How many paints is too many?

[pjgtech]

Is this a silly question?
Every time I look online, in a model shop, etc I see more and more paints and think, Ooh yeah, I need that one, so I am slowly building up a collection of paints, I think I have about 50 now, along with panel liners, washes, pigments, etc. (I have already had to buy a second paint stand!)
I feel like I have a good general selection of the base colours covered.

But does it ever stop?

I suppose its a bit like fly fishing, can you ever have too many flies? erm no!
Or a bit like airgun shooting, can you ever have too many pellets/targets? erm no!

I am sure there will be people on here who have literally hundreds of paints.
But how many paints is enough? or alternatively, how many paints is too many?

[Andy T]

I don't think there is such a thing as too many. I have a pretty wide selection but still I'll come across a kit that needs a specific colour that I don't have.

Subject matter plays a big part too. If you're only ever building US fighting vehicles, you won't need anywhere near as many as someone like me that will have a go at anything, land & air, military & civilian, from all nations.

Same with weathering products, and don't even get me started on diorama! I've got tubs & tubs filled with all kinds of grass, leaves, rocks, stones, sands, twigs, etc etc?

[PaulTRose]

How long is a piece of string?

Impossible to answer.....but i would say only buy it when you need it rather than buying it thinking it willcome in handy

[Jim R]

One thing I have learned is to stick to one or two makes. I was one of those who bought a selection of every new paint the manufacturers brought out
I ended up with a few of everything. The makers must have loved me. About a year or so ago I made the decision to stick with MRP lacquers for airbrushing and Vallejo for brush painting. I also use enamels for dry brushing and for weathering I stick to oils and pigments. You will see how effective oils and pigments can be if you look at Steve Jones' YouTube videos.

[Tim Marlow]

Jim talks a lot of sense here, sticking to just a couple of brands will enable you to really learn how they are best used. I also mostly stick to a couple of brands for this reason. Tamiya/Mr Color for spraying (I know that’s two but they are interchangeable) and Vallejo model colour for brush painting. I have a good sixty Tamiya/Mr Color and at least double that in Vallejo. I also have about forty artists tube oil and acrylics for special effects and scenery painting, along with a good dozen or so acrylic inks and twenty or so metallic paints plus a good selection of Vallejo model air for spraying. I recently gave away a couple of boxes of Humbrol enamels because I no longer use them. There is no earthly reason why you would need all of these to paint a model, but I have built this collection up over a lifetime, buying what I need when I need it and replacing bottles as they run out. In effect, you don’t have enough paint when you don’t have the shade you want, and have too many when you have several so called the same shades of different makes……..

[wasdale32]

How long is a piece of string?

As a previous manager of mine would always reply ... "Twice the length from the middle to one end..."

[Peter Gillson]

I a. As bad as anybody, buying far more colours than I actually need. In 2017 I had an article published in Military Modelling in which I set myself the challenge of painting 2 figures using only 3 primary colours plus black, white and silver.




it was a fun challenge, I learned a lot about colour mixing and I think it did improve my painting.

peter

[Airborne01]

22,463 - not including enamels, and other exotics - after all, I bet the 63 are part-used or duplicates ... ?
Steve

[BarryW]

I have well over 200 bottles of MRP and stick to this brand for airbrushing

These cover all the aircraft colours needed for WW2 main combatants, British, American, Russian, Italian, German and Japanese plus a full set of metalisers, and paint colours for NATO and Warsaw Pact aircraft.

in addition I have around 18/20 Vallejo Model Colour for hand brushing detail over the airbrushed lacquers.

I use AK and MiG enamels for pin washes.

[Plimbit]

N+1?

I always end up buying a set that most closely matches my project in hand, but rarely use it all and have a host of half pots of paint!