Vallejo Mecha Color Review. What do you think, Linc?
Yes I own the whole set, love that blue cap!
A new friend over on Instagram asked me this and I thought it might be helpful for my other buddies to share;
“Lincoln, do you have any experience with Vallejo's Mecha colors?I like the idea of additional scratch resistance but is it just better than most acrylics or does it stand up to enamel/lacquer paints?”
I replied;
“Yes I’ve used them a handful of times and they’re quite good paints. They do suffer a little from being in a weird middle ground that is better performed by other products. Yes they are slightly more durable as compared to other water-based paints but nowhere close to the performance of acrylic lacquers. They also suffer from all of the downsides of airbrushing water based acrylics. Tip dry, not as clean through the airbrush and so on.
In use, they offer about the same resistance to solvent based paint - still need to dry and cure for 24 hours before offering full resistance. Here is the real kicker - each time I have considered using them, there is another paint that serves that purpose better. Does that help?”
To elaborate for my readers, I really think that last line says it all, each time I think to use them there is something better right next to them on my bench. Need to hand brush, then Vallejo Model Color is much nicer, as are AK-Interactive’s new acrylic paints. I’m also still a fan of Vallejo Game Color and Citadel for hand brushing too. Plus I also have that lacquer hand brushing skill up my sleeve to consider.
Then when I want to airbrush, especially light colors or some kind of white, it’s acrylic lacquers all the way. They are just so beautiful to airbrush and that finish and durability are the best!
Hope this is helpful and useful for some folks new to the hobby facing all those product choices.
Happy modelling my friends!
Linc
the most stupid and most risky paint finish I’ve attempted so far!! Was it worth it?