FREE paint swatch of all wave 1 & 2 Xpress Colors: taleofpainters.com/2023/11/review-vallejo-xpress-color-intense-wave-2-review/ All-in-one comparison chart with ALL Contrast / Speedpaint / Xpress / Dipping INK colours on my Patreon: www.patreon.com/stahlytaleofpainters/shop/ultimate-hand-painted-contrast-chart-v1-46046
I'm convinced the Stahly is singlehandedly keeping whoever makes that squared plasticard afloat. Lovely stuff and exceptionally comprehensive as always.
I kind of came to the same conclusion that you did; Xpress Colors are great for filtering/glazing and generally painting in the grisaille style versus the comparable Contrast and Speed Paints. When I'm really aping Marco Frisoni's style of army painting with the airbrush and filters and oils, I much prefer Xpress Colors to the other options due to how they feel more like inks. I still have some go to Contrast paints I enjoy, but I think I can comfortably own all 36 additional colors with my Pro Acryl and AK ranges and not really ever need to flirt with other brands anymore.
The other selling point for Vallejo is the price. Maybe not in the US (since they are made in Spain and there might be extra costs for shipping, etc), but in Spain they easily cost half of what contrast paint cost. If you are professional painter or a very dedicated user who can spend hundreds of dollars per year on miniature paint, the extra cost is probably not even a consideration when choosing which paint to buy, but when you are like a "sometimes" hobbist, or a younger hobbist who has no money, etc. that type of price difference is the difference between having 1 color or 2 colors, and that is definitively worth more than anything else.
The price us an issue as the quality that vallejo provide us outstanding and you can either get a the double amount of colors on your budget or you can just save money.
They can be found for $3.39 in the US from Scalehobbyist and the standard Vallejo acrylics in the Model and Game Color lines are $2.69 a bottle. While unlikely, if you want the old model color formula you can email their support to see if a particular color is still in stock. Otherwise, despite the listings, the model color paints are all the new formula
I don't apply Xpress Color with brush at all. It's all through airbrush. They don't need thinning, and all I do is to drop it into the airbrush cup, spray away, it applies perfectly and it's also easy as heck to clean.
I don't know, the one thing I've found that wasn't noted was that I've found Express Colors to be much more consistent than the other brands. They all seem to behave like I expect them to, where as with GW and AP I've found colors that just seemed way less opaque or more fluid than some of the others in the range. I like that the intense paints will be labeled separately, and maybe this idea should be adopted by the other brands to relay any expected differences.
According to Juan Hidalgo, a lot of effort was put in making all the xpress paints have exactly the same feeling. That is why the high pigmented ones are "separated", because they feel different, even if they fit perfectly among the range by hue.
i feel these guys suit my style just that little bit better, where on top of the zenithal i'd also base layer in a highlight level solid colour where needed before adding the contrast/xpress. Cheers for the review and chart, love your work!
Wow 36 new colors. I was starting to worry Vallejo ditched the line. Dabbling with Speedpaint 2.0 and some Citadel Contrast, my wallet hates me, and will now run away with the introduction of these new colors. Still a noobie with these lines, but I realize their use and hope to get better with them soon...ish. BTW love the comparison slides with the other brands! Will these still be made available on the website too? EDIT: NVM you said you will at the end. 😁
The Xpress Color range is looking really nice and I'd really want to try them. Sadly no store in my area is stocking them. There's a bunch of really cool tones in there and Vallejo have very quickly become one of my favourite paint manufacturers. Their paints are just so nice to work with. New Game Color in particular.
I love your unbiased paint reviews of each set. I've been trying to find a comparison and review of metallic paints but those are all from 2 years ago 😢 it would be amazing if you told us which are your favourites! 💚
@@stahly_taleofpaintersInteresting. A bunch of other youtubers already published material about them. Seems you and Juan, specifically the miniature paint youtubers with any backbone and integrity, are once again not allowed to publish anything until Army Painter takes everyone's preorder money. Just like with the defective Speedpaint range.
Hi, I already have Guilliman Flesh. Would you say Xpress Dwarf Skin would be a different enough skin colour to add to my collection, or is it too similar? Is there another Contrast/Xpress/Army Painter skin colour you would recommend for variation instead if so? Thanks!
