Field Report: New Citadel Paints

On my lunch break today I was able to hit up a local GW store and try out some of the new Citadel paint range. When I first learned about the new range I was pretty curmudgeony about the whole deal, but that's mostly because the names of the colors are so horrible (Exhibit A: XV-88...), but now I'm more optimistic about the whole thing.

The store had multiple paint stations set up with about 15 different paints to play with. Since I was pressed for time I only tried a few paints that interested me the most.

First, believe the hype about the new base white. I tried it over a piece of black primered sprue and it produced fairly solid coverage with just a single coat without being too globby or streaky. If I were painting my own model, I'd probably thin it down and build up several coats. Still, very impressive stuff. The new base red also looked really good in person. It's fairly bright and not desaturated like the old foundation red.

Next I tried the green glaze over a space marine shoulder pad than someone already painted silver metal. It works just like the launch video on GW's website promised and I was very pleased. I'll be buying some of this for my lizards since I glaze all their gold weapons and armor and now I won't have to make it from scratch every time.

I also tried one of the dry paints over a dwarf's beard that only had a black undercoat. The stuff is very thick and worked just like GW says it does. A little bit goes a long way and it covers well over a dark color. The only issue I see with these is that the selection of light, almost pastel colors seems odd. These will require further experimentation.

Lastly, I gave the texture paints a go with a spare base. In my opinion, these are just OK. I don't see them replacing modeling materials for people who want to create really dynamic bases for their minis. However, if you just want to get an army on the table as soon as possible, these would interest you. These might have some potential for weathering mud and sludge on vehciles or terrain.