No longer SUCK at yellow - best paints & the ones to avoid (tier list)

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Are you having a hard time when it comes to painting yellow, especially over a dark primer? You‘re not alone. This is because yellow has the weakest pigments of all, but I found that some brands are definitely better than others. I've tested 21 yellow paints so you don't have to, and by the end of the video, you'll know which yellow can make your Warhammer hobby a bit easier. I‘m Stahly from Tale of Painters, and this is my ultimate yellow paint tier list. #yellow #tierlist #review
⏭️ Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:06 Why yellow is so difficult
2:07 AK, Citadel, Pro Acryl & more
10:26 Scale 75, Army Painter, Vallejo & more
🖌️ Hobby gear I use:
► Brushes for edge highlighting: geni.us/winsornewtonseries7m (I use the 000 7M a lot)*
► Brushes for basecoating: geni.us/chroniclebrushes *
► List of my favourite paints: taleofpainters.com/2023/08/st...
► The spray matt varnish that never lets me down: geni.us/mrtopcoatpremiumflat *
► My wet palette: geni.us/everlastingpalette2 *
► IMO best sprue cutters: geni.us/rggprecisionnippers
💬 Also catch me on my socials:
/ stahly_taleofpainters
/ taleofpainters
/ stahly_top
THANKS LOT AND HAPPY HOBBYING! ✊
* Affiliate link, use this link to support me and my work with no extra cost to you at all, thank you very much 🖤

[@stahly_taleofpainters]

This is the pinned comment, will update my tier list when new paint ranges with new yellows come out. In the meantime, check out my hand-painted colour swatches for Citadel, Warpaints Fanatic, Vallejo & more: www.patreon.com/stahlytaleofpainters/shop PS: To avoid any confusion, it‘s Vallejo Game Color Moon Yellow, not Sun Yellow.

[@Weaver_Games]

I bought some of these swatches and they're very useful for me trying to match Citadel schemes to the new warpaint fanatic line!

[@BlommaBaumbart]

Can't wait for a review of Vallejo's updated model range. I used the Game Color swatch for getting my first collection of paints. Works as advertised, though nothing prepared me for how different the consistency is compared to the Citadel line.

[@regnarissad]

I recommend trying out the Golden So Flat paint range, specifically in this case, their Permanent Yellow. It has all the properties of a miniature paint, except it is very matte, and it has incredible coverage. I've gotten complete coverage over black in one thinned coat before

[@MichaRabiej]

@@regnarissadCadmiums are opaque yellows, all other are more or less transparent.

[@regnarissad]

@MichaRabiej Permanent Yellow has no cadmium. It uses pigments PY74 and PY53. This paint line does include some paints with toxic metals (like cadmium), but Permanent Yellow is not one of those paints

[@Luetin09]

Out here doing the Emperors work.

[@masterhedgemon5381]

Huh. So even this man has pivoted into the german speaking painting guides....

[@captaincosmo6157]

Hello you! Oh wait. Luetin, not Larry

[@lexington476]

Loyal servant to the true emperor....

[@nikolaosalexandroskaloumen1693]

If this becomes a series, it will be the best videos on miniature painting!

[@ashleyculver5343]

Agreed, I can't understand why nobody has thought of this format before.

[@stahly_taleofpainters]

Probably because it‘s quite time-consuming to make… will tackle more difficult colours if this video gets good views!

[@pistoneteo]

Totally agreed

[@MauroDiogoM]

YES! Would love more of these tier videos on other specific colours!

[@imdeaded]

Agreed!

[@FrownOnTheUpside]

Yellow doesn't "suck", it's just that most mini painters insist on applying it directly over black like savages! Even opaque artist yellows like bismuth and cadmiums work best over suitable backgrounds - underpainting is a very useful skill to learn, and certainly isn't restricted to yellow. I often use yellow oxide here (VMC yellow ochre and VGC heavy ochre look like solid choices, though I don't own either), introducing red oxide for more orange tones, but one could equally use something like pale sand or a pastel pink for more translucent yellows. If you buy paints solely based on their ability to cover black, you're missing out on some wonderfully rich colours and limiting your options. True transparents, for example, are the most flexible colours to have at your disposal - it's just a matter of learning how and when to use them.

[@jakelilevjen9766]

It is true that the undercoat matters a lot. I have heard that people really like pink undercoats to their yellows and oranges, but I have yet to try it much. I do appreciate this video’s format, however. It challenges the paint, even if it is silly to paint over black. The point for me is to see a comparison of the paint performance. Perhaps a better way would be to rate individual characteristics of the paint, like opacity, flow, separation, working time, how well they thin, etc. That way, each person could apply their own weighting factors based on their application. For instance, if you always undercoat, perhaps you don’t care about coverage as much, and want better flow properties.

