P3 paints 'review'

[Demi_morgana]

yeah, in this case Jeremy apperared better propaganda minister than Phil

[mahon]

eh, it seems they're the best paints available now... I'll definitely try at least a few of them

[Angel_of_Menoth]

I don't know about giving them the title of best paints available just yet. The line is still only half available. February will see the full line. 72 paints/inks gives them a larger range than GW (somewhere in the 50s or 60s, I counted last time I was at my local store), but vallejo is still bigger. RMS is around the same size, with different colors available. I can't say "best," but I can say they are my favorite paints I've used so far. I'll post up pics of my Feora that I painted using the P3's as soon as I actually take the pics.

[Trovarion]

what's most interesting for me is: drying time. you know, citadels dry very fast once applyed (which lets you go really really thin with your layers and that's why I still like them the best...) wherease Vallejo Model stays "wet" (dry, but not really dry -> I often rub off a layer or two because I apply them so thin...) for long even without retarder.

where do P3 fit in?

P.S.: liquid pigment sounds a bit incredible to me all pigment i know comes from some sort of mineral or the like and is powder please point me somewhere it is described though if i am wrong, please!

[pae]

Here's a interesting post on the Reaper Forums from Anne Foerster (staff painter for Reaper, and designer of the Reaper MSP line) on the subject of liquid pigments:

https://www.reapermini.com/forum/index.p ... opic=23043

[Trovarion]

so basically it's just a term used for really fine pigments instead.

[Nameless]

yeah, in this case Jeremy apperared better propaganda minister that Phil

indeed, I'm lousy minister but I know someone, who knows so much more about paints...
Let Anne Foerster speaks:

Many, many GW painters have switched over to RMS from Citadel--I can name you a lot of phenomenal painters who have, and I keep getting emails from old friends going--"Anne, tried the paint--LOVE it!" Heck, I just got an email from one of the top dogs of a GW Battle Bunker who's been referring his customers to MSP's even though he can get written up for it!

There will always be people who will stick to their guns and adopt a particular paint line because it suits their painting style; there's nothing wrong with this, and you probably won't be able to get those to switch, though as Jen said about, trying is believing. I actually wouldn't pressure anyone, I'd just offer your paints up so they can play with 'em a bit. If they like 'em, they like 'em! Though with GW people, you could also mention that Slayer Sword winners Jennifer Haley, Bobby Wong, Liliana Troy, and Tim Lison all use and endorse Master Series...Demon Winners Derek Schubert, Marike Reimer, Amy Brehm, Matt Verzani, Joe Orteza, Sue Wachowsky, Laszlo Jakusovszky, and the list goes on and on and on--all use Master Series, some in part and some exclusively. A lot of them came over from using Citadel and many came over from Vallejo. So quality painters really do like the paint, and endorse it over other lines.

RMS versus GW:
RMS has triads to help choose shading and highlight colors
RMS blends better
RMS has flow improver and triads
RMS still has good bright colors but they cover better than Citadel
RMS currently has an equivalent for almost every Citadel color out there

RMS versus Vallejo (MC and GC)
The biggest advantage Vallejo has over MS is coverage, which is apparently due to their vinyl base. Where they lose out is adhesion--the paint does not stick nearly as well. I was a big Vallejo user before I developed RMS and this was a specific issue I was out to fix. Vallejo also doesn't have the bright colors and warm browns of MSP's. And I personally can not STAND the amount of shaking I have to do with a new bottle of Vallejo (revisited this frustration recently when I was trying to match some of Vallejo's colors with MSP's and had to shake the bejeebus out of my sample paints to get anything but binder out of the nozzle...grrrrRRR).

RMS versus everybody
Nobody else has liners
Nobody else has our fantastic skintones
Nobody else has flow improver in the paint
Foundry is the only other company using the triad system
Nobody, and I mean *nobody*, else has a public forum where people like you can make a comment or complaint about a paint and have the line designer herself read and respond to your feedback with research into improving the paint and actual changes in the line based on customer feedback, sometimes within *one day* of reading about a problem. Nobody. Period. I am very, very happy that I am able to attack any problems immediately, hands-on. No other miniatures company can say this, no other paint company does this, because it's lunacy. But it's the best paint customer service that I can conceive of, as well.

Going from Mike's description, the biggest difference between MSP's and P3 (other than the bottles!) would appear to be transparency (or lack thereof) and consistency. I prefer my paints to exhibit a range of transparency characteristics from opaque to clear, just as artists' colors do, so the "everything covers!!" clause of the P3's does not appeal to me. "Everything covers" to me just means "harder to layer".

However, for those painters who are big into wet-blending, P3 may turn out to be very user-friendly as the consistency of such paints (usually a high degree of vinyl) do tend to lend themselves to that painting style. The old Coat d'Arms paints, as I recall, had a consistency very similar to the VGC's...but I could be mis-remembering, as it's been a long time.

I suspect that these will be very good paints. Though the satin vs. matte quality doesn't thrill me, it will mean that the paint should be exceptionally smooth (texture/body is usually caused by flatteners which take the paint down to matte; if they're going satin there should be less texture in the paint). However, I'll also be curious as to the adhesion of the paint (how well it sticks to the mini). So you guys who are going to GenCon, try it out for me, won't you?

Summarizing, why these paints might not suit me and why MSP's do: I like a big paint line which gives people lots of options, because I understand that many painters hate to mix more than they have to. I like the triad system because it makes painting easier for newcomers to the hobby, and for me promoting the hobby overall is the primary consideration. I prefer dropper bottles because there is less corruption from particulate paint which has dried around the rim, because it's easier for me to grab a pin and open a clogged bottle than it is to scrape off dried paint with a knife, and because I hate the waste involved in transferring paint to the palette via a brush, pipette or popsicle stick which I then have to wash all that extra paint off of. I prefer paints which have a large degree of transparency both because they are closer to the pure pigments and thus make mixing more predictable, and because it's generally easier to layer with a paint which has some degree of transparency, and because you also get better washes (and usually glazes) out of such paints.

And, darnit, I love my lil' skull agitators.

EDIT: those are quotes from Reaper forum.

[Trovarion]

who cares anyways? I try all colors and use those that suit me. I'm afraid there's no BESTEST EVER color, people are too different in their needs for that...

[Skrit]

I agree Trov! There isn't one brand out there that is the best, a combination of different lines will always have it's advantages Imho...

What are 'Liners' btw?

[Nameless]

Ask any seller you want Skrit - the best line of paints is in their shop
LIners - Anne again:

Technically the liners use a slightly different black base than the other MSP's; however, they're still paints and can be used normally. The base they are in is slightly more fluid, and so works very well for lining with minimal water added