"Citadel Metallic Paints" Topic

Apologies if this has been asked before, but in getting back into the hobby after some years away, I have been rebuilding my collection of paints. I have heard that the Citadel metallic paints are especially good and perhaps even worth the price (I typically use Foundry), but upon looking at the GW website, I see that the entire paint range catalogue has changed beyond all recognition with a host of somewhat alienating categories if you aren't going in for their system wholesale. Does anyone have any experience of and advice for which Citadel metallic paints are worth investing in for painting medieval figures? I mainly do 12/13th c. stuff, so chainmail rather than plate, but am also looking for good paints for smaller copper, iron, brass, etc. details.

Pick one from the 'base' set (e.g. Iron warriors) and one from the 'layer' set (e.g. Runefang steel).
I haven't used their other metallics (I use Foundry or Vallejo) but for any copper or bronze I use a dark layer first such as Warplock bronze (which is a metallic brown really).

They recommend a wash of Nuln oil. I'm not keen on it – I find the pooling is too shiny. I much prefer the 'armour wash' from P3 paints. I like their metallics too – I use 'pig iron' with 'cold steel' highlights for my 12th/13th century stuff.

Coat d'Arms paints are actually the original Citadel range.

You can find color conversion charts online via Google for the Coat d'Arms paints to the old Citadel range, as well as to Vallejo Game Color and the other Citadel versions.

Many thanks, all, that is really helpful! I was looking at investing in some Coat d'Arms paints anyway, but I wasn't familiar with P3; they look worthwhile. Does anyone have any thoughts about whether the expanded Citadel range of metallics adds anything to the traditional range?

Depends what you mean by the traditional range :) How many years have you been away?

IMHO current range of Citadel paints – and probably the various other ranges of theirs from this millenium – tend to be thicker than Coat d'Arms (and P3 and Foundry).

If you used Citadel paints bought any time in about the last 20 years then I don't think you will see much difference with the metallics in the base and layer ranges compared to what you have used before. The base paints are supposed to have more pigment but I don't think you see much difference with the metallics. It is more noticeable with the pale colours but I would always use a suitable first coat anyway.

There is something about the relationship between the Cd'A paints and Citadel here link