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In-Box Review
WWII German Starter Paint Set
Vallejo WWII German Starter Set No 71175
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by: Shaun Keenan [ KEENAN ]

introduction
During the Second World War the Germans were at the forefront of camouflage technology for their vehicles. While most of the other major powers painted their vehicles in monotone schemes the Germans painted and camouflaged their vehicles depending on the vehicle's theater of deployment. Vallejo Model Air has released a set of eight colors that can be used to duplicate many of those theater specific schemes.

the set
The set contains eight 17 ml bottles of acrylic airbrush colors.
They are:
71037, Mud Brown
71041, Tank Brown
71006, Camouflage Light Green
71011, Tank Green
71052, German Grey
71025, Dark Yellow
71035, Camouflage Light Brown
71020, German Green

There are no instructions with the set.
However, there are compressive instructions on-line if you know where to look:
Vallejo Blog

Testing

Let me preface this review by saying airbrushes scare me. I have $500 worth of airbrushes and have yet to master any of them. I have the whole compressor set up, everything. I get by, shooting acrylics as base coats but have never mastered the art of airbrushing camouflage onto German vehicles or anything else. What I decided to do for this review was to just shoot some paint around to see how they covered primed and un-primed plastic.
I also do not want to delve into whether or not the "Dark Yellow" is the correct "Dark Yellow" because I do not have the expertise to address that.
So, I took the hull out of a Tamiya "Panther Type G Late Version" kit and shot a coat of gray enamel primer out of a rattle can one half, and left the other half unprimed.
I used paint numbers 71052 "German Gray" and 71041 "Tank Brown" for the coverage test.
I thinned the paint according to the instructions on Vallejo's website and sprayed the through my Aztec single action air brush.
I use Testor's Acryl and liked the dropper top bottles from Vallejo. It made adding the paint to the color cup much easier.

The paint went on smoothly with no issues. Coverage was excellent on both the primed and un-primed surfaces. Overall I think colors have richer tone than the Acryl I usually use. I think the colors just "pop" a bit more.
Since the paints are water based cleaning the air brush was a snap.

conclusion
I really like these paints. I was under the impression that Vallejo paints were expensive. The paints in the set are actually cheaper than comparable brands.
Coverage was great and set contains just about every color I think most German armor modelers would need.

SUMMARY
Highs: Comprehensive set, good coverage, price and ease of clean up.
Lows: No instructions with the set.
Verdict: A good comprehensive set for the money.
Percentage Rating
90%
  Scale: Other
  Mfg. ID: 71175
  Suggested Retail: 23.95
  PUBLISHED: Sep 20, 2010
  NATIONALITY: Germany
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 83.57%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 89.25%

Our Thanks to Vallejo Acrylics!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

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About Shaun Keenan (keenan)
FROM: INDIANA, UNITED STATES

48 years old. Have been modeling since I was about 12. Will build almost anything in 1/35th scale. I really enjoy building dioramas. Current interest include any armor and dioramas WWII to present.

Copyright ©2021 text by Shaun Keenan [ KEENAN ]. All rights reserved.



Comments

@ Bill: I really have no idea about the "light green." I have seen color pics of German armor with about every color under the rainbow. Don't know why that one was in the set. @ Mark, What? @ Scott and Juan, I think you guys are in agreement here. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how good the paint was for the money. Cheers, Shaun First forum post in ages. Kind of nice to be back...
SEP 24, 2010 - 03:21 PM
Yes I meant they aren't bad price wise when comparing how much paint vs cost you get with the other brands. Vallejo hands down in my opinion is one of the best, if not the best paint on the market, which is why it is the only bottle paint I carry. It brushes very well, and can be thinned for airbrushing. The learning curve is a little steeper when thinning Vallejo vs say Tamiya, but the results are worth it. I am anxious to try a new thinning formula. These guys in Japan are saying they take a mixture of 8 parts Vallejo Acrylic Cleaner to 2 parts Vallejo Thinner, and then take that mixture and thin the Vallejo paints with for airbrushing. Sounds crazy, but so did thinning Tamiya Acrylics with Lacquer thinner.
SEP 24, 2010 - 03:45 PM
I have been using Vallejo paints for some time and they cover very well. I like the eye dropper as it makes it easy to put into the airbrush. The coverage is good and the aircolor is all I now use in an airbrush. I have tried others before I found these paints but I think you should use which ever suits you. Steve
SEP 26, 2010 - 09:50 AM
How so? I am pretty interested in this set, looks like a good value as well!
SEP 27, 2010 - 07:07 AM
Aaron, I won't speak for Mark other than to say he isn't a happy camper, LOL. While I am prejudiced because I "work" here, I think the Internet has made a whole array of information available to folks, both allowing modelers to know about products, services and historical data, as well as making it possible for small companies (and in some cases, individuals) to sell products & services they simply couldn't without it. Fora like this one are one way information gets exchanged and folks learn about sets like this one.
SEP 27, 2010 - 07:29 AM
Really nice review, Shaun! I have yet to fully transition to acrylic paints from years of using MM enamels mainly because I just can't make up my mind as to which brand I should invest my money on. I like Tamiya but the small range they offer and all the mixing one has to do to get something done just isn't my cup of tea. I was thinking I should switch to Lifecolor but, then again, it isn't readily available in the US as I would like so that has stopped me from 'stocking' on them. I have yet to try Vallejo (in any form) but the more reviews and information I get about them the more I think I should see what they are all about. I actually like it that they have Color and Air as it would make things easier. This set really looks like it will be nice to have as a 'test run' set so I may give a try. Anyone know who stocks Vallejo products in the US? Thanks for posting this! Rob
SEP 27, 2010 - 07:56 AM
you can try Michigan Toy Soldiers and Historical Miniatures I have never ordered form them, but I have heard good things.
SEP 27, 2010 - 08:32 AM
you can try Michigan Toy Soldiers and Historical Miniatures I have never ordered form them, but I have heard good things.[/quote] Rob, I just ordered this exact thing from Michigan Toy Soldiers and Historical Minitures! Only place I could find it in stock. And yes I can recommend them. I have always received fast and courteous service. Mike
SEP 27, 2010 - 09:10 AM
you can try Michigan Toy Soldiers and Historical Miniatures I have never ordered form them, but I have heard good things.[/quote] Rob, I just ordered this exact thing from Michigan Toy Soldiers and Historical Minitures! Only place I could find it in stock. And yes I can recommend them. I have always received fast and courteous service. Mike[/quote] yea Google They also have an ebay presence. they seem to carry a lot of euro brands...
SEP 27, 2010 - 09:12 AM
   
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