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Model Air Paint Set - 16 bottle AFV Weathering Kit

Acrylicos Vallejo

Reviewed by Cookie Sewell

Summary

Stock Number and Description	Acrylicos Vallejo Model Air Paint Set - 16 bottle Weathering Kit
Price:	Price varies from $42-$63 with US$52.99 being the norm
Contents:	16 x 17 ml of airbrush ready acrylic pain
Review Type:	First Look
Advantages:	Most airbrush ready colors useful for weathering armored vehicles and some aircraft in one package.
Disadvantages:	See text
Recommendation:	Highly Recommended for anyone using an airbrush for weathering armor finishes.

FirstLook

Acrylic paints have taken a long time to mature from their initial offerings in 1969 but now are in most cases superior to enamel and lacquer, the long time standards of armor modelers. One of the biggest ones today is Acrylicos Vallejo S.L. from Spain, and they offer three different ranges: Model Color, for general modeling painting by brush; Game Color, for wargaming and fantasy figures; and Model Air, similar to Model Color but thinned and suitable for use in an airbrush. There are a total of 700 colors offered across all three lines.

Some modelers have complained about these paints, but as I have used them and used them successfully there is only one good way to do it and that is nearly straight from the bottle. Each bottle uses a “dropper” type insert which is quite useful for filling a paint cup in an airbrush. Part of the problems for failure by some folks are trying to thin it; it comes thinned already and only a couple of drops of thinner or Vallejo’s own airbrush cleaner (available in 200 ml bottles) is needed to help the flow. I have shot all of mine so far with a Grex XGi5 airbrush at 22 psi with nearly flawless results and easy cleanup. (The one drawback is that you generally can’t pour any leftover paint back into the bottle!)

This set is optimized for weathering and comes with 16 different colors:

71.001 White
71.015 RLM71 Dark Green
71.028 Sand Yellow
71.029 Dark Earth
71.036 Mahogany
71.044 RLM02 Gray-Green
71.050 Light Gray
71.053 Dark Sea Green
71.056 RAL7021 Panzer Dark Grey
71.057 Black
71.069 Rust
71.073 Black
71.076 Skin Tone
71.079 Tan Earth
71.080 Rust
70.520 Matt Varnish

The colors are easily mixed with each other so specific shades can be matched and most general weathering of a model (less the more advanced techniques of today with mixed medium weathering, chipping, “filters” and the like) and will provide a very broad pallette for the modeler.

Overall this is a good deal for this set and as noted quite often can be found for very reasonable prices.