Big fan of Vallejo Xpress and have all wave 1 colours but I have to say I'm a little disappointed with wave 2 mainly because some of the colours are identical to wave 1 but with more pigment in and branded as intense. I was hoping for more colours like 4 or 5 greys but at least we have more browns so....mixed feelings after waiting ages for them...might pick up a few browns and a couple of the greys from Wayland Games (cheapest place I've found in the UK).
Contrast over a zenith highlight is fine. Or through an airbrush. You will ALWAYS need layering or glazing to finish the model as these paints aren’t an end all be all.
I do like the working time you get with these paints. Have you tried adding the Xpress medium to Contrast paints to extend their working time? My two issues with Xpress: 1) the less pigment means if two coats are required you lose a lot of the speed bonus and the outcome is less contrasted. 2) when shaken well the paints have a lot of bubbles which stay in the crevices and don’t pop, leaving little bubble marks when dry.
Bubbles! They have turned me off from Vallejo products. Even their game color range bubbles on me and I had to stop using them. Shame to hear it's in Xpress colors too.
Great to hear your opinions and see your tests. I bought a handful of the first wave of Xpress colours, I found myself not using them much because I found they have the least contrast (produce the least dark shadows) and are too aggressively matte for my liking, prefer something a bit more satin. But good to have some new colours, might check a couple of them to see how they fill gaps in my range.
I feel like Xpress Color is more versatile with what you can do with it - a bit more "artsy", but obviously Contrast and Speedpaint lend themselves better to one-and-done in more applications. I think they're more consistent across their line than Citadel (which follows when you compare Layer to Model Color or nu-Game Color) and i feel that Speedpaint are as well. This was an issue further widened when Citadel dropped Contrast Wave 2 with the Non-trasts in the same line. At least Vallejo label their more pigmented paints as a separate sub-line of Xpress Color. Contrast sort of has 3 different "flavours" of paint, all called Contrast, and you need to have researched which one it is before you buy otherwise you could be disappointed. I like the way they behave and their longer working time vs Contrast. Similarly I preferred Speedpaint to Contrast for this. On a completely different subject - I'm sorry if this is rude, especially considering you're speaking fluently (and excellently, i will add!) in a foreign language, und mein Deutsch ist schlecht, but in English, the pronunciation of our V sounds (like in "reactivation") is practially the same as the German W sound in "obwohl", and not like the English W sound in "whatever" or "wet". I apologise if this is a speech difference issue rather than a translation issue.
After using both Xpress and Speed Paint I will have to say I go for Speed Paint every time. I don't hate Xpress, but it does not get the job done the way I like. I think they need to work a bit more on the formulation and it might be there, but Speed Paint 2.0 is really good and honestly I am good using that until I find something better.
FREE paint swatch of all wave 1 & 2 Xpress Colors: taleofpainters.com/2023/11/review-vallejo-xpress-color-intense-wave-2-review/
All-in-one comparison chart with ALL Contrast / Speedpaint / Xpress / Dipping INK colours on my Patreon: www.patreon.com/stahlytaleofpainters/shop/ultimate-hand-painted-contrast-chart-v1-46046
My go-to channel when I need to know about paint and how the color looks!
I'm convinced the Stahly is singlehandedly keeping whoever makes that squared plasticard afloat.
Lovely stuff and exceptionally comprehensive as always.
I kind of came to the same conclusion that you did; Xpress Colors are great for filtering/glazing and generally painting in the grisaille style versus the comparable Contrast and Speed Paints.
When I'm really aping Marco Frisoni's style of army painting with the airbrush and filters and oils, I much prefer Xpress Colors to the other options due to how they feel more like inks.
I still have some go to Contrast paints I enjoy, but I think I can comfortably own all 36 additional colors with my Pro Acryl and AK ranges and not really ever need to flirt with other brands anymore.
top tier inventory
The other selling point for Vallejo is the price. Maybe not in the US (since they are made in Spain and there might be extra costs for shipping, etc), but in Spain they easily cost half of what contrast paint cost.
If you are professional painter or a very dedicated user who can spend hundreds of dollars per year on miniature paint, the extra cost is probably not even a consideration when choosing which paint to buy, but when you are like a "sometimes" hobbist, or a younger hobbist who has no money, etc. that type of price difference is the difference between having 1 color or 2 colors, and that is definitively worth more than anything else.
The price us an issue as the quality that vallejo provide us outstanding and you can either get a the double amount of colors on your budget or you can just save money.