[@cwj138]

Yah mixing single pigment artist acrylics over a yellow ochre would be the best bet. I like AK light brick as primer for yellow then using Vallejo heavy goldbrown then working up from there for a good range of depths. Saying chimera is bad because of coverage is like saying PVA is a bad glue because your minis fall apart, it's a tool and you are using it for the wrong application.

[@SilimSavertin]

@@jakelilevjen9766Pink primer with white zenithal combined with express/speedpaint/contrast paint, depending on what brand you like, makes yellow one of the easiest colors (and pre-highlights your models to the point of replacing edge highlighting if you're doing large forces). Simply priming pink and using normal yellows also makes those normal yellows far easier to use, if that's more your speed.

[@stahly_taleofpainters]

Thanks for your feedback, and I understand your point. I should have made it clearer that this video is about making painting yellow more accessible and easier. To me that means not making it more complex with artist colours that require you to mix in white, apply certain colours first as a base coat, etc. I mentioned in the video that both Kimera and Scale are high quality paints, but they definitely have a learning curve and aren't something I would recommend to the average painter.

[@TrepidDestiny]

I primer almost exclusively in white, but still struggle with yellow using a brush. I recently bought a light red primer and will try that. I just mask off and airbrush anything I need yellow these days. I get a better result that way.

[@FrozenThrog]

I follow the wisdom of Vince Venturella. Yellow needs an undercoat that works with the paint, not against it. If you are smart, you can get shadows, midtone, and highlights in one go.

[@Falc0re]

I accepted Vince Venturella as my lord and savior.

[@MichaRabiej]

With exception of cadmium yellow that is.

[@dougsundseth6904]

There are only a handful (6-ish) of commonly used yellow pigments used in acrylic paint. All of these paints are using one or more of them. And all yellow pigments, bar one, have very low opacity. For opaque, saturated yellow, the only real choice is Cadmium Yellow, which (to my understanding) none of the hobby paint companies uses, for fear of toxicity issues. But if you don't eat your paint, Cad Yellow is unmatched. Try Golden SoFlat Cadmium Yellow Medium, which is dead flat and unbelievably saturated, with excellent opacity for yellow. Note that this is a bit thicker than a typical hobby paint. If you don't want to deal with the thickness, you can get the same pigment in the Golden Fluid Acrylic range, but that's high gloss, so you'll need to flatten it. I use Reaper's Anti-Shine Additive personally, but there are other choices. And of course if you use varnish, a matte varnish should solve any problems. Further note that much the same is true of reds. The only really good reds are Cadmium reds.

[@kaminowani6470]

Bismuth Vanadate Yellow is the next best thing to that. Sad that he didnt test good yellows but only miniature paint yellows.

[@guillaumeyeka]

Totally agree with you nothing beat cadmium. But, they are toxic, so no brush in the mouth...

[@Weaver_Games]

The fear of toxicity should not be downplayed. Airbrushes are extremely prevalent in our hobby and atomizing cadmium in an airbrush would be extremely bad to breathe. Paints containing toxic heavy metals like cadmium (as well as cobalt) are not something the majority of hobbyists would even consider. Professional painters are not only more aware of this, but basically don't use airbrushes and are likewise used to handling more toxic chemicals like thinners.

[@dougsundseth6904]

@@Weaver_Games Hobbyists have long been using organic thinners. Hobby enamels have been very standard for decades and the use of oil paints for glazes is standard in both plastic model building and common in figure painting. That said, there is definitely a danger to aerosolizing heavy metals, which is why the Vallejo cadmium colors (since removed from the market, I think) had "no airbrushing" warnings on the bottles. Of course, rattle cans are very common in hobby painting as well, and they're quite dangerous inhalation hazards as well. Further, eating or inhaling acrylic monomer solutions is not an ideal health choice, yet many (most?) figure painters do one or both regularly. (I include myself in that up until maybe 15 years ago; I decided to stop specifically because of the health issues.) Finally, while many paint companies claim to use "non toxic" ingredients, that only means that they're using ingredients that haven't been proven to cause toxicity problems _when used as intended_. My bottle of Vallejo Rojo, 70.926, says, in various places, "Non toxic", "Contains Cadmium", and "No Health Labeling Required". So relying on your favorite paint company to keep you safe isn't necessarily a golden path to health. Your health is your responsibility, because you're likely the only one who cares enough. ("Safety Third", to quote Mike Rowe.) Pay attention.

