3 Colours Up Review – Andrea Color Paints
September 14, 2011 by elromanozo
A brand well known to historical painters and collectors, sadly not available everywhere... Actually, I've only found them online and in one store, but correct me if I'm wrong.
They come in dropper bottles similar to the Vallejo/Prince August range, and the catalog is very varied. So varied, in fact, that they mostly sell paint-sets, the idea being that each paint set is six variations of one color, allowing you to pick highlights and shading in warmer or colder tones according to your own fancy.
Of course, as the colors are rarely carried in individual pots by most stores, that means you get about three or four colors you don't immediately need for one or two colors you truly want in the set.
It's not as if it's lost, but it's annoying...
This is clearly made for people who hate mixing with a passion (a shame, since those colors do mix well...), and for those uniform painters who want the exact "German uniform circa 1871" prussian blue nuance for that special bust with all of those lovely buttons... But this is also ideal for Fantasy or Sci-fi painters who want a more subdued and realistic palette!
Incidentally, this is the flattest paint on the market right now... It dries very, VERY matte. And this is good, because there's nothing more annoying than a realistically painted miniature that looks like a toy because of what some call a "satin finish"...
The minis you paint that way clearly aren't toys, they're collector items.
Beware, gamer painters... For this paint has a justified reputation for chipping very easily ! If you're going to use it, you'd better varnish your miniature properly before playing with your work of art... Otherwise, I'd recommend wearing white cotton gloves... and not sneezing... EVER!
In my opinion, this is a very cool paint, with a no-nonsense approach to naming and organizing their tones. The paint sets will please a lot of people by offering a ready-made selection for basecoat, shades, highlights, and so on. They're clearly more oriented towards the collector painter, either budding or experienced, but are an excellent product for everyone.
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I’ve known Andrea figures for years, but I forgot they did paints too. Hmmm… a conundrum. Hard to get, chips easily, but never have to mix.
The glories of the internet actually make finding them pretty easy (their site has links to their international distributors). I might order a set and see how I go.
Thanks for the reminder.
i see these bottles quite a lot on your painting table Romain. is it their “Matte-ness” that appeals to you?
You’re seeing Vallejo, actually… I don’t have that many Andrea paints, only some tones in greens that i need to be extra matte sometimes.
But the matte-ness does appeal, yes !
BoW Romain
Cool. Regarding the matte-ness I really notice that on my Imperial Guardsmen when I paint camouflage. My older figures painted with GW paints are so shiny its unreal, wheras the ones painted with Vallejo are much less so. I would give these andrea paints a go but I’ve already stocked up on Vallejo Air paints :/
Nice review as always Romain
Oh i’m a bit disapointed, i thought andrea was the best range around. Looks like vallejo/pa is the best option so far. I’m curious to see a review of the foundry paints, if you plan to do so ? It seems they have a huge range.
Well, this is subjective of course… Both ranges are excellent, but aimed at and conceived for different people. Availability, habit, palettes, all this plays an important part in deciding what you need for painting !
As for what’s in my next article, you’ll have to wait and see…
BoW Romain
I am just starting to get into the hobby myself. Just wanted to thank Romain for helping out alot with the information on the paints. I don’t want to start and get stuck with a shiny army because of the wrong paint. Thanks tons.
Another good review Romain. I may be tempted in buying a few Sets of this Andrea for some showcase work. But I so far mainly use P3, Tamiya, Vallejo and GW. And have a couple of Humbrol paints.
I can’t wait to see another brush review up.
Hmm. Might give these a go if I’ll ever order some stuff for Andrea.
Thank you for your kind words, all…
I never imagined thse pieces would get such a great reception, especially the brush reviews ! It just goes to prove the incredible wisdom (guile ?) of @beerogre, who persuaded me that it would be in demand after all…
BoW Romain
more brush reveiws to come guys… I just need to get them edited… look out for Romain’s articles on a Wednesday morning.
I think we’ll make that his special BoW slot… just in time for your tea break! 😀
Nice, one can never have enough of Romain’s articles and reviews.
I’ve never heard of Andrea before this review and from reading it, I don’t think I’ll bother much with them. They just seem too specific for normal wargamers, and since the paint apparently is even more likely too fall off a model than other paints, it won’t stand up to the rigors of actually being played with on a battlefield, let alone being transported to a tournament or similar events.
3 things:
1) I don’t know how it was back in 2011 but now, you can get the Andrea new acrylic colors which come as single containers and the color range is very wide.
2) The Andrea paints smell soooo good. It seems irrelevant but man, it is so nice to work with these.
3) I don’t get the problem with “shiny” miniatures in general as there are so many matt varnishes out there and I don’t get how anyone would leave a painted mini without varnishing it anyway (for preservation sake at least).