I am new to the hobby and got 16 vallejo paints for the price of 6 citadel paints lol 😂
They’re cheaper in the US as well. I buy them at my local hobby shop for 2.99-3.99 a bottle. Citadel is 6.99+
They can be found for $3.39 in the US from Scalehobbyist and the standard Vallejo acrylics in the Model and Game Color lines are $2.69 a bottle. While unlikely, if you want the old model color formula you can email their support to see if a particular color is still in stock. Otherwise, despite the listings, the model color paints are all the new formula
I don't apply Xpress Color with brush at all. It's all through airbrush. They don't need thinning, and all I do is to drop it into the airbrush cup, spray away, it applies perfectly and it's also easy as heck to clean.
I don't know, the one thing I've found that wasn't noted was that I've found Express Colors to be much more consistent than the other brands. They all seem to behave like I expect them to, where as with GW and AP I've found colors that just seemed way less opaque or more fluid than some of the others in the range. I like that the intense paints will be labeled separately, and maybe this idea should be adopted by the other brands to relay any expected differences.
According to Juan Hidalgo, a lot of effort was put in making all the xpress paints have exactly the same feeling. That is why the high pigmented ones are "separated", because they feel different, even if they fit perfectly among the range by hue.
I was waiting for this video as soon as they anounced the new line. Thanks for clear overview :)
I have absolutely loved wave one and am looking forward to this wave!
Great video.
Thank you very much for the graphs!
Thnaks for the time spent on each of the paint brands, and the paint swatchs
Love these videos, they are super helpful and informative!!
i feel these guys suit my style just that little bit better, where on top of the zenithal i'd also base layer in a highlight level solid colour where needed before adding the contrast/xpress. Cheers for the review and chart, love your work!
Thanks for the update! My FLGS still don't have any of the Express line to check out, so these videos have been very informative.
Amazing job as always, thanks very much for this
Wow 36 new colors. I was starting to worry Vallejo ditched the line. Dabbling with Speedpaint 2.0 and some Citadel Contrast, my wallet hates me, and will now run away with the introduction of these new colors. Still a noobie with these lines, but I realize their use and hope to get better with them soon...ish. BTW love the comparison slides with the other brands! Will these still be made available on the website too? EDIT: NVM you said you will at the end. 😁
The Xpress Color range is looking really nice and I'd really want to try them. Sadly no store in my area is stocking them. There's a bunch of really cool tones in there and Vallejo have very quickly become one of my favourite paint manufacturers. Their paints are just so nice to work with. New Game Color in particular.
Yeah, I really like the new Game Colors, too! Did you watch my review yet? :)
@@stahly_taleofpainters I did! Wonderfully in depth and unbiased. Convinced me I needed to add some of the colours to my arsenal.
I love your unbiased paint reviews of each set. I've been trying to find a comparison and review of metallic paints but those are all from 2 years ago 😢 it would be amazing if you told us which are your favourites! 💚
I put a list of my favourite metallics here: taleofpainters.com/2023/08/stahlys-best-acrylic-paints-for-painting-warhammer-miniatures-2023/
Thanks for the review, very helpful as always! Can’t wait to see the Fanatic one that you have teased 🎉
Will take a while since I'm not allowed to share before January 1st! But I got other reviews planned in the meantime :)
@@stahly_taleofpainters I'll watch them all!! Hehehehe
@@stahly_taleofpaintersInteresting. A bunch of other youtubers already published material about them. Seems you and Juan, specifically the miniature paint youtubers with any backbone and integrity, are once again not allowed to publish anything until Army Painter takes everyone's preorder money. Just like with the defective Speedpaint range.
Do you plan on doing a review on the new army painter fanatic line of paints??
Definitely! The marketing material sounds too good to be true ;)
I really like Xpress Colors over Zenithal. I bought the Megaset of Speedpaint 2.0 and find it dries too fast and is a bit too opaque for my liking.
Hi, I already have Guilliman Flesh. Would you say Xpress Dwarf Skin would be a different enough skin colour to add to my collection, or is it too similar? Is there another Contrast/Xpress/Army Painter skin colour you would recommend for variation instead if so? Thanks!
Big fan of Vallejo Xpress and have all wave 1 colours but I have to say I'm a little disappointed with wave 2 mainly because some of the colours are identical to wave 1 but with more pigment in and branded as intense.