[@zamo9660]

Been painting for decades: still have some cadmium stuff arround in the workshop, and it's super easy to forget about it. Kudos to anyone pointing out that stuff bc not everyone knows or cares, yet not caring doesn't mean you shouldn't know (I'm looking at the 'he doesn't care about chemistry lessons comment). Knowledge is power, much like knowing why white behaviour is like it is (titanium) and its counterparts (zinc if I can recall it right) and what makes a good metallic (mica vs aluminium). I find it great when people expand the topic in the comments section. Even if I already knew it feels right to see people sharing it.

[@fpoggesi]

The promised yellow paint video has arrived! This is everything I wanted and more! May your brushes long keep their tips!

[@MichaRabiej]

kimera warm yellow usess PY83 pigment, it is Diarylide Yellow. This is by definition transparent yellow, like a "contrast paint". I see no point to take a transparent panit and complain it is transparent. Just use them as you use transparent paint: for glazing, or add some white as you are supposed to.

[@timwalker7871]

I don't think the marketing of kimera makes it clear and mixing leads to issues with consistency across armies. I think the point is if you need to "research" a paint it probably is going to be misused frequently.

[@MichaRabiej]

@@timwalker7871 They explicitly say that warm yellow is transparent.

[@MichaRabiej]

@@timwalker7871the citation: "Some colors are more transparent than others. For example magenta, orange, cold and warm yellows and the phtalos are more transparent but very powerful and saturated. If you want to increase coverage you can add some white or some black in the mix without fearing that you’ll get desaturated colors." this is from manufacturer's website, and is copied to most of the places that sell them.

[@timwalker7871]

@MichaRabiej "more transparent than others" looking at this test you are basically having to mix a bespoke paint with each use. More transparent than others should read, "more like an ink in a gel medium". I think as a hobby paint his score is entirely justified.

[@MichaRabiej]

@@timwalker7871Exactly yes, "ink in gel medium" - this is exactly what transparent paint means. Truely transparent paint over dark will never be yellow, it will be still black. Like contrast paint. His score is based on not reading the manual. Product is as advertised.

[@fisherguy45]

I always appreciate your methodic way of looking at paints!

[@cptkrank6802]

Thanks for putting in the work on this. Putting down 4-5 layers of yellow is a disturbing amount of work. People at home, you don't have to do this to get good coverage. Just lay down a mustard yellow to get your opacity, then 1-2 coats of your brighter yellow should do fine. And if you must do a yellow-heavy army like Imperial Fists, owning an airbrush is pretty much a lifesaver. It's an entirely different experience working with yellow (or green, orange) and you won't hate yourself for working with those colors anymore.

[@bluedotdinosaur]

One thing I will say for flash gitz yellow is it truly is meant to be used as a glaze over colors like averland sunset and screaming skull. It produces a rich and warm yellow that way.

[@nucnuc7591]

The Kimera Colors are awesome...if used properly though (and not intuitive for army painters). Some pigments are strong, some rather offer low coverage. As some of Kimeras own videos suggest: Mix the first layer with a little bit white to increase coverage, then go back to pure color. On the other side: Kimera´s colors aren´t really meant to be used directly, but due to the mono pigment nature offer the best results while mixing (no falsifying of color due to already mixed colors). It really depends on what you want to use the colors for: Army painting? DON´T TOUCH KIMERA (imo)! Single miniatures? Go for it (they also work awesome with other colors to tint them in the proper direction).

[@MateuszAdamczyk]

I am painting my 10mm with Kimeras and I am really enjoying the process.

[@imdeaded]

Missed Golden paints and liquidex paints. The latter is acrylic guache. The golden paints also have various consistency ranges. Would love to see these added.

[@pistoneteo]

That should become a series!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@FreelancerND]

Availability of brands are quite rediculous now. I personally find it very tedious to pick "best paints" and hunting for a shitton of different brands, so I've picked Vallejo (game and Xpress) and rather adjust my painting technique a little than having dozens of clors from different brands.

[@brentlacey5]

Personally never had an issue with vallejo game color. Gonna go experiment to see if I can make bubbles cause now I'm curious

[@FreelancerND]

Same here, have a number of Game color paints and never had any bubbling. It may be related to a number of reasons, from a particular batch defect to an improper storage temperatures.

