"Wargames Foundry paints are insane..." Topic
14 Posts
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| Baranovich | 07 May 2025 11:21 a.m. PST |
So this is just a shout out to Foundry and a bit of info. in case anybody reading this is just getting into modeling and the hobby in general, and wondering what paints to buy out of so many overwhelming choices. Back in 2015, I bought the full paint palette sets of GW, Foundry, and Vallejo. Ten years later, most of those paints are still up and running, with the exceptions of those that I used up and had to replace. The 100+ pot GW set is still functioning, HOWEVER that is only because I added ball bearings to every single pot, as well as adding at regular intervals with an eye dropper a 50/50 mix of distilled water and alcohol. That and giving each pot a regular shake to keep everything mixed. Without that continued maintenance, most of that range would have gunked up and dried out long ago. The Vallejo paints ten years in are nearly impervious, some needing a shake to remix the pigment with the liquid. But otherwise still perfectly good. But the Wargames Foundry paint? Insane. Doesn't matter whether the pots had been opened previously or are still sealed and unused. 100% as fresh as the day I bought them ten years ago. I opened up a blue color from one of the triads to use to touch up a model. Never been opened. Never mind still being 100% fresh usable. It needed zero mixing or even shaking, the paint was still perfectly blended. Foundry paints are time capsules, You simply can't kill them. |
| Grelber | 07 May 2025 3:29 p.m. PST |
Good to know, Baranovich. I've been using Reaper paints, but they do dry out and separate. They are also becoming more difficult to find around here. It may be necessary to consider a change. Grelber |
| Titchmonster | 07 May 2025 3:57 p.m. PST |
AK paints are awesome! Still love foundry and I have a bottle of the color Chainmail that's 30yrs old and still in service as a highlight |
Oberlindes Sol LIC  | 07 May 2025 3:59 p.m. PST |
Thanks. I'll look for them when I buy paint next. |
| 79thPA | 07 May 2025 4:40 p.m. PST |
That's good to know. Ral Partha and Musket Miniatures both had paint that would last forever. |
 piper909 | 07 May 2025 7:28 p.m. PST |
Yes, I echo other comments, very good to know this. I have Ral Partha, Reaper (pots), and even Polly S and Armoury paints that are still good decades after being bought and opened. Very few modern brands compare. BTW, many of the old Ral Partha paints are still available from Iron Wind Metals, just send an email to ask about them. I bought a big collection just last year. One of those fellows is active here on TMP. BVTraders. TMP link |
| Baranovich | 07 May 2025 9:40 p.m. PST |
Awesome insights folks! I always remember the lore behind Wargames Foundry paints. They use the same pots as Coat D'Arms paints. And from what I remember, Coat D'Arms is the paint line that kept many of the classic GW paint colors alive. I also remember that the pots that Wargames Foundry and Coat D'Arms paints use are the same pots that GW used to use waaaaaay back in the late 80s and early 90s before changing over to the nightmare designs we've come to know. Really wish GW had stuck with those old pots, they keep paint fresh forever. |
| IronDuke596 | 08 May 2025 8:56 a.m. PST |
I too really like Foundry Paints. However, at some point about 4 or 5 years ago I bought many replacements and new paints. These new additions have some faults; the labels easily slide off and have to be glued to the lid and the lids break off easily. |
 Murphy  | 08 May 2025 9:31 a.m. PST |
Please don't use "ball bearings" for your paint actuators. Use 6mm glass beads that you can buy en-masse from Amazon, lest one day you see that wonderful rust mixture from the metal coating of the ball bearing having been taken off and it's cheerfully rusting up your paint in your paint pot. |
| Royston Papworth | 08 May 2025 9:44 a.m. PST |
Ok, I have been using Foundry paints since they came out.
They were brilliant, but they don;'t seem to be as good these days.
They seem to be thinner, the caps split and they colours have changed slightly. I'd now class them as solid paints rather than brilliant. Reaper are ok, bit thin though.
AK 3Gen are brilliant, as good as the original Foundry, perhaps even better.
Vallejo, well, they are Vallejo, so a mixed bag.
Scale 75 – just walk on by..
Warpaints – I like some of these a lot. But not tried a huge number.
Warlord – Some of these are really really good. Favourite is the dark gunmetal
Coat D'Armes – I use these to pad out the Foundry and some are really good, but others are a bit on the thin side.. I am sure I have forgotten some ranges,.. |
 Bobgnar | 08 May 2025 7:18 p.m. PST |
The best paints I ever had, 40 years old, and still viable, I only have two bottles, FLATT pants |
| Striker | 10 May 2025 5:30 a.m. PST |
They sound like good paints, but I've only seen one place stock them and ordering paint is something I try to avoid. |
| Baranovich | 10 May 2025 12:48 p.m. PST |
@Murphy, Indeed that is a very real problem. However, when purchasing ball bearings, you can go to vendors on Ebay and other places who sell only 100% stainless steel bearings. You just have to be aware and make sure you only buy from a source that has them. I've had SS bearings in some of my GW pots that have been sitting in them for over 6 years, no rust at all. What you don't want to do is try to go cheap and buy a bulk bag from a random China drop-shipper. Then you are asking for trouble because you don't know what you're getting. But as I said, you can get 100% stainless bearings that are the genuine article and not just metal coated with a cheap chrome finish. |
| abelp01 | 12 May 2025 5:31 p.m. PST |
+1 Murphy Baranovich, even if they're supposed to be 100% stainless steel, I've learned from youtube creators that they've rusted in the paint. |
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