Is this the best paint set EVER? In-depth review of ICMs full 80-colour set

[@MannsModelMoments]

Let me know your thoughts, and don't forget to comment for the reference prize - first one by comment timestamp gets it....

[@jkluionmhjkyui]

what are your thoughts on Life-Color paints?

[@MannsModelMoments]

​@@jkluionmhjkyui I actually tried them when they first came out in the early 2000s, and wasn't impressed at the time. I believe they've improved but their availability is poor and there are so many paint brands that I've never revisited them. I still have done in the collection but they hardly ever see the light of day

[@Redsing_ART]

In addition to my comment, I wrote directly to ICM support and they confirmed to me that they use AK interactive 3rd gen paints in their kits, which makes this kit the best that can be purchased on the market now for the price of quality

[@Damien-q8t]

@@MannsModelMoments just heard that Tamiya Aersol paints are now BANNED in Canada

[@TD-ni9vk]

Wow, you really packed a lot of useful information into this video. Never would have believed that watching paint dry could be so interesting. 😂 Thank you!

[@jonakason4451]

Amazing tour with a great educational value regarding paints in general

[@vladchek9382]

Impressive review! Thanks! First time saw such an in-depth review of the paints for scale modeling....

[@MannsModelMoments]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@adrianhook9795]

This was an amazing stream, fantastic information, definitely going to have to look into the box set. Excellent work Alex.

[@Nigel1writer]

Thanks. Very comprehensive and interesting. I'll definitely be giving them a try.

[@Capriaddict]

Cool! Looking forward to it. I'm always wanting to try new paints and see how I get on with them.

[@idwalwilliams3713]

Always enjoy these deep dives

[@cloudwalk4566]

I'm thinking of getting back to the hobby, and a set of these would be quite nice. Quite cheap, and not a lot of investment if I'm only making a few kits every year. Thanks for the video !

[@goforitpainting]

I look forward to try it out. 🖌

[@Slycockney]

Cheers Alex, I find choosing a brand of paint is an absolute minefield. I've hairy sticked ICM paints and find them excellent, although not run them through an airbrush yet. I tend to gravitate to Ammo Mig metallics as they seem to work well for me. Great analysis as usual keep them coming.

[@MikeUSA67]

What a coincidence, not 12 hours ago I ordered my first set of ICM paints, and for the first time as well some Vallejo paints (including their Offwhite). Now after your excellent science lesson, I am really excited to see how the do IRL. One thing I have to mention tho - you people on the island are getting ripped of with the Tamiya paints!!!! Just yesterday I bought some 23ml pots for 2.89 Euros (about 2.41 Pounds) - so in your comparison they would take second place! But thank you,Alex, for all the effort you put into this "Paints for Dummies"👏👏👏👍👍👍

[@animalyze7120]

Nice review, super detailed for sure. I'm partial to AK's Lacquer Real colors for military models. Their Metallic range especially the Extrreme is really good and Airbrushes beautifully. AK's 3Gen line of acrylics is nice too. Never liked Humbrol, Citadel or Tamiya acrylics as they all end up looking chalky. Revell is a no go for sure but Vallejo makes a nice range that goes on nice and looks complete when dry unlike Tamiya and Humbrol. I have to say this review was far better and more in depth than any other I've seen to date for a hobby paint line. Great work!

[@MannsModelMoments]

Thank you!

[@bradwolfgang1037]

Very educational, I do the same thing that you do, ( with white, grey & black primer ) except I use white plastic spoons. ( with an airbrush ) I usually find a “house paint” chip that I like ( from a big box home improvement store like Lowe’s, Home Depot or Menards then I mix different acrylic paints ( usually lighter ) to the chip color. Then go from there…… you made me want get an RGB scanner. Excellent information- thank you.

[@marcblackburn5920]

Wow! Science!!!

[@MOS6510Models]

Great Video Matey.. The science went over my head again lol.. But seriously its good to see the breakdown of paints and an honest review. Vallejo metal color is brilliant and i tend to use them on exhausts on my jets,, fair play on those wooden sticks.. great way of looking at the codes it produces

[@MannsModelMoments]

I love Vallejo Metal Color, it is excellent...though not the cheapest!

[@marklednor3112]

Interesting deep-dive, thanks. And I reckon Hotblack Desiatos stuntship from Hitchhikers Guide would be a good reference. So black the light seems to fall into it...

