Reaper Master series Paints

[Bossco101]

I've been thinking about stocking the Reaper master series paints. However before I do I wanted to see if there was a demand. To this end Reaper have kindly provided me with two batches of 12 random paints to test.

I needed this to be impartial so contacted a couple of good painters who are part of the MH forum and asked if they would do the honours. Orctrader has now completed his report and you can read it below.

The first of the paint reviews is in. Orctrader has done a sterling job and I would like to thank him for his efforts and for taking the time to write this report.




"Firstly, the main “problem” with the test is that a random assortment is fine for the painter, but does not lend itself to any photos. I have used most of the 12 sample colours now but all in combination with paints from other manufacturers. As I mentioned before, as one of the big selling points from Reaper with these is the triad angle, surprised that they didn’t send you some. As such, no way of knowing how the Triads work in terms of, like Foundry no intermixing or, like others, they are just close so intermixing is easier.

My opinion on the paints is...I like them.

They are smooth with good pigment that thin well – I used flow improver rather than just straight water – and – most importantly – mix well with other brands.

The colours I tried wouldn’t cover in one layer, but that is good for me, as I build up layers gradually. For those painters who prefer a “denser” paint this would be an issue. And I imagine with “Master” in the name they are not particularly aimed at painting quick and basic tabletop standard.

They dry quite matt which is a big plus for me. In that they are more like Vallejo than, say, P3 and CDA.

There is an agitator in the bottle – claimed to be a metal skull – though one bottle didn’t rattle when shook so I suppose some might be missed. I had heard that these can block the nozzle, but didn’t happen with me. In fact the design of the nozzle appears to be slightly different from Vallejo, which are prone to blocking with dried paint – I always keep a long pin handy! If this design prevents that, another good point. In any event, the paint flows out easily, with the bottles stored right way up. I often store Vallejo upside down so I can get the paint out.

In conclusion, these are very good paints. Personally I prefer them to P3, and think they are as good as VMC– though of course don’t have the massive range of military colours - slightly better than Vallejo Game Colour.

Not a line I would use to replace other paints apart from P3, but would use in conjunction with others. Of course, once I try some triads, that view might alter."


Single pots will be £ 1.95 each

Triads will be £ 6.00 per triad

Karsten will report a little later but any and all feedback is very welcome.

Thanks

Tim

[rob_alderman]

I'd love to try them.
I've heard the metallics are particularly good. 

[Hammers]

I am a longtime user of both Reaper Pro Paints (posts) and Reaper Master Series (drop bottles) and like them a lot. In fact, I have a certain preference to them before other brands. There used to be a problem with Pro Paint going moldy in the pot but I believe that problem is gone since they reformulated the medium.

As for demand you should know that there is no other reliable source for this particular brand in Europe. I am pretty sure of this, I have been asking and looking around for quite some time. I would definitely go to you for my paints if you start carrying them (as long as you don't insist on selling them in triads).

There are indeed skull agitators in their pots and bottles, they are of a few different looks and are quite useful.

[rob_alderman]

I'd suggest the option of triads, a full set and individual pots.

I hate it when you can only buy individuals, but I like the option of both.

i.e. I buy the whole lot at first, then buy them when they start to run out individually. 

I only use GW so far, but I'd definately buy the metallics and tones that are more unusual. 

[Sterling Moose]

Chairface uses them and is quite impressed.

[Chairface]

Chairface uses them and is quite impressed.

Indeed. I had a few and then expanded my use of them after Reaper sponsored some of the painting clinics at Fall in. The triads are fantastic. I especially love the skin tones. Great colours, great coverage, great value.

[Heldrak]

My first experience using the Reaper Master Paint series was on my Firstborn Martian Pirates for round 8 of the recent LPL contest and I was thoroughly impressed with them. I thought they had excellent color, coverage, pigment density and workability and they dried to a nice matte finish. I am expanding my own supply of RMS paints forthwith.

[vikotnik]

Well, I got the paints last Friday and after a short rest after GLAM, I immediately tried them on a few miniatures.
I thought about posting some WIP shots of the paint jobs but quickly discarded the idea because these photos would actually prove nothing except for showing just another paint job!

But first:

I have several racks designed for Vallejo paints and the Reaper paint pots have identical measurements, so they fit in nicely:


Then I thought about what would interest me if somebody would tell my about the qualities of a new range of paints. One of the essential points would be their opacity in conjunction with the grain of pigment. So I started priming a tile in black and painting it with small samples of the paints I had available. When I was half finished, I realised that a test on a white surface would be equally important, so I primed a part of the tile white and did the same all over again, d'uh.
The left sample of each paint was done with the paint applied straight from the bottle after shaking it thoroughly,  while the right one was mixed with an (about) equal amount of water(Or thinner as I use a 1:6 mixture of water/Future Floor Wax for diluting my paints...).

Here goes:

The pic was made in daylight without using flash. I adjusted the levels until I got a result on my screen that seemed quite accurate. Mind you, I did this on a macbook, not on a 'proper' desktop display.

As you can see, the coverage is quite good, even diluted they seemed to be easy to control when it comes to transparency!

What I liked about the paints was that they dry with a matt finish, this should make them very attractive for those painters who prefer not to varnish their miniatures. I can only concur to Orctrader's remarks about intermixabillity with other brands, I tried EE, Vallejo(GC and MC, inks and washes), Duncan Acrylics and Lukas Acryl-Paint. All went well.

One thing I REALLY might like about them is as Orctrader has mentioned before: They have a different nozzle than the Vallejo paints. I already have heard from other painters that these paints do not clog up. Only time will tell, though.

It might be a personal thing but knowing that there is a small skull in your paint pots in order to stir them while shaking is a really cool thing! And it would be a cool rumour, too! Well, a rumour it is not:


It would have been nice to test the metallics as these always are a big 'if' concerning acrylic paints, but these were not included in the lot.

All in all, I really can recommend them. Since a few weeks, I considered buying the complete set of Rackham paints in a bargain. Not anymore! I will use these paints quite frequently in the future.

[Bossco101]

Thanks Vikotnik for another well researched and described assessment. The general feedback is positive so I shall start to stock them over the coming months.

Thanks for the feedback!

Regards

Tim