I was hoping for more colours like 4 or 5 greys but at least we have more browns so....mixed feelings after waiting ages for them...might pick up a few browns and a couple of the greys from Wayland Games (cheapest place I've found in the UK).
I mix my own Vallejo paint/XpressMusic medium to get that deeper pigmet I want. Super smooth, and two thin coats never goes wrong ;)
Contrast over a zenith highlight is fine. Or through an airbrush. You will ALWAYS need layering or glazing to finish the model as these paints aren’t an end all be all.
In a tournament 1st seed always gets a bi. Vallejo is the best
I do like the working time you get with these paints. Have you tried adding the Xpress medium to Contrast paints to extend their working time? My two issues with Xpress: 1) the less pigment means if two coats are required you lose a lot of the speed bonus and the outcome is less contrasted. 2) when shaken well the paints have a lot of bubbles which stay in the crevices and don’t pop, leaving little bubble marks when dry.
Bubbles! They have turned me off from Vallejo products. Even their game color range bubbles on me and I had to stop using them. Shame to hear it's in Xpress colors too.
Not yet. But I also had some issues with bubbles but not too bad yet.
Really good review, looking forward to January now for the fanatic review.
Fantastic review!
Great to hear your opinions and see your tests. I bought a handful of the first wave of Xpress colours, I found myself not using them much because I found they have the least contrast (produce the least dark shadows) and are too aggressively matte for my liking, prefer something a bit more satin. But good to have some new colours, might check a couple of them to see how they fill gaps in my range.
You're the best! Really helpful for shopping paints, Vallejo's color chart not helpful at all.
Really looking forward to your review of the army painters, new fanatic war paints line
First impression seems good, curious to see how they perform!
That Blood Bowl team looks fantastic, btw!
Yahoo can’t wait
great channel great content again
Cool as always.
Great stuff friend 👏 👍
Do we know when these drop? I feel like I've tried to find out and can't seem to get a date
I feel like Xpress Color is more versatile with what you can do with it - a bit more "artsy", but obviously Contrast and Speedpaint lend themselves better to one-and-done in more applications.
I think they're more consistent across their line than Citadel (which follows when you compare Layer to Model Color or nu-Game Color) and i feel that Speedpaint are as well.
This was an issue further widened when Citadel dropped Contrast Wave 2 with the Non-trasts in the same line. At least Vallejo label their more pigmented paints as a separate sub-line of Xpress Color. Contrast sort of has 3 different "flavours" of paint, all called Contrast, and you need to have researched which one it is before you buy otherwise you could be disappointed.
I like the way they behave and their longer working time vs Contrast. Similarly I preferred Speedpaint to Contrast for this.
On a completely different subject - I'm sorry if this is rude, especially considering you're speaking fluently (and excellently, i will add!) in a foreign language, und mein Deutsch ist schlecht, but in English, the pronunciation of our V sounds (like in "reactivation") is practially the same as the German W sound in "obwohl", and not like the English W sound in "whatever" or "wet". I apologise if this is a speech difference issue rather than a translation issue.
Where can i get the pallet you used to test on,, id reall love to do the same for referenceing
Here: taleofpainters.com/2021/07/top-tip-make-your-own-paint-swatch-to-organise-your-paint-collection/
GOATED reviewer
no cap
Erratum : velvet red is not speedpaint, but valejo Xpress color
whats up with wicked purple in the chart, is it invisible? ;-)
It's a quite thin dark purple wash, almost black. The pigments mainly gather in the recesses.
Where did you get that grid thing? I desperately need that! I am currently using space marines and its a nightmare to keep my colours aligned
Here: taleofpainters.com/2021/07/top-tip-make-your-own-paint-swatch-to-organise-your-paint-collection/
Give us that fanatic content!
Will take a while since I'm not allowed to share before January 1st! But I have other reviews planned in the meantime :)
Im interessed into the heretic turquoise to try on sons of horus marines
After using both Xpress and Speed Paint I will have to say I go for Speed Paint every time. I don't hate Xpress, but it does not get the job done the way I like. I think they need to work a bit more on the formulation and it might be there, but Speed Paint 2.0 is really good and honestly I am good using that until I find something better.
Erratum #2 : armor green is not speedpaint, but valejo Xpress color
Who's really paying $8/bottle on Amazon? Still cheaper from CMO even after 10% off
I wonder how many Germans will consciously make the choice of not using a colour called "Landser grey" even though the colour looks good.