[@Metalovichinkov]

This is why it's important to learn about pigments. What you review is the coverage of the paint, not the paint. Except cadmiums, every yellow pigment is transparent, like milled stain glass. Cadmium is expensive and toxic so it's not used in hobby paints so the easy trick to get good coverage with yellow is to get a warmer yellow with lots of ochres and titanium white in it. This explains why your S tiers paint are so warm, they have a lot of ochres (opaque pigment) and white (opaque too)

[@Bloodfencer1990]

One thing to note about paint consistency: thin versus thick paints is certainly a point of subjective preference, which is why I happily accept you putting the Warpaints Fanatic in the A tier rather than S. However, depending on the environment you are in thinner paints don't work too rgeat on wet palettes. For example, Pro Acryl tends to become very watery even when I don't thin it with water myself. Again, this is influenced by the environment and I think my reservoir just evaporates pretty quickly, thus adding more moisture to my paints. Thicker paints require more thinning, but will remain stable on your wet palette for longer, plus they are better suited for techniques like drybrushing.

[@tobiasschreiber451]

Love your videos. Very informative. Keep up the good work, your content is pure quality!

[@bulldozer360]

Do metallic golds pleaseeee! Gold is such a frustrating colour to paint with and this would be super helpful!

[@Pine_Appole]

Pro Acryl has IMO the best metallics on the market. Mix bronze with rich gold and it’s an amazing color.

[@Bumbaclart247]

Retributor gold is our lord and saviour

[@PrzybyszzMatplanety]

@@Pine_AppolePro Acryl aren't the best on the market for sure. That spot is reserved for Vallejo Metal Color.

[@yhormthemidget]

​@@PrzybyszzMatplanety except gold. Vallejo metal color gold is probably the worst gold paint I have ever seen. You can mix it to be excellent though, but it is a hassle.

[@FoldingChairJonson]

Reaper paints have a great metallic range. You just can't find them.

[@craigcook5121]

Always great vids. Always heaps of great info

[@rav-7072]

COntrasts really do the job better than most acrylics with yellow. Imperial fists over white undercoat. 1 coat. Done. Mayybe some edge highlights.

[@MrStarbumps]

Hi. As someone new to painting I REALLY appreciate your video. One thing that would be beneficial is at the end a bit more of a zoom in on the higher tier paints and their names please 😊

[@Psilocybear]

Excellent review! I would absolutely love one on Orange paints

[@adamduncombe594]

Stahly doing the hard miles so we don't have do yet again! what a great, thorough assessment and helpful to understand how properties of paints works etc. Thanks mate.

[@irishmarine3]

dude thank god for this - I've tried so many yellows and most of have been terrible. You're the man Stahly

[@Slaneshhhh]

This is an amazing idea for a video format!!

[@cuthulux]

I always like your reviews. You are easily one of my favorite mini-painting youtubers. That being said, I wish you'd include the regular War Colours paint line in your videos. I'd like to see how you feel their Yellow 3 and Yellow 2 stacks up against the other medium yellow paints.

[@Filonek]

Hataka (violet line) D005 Yellow... hands down the best yellow I've painted so far.

[@mirage809]

Not surprised that Duncan's range finishes as high as it does. The chemists that developed those colours seem to really know what they're doing and have it figured out. AK finishing highly also doesn't surprise me. I got a bottle of RLM 4 yellow from their aircraft series. It's very close to Citadel's Yriel, but behaves simply wonderful on a brush. Gel-like is the term I've been looking for to describe a lot of yellows. They can be very thick colours.

[@MichaRabiej]

if you want opaque yellow add some white, if you want pure pigment use either bismuth vanadate yellow or cadmium yellow. Just don't eat them, and wash hands after painting, before you fetch a sandwch.

[@wasmic5z]

And never put them through an airbrush.

[@MichaRabiej]

@@wasmic5zyes, that too.

[@mrgunn2726]

Stahly, I appreciate this very comprehensive and valuable review. You are still the best reviewer of paints on the internet.

[@khiburgess5848]

Khimera are actually as a range really good, the yellow imo should go over a brown or pink undercoat and for mixing paints I don't think there is a better range due to the single pigments.

[@khiburgess5848]

@@Elfhelm Chalked up sir

[@stahly_taleofpainters]

I should have made it clearer that this video is about making painting yellow more accessible and easier. To me that means not making it more complex with artist colours that require you to mix in white, apply certain colours first as a base coat, etc. I mentioned in the video that both Kimera and Scale are high quality paints, but they definitely have a learning curve and aren't something I would recommend to the average painter.

