Vallejo is the professional's choice for miniature and model painting — used by competition painters, studio artists, and serious hobbyists worldwide. The range is vast and initially confusing, but once you understand how the system is structured, choosing the right products is straightforward. This guide covers every major Vallejo line, how they're used, and how they compare to the competition.
Why Vallejo?
Three things distinguish Vallejo from most hobby paint brands: consistency, pigment quality, and the dropper bottle. Every Vallejo pot uses a dropper lid rather than a flip-top, which lets you dispense precise quantities directly onto a palette without wasting paint or exposing the pot to air. Paints that aren't used go back in the bottle. Simple, but it changes how you work.
Pigment quality is high and consistent across the range. Colours mix predictably, coverage is reliable, and the acrylic formula is designed for both brush and airbrush application. They're manufactured in Valencia, Spain, and the quality control is excellent.
The Main Vallejo Lines
Vallejo Model Colour
The flagship range. Model Colour is designed for military and historical modelling — tanks, figures, aircraft, ships. The colour range is extensive, with accurate military colour codes (US Army Olive Drab, British Khaki, German Panzer Grey) mapped to NATO and FS standards. Over 200 colours, all consistent and high quality.
Model Colour paints are slightly thicker than Game Colour and designed primarily for brush painting, though they thin easily for airbrushing. The matte finish is ideal for military subjects. This is the range to use if you're painting scale armour, historical figures, or aircraft.
Browse the full Vallejo range at Access Models, including the complete Model Colour line.
Vallejo Game Colour
Game Colour is Vallejo's answer to Games Workshop's Citadel range — designed for painting fantasy and sci-fi miniatures. The colours are brighter and more saturated than Model Colour, suited to the bold palette of Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, and similar miniature ranges.
Game Colour includes primers, shades (washes), effects, and metallics specifically designed for miniature painting. The range is well-integrated with Games Workshop's colour system, and many competitive painters use Vallejo Game Colour alongside or instead of Citadel paints at a lower cost per pot.
If you're painting Warhammer or fantasy miniatures, Game Colour is the natural Vallejo choice. The coverage is excellent, and the dropper format gives you far more control than Citadel's flip-top pots.
Vallejo Game Air
Game Air is Game Colour pre-thinned for airbrush use. The formulation is ready to spray straight from the bottle at typical airbrushing pressures (15–20 PSI), which eliminates the trial-and-error of thinning by hand. The colour range mirrors Game Colour, making it easy to brush-paint details with Game Colour and basecoat with Game Air.
Vallejo Model Air
The airbrush equivalent of Model Colour — pre-thinned military and historical colours ready to spray. Model Air is particularly valued for aircraft modelling, where smooth, thin coats over large surfaces are essential. The RAF, USAAF, Luftwaffe, and Soviet air force colour sets are popular starting points. Browse the airbrush collection at Access Models for compatible equipment.
Vallejo Mecha Colour
Mecha Colour is Vallejo's youngest range — designed for painting mecha (robots and mechanical subjects) like Gunpla, battletech models, and sci-fi armour. The palette skews towards metallics, technical surfaces, and the saturated colours typical of anime and sci-fi aesthetics. Mecha Colour includes specific weathering and chipping products designed for the style. It's also pre-thinned for airbrushing, making it compatible with the Mecha airbrush flow.
Vallejo Panzer Aces
A specialist range designed for painting WWII armour crew figures and vehicle interiors. Colours include specific skin tones for different national uniforms, interior colours (German Buff, Russian White), and leather/canvas tones. Serious armour modellers use Panzer Aces alongside Model Colour for figure painting.
Vallejo Primers
Vallejo produces excellent primers in both brush-on and airbrush formats. Surface Primer comes in grey, black, white, and German Grey — the neutral starting point for any model. They also produce Primer Red for Russian Red Oxide, and Mecha Primer in multiple colours.
Vallejo Surface Primer can be brushed directly onto bare plastic or resin without needing a separate automotive primer. For airbrushing, it's pre-thinned and sprays cleanly at standard hobby airbrush pressures. This is the simplest way to prime models if you're already using Vallejo paints — one consistent brand, one set of thinners.
