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TOYS & MODELS

Jadlam Paint PickerFind your next colour.

Your favourite brands. Every shade, side by side.

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How to choose model paint

The Jadlam Paint Picker puts more than 4,400 model paints from Tamiya, Vallejo, Humbrol, AK Interactive, Mr Hobby, SMS, Ammo by MIG, Citadel, The Army Painter and more side by side. Pick a colour family to see every brand's shades together, search by paint code (XF-1, 70.951, H-7) or name, or choose what you're painting to see the paints modellers buy for that kind of kit.

Acrylic, enamel or lacquer?

Acrylics are water-based, low-odour and dry quickly, and brushes clean up easily. They suit most modellers and most kits. Enamels, such as Humbrol's classic tins, are solvent-based: they dry more slowly, which helps brush strokes level out, and need enamel thinners or white spirit. Lacquers, such as Tamiya LP, Mr Color and SMS, dry very fast to a hard, smooth finish and are the favourite for airbrushing gloss and metallics, but they are strong-smelling: use them with good ventilation and lacquer thinner.

Brush or airbrush?

Most bottled paints can be brushed or airbrushed. Ranges such as Vallejo Model Air and AK 3rd Generation Air come ready thinned for the airbrush; others need thinning with the maker's own thinner. Sprays are ready to use straight from the can.

Matching colours across brands

Colours in the picker are grouped by how they look, so you can compare close shades from different brands. A close shade is not always an official equivalent: for an exact historical colour, check the paint's own name and code against your kit's painting guide.

Questions modellers ask

How do I find a paint by its code?

Type the code into the search box, e.g. XF-1, 70.951 or H-7, with or without the dash. Got a list from your kit instructions? Use Quick add codes beside the search to paste them all at once and add them to your basket.

Can I mix paints from different brands?

Paints of the same type often mix, but it isn't guaranteed: thin and mix with the same brand's products where you can, and don't mix acrylics with enamels or lacquers. You can usually paint one type over another once it has fully cured, with lacquer at the bottom and acrylic or enamel on top.

What's the difference between matt, satin and gloss?

Matt (flat) suits most military vehicles and aircraft camouflage; gloss suits cars and is the best base for decals. Many modellers paint in their preferred finish and then set the final sheen with a varnish.

All paints in the Jadlam Paint Picker (384)

Swatches are a screen guide, not an exact colour match. The surface, primer and finish will affect the result.

Finish the job

What modellers add to orders like yours, from Jadlam's own orders.