[@khiburgess5848]

@@stahly_taleofpainters Thanks for the clarification however I would suggest in future you deselect the paint that is not designed to deliver on that objective in other words the right tool for the right job etc. Or atleast explain why such paints are not included.

[@ElPrezAU]

Both Kimera and the Scale 75 Artist line are designed primarily for miniature painting. If you don't like them, that's cool, but suggesting they aren't designed for mini painting is incorrect.

[@roccoraspanti5742]

100% agree. I use Scale colors a lot and love them

[@stahly_taleofpainters]

I should have made it clearer that this video is about making painting yellow more accessible and easier. To me that means not making it more complex with artist colours that require you to mix in white, apply certain colours first as a base coat, etc. I mentioned in the video that both Kimera and Scale are high quality paints, but they definitely have a learning curve and aren't something I would recommend to the average painter.

[@vurtias6933]

Currently waiting for my warpaints fanatic starter set, really looking forward to giving the new daemonic yellow a go after seeing this even more! It looks perfect for that bad moon ork tone of yellow.

[@Valandar2]

About Reaper... they have like 9 o 10 yellow paints that run the gamut from "might as well be transparent ink" to "Competative against almost anything." I use almost exclusively Reaper, myself. Sun Yellow is also one of the oldest yellows in the line, as the SKU shows.

[@timbe7979]

Great video, i revently bought the one tier patreon pdf for onecoat paints and it is perfect to see which paints to buy

[@finleyhobbs6031]

Your initial TTcombat range review was what got me to jump into their most recent paint kickstarter, so thanks for that! Very, very good stuff

[@bourru6321]

Hi ! Is your plastic square sheet the GSW models ? And will you publish your actual yellow swatch ?

[@stahly_taleofpainters]

Yeah it's from GSW

[@maumastoks]

Dayyyyyum, thanks a lot!!! Was waiting for this series to start. Continue with other colours please!

[@Ash-sf4gr]

Cheers for the effort making a very helpful resource for a colour many struggle with. Though I find it odd that the only two paints in S tier missed the brief and are closer to yriel yellow.

[@joky472]

Thank you for your high quality reviews! Surprising results from GSW. Are their acryl paints generaly good? I saw they have also reworked the old formular

[@stahly_taleofpainters]

Yeah, they're pretty good, a bit on the thinner side though.

[@JackDespero]

Thank you for sharing!

[@NargSmart]

Thank you, this is great. Appreciate the review and clarity. Def will give two thin coats a try later.

[@toferkrz946]

As usual, the most informative and comprehensive material available on youtube. This has been stellar. I hope you can do saturated medium reds next and I can't wait for the new Model Color review, since the old ones form the bulk of my paint collection.

[@goforitpainting]

Interesting and cool review. 🖌

[@krzysztofmathews738]

I very much appreciate your explanation of the challenges of finding a balance between opacity and saturation in these paints. A very good presentation.

[@jdk492]

I'm only 2 minutes and 35 seconds in but most yellows look damn nice and quite vibrant over a light pink surfacer or base. I airbrush Gunpla, but I've been practicing my hand with brush painting on smaller details or pilot figures, but I've found that this still applies!

[@perkulant4629]

If you’re painting yellow over a dark primer, start with a pale grey…

[@animortis0]

I'd like to see Golden SoFlat Permanent Yellow. I use it pretty regularly, and found it can go on anything in two coats. Then again, I'm not a pro painter. As for Reaper, I use Reaper for most everything. The yellows do separate a lot, and I've never been happy with those, but other colors produce extremely smooth results and have excellent color range and pigmentation. I would argue they're my favorite line, though Two Thin Coats is coming up fast behind them.

[@bourru6321]

Yes but on his Patreon's paint tips, Stahly recommend Reaper for some triade like flesh. He doesn't reject the brand either.

[@TheAndrian463]

Great review. Please do more of this type of review format. Now that you have a starting comparison, I look forward to the addition of other brands like Ammo Mig, Huge Miniatures, Mr Hobby, Mimetic etc too. Shame we can't see older hobby acrylic paints in this comparison like Ral Partha, Armory etc.

[@roccoraspanti5742]

Thank you for the interesting video, yellow is always a hot topic. I'd like to share my thought on Scale 75. While I respect your opinion and I understand your point of view, I disagree. I'm a long time Scale 75 colors user (standard, fantasy and artist range since they came out) and I remember how switching over from citadel was a pain in the ass. But once I finally understood how they work, I never looked back. I really love how they behave, their vibrancy and their transparency (which is one of their strenghts to me). They are a very powerful tool in the hands of a little more patient painter. Ultimately, this is a very subjective matter, so to each their own I suppose. Keep up the good work!