[@MannsModelMoments]

YES! The Disaster Area Stuntship was indeed the (somewhat oblique) reference...the black-on-black throughout....send me an email (on the channel info page), and I'll get your prize sorted!

[@antonkasyanov7725]

I have this paint set and it is really good. The only issue is their bottles - dropper bottles are way easier to use with an airbrush. With ICM bottles one has to be more careful. However this set is really helpful when you need to paint something small f.e. model cockpit, tires, or some stowage. Paints can be thinned with water or with special ICM acrylics thinner.

[@jefthing]

Vallejo 820 off white. Been using it for Austrian uniforms for many years (over a base of deck tan). I did comment on one of Mos’ posts some years ago as to how many dark greens does a man need when for about 20 years Airfix and Humbrol just had one in the range (Airfix M17?). Likewise I have several Vallejo dark-ish greys. The problem comes with mixing, which may be good if you are a modeller and will only paint one item, but if you are wargaming and need multiples then having an ‘instant consistent hit’ is very useful. I would be tempted by these if I didn’t have enough paints already, but I like the dropper bottles so will stick with the Big Vs.

[@MannsModelMoments]

Yeah I thought Vallejo would have one in the range somewhere! I think the main issue is one of modellers education, because I doubt this is one of their best sellers. I know The two colours I sell more of in my shop are Tamiya XF-1 and XF-2 - black and white. Rubber Black? Not so much....

[@jefthing]

@@MannsModelMoments I’d be lost without Vallejo Black Grey…

[@brdm2rkh]

I have mostly Tamiya acrylics but my main paints are enamels

[@laszloharsanyi8320]

I always like and prefer content which a) do IRL comparisons, as those are reference points to ME to estimate the results and b) tells WHY they formed their opinion the way they did. It's kind of a web diagram. If there is a high score in a field which is completely irrelevant to me and have a low one which is relevant, that's an informative review. So thank you, I don't think I would go back to water based acrylics for airbrushing, but this is the content a modeller needs. If you have a line to ICM, I would suggest to start to do some mixing instructions on their website. Similar like Mike Starmer's Tamiya for British vehicles researches. Making only 80 (more like 60-ish) colours make productions way easier, cheaper and more quality consistent, but in the end, we want to use (hopefully) perfect matches.

[@Adam_Boots]

The closest I can think of off the top of my head to compare to the off white would be Citadel Corax White. It has really good coverage and can be highlighted later. I definitely prefer something which isn't pure white as for me it looks much better after weathering than a pure white would. Glad you tested the coverage. Some paints I've found just take too many coats to get any decent finish. It definitely seems to be a set to consider though I guess it initially would be better for someone kust starting to get their paints together. Someone who has been modelling for a while probably wouldn't need this set straight away. I've been looking into colours myself recently. Just got a cheap colour mise scanner which is designed to scan colours and you can get a hex code from it. Definitely interesting comparing the same colour from different makers.

[@MannsModelMoments]

Yeah I didn't include Citadel paints as (1) They're expensive (~20p/ml) (2) They have the worst pots in the world (3) They're generally not used by scale modellers. Now (3) might seem odd as I've included Kimera and ProAcryl, but they're don't have the issues of (1) and (2) as well.

[@Adam_Boots]

I tend to mainly just use their metallics as they work well for brushing. The same with their base white and yellow. I agree their pots could be better. Even just making it so that the lid is removable would be an improvement. They feen like they will tip due to the weight of the lid.

[@Gothicgarlic]

Very good value, Tamiya lead the field imo but may try these out when I have enough needing to be replaced

[@MartinSparks-ef9gr]

@@Gothicgarlic hi . I've uaed tamiya paint for 25 year's . I recently bought and tried about 20 ak gen3 paints and they are far better , in all regards to tamiya paints in my opinion , for instance I've not managed to put a shiny finger print on any matt paint and they are all dead flat . Brush better , spray better , minimal tip dry and you get 70% more . The metallics are the best I've used too as far as acrylics go , as in, they are usable. . M

[@MannsModelMoments]

I've not found AK 3G to spray better than Tamiya, but their pigment density is excellent

[@radishdalek]

This was a great overview - I am very tempted by this set. Is there somewhere in the UK that stocks this set?

[@01Naaman]

I'm going to guess that it's Disaster Area's stunt ship from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. "There were black controls labelled in black, on a black background, with a little light that lit up black..."

