Reaper Master Series - Super fine pigments make this paint very smooth and excellent for glazing and highlighting as well as easier thinning . Slower drying time allows for easier wet blending as well. Paint comes in ounce dropper bottles with skull agitators added to improve mixing of paints as well as flow improver added to it. Paint consistency is thinner than most paints but just right for using straight out of the bottle should one decides to. Paint coverage is medium with excellent adhesion. Some colours dry matte and some with a slight sheen. An extensive range with 216 colours using the triad system of shadow, mid tone and highlight colour for people who dislike mixing paints. $2.99 direct from Reaper but cheaper from other suppliers. Not available in the UK.
Reaper Pro Paints - An older line from Reaper with about 107 colours. Comes in ounce screw top pots. Does not go on as smoothly as Master Series as theres a little bit of texture to the paint. Paint is thicker and better suited to dry brushing than the Master Series. Tends to dry quick quickly in the pot. Dead matte in most cases. $2.49 from Reaper.
Vallejo Model Color - Another extensive range with around 208 colours. Excellent coverage but poor adhesion meaning it does not stick as well and tends to rub off if you're not careful. Paint is thick out of the bottle so requires a lot of shaking and needs to be thinned down. Excels in wet blending and drybrushing but paints tend to separate when thinned, so need occasional stirring in the palette. Dries dead matte. Comes in 17ml dropper bottles and retail at around 1.40 each, $2.59 from Brigade Games .
Vallejo Game Color - This line is a direct competition to Games Workshop Citadel paints with very similar names. Also comes in 17ml dropper bottles at 1.40 each. Paint is thinner out of the bottle than Model Color but still requires a fair bit of shaking. Has better coverage than Citadel but weakens under thinning. Dries with a slight sheen. 72 colours.
Games Workshop Citadel Paints - Used to be the staple of miniature painting because of its easy availability. Medium to poor coverage but excellent adhesion. Some colours are next to useless like Graveyard Earth, Bubonic Brown, Kommando Khaki, Golden Yellow and quite a few more but I guess every line will have some bad paints.Comes in 12ml flip top pots at 2 ($4) a pot, rather expensive. Coverage breaks down immensely the minute you thin with water. Very nice metallics though except for the golds. Dries with a slight sheen.
Games Workshop Foundation Paints - These are basecoat paints heavily pigmented to allow for cover over black in just one coat. Comes in 12ml pots at 2 each. Most colors are dull and subdued and since most subdued colours in other ranges cover well anyway, these paints are just a waste of money as it can be used for only one thing; basecoating.
Coat D'arms - Same manufacturer as Foundry but different formulation. Coat D'arms and GW used to share the same formulation before GW decided to go to a cheaper manufacturer. A large range of around 130 colours. Better coverage than GW but not as good as Vallejo. Very good quality range of paints but can suffer from consistency between batches. Dries satin. Comes in flip tops, retails at 1.40 for 18ml of paint.
Formula P3 - Excellent coverage. Very smooth pigment which makes it great for blending. Also no separation when watered down. Flip top bottles that come in a pack of six for 10.80. A bit on the expensive side. Dries shiny.
Foundry - Comes in triads like the Reaper Master Series. Good coverage. Colours dry shiny.Comes in 20ml paint pots. Each triad set cost 7 and you can now buy just one pot if you've run out of a colour at 3 a pot. Around 108 colours.
Ral Partha Miniature Paints - One of the oldest paint range from around 1987. A decent line to start with if you're looking for cheap at .80 for a 15ml bottle. Theres around 70 colours in the line.Their website says it dries matte but theres definitely a slight sheen to it.
Andrea Paints - Made under license by Vallejo I believe. Dries matt and come in dropper bottles like Vallejo. The older range has a white top soon to be replaced by the newer red top. 1.15 for 17ml of paint. $3.00 from Brookhurst Hobbies in the States.
Rackham - A small line from Confrontation comprising 50 different colours. Comes in flip tops and each pot holds 20ml. Retails at EU 2.50. Dries matte. Not heard many good things about it.
Derivan MiNiS - A well regarded paint line from Australia but a little difficult to buy. Comes in 36ml bottles. It has good coverage, takes thinning well and dries matte. 72 colours.
Summary Like most painters I started painting with Citadel paints but have now gone almost exclusively to the Reaper Master Series paints because of the extensive range and cheaper price tag without sacrificing quality. I love the excellent coverage of Vallejo but its' poor adhesion was a major factor in deciding against increasing my small collection of favourite colours, as well as the fact that I really hate shaking those bottles. It is a well respected line though and has a large range of misc items like mediums and glazes which are interesting to experiment with. Coat D'arms is really good as well and Miniature Paint, you can't beat the price.
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