[@blktom]

I wonder if you combine the TT Yellows to get that right shade, since they are each on both sides of Flash Gitz. That would be a interesting experiment, pretty much mixing your own (with the same brands of course) to create the formula you want. Maybe a idea for a follow up video?

[@finleyhobbs6031]

they actually have released some medium yellows thru a second kickstarter wave that i got my hands on! My favourite range, some of the colours like blue violet are incredible

[@danirojo46]

Can i asi you one cuestión? What brad do you recomend for new ? Layering opaciti matt finish etc Thanks you a lot

[@rpiazza72]

This is really thorough the only line I could think of not here is Warcolors someone else mentioned, although those are really meant to be glazed and Coat D’arms.

[@antoinelucchini658]

Thanks for the review, I don't think S75 artist and Kimera can be qualified as "improper" miniature paints. They have great qualities if you want to play with color mixing and are used by a good numbers of amazing painters. They're not adapted to a more "recipe based" or army painting style that's true. Thanks also for signaling the bubbling issue with the new Vallejo game colors. I've bought a lot of bottles and it's a dealbreaker for me, especially when quickly basecoating or applying large quantities of paint. The texture the bubbles leave when dried is awful.

[@cyagen9782]

I like your reviews and I like this one too, but as a Kimera, Scale 75 user, I got a feeling that you set them up to fail in this test. If you want more opacity from them, you need to mix them with a bit of white. These paint are ultra saturate with pigments (only one type sometime) and one thing that they do not do well is coverage. When I want a yellow that covers, I use a cheap Americana craft paint, I bet it would land A or S tier in your test. But these "artist" paints shine when you blend, glaze, tint or create texture. Their heavier consistency give you flexibility to do with them what you want. They are great paints, when you use them as intended, which is not the base coat/wash/highlight technique. For me they unlocked some techniques that no other paints had allowed be to do before. I feel like you are critizising a hammer because it stuggles to ram screws in wood. Also why didn't you pick cold yellow (Kimera) and primary yellow(S75)? These are much closer to Flash Gitz. It is OK for you not to like these paint, I just find that the way to you tested them gives a false impression of them, like if you would hve tried to cover the same plasticard with Contrast or Speedpaints. Continue your good work.

[@stahly_taleofpainters]

Thanks for your feedback, and I understand your point. I should have made it clearer that this video is about making painting yellow more accessible and easier. To me that means not making it more complex with artist colours that require you to mix in white, apply certain colours first as a base coat, etc. I mentioned in the video that both Kimera and Scale are high quality paints, but they definitely have a learning curve and aren't something I would recommend to the average painter.

[@Viridye]

Finally we can(will) see what is best yellow.. getting good yellow is pain in the ass

[@lorddkdkdk8805]

Totally offtopic - could you tell where you got those awesome shelves? :) Awesome video as well!

[@stahly_taleofpainters]

Ikea Platsa with some custom-build acrylic slide doors :)

[@lorddkdkdk8805]

@@stahly_taleofpainters thank you mate!

[@jaimiting]

You've did an amazing tier list! 🎉 I'm looking forward to see other colors tier list.

[@kingtone3734]

Great video, Stahly.

[@thekartoeffel]

I think kimera makes only sense if you're willing to mix colors. Out of the bottle many of them don't work. You have to mix some white in or other yellows to get a good coverage. I love kimera because it allowed me to learn a lot about color theory, color mixing and pigments but I hate it because for army painting it isn't very practical unless you're willing to document your colour recipes.

[@johnrandecker8063]

These kinds of comparison videos are very helpful. I've been a long time Reaper paint fan. I still think they're pretty good overall, though I can't argue that newer yellows and oranges have much better coverage. Maybe it's time to move on from my 20 year old bottles of paint 🙂 Though I did just replace a few colors I was out of. I rescured the pewter skull agitators from the old bottles to put in the new ones since they don't put those in any more.

[@edevans5991]

The first Bones Kickstarter got me back into the hobby so I've been using Reaper paints too. I really like them except for their terrible label printer that often leads to faded, unreadable labels.

[@FercPolo]

I have a couple dark green Reaper paints that are really really vibrant and add a lot of depth to other greens, I also have pretty much the whole purple range because they actually have a good range of purple paints.

