Zvezda peasants with Vallejo Xpress Colors

[blacksmith]

They arrived to town and I took the plunge and got them as a late Xmas present. I bought all the colours available, 20 for 60 €.



Things I don't like from them:

-They only have two browns, one for leather and another for wood, and I missed at least a beige or a light brown; I also missed a medium grey. Moreover, the their black colour, black magnolia, has a bluish finish I don't quite like much.

-The paint is a bit reactive and when you varnish the miniature some colour is lost, but I've read somewhere that can be solved by letting them dry overnight, I'll try it next time.

-It does bubbles and you have to be careful not to let them dry.

-The new bottles are thinner than original ones and it's difficult to squeeze the right amount of paint out of them. If you are not careful, you'll get more than you need.

However, believe or not, I'm quite excited about them as it takes me three times more to paint a miniature in the traditional manner than with Xpress colors and getting similar results. They are also very cheap when compared to Contrasts from GW. The paints are easy to control and move on the surface and they allow thinning and mixing. Hues are rich and appropriate for Fantasy, Sci-fi and also ancient or Napoleonic armies. Actually, I'm waiting for the arrival of two DBA armies, Republican Romans and Gauls, and I think I'll paint them with these paints. I just wish there were also a range for muted colours for WWII and modern military uniforms and vehicles.

I tested these paints with 1/72 medieval peasants from Zvezda. They turned out very colourful, more than they should be, but I wanted to test all colours. The only ones I didn't dare to on them use were Dark Purple and Sinister Violet ("free translation") as they were too much for these poor peasants.

As commented above, you can observe how some colour has gone after varnish, especially on reds, blues and greens.





And here there is a comparison between a Zvezda peasant painted with Xpress on the left, and an Emhar Anglo-Saxon painted with base colour, wash and two lights. Although the figure on the right is not very good painted, you can see there is no big difference in the final result, especially if you look at them from distance.





Hope it's been helpful. Cheers!

[sansovino]

It´s quite helpful ...

[k.b.]

I’d agree with sansovino that it’s only kind of helpful.

Where I think you confuse us is when you say there’s little difference in the painting of these two peasants. To my eyes there is an almighty difference between the two….. one is painted very quickly in a pale yellow with no dark tone. The red hood is painted sloppily and I believe even if one is speed painting, three shades of each colour makes a huge improvement to the appearance of the figures. Although I have never used them I believe it’s why those Army Painter dark browns are used by so many Professional painters. With a fast wash, a whole new dimension is added to the miniatures. At least in my opinion.

[blacksmith]

I’d agree with sansovino that it’s only kind of helpful.

Where I think you confuse us is when you say there’s little difference in the painting of these two peasants. To my eyes there is an almighty difference between the two….. one is painted very quickly in a pale yellow with no dark tone. The red hood is painted sloppily and I believe even if one is speed painting, three shades of each colour makes a huge improvement to the appearance of the figures. Although I have never used them I believe it’s why those Army Painter dark browns are used by so many Professional painters. With a fast wash, a whole new dimension is added to the miniatures. At least in my opinion.

I agree with you and there will always be better traditional painting than Xpress, but wash and lighst are three times work than a single one with Xpress or Contrast paints. Besides, this is a very close shot and from tabletop distance you cannot really appreciate such difference.
There are also people who use Xpress/Contrast paints and then give a wash for extra shadow.
I don't know. I think they can be useful if used correctly and for armies in which you have to paint many soldiers.

[Rich W]

Thanks for sharing this. I'd be interested to compare these results to using the new Army Painter speed paints. Would there be much value to using these paints on the larger items (e.g. a horse), where there are larger flat surfaces?

[blacksmith]

Thanks for sharing this. I'd be interested to compare these results to using the new Army Painter speed paints. Would there be much value to using these paints on the larger items (e.g. a horse), where there are larger flat surfaces?

I watched a review in which they said AP speed paints were slightly better than Xpress as they have a bit more of pigment.
These paints are designed for 28mm figures so they should work on bigger surfaces but I also suspect they are not so good of flat surfaces.

[Santi Pérez]

You have achieved an excellent result with bright and striking coloring in those figures using those paints, Javier. Well done!

Santi.

[Londoncopper]

You have achieved a very nice result, do you get the bleeding effect when adding another colour on top?
Also, l found that brushing Matt varnish over AP Speedpaint caused the colour to reactivate, is this the case with the Vallejo?

[blacksmith]

You have achieved a very nice result, do you get the bleeding effect when adding another colour on top?
Also, l found that brushing Matt varnish over AP Speedpaint caused the colour to reactivate, is this the case with the Vallejo?

I haven't tried yet but I've read it works well.
Yes, both are reactive but not only to matt varnish, to any varnish. Mine for example, I dipped them in floor wax and they lost colour and I didn't even touch the figure with a brush or similar, but as I said, I only waited less than an hour to dry, so maybe after 24h it will be OK (hopefully).
Cheers,

[Kekso]

The results are impressive. And thank you for pros and cons review.

[Peter]

The results are impressive. And thank you for pros and cons review.

I'll second that!