[@MannsModelMoments]

Correct, but unfortunately not the first to guess it

[@kitbag9033]

Very thought provoking, thank you for this. I have gravitated to Tamiya over the years following poor results from AK & Vallejo especially. I'm not sure you covered off, as an attribute, ease of use, especially airbrushing. On the other hand, the cost difference was a revelation, so maybe that will produce leverage on future choices. You didn't state whether they are compatible for mixing with other brands, and maybe that's asking a lot. Perhaps others could comment? Once again, thank you, maybe I will have to consider moving from Tamiya to ICM going forward.

[@MannsModelMoments]

I think inter-company paint mixing is a subject worthy of a video by itself!

[@antoinea3660]

A bit hard to get a hand on them in France, I would like to test them, but my retailers do not carry them :(

[@Modguy555]

Dark aster, Ronan the accusers ship in guardians of the galaxy

[@MannsModelMoments]

Nice guess, but no

[@malannn4854]

If you want a "white" that is not really white, try GaiaNotes Neutral Grey I (it is lacquer-based). For a "black" that is not really dead black, try GaiaNotes Neutral Grey V. Generally, I found Gaia paints to be superior to both Tamiya and Mr Color, although their color range is limited.

[@MannsModelMoments]

@@malannn4854 I've never heard of the brand, will have a look...

[@xRepoUKx]

It would be great to be able to get Gaia paints in the UK, unfortunately, I can't find any stockists and importing them isn't cheap! I particularly want to try their red oxide surfacer.

[@MannsModelMoments]

@xRepoUKx never tried them....

[@Rob1972Gem]

You wanna talk about pigment quality and paint coverage, how can you overlook games workshop? Citadel paints? Probably some of the best British paint you’ll ever buy in the world

[@MannsModelMoments]

I certainly didn't "overlook" GW's Citadel paints, but this was a review of ICMs paint set. I also compared it to leading model paint manufacturers, whereas GW sells primarily to it's own game players and mini painters. Professional mini painters tend to use other paints, which tells me something I already know, but... If you look at cost, they work out around 20p per ml - one of the most expensive paints, they have the WORST pots in the mini-painting arena (All of mine are re-formatted into dropper bottles) and their coverage is variable - and certainly not the best. They do have some excellent technical paints, but I certainly wouldn't say they are anywhere near the best for their standard paints.

[@nickbroekhuizen8858]

I have used aluminum and silver and also find them not so good. The oily steel brush on well. The aluminum does airbrush quite well and actually looks great.

[@MannsModelMoments]

Thanks for the info

[@memkiii]

While I only have a couple of smaller sets of the ICM colours, & use them with an airbrush, I found them very easy to work with, and good value. Smell is not bad at all. PS RGB is a truly useless way of cataloguing subtractive colours such as inks and paints. The reason why CYMK exists.

[@emmabird9745]

Hi Alex, more in depth than the others as usual. I'm affraid you lost me at "LAB", though concepturally I know what you mean with perception but it really was too much of a leap. I've watched a video, on the Airfix channel, where they make a HMS Belfast kit with the included Humbrol paints (I've seen another too but can't remember the subject). The builder brush painted but diluted with a lot of water. Several coats and the finish looked pretty good (allowing for the loss because its a digital picture of the result). You are using ICM straight out of the pot, so in a price comparison, should you perhaps look at neat ICM and diluted Humbrol? I've only just started again (3 models in!) and have stuck to the enamels I was familiar with to climb the relearning curve gently so now I'm trying to find out about all this new stuff.

[@MannsModelMoments]

As to the diluted Humrol vs ICM - NO! Absolutely not! You're not getting more coverage from Humbrol paints when used neat (as all my paint chits are direct, undiluted comparisons. The dilution of the paint in the Airfix example is because the medium is so thick - not the pigment. See my Mary Rose build where I use the included paints, and it took SEVEN coats of diluted paint to cover the sails - and the paint wasn't diluted 7:1, so you're using MORE Humbtrol paint to achieve the same result as you would with ICM paints.

[@emmabird9745]

@@MannsModelMoments Thanks Alex, clears that one up.

[@MannsModelMoments]

@@emmabird9745 no worries!

[@Redsing_ART]

thanks for the video. i'm glad that the manufacturer from my country is able to create a good solution for the price of quality. now im definitely buying their full set of paint, to note here in Ukraine 1 12ml bottle cost around 1.25 pound That's more expensive than yours. that's strange. why in the country where the paints are produced they cost more than anywhere else and a new set costs about 109 us dollars or 82 pound

[@MannsModelMoments]

@@Redsing_ART That's a good question! I expect it's international suppliers discounting to encourage the market maybe?