Vallejo Auxiliaries: Mediums and Effects
Vallejo's auxiliary range adds flexibility to the paint system:
- Glaze Medium: Thins paint while maintaining pigment density — ideal for creating transparent glazes over basecoats
- Matt Medium: Extends paint and reduces surface tension without reducing opacity
- Thinner Medium: For thinning paints for airbrush use while maintaining flow
- Airbrush Flow Improver: Reduces tip drying and improves flow through airbrush nozzles
- Matt Varnish / Gloss Varnish: Protective top coats for finished models
- Texture Pastes: Thick paste materials for basing — sand, rock, grit effects
How to Thin Vallejo for Airbrushing
Vallejo paints straight from the bottle are too thick for most airbrushes. The standard thinning ratio is approximately 1 part thinner to 2–3 parts paint, though this varies by colour and application type. Dark, transparent colours need less thinning; light, opaque colours (whites, yellows) may need more.
Use Vallejo Airbrush Thinner rather than water — water can cause paint to bead and reduces adhesion. The thinner is formulated to maintain the paint chemistry while reducing viscosity.
A simple test: thinned paint should flow off the mixing stick like milk, not cream. Too thick and it will clog; too thin and it won't cover properly. Browse acrylic model paints and airbrush kits at Access Models.
Vallejo vs Citadel: Honest Comparison
| Factor | Vallejo | Citadel (GW) |
|---|---|---|
| Price per pot | ~£3.50 (18ml) | ~£4.20 (12ml) |
| Volume per pot | 18ml | 12ml |
| Pot design | Dropper (better) | Flip-top (dries out) |
| Shade/Wash quality | Very good | Excellent (Nuln Oil, etc.) |
| Airbrush ready? | Needs thinning (Game/Model Color) or pre-thinned (Air range) | Needs thinning |
| Available at | Widely (Access Models, Amazon, etc.) | GW stores and stockists |
Vallejo wins on value — more paint per pound, better packaging, and widely available. Citadel's shade range (Agrax Earthshade, Nuln Oil, Reikland Fleshshade) is arguably best-in-class for washes, and many painters use Citadel shades with Vallejo base colours.
Vallejo vs Tamiya
Tamiya acrylics and Vallejo serve similar purposes but have different characters. Tamiya paints are thinner, faster-drying, and particularly good for airbrushing with a specific solvent thinner. Vallejo is thicker, slightly slower-drying, and more flexible for both brush and airbrush use. Both are excellent — many serious modellers use both ranges, choosing by subject and technique. For military modelling, Tamiya for airbrushed base coats + Vallejo Model Colour for brush details and figures is a popular combination.
Find the full acrylic paint range and quality paint brushes at Access Models.
Starter Sets and Value Packs
Vallejo produces several themed sets that provide an efficient starting point. Popular options include:
- German WWII Armour set: Panzer Grey, Dunkelgelb, camouflage colours — everything for late-war German armour
- Skin Tones set: Multiple flesh tones for figure painting
- Basic Colours set: 16 colours covering all primary modelling needs
- Weathering Effects set: Rust, oil, mud effects for realistic weathering
Sets offer 15–20% savings versus individual pots and ensure colour compatibility within a project.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between Model Colour and Game Colour?
Model Colour is designed for military/historical subjects with accurate, muted military colours and a matte finish. Game Colour is brighter and more saturated, designed for fantasy and sci-fi miniatures. Both use the same dropper bottle system and are compatible with each other.
Can I use Vallejo straight from the bottle?
For brush painting, yes — though thinning slightly (1–2 drops of water) often improves flow. For airbrushing, standard Model/Game Colour needs thinning. The Model Air and Game Air ranges are pre-thinned and ready to spray.
Do Vallejo paints dry quickly?
Vallejo acrylics dry within 10–20 minutes at room temperature. Layers are touch-dry in 5–10 minutes. Full cure for varnishing takes 24 hours.
Are Vallejo paints good for Warhammer miniatures?
Excellent. Game Colour covers the same colour space as Citadel at lower cost and with better packaging. Many competitive Warhammer painters use Vallejo as their primary range.
How do I stop Vallejo paint drying in the nozzle of my airbrush?
Add 2–3 drops of Vallejo Airbrush Flow Improver to your paint mix. Clean the nozzle tip between colour changes with a damp cloth. Never leave Vallejo in the airbrush between sessions — flush with water and airbrush cleaner.