"Which are the best acrylic paints for metal ECW 28mm?" Topic

I have a Foundry partial set and a few Vallejos.

Very useful but working abroad I am rather isolated from the wargaming fraternity and sometimes wonder if I could paint better with other choices. Sometimes the Foundry don't give much of a separation between tones.

I would like a darker, richer type of buff leather and would be particularly grateful if somebody could recommend something specific.

For paint cost doesn't matter to me so I would like to know which are genuinely the best in various opinions.

IMHO the best acrylic paints are Coat d'Arms.

I use CDA colours for buff; 229 Dark Sand, 228 Buff and 233 Linen. Sometimes top that out with other off-whites to get different shades.

GW do a foundation yellow which is great for starting off yellower buff coats. CDA Middlestone and Desert Yellow are also good.

With buff colours, I always find coverage over black to be the big problem if not using the GW foundation; starting off with a light brown (VJ Cork Brown or similar) can work.

Vallejo Green Ochre – good colour and good coverage.

Vallejo are very good across the range.

Raglan

Vallejo. Though they work fine for ECW, they don't work for World War II or Ancients. Or for 15's, or for resins for that matter.

Vallejo. Though they work fine for ECW, they don't work for World War II or Ancients. Or for 15's, or for resins for that matter.

Why not?

I'm just teasing Calidore for his thread title.

Vallejo is my preference. You can get a whole range of hues and tones for buff leather by mixing together VJ Leather Brown with VJ Dark Sand. You can mix away to your heart's content and get leather colours all the way from rich browns, to creamy yellow and everywhere in between. Saves you buying loads of bottles of paints and hoping that the tonal range will be to your liking.

Thanks chaps. I appreciate Flasman's quip. Though maybe there is something specifically germane to ECW. For example the reds we use are of course different to what you would use in Napoleonic. Thereby hangs another unresolved matter for me.

I have used Foundry Terracottas and Madder Reds, and for a darker finish the Vallejo Dark Red, Cadmium Red , Red trio. The problem with this trio was that when I applied my normally foolproof Downey Soluble Matt Varnish, the dark shades became excessively dark to the extent I had to paint over with the paint again for the final finish.

I am trying to sharpen up my capacities before I try painting some of the Empress samples I ordered.