I have a couple alternatives to suggest: Coat D'Arms Paints and Formula P3 Paints. Coat D'Arms was the company that produced the very first range of Citadel Paints--they have a lot of equivalents, as a result. They are really great paints; I use them about as much as Citadel presently, and they are slightly cheaper. Formula P3 paints are the range of paints from Privateer Press. They are specifically made to compliment the Hordes and Warmachine ranges, neither of which I collect or play, but obviously they can easily be used for other models. Again, this is a great range, of which I have a handful. They are only slightly cheaper than GW, however. Both Coat D'Arms and Formula P3 come in the same type of pots, with I believe more paint that the Citadel paint pots.

Optimal? They don't have optimal colours, they just have about 13 different thickness of the same shade of a colour, and 13 slightly different variations of the same colour in each thickness. Which is why there are so many.

I am not attacking you buy the way, merely highlighting what I believe to be niavety. I for one will just use the same fewer colours regardless of intended layer or slightly different shade.

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"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.

i would say that even with the new colours, i would still try to mix and not buy too many shades, glazes and layers of the same colour.

yes the decision is based on selling more paints and making more money, but isn't that what business is about, making money. i dont mind them using it to try to get people to buy so many more paints because i think they are paints worth buying.

by the way thanks sacrilege83, good idea to put the video on this site or i wouldn't have found it

Well guys I have tried these new paints and I have to say it is probably something GW has actually done right for once.

Normally I don't like using GW products especially paints, for a couple of reasons: the price (duh), the small quantitites (compared to vallejo or reaper, P3 etc) the design of the pots (the old hinges were a bit of a failure and the paint always seemed to dry out pretty quickly) as well as some colours never, ever covering very well (graveyard earth being one example).

Here's my take:
-The new 'Base' paints are actually an improvement on the foundations which were already quite good. Ceramite White covers great, even straight over black! :O
-Layer paints: Some people don't like mixing paints, so having multiple shades of red or blue or brown is a good thing for them.
-The washes don't have that off-putting smell anymore; this isn't really so important but it does make using them a little more enjoyable
-Glazes...haven't tried them yet but they seem pretty good from what I've seen other hobbyists use them on.
-Dry compounds have impressed me so far. they take a bit of getting used to on account of their consistency that is so different from paint but i would like to use them more for sure.
-Textures...hmm not liking the idea of using them for models' bases. I would probably use them for weathering on things like rangers' clothing, it seems wasteful to keep applying layers of it onto a base.

As for the price, that will most likely change in a few weeks as per the June/July annual trend.

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Backlog reduction Oath Participant

Oh no, they'll be asking 20 euros for 12 mini's then . *goes off to look what to buy before prices go through the 3rd roof*.

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"... Telchar wrought it in the deeps of time."
-On Andùril, The Lord of the Rings

I have to say I like the new paints, I'm not that great painter (I'm actually really quite bad) but I've found that the new paints have really improved my painting. When I used to mix paints I would only manage to to a few troops at a time before I had to do something else so when I went back a few days later I could never quite get the same colour the new paints have solved this. The new washes also really helped my painting (prior to that I have never used them) and have made it much easier in my view to paint armour cloth ect so all in all I have to say an improvement but I'm an inexperienced painter so the simple step by step base, main, highlight system each with their own paints would have helped me a lot more than most much more experience painters.