[@NoMayonaisse]

As an imperial fists player, I’ve done a lot of what youve done and I think we line up. I always thought Averland sunset was way too dark and I wanted something more bright like flashgitz. I ended up running with a lava yellow from Dwarven Forge. It’s a bit thick and I expect at least two coats so the color and coverage worked for me and my eyes. I did not try Reaper.

[@mgt4494]

Scalecolor Artist / Kimera not for miniature painting? 😅

[@komma8203]

Yellow is probely the paint in the kimera range that needs mixing the most, i use kimera all the time and own all the paints they have done, even stuff thats not out for normal retail yet. A lot of the kimera paints needs to be mixed with a stick mixer to get them mixed and to the consistensy that its supposed to have. Try to mix them with a stick mixer or stir them up with a coffeé stirer. I am also realy looking forward to the ultracryl kickstarter to forfill, got the full range

[@nucnuc7591]

The Ultracryl is also on my list. Hope it delivers on the promises :)

[@komma8203]

@@nucnuc7591 they have a discord for the kickstarter backers and they released a bunch of info on them, and the cromatic part of the lineup sounds very intresting and i have real high expectations for the brand

[@shoestar9972]

I think you did not get the point of Kimera colours. The better coverage of the other brands is done by adding white. Kimera keeps the single pigment which is by definition more transparent. So you would add a touch of white here. Instead of selling people mega paint boxes with hundreds of colours, kimera develops painters skills. Mixing, adding medium/flow improver etc. They make you a better painter over time and save u tons of money in the long run.

[@stahly_taleofpainters]

Apologies, I should have made it clearer that I don‘t think that artist paints are bad. This video is meant for people who struggle with yellow and want an „easy“ solution. Artist paints require experience and skills that most beginner and intermediate painters don‘t have (yet).

[@Kconv1]

I paint mostly with TTCombat and Duncan Rhodes, with a little bit of Pro Acryl, on that note great job! I agree completely. I actually find TTCombat to have the best balance of vibrancy/saturation and covering power, with Duncan Rhodes a close second.

[@anotherzingbo]

I'd be interested to see how Warcolours' One-Coat Yellow compares to the paints in this test. For me it generally hasn't been a one-coat paint but it does seem to cover well by the standards of the limited number of yellows I've tried and it's definitely brighter than something like Averland Sunset. Spotlight Yellow is one of the few TTCombat paints I've got. I've barely used it but it didn't really stand out when I did - I'll have to give it another shot at some point! And I do have one Reaper Master Series paint that I used. Their Blackened Brown is basically like Rhinox Hide in a dropper bottle and that means I use it a lot.

[@nessa-parmentier]

I tried out Moon Yellow when I started switching to Vallejo overall and was really pleasantly surprised, coming from only Citadel paints. I didn't expect it to be the best overall but it is pretty good. Though the fact that all these tests are done with 4-5 coats illustrate how awful the coverage generally is with yellow paints. If I want a good yellow look I always prepare it with a light color underneath so that I don't need 5 coats

[@lexington476]

9:18 I used Reaper for the first time a few weeks ago with two ochre colors, they are slightly thin but I like the two colors I got. I might user more, but they are not my main paint brand.

[@patrickbrooks2743]

Glad to see Reaper paints was in the review. I’ve been using them for over a decade and haven’t had any issues. Then again, I was never dumb enough to try to paint yellow over a black undercoat.

[@stahly_taleofpainters]

Just a stress test ;)

[@TheLastComa]

Vallejo Lemon Yellow gettin' slept on

[@albinofreak620]

I use some Kimera paints and they are a mixed bag as far as coverage goes. The Red is incredible, and the signature sets are really great (the bone color is the best color for bone, IMO). The yellows are the hardest of that range to work with, in my experience. Pro Acryl, AK or Golden So Flat are the only yellows that don’t make me miserable when I use them.

[@jamesgreaney7615]

IIRC Vallejo suggested years ago that people experiencing bubbles in the old Game Colour (and Model Colour) range should *roll* the bottle between their hands rather than shake them. I do the same for those ranges and finds it helps (I've always found bubbles to be a minor problem with dropper bottles, including AK) but haven't used the new Game Colour enough to know if it has the same effect.

[@LazorzPewPew]

I did this same test with most of these brands and Reaper came out on top for me. Can you please please please do a review of Reaper Paints? They are a great paint line but get almost no love and there are no good reviews of them on YT. Would love to see your take on them.

[@tqk1976]

I don't really find the bubbling on Vallejo paints a huge issue. Evening out the layer of paint like you'd probably be doing anyway seems to take care of it.

