Replacing my long lost Armory paints...
So... I bought Battles of Napoleon: The Eagle and the Lion as a means to introduce my son historical miniature war-gaming. I'm happy with the purchase for a few reasons, but primarily I was looking for something that was an all-in-one-box solution. The game fit the bill but I was a little put off by the Risk-like coloring of the troops. Thus I've decided to come out of mini-painting retirement and dress them accordingly. I was quite the mini painter in my day (until my son was born) but that was over fifteen years ago and my collection of Armory paints has long since dried up.
My question is... What can I replace my old Armory paint pots with? Understand that these paints were my preference above all other brands. I searched the web and could only find Armory brushes. Do Armory brand paints still exist? If so, are they the same texture and consistency that I remember from the 80s & 90s? If not, what would be a replacement brand that offers the same texture and consistency?
Thanks,
Mark Leaman
Armory paints are no longer produced. A few of us still have some older bottles in our collections. I, personally, still have 17 bottles of the stuff. But since I haven't opened them in quite some time I question whether they are still usable.
Anyway, I'm sure you're aware that there are many paints and there will be many suggestions. But, in my opinion, the paint that comes closest to Armory is Howard Hues. You can get them at RLBPS. www.rlbps.com
They are quite thick out of the bottle but thin well enough with water. If you're coming to the flea market this Saturday I can bring a bottle or two for you to check out (I'm not selling them though). Heck, I'll bring my small quantities of Armory paint if you're interested.
Ken
Thanks Ken. That's just the information I was looking for. No need to bring your paints to the flea market. I'll just start fresh ordering the Howard Hues paints. If I didn't know better I'd say that swatch sheet on RLBPS was actually an old Armory swatch sheet. The naming seems similar.
-Mark
Vallejo is a very good brand and Ill have some on hand to sell Sat.
I'm going to toss in an opinion, a little late but I will anyway.
As another long time painter (like Ken I have been at it for well 25+ years) I too had a large collection of Armory paints, and am still holding some 'Silks & Satins' with just enough life in them...
I have replaced almost all of my paints (excepting some things like Olive Drab, Field Grey, etc) with Delta Waterbase acrylics. These are in my estimation, the best waters out there when you consider:
a. Cost - way cheaper than any of the 'modeling' or 'miniature' paints, when you think about the quantity per bottle
b. Wide range of colors
c. mixable, thinable with water, cleanup with water
d. available at any JoAnn's, Micheal's, or AC Moore, and other local places that stock craft supplies
I have been using them nearly exclusively for almost 10 years and have never had a customer complain about the finish. They are generally very opaque, which is a great thing for coverage, and altogether easy to work with.
Anyway thats my two cents.
Tim Richter
www.colourguardminiatures.com
Providing you give your work a good coat of sealer, any craft paint will do the job! Delta is an excellent company, and can be found at any JoAnn's. Apple Barrel is another and can be found at AC Moore.
Unlike the expensive stuff you get at the game stores, you can gather paint from the cap. Try that with those pointy caps on that other brand.... and you get twice as much paint for around $1. I hate to speak ill of a company that supported us so well for the first HUZZAH!, but the time has come to expose the fact that the premium you pay is not worth it! To be fair, I do use their color kits for WW2 infantry- I feel they do an excellent job extracting the proper colors for most of their kits.
If you work on big projects, flat wall paint works well. I have a gallon of black and white on hand at all times, and sometimes go for a quart of blue or green when needed. Again, if you put a healthy coat of the sealer on it, any paint will work.
See you at the tables!
