Vallejo product quality - grrr.

[Captain Blood]

I use quite a lot of Vallejo paints. Generally, they're pretty good, although you do get the occasional bum bottle which is irredeemably shiny or gritty or both.

But this one takes the biscuit... I've just opened a bottle of Vallejo Model Color Medium Olive 850, which I bought at Salute - so maybe 6 months old and never opened until today.

What do I find? There's a lot of thin, shiny medium, and the pigment (i.e. the coloured, matt stuff) is a rock solid lump at the bottom, rattling round in the bottle, rock hard. I can't even break it up with the end of an old brush. Now I call that pretty poor. 

I know it's only a couple of pounds, and there's zero chance of getting it changed or refunded. Maybe it had been on the Retailer's rack for years. But this isn't the first time I've had this. Overall, I reckon one or two VMC bottles in every ten are duff in some way.
I guess because they're low cost items, we just put up with it - but really, it's a bit rubbish isn't it? You wouldn't put up with that rate of product failure from most goods you buy.

 

[Mancha]

I've never had any problems with my own Vallejos.  In fact, I have to assume they're pretty darn good in general, given how popular they are with all sorts of modellers.  Hell, they practically single-handedly transformed the usual style of painting large-scale miniatures.

[Svennn]

Well I must have been very unlucky. I do not use Vallejo as all the bottles, admittedly only 10 or so, that I have ever bought have been similar to your descriptions. Always been baffled as to why they are so popular and this possibly explains it.

[former user]

the bottle must have been very old
was it directly from Vallejo or from a retailer?

these things happen upon restocking, when old bottles are forgotten in the back

wanna try regrinding the pigment?

[fastolfrus]

We've only had 20 or 30 bottles, but touch wood no problem ones so far

[Calimero]

Most of my paint are Vallejo’s (either Game Color or Model Color). I had problem with 2 bottles (out of 97 or so). That were dry in the bottle even if they were “new”. That being said one of these 2 colors was violet, so it might have sit a long time on the shelves before I bought it. The other though, was a very basic military color which I suspect they sell a lot… so it had no reason to be dry already… The whites I bought are almost all grainy 

[dampfpanzerwagon]

I've had a couple (out of dozens) of Vallejo paints (both Model Color and Game color) that have been very grainy - I put it down to not shaking the contents as much as I should have.

Tony
http://dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.com/

[Hammers]

Vallejo has limited shelf life, I know that, in comparison to other paints. I have Humbrol acrylics bought back in the early 90s which still stir up nicely (but have other drawbacks  like coarse pigmentation). But 6 month is way to short, I would return it with a complaint to the vendor. He must have sold you a pot way past its Best Before date.

[Helen]

Hi Richard,

Sorry to read about your issue.

I've approx 95% vallejo in my collection an I've only had problem with one being the Deep Prussian Blue. Naturally, it's the one bottle in the mix I need to paint my Late War French with, Grrrrr!

Hope you can solve the issue with the shop.

Helen

[Gallowglass]

I think I've only ever have two bottles that I'd class as duds and in all fairness, I think there was an element of contributory negligence on my part. Other than that, fine.

Not that this particular post means much but I did note that both colours that went wallop were darker pigments (some shade of dark green and a dark Prussian blue, I believe - it's been a while).

[Westfalia Chris]

I've approx 95% vallejo in my collection an I've only had problem with one being the Deep Prussian Blue. Naturally, it's the one bottle in the mix I need to paint my Late War French with, Grrrrr!

Interesting, that one - my Deep Prussian Blue is also permanently clogging up the bottle, being all thick, grainy and separating. As for the separation issue, I´ve had that problem both with various olive shades (American Uniform) and a bottle of Sunny Skin which I bought recently. All well usable, so by no means to the (indeed very poor and rather unacceptable) condition of the Captain´s bottle, but it seems to affect some paints to a greater extent than others. And I may be mistaken, but I seem to remember that in earlier years (pre-2007 or so) I never had such problems with Vallejo paints.

Mysterious or dubious?

[Captain Blood]

Mysterious or dubious?

Hmmm. Well Chris, there does look to be a bit of a pattern emerging here - because Sunny skin tone and Prussian blue are two of the other VMC colours that I've also had problems with, along with the Mid-olive green...

Sounds like there may be a few particular colours in the VMC range to avoid...

[Hammers]

Preussian Blue, me to. It separates and lumps. And all my tans (Ochre Yellow and Brown, German Cammo Orange Ochre, Dessert Yellow...) has gone off at the same time as if on cue. Mind, these were purchased back in the States so the are not only about 6 years old but have also endured a trip across the Atlantic.

On a similar note the (old) Reaper Pro Paints has a few peculiarities. I like these paints a lot. Beautiful nuances, fine, dense pigmentation and comes with a little 28mm cast pewter skull stirrer. They will however go mouldy and stink in the pot! They have changed the formula now so maybe that is amended.

By the way, hasn't Vallejo changed to recently? Definitely new pots and stickers but it also looks like they stir more easy which makes me think the medium may have changed.

[Silent Invader]

Sunny skin tone = me too!

[Aaron]

I've had a few reds and the dark prussian blue go chunky on me, but never a solid lump and I've had some for a few years. Sounds like you were very unlucky.