I will never buy another bottle of Vallejo again. In my opinion they are garbage. I'm glad they all don't come from the same blender. 

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I still have to question whether or not the store you bought them from perhaps had stock that was sitting for a very long time. I've never heard of anyone having the problem of them drying tacky. Quite the opposite, they seem to dry pretty quick and almost dusty feeling when I spray them. And I'm in Texas humidity. If it dries here, it should dry anywhere:woot.gif:. If anything, the formula could probably use more adhesion, the opposite of tacky.

 

Perhaps try a bottle from a different source? Do you guys have Hobby Lobby close by? They carry them.

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The Acrylic line are all similar in that they are Vinyl water based acrylics. I think they are all made in Spain so they may all come from the same manufacture with just  a slight different formula for each brand...I find They All are VERY fragile until fully cured and after that they still don't take to much handling. I spray them and leave them for a few hours then clear coat them. It kind of ruins the speed aspect you should get with fast drying acrylics. I may try adding in some of Mission Models Poly Additive to see if It will increase the durability. Now I really like the brush line Model Color I do all my figures with them, I just love the way the paint lays down. I have not run into the issue you have encountered. I wonder also if you just have a bad batch. I understand you cant bring them back but maybe contact the retailer and maybe they will send you some replacements...or contact Vallejo Direct they may do something for you...

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I've heard that if the bottles freeze, that can damage the paint.  Not confirmed, just heard this.

 

I find that Vallejo (especially a new nearly full) bottle requires a lot of mixing before using.  I use a machine stirring first and then a jigsaw shaker next before using.

 

I've both airbrushed and hand brushed Vallejo and found Vallejo is my favorite for hand brushing.  Self levels and shows no brush strokes.  I also really like the many options of grey right out of the bottle.

 

Your statement of it being tacky is the reverse of my experience,  I have to add a lot of retarder to keep it tacky when spraying.  Otherwise it dries on your airbrush tip fast.

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  • 2 years later...

I was just looking at the Vallejo Sand Yellow vs the AK interactive Sand Yellow in comparison of color if any of these two match the OLD Humbrol Sand #63 that was a Sand Yellow? Because the New Humbrol Sand #63 is too much Orange instead of some yellow, I wish Humbrol would correct this!

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I have had good luck with Vallejo in the past in terms of ease of use.  The colors, however, I am not convinced are very accurate at all.  Here is a bottle of FS35237 Medium Gray.  I shot a bit of it with Vallejo Dark Ghost Gray so you can see how blue the Medium Gray is.  I understand that it is supposed to be on the blue side, however, this is a bit ridiculous.  I ended up mixing Tamiya to get closer to the correct color, but I was very disappointed to say he least at how blue the Vallejo was.  Oh well.

 

 

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