[@Redsing_ART]

@@MannsModelMoments ​ @MannsModelMoments hmmm, that makes sense. in any case, the prescription is still very cheap, as it is in fact ak Intractive 3rd gen paints just in a different bottle at a price almost 3 times cheaper in Ukraine. thanks again for the video!

[@laurentlachand8102]

Very nice and top of that if with can do something for your country we must do

[@martinB68]

I use Italeri/Vallejo paints for years now. I do not use a Airbrush, only brush with the odd rattle can. Will not change whats good for me.

[@MannsModelMoments]

@@martinB68 I don't believe anyone said you should?

[@martinB68]

Never said that you or anyone did,just said what i like nothing more. But there is a overload on ICM products being pushed online at the moment. But thats just what i think.

[@MannsModelMoments]

@@martinB68 I'm not "pushing" anything - I say what I think about things...have you stopped to think people online are saying good things about ICM products because they're....good?

[@martinB68]

Come down from your high horse please , i NEVER said they were not good! I just said they are being pushed, which means you see alot of ICM gear on Videos at the moment. It was a point of fact and not a attack.

[@MannsModelMoments]

​@@martinB68I'm not on any "high horse", but you used language "being pushed" that has negative connotations and suggests paid-for promotions, rather than abundance because of quality

[@nheather]

One thing that was not covered though - as far as I am aware you cannot buy ICM as single pots - just small sets or the big set. So what happens when you run out of a particular colour - the only option I can see is to buy one of the small sets with that colour in it. Another problem I have with sets, all manufacturers, not just ICM, is they often pad them out with generic colours such as black and silver. So buy a few sets and you end up with multiple blacks and silver. And that isn’t a dig at ICM, I mostly use Vallejo and at one point I looked at the two sets for British and French Napoleonic uniforms - they looked good value at first, you’d imagine that these are two sets that would be commonly bought together and yet they have common colours. And finally, if I am buying a set for a specific army or airforce or navy and rather it didn’t contain black, white and silver because like most modellers I already have them, I’d prefer it to concentrate on the colours that are unique to that subject not bulk it out with fillers.

[@MannsModelMoments]

It's a good point but it's one that ICM are aware of and addressing - I believe Valeriia at ICM mentioned this when I did my interview with her earlier in the year (check that out if you haven't already seen it)

[@nheather]

@@MannsModelMoments That’s good to know, be interesting to see the price. Individually, Vallejo is £2.34 for 17ml, to match that ICM would need to be £1.37 per pot. But another point is ‘per ml’ is not always the best measure - for paints that you will use a lot of it is, but there are those paints that you only use in tiny amounts and it might be good to be able to buy those in smaller quantities.

[@MannsModelMoments]

@@nheather Well, Vallejo is actually £2.95 RRP in the UK, but you can get it cheaper - that's why I said it's about £2.50 because prices vary a lot, and if you're buying it online you also need to add shipping of course, so then it's down to whatever local retailers sell for.

[@nheather]

@@MannsModelMoments I buy mine for £2.34, shipping is free for orders over £20, so I usually put together an order of a few paints or other items.

[@MannsModelMoments]

@@nheather But that's anecdotal - not statistically relevant nor widely applicable. You can't base an analysis on n=1. sorry.

[@dgoodhew]

I asked about thinning ICM paint in the live chat - you replied but the chat comments have disappeared and I can't remember what you said... you mentioned using screenwash with a caveat what was that? And that Iso alchol was OK up to a point... how much? Is de-ionised water ok? Generally I use vallejo - have just bought ICM and a bit of revell for brush work... what are the thinners I should use?

[@MannsModelMoments]

You can thin ICM (And basically all aqueous emulsion acrylics) with deionised water with a small amount of isopropanol - 5% is about right. Screenwash is a good substitute too as long as it's based on isopropanol and NOT Methanol (it'll say in the ingredients). You can also use commercially available thinners for aqueous acrylics, or deionised water with a touch of liquid dish soap - basically you're looking for something with surface-tension lowering and solubilisation properties

[@dgoodhew]

Thanks very much - is your Mann's thinners good for ICM/vallejo etc?

[@MannsModelMoments]

@@dgoodhew Like MHLT, MMLT works best with lacquers and paints like Mr Hobby and Tamiya. You CAN use it with other aqueous-emulsuion based paints, but it's very much on a case-by-case basis as to how well it works and what ratio you need.

