Vic Hobby Paints

This Vic Hobby range of Japanese made water based paints came to my attention via Hobbylink Japan. They are relatively cheap compared to other brands and currently on sale. Although the pots are quite small at 12 ml compared to Humbrol tinlets at 14 ml, they are less than half the price. For example the CA046 Mitsubishi Dark Green is currently selling for 95p. The pots are plastic with flip top lids which also unscrew. The HLJ blurb about them is here and worth checking out. The paints are advertised as suitable for both airbrush and paintbrush application with water clean up. They are reported as having a 'weak gloss' finish and there are matt and semi-gloss clear coats in the range.  

Having recently been checking out some lacquer based paints I'm pleased to report that the Vic Hobby paints are almost odourless. I'll be reporting further on them as I try them out and make swatches for comparison purposes (and try to reduce that stash). Currently their Japanese wartime aircraft colours include (with my comments on their liquid appearance only):-

• MH012 Metallic Cyan (Aotake - very nice - interestingly the Japanese label on the pot is 青竹色 - 'blue bamboo colour' - aotake iro )
• MA040 IJA Sky Grey  (quite a rich greenish colour)
• MA041 IJN Black Green Nakajima (almost a dark grey with green undertone - I like it)
• MA042 IJN Gray (quite a bright blueish grey)
• MA043 IJA Dark Green (a darkish, slightly olive green)
• MA044 Cockpit Nakajima (greenish buff)
• MA045 Cockpit Mitsubishi (a rather deep sage green)
• CA046 Mitsubishi Dark Green (a dark blueish green - nice)
• CA047 ??? (not bought) 
• CA048 Japan Propeller Brown (reddish brown - not as dark as the Gunze paint and might be suitable for IJN H2)
• CA049 Mitsubishi Cowling Black (a dark purplish grey black - very nice)

The IJN greens are promising, the IJA colours perhaps less so. I also bought MH006 Aluminium (greyish and slightly grainy) and MA069 RLM02 Gray (a warm greyish green). I had no problems with postage of these paints from Japan to UK and they arrived well packaged and in perfect condition. Pigmentation and colour saturation appear rich but they do advise the use of their proprietary primer paints which are available in grey or white and come in 50 ml plastic bottles. The range as shown at HLJ can be confusing as they seem to be listed there at random rather than in subject or number sequence. You will need to explore! 

Many paint ranges now are designed for airbrush use, saving the manufacturers on pigment cost, and subsequently impossible or difficult to apply by brush without multiple coats. We are a long way from stirring a tin of Humbrol Authentics paint and applying a single, smooth, self-levelling coat direct from the tinlet to plastic with a paintbrush. Painting, whether by airbrush or paintbrush, has become a complex of uncertainties and technocracy, as forum discussions reveal. I am hoping that these Vic Hobby paints might offer a simplicity to the procedure, but time will tell and so will I.  

The range includes other metallic colours, colours for Japanese armour and IJN warships as well as subject specific colour sets for JASDF, etc. There are also subject specific Luftwaffe, RAF and USN colours in the range. The generic colour range is extensive and some of those would also appear suitable for Japanese aircraft models, for example the two Olive Drab colours (perhaps OD 1 for # 7 and OD 2 for # 43) and no less than five different Khaki colours. The range strikes me as potentially suitable for those who may have limited room or facilities for modelling and/or who are constrained for airbrush use or who prefer to brush paint, avoiding the time, fuss, clean up and odours with airbrushing.

Note: Paints were bought at my own expense and this is not a sponsored review.

Image credit: © 2024 Vic Hobby via HLJ