Product Review: Badger Minitaire Airbrush Paints Part 1

I finally got a few minutes to try out the new Minitaire paints and so far I am impressed.

This was a quick run through and won't be a full review, more like my initial thoughts.

First thing to talk about is value. I got the full line which is 80 colors set up in a triad type system, 3 clear coats (gloss, satin and matte) and a paint retarder. I got the full set off Amazon for $133 ($1.59 per bottle) which is a great deal but even at full retail that's a little over $3 per bottle. Also since these are 30ml bottles you are getting, at retail, an average of 10 cents per ml compared to Vallejo Model Air which goes for almost twice the price.  These paints are, to my knowledge the best value on the market.

Next up is flow.  I've talked about my issues with my Badger Velocity clogging, even with VMA but so Fay I haven't had a problem with the Minitaire line. They are formulated for the airbrush and seem to flow very, very well.

Then there is coverage. I was super impressed with that and will go over it in more detail with the pictures below.

This is Angelic Blood over pre-shaded white. In total I used 5 drops to get a good overall coat. As a test I then shot the right third with Plasma Fluid Ghost Tint to see the effect. I really like how it darkens it up. I think I found my new color mix for Blood Angels.

Here is the Plasma Fluid over a pre-shaded white. It covers the white very well but the black shows right through as should be expected from a Ghost Tint or "Candy".

This is Regal Blue over a white base with no pre-shading. Again, great coverage. the right third has been hit with Yellow Ghost Tint to make a really nice green..

The Yellow Ghost Tint over white comes out very nice.

This may have been the most impressive thing I've seen yet. This is Skull White over black. Using 5 drops of paint in the airbrush I managed to get full coverage. Very nice! The top right is Oil Discharge Ghost Tint which is a nice, rich dark blue. I'm thinking this would look good on my World Eaters.

Gun Alloy over black for a nice dull metallic while the Oil Discharge creates a metallic blue effect which is kinda nice.

Finally we have Chrome Silver over black which comes out nice and shiny. The Oil Discharge on this doesn't look much different to me though.

I'm going to spend the next few weeks playing around with these to see how they work diluted and such so I will give a report after I've decided if these are liquid gold or not.