[@andymart61]

Great video, thanks for sharing your thoughts on these paints. So went to buy them and no stock anywhere in UK and no lead times either. Somewhat disappointed and I'll just go and buy Vallejo that are available nearly every where. I don't get manufacturers in this day and age who can't meet supply and demand it's just so simple, they forget that by doing this and people's first impressions are this is a company that will let you down over and over again. Ok rant over! You get my point, perhaps pass that back to ICM. Are you going to Yeovil on the 27th?

[@MannsModelMoments]

I think that's rather unfair given a 2-second Google search provided internet shops that have them and - oh yes - they do have a war on! I do intend to be at Yeovil on the 27th

[@wasrio1403]

Is this a latex type paint?

[@MannsModelMoments]

No, acrylics as mentioned in both the description and video itself...

[@apitheous194]

Unable to locate the 80-paint set in the US. The war must be taking its toll on manufacturing and distribution

[@peezebeuponyou3774]

I think a fairer review would be a direct comparison with a specific brush paint, rather than Tamiya, which are notoriously bad to brush on and are really formulated for airbrush use. Vallejo are the closest price wise and would have been a better comparison IMHO.

[@MannsModelMoments]

I didn't compare them with just Tamiya paints - did you not watch the video???

[@peezebeuponyou3774]

@@MannsModelMoments Yes- just flipped through it again. you did compare the B&W with a couple of others which are notoriously bad- certainly the Revell white. That said, I still think you were unfairly critical of Tamiya and really comparing apples with oranges. A more in depth comparison with Vallejo would have been more valid- they're the closest in price and are, excepting the 'Air' range, formulated for brush painting.

[@MannsModelMoments]

@@peezebeuponyou3774 well, you gave your opinion, but obviously zi don't agree - for the reasons I already set out in the video

[@MrKeech666]

@12:06 Not perceptible my arse. My eyes and QD-OLED monitor can clearly see 2 distinct colours without close observation.

[@MannsModelMoments]

Well good for you - you may be tetrachromic. Or it could be that the process of video rendering, upload and compression by YT have altered the colours in the image slightly. In either case, it doesn't change either the facts not the science behind it.

[@MrKeech666]

@@MannsModelMoments no actually, my eyes were tested and I am in the top 3% of those who can see the slight variations in colour. When painting, it’s both a curse and a boon.

[@tarcisioghignattibeckenkam4845]

Acrylics paints?? Ok for you robot modeler.

[@MannsModelMoments]

@@tarcisioghignattibeckenkam4845 what?

[@HO-bndk]

Far too many colours. All you need are 6 colours of acrylic inks to mix any colour you'll ever need.

[@MannsModelMoments]

@@HO-bndk well not really, but you do you!

[@tyeguthrie1430]

I have got to be honest with you , you lost me after 5 mins , i am by far not stupid , but you totally confused the hell out of me with this drivel , i plastic model aircraft as a hobby , im not interested in paint values etc , i just wanted to know was the ICM box better value than other manufacturers and a simple reason for your assumption , and after watching your video i still dont know the answer , sorry if you find my comment to be rude or flippant , but im just being honest with you All the best Tye

[@MannsModelMoments]

@@tyeguthrie1430 Yes, of course you're being rude. You don't use words like "drivel" unless you're trying to be insulting, just as it would be disingenuous if I were to say "I don't mean to offend, but you're an idiot". There are ways to say things that aren't rude, and you failed, so I'm not going to sugar coat this - you obviously didn't watch the whole video, because I gave the information you ask for in the conclusion, which you could have skipped to with the chapters, but instead you CHOSE to be rude, not only in writing a disrespectful comment, but obviously taking some time to do so given it's length.

[@Rob1972Gem]

You wanna talk about pigment quality and paint coverage, how can you overlook games workshop? Citadel paints? Probably some of the best British paint you’ll ever buy in the world

[@MannsModelMoments]

well, I didn't "overlook" them, because this wasn't a review of Citadel paint, but about ICM's paint set. GW also make paints specifically designed for miniature painting, and they're decidedly "mid" in terms of quality and coverage. They're also expensive (at best around 20p/ml) and have absolutely dreadful pots. That's one of the reasons that many mini painters use Vallejo, ProAcryl, Golden, Kimera etc etc. To cap it off they don't do stand-alone paint sets, only some with included minis and/or tools...