Hey all So I went and ordered some reaper paints, which are my first non-citadel paints I've tried. I now know that I like bottles a LOT more than pots, and I'm happy with the paints themselves with one exception. I was really disappointed with the metallic paints, I found them lusterless, gloopy in consistency and hard to apply. Does anybody have any recommendations for brands that have good quality metallic paints in dropper bottles?
Many people - including me - think that the metal paints by Army Painter are pretty good. Other army painter colors have mixed reviews (although I think a lot of it is user error) but so far I haven't met anyone who dislikes the metal colors. And they come in dropper bottles. Keep in mind that most colors on the market are thinner than GW's globby stuff, but the ones I used still cover with one coat in most cases (exceptions are sometimes when painting over very bright (white or yellow) colors. Then you need a second thin coat. Or for example if you want to paint bright gold over black, that doesn't work.
P3 and Vallejo as @Aginor has already stated most paints by other manufacturers are thinner than GW, if you watch Warhammer TV they always thin the paint before use, you just skip this step.
I have a few of these and they are really nice... Vallejo Metal Color line. They come in dropper bottles (albeit bigger than typical dropper bottles) and are airbrush ready (they work perfectly well with a brush as well).
Vallejo Model Air metallics are nice. I rather like their brassy brass. I still use only GW paints on my own miniatures simply because I manager a hobby store and most of our customers use GW.
Great recommendations people thanks! I'll see which of P3, Army Painter and Vallejo I can get my hands on easiest. Ah! That is good advice because I'd always taken it as gospel that paints needed to be thinned. Now I know that is just for citadel, that'll be helpful for the other reaper stuff I got.
Well, if you want really thin, smooth coats you can of course thin them. I occasionally do that with my army painter ones, although in most cases it is enough if your brush is just a bit wet.
I mean i'm sure at the end of the day its like anything else in painting. Through practice, trail and error I'll figure out just what consistency to aim for with each paint.
As a conclusion to this tale, the local hobby shop had Vallejo air metallics, so that is what I ended up getting. Tried it out today, A+, love em. Thanks everyone!