[@yuttorres2896]

I have a small solution for that whenever I prime, something black and I want to use yellow. I just dry brush over it white and then I use the yellow.

[@DrNorbertGames]

You continue to set the standards for review mate. Great job and thank you. Red next?

[@RelaxStudio88]

Thanks for the video. For Kimera paints, you should go with the cold yellow, I believe that one has better coverage.

[@Gladedancer]

Great comparison video! I would only shift Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Daemonic Yellow up to S tier, but completely agree with all other rankings. Also I had not heard that Vallejo was reformulating so that was some exciting news :)

[@imdeaded]

Omg I needed this. Can you do all the colors? I can never find a good red. It's either orange ish or too brown.

[@Adahn5]

I definitely use Reaper, it's fairly accessible, but the problem is they advertise very little. I like their consistency, it's somewhat pre-thinned, so you can use it right out of the pot. Not a huge fan of their metallics though.

[@Bimpy96]

Kudos to you for making this video since painting with yellow is a nightmare so we appreciate your sacrifice

[@OldManb1981]

The bubble issue in the new Vallejo Game color range is so bad I am shocked that Vallejo has not pulled all thier product from the store shelves and go back to drawing board and release a “fixed re-formula”. Also shocked that Vallejo themselves has not addressed the bubble issue. It ruins paint jobs like crazy. Had such potential as the coverage is great and creamy paint but what’s the point in painting with them when bubbles will ruin your paint job especially when painting larger surfaces with a base coat.

[@YaBoiVD]

Tamiya is designed for airbrushing, which is why it comes with its own alcohol thinner

[@joshelguapo5563]

My favorite yellow has been from the golden soflat series. The most pigment dense paint I've ever used.

[@FoldingChairJonson]

Very interesting video. Ive painted a couple yellow armies (Lamenters, Iyanden and Imperial fists). One of the OGs of the best yellows that works great for air brushing and paint was the Tamiya brand. Ive heard good things from AK and have seen them in action. My issues with Pro Acrylics is they can be sometimes thin or chalky. I love Reaper Paints and was one of the early testers of the brand. Never used yellow though.

[@maniacalhun1426]

Missed warcolours one-coat yellow. Unless that was too different a hue from flashgit? I will warn: it is quite fluid. To the point that it'll really collect in the recesses. But i find that it has better coverage than all the yellows ive used.

[@SangriaSamurai]

The older Reaper formulation is frustrating. The newer formulation from the Bones paint range is much better. Sun yellow is also just a bad yellow from the range. Canary yellow or the newer MSP neon yellow are better paints.

[@terrydactyl2077]

I will watch this type of vid for every single colour in the rainbow and beyond

[@tulip589]

I think you should try brands like Artist's Loft, Liquitex, Amsterdam, and Golden.

[@CaptinCrofty]

Great useful info

[@negativegradient]

You saved me. Ive been using Vallejo deep yellow for a while and I just could not understand why it was so bad.

[@VoodooTurtle]

I know that you put a lot of time into this, and it shows, but for clarity it would be nice if you had a ranking system (1-5 for various categories). That way you could define ahead of time what would cause a paint to "fail" and what would put them into the S vs the A tier etc. It felt a little too subjective, particularly when you were talking about paints like Warpaints Fanatic or Kimera Kolors. Even weighing certain categories more or having some categories that are "auto-fail" if a paint doesn't perform well would make sense to me. For the type of time and effort you have put into this, the subjectivity is still getting in the way of the rigor. I love the work and effort you have put into all of this, it would be interesting to see this grow as a series for various colors.

[@rpiazza72]

Really good point adding the formula suggested here really documents the subjectivity so the viewer can pin point where subjective opinion enters the system. Something like coverage is more objective so breaking things down offers more opportunity for viewers to evaluate for themselves. All that said this was well done and still useful.

[@Ssaaka]

I still use a few reaper paints, I like their ghost white, linen white, leather white, aged bone, and vampire skin fairly well. Coverage can be an issue with a few of them but I like the colors so I put up with it.

[@jwitham30]

Reaper Master Series are really underrated. Their skin tone triads are the bomb. Dark Elf Shadow has become one of my go-to shading colours - a desaturated black magenta, essentially an acrylic Payne's Violet.

[@buzzardb]

Reaper makes some of my all time favorite paints and still use them regularly.

[@aaronwindham6065]

Love these type of videos. Id love to see one for alot more colors. Im thinking pro acryl is consistently the highest but doesnt win alot. I love the vallejo ice yellow though. Favriote yellow.