Vallejo Modelling Pastes

Recently I have been working with a few new materials for basing my models.

I picked up several of the Vallejo modelling pastes on special to try them out. I ended up receiving Black Lava, Brown Earth, Dark Earth, Desert Sand, Red Oxide Paste and grey Pumace. They come in large 200ml containers and cost about $20 NZ each when not on special. I also tried out the new technical paint from GW.

Black Lava is obviously a black paste. Its texture is slightly rubbery. It is aimed at representing volcanic rock however I found that it makes a very accurate asphalt surface when flattened.

Brown Earth is a coloured sand paste that is similar in colour to XXX. The texture is fine and the paste thick enough to make shallow reliefs with little effort. The colour looks to be good for a dry dusty environment and should make a good base texture to add further detail to.

Dark Earth is almost the same as the Brown Earth, however it is far darker. The colour would be the equivalent of XXX and would make a good wet mud or bog.

Desert Sand very similar to the Brown/Dark Earth, although it does appear to have a slightly more pronounced texture. This may just be the colour. The sand colour is overly white imo and could do with the addition of more yellow/brown pigment. The Vallejo Pastes are apparently easy enough to add pigment to by mixing it in when wet. The paste holds shallow relief well just like Brown/Dark Earth and is good for making wind swept sands and dunes.

Red Oxide Paste is fairly similar to the Desert Sand having all the same consistencies. The colour is a very vivid red oxide and does at first appear very bright. A little brown ink would take the edge off this. The colour would be great for simulating a Martian landscape. I plan on using it for my Imperial Fists Legion when the liberated loyalist Mechanicum and equipment from Mars at the outbreak of the Horus Heresy. By the way it is very red. It manages to do something weird with the camera its that red!

Grey Pumace is a course texture which is suitable for making more pronounced reliefs. It would work well by using it to create the main shape on your base, then covering with one of the other pastes to finish. It has a very rubbery feel to it once dry and will peal off with some forceful help once dry.

Last up is the new Games Workshop technical paint Agrellan Earth. I have heard whispers of bad batches or poor results. Through some experience with using similar products I learnt that to make it work you need to apply it on liberally. As in it should look like PVA glue when applied. I have tried to demonstrate here with applynig thick and thin layers to the same base for different results. The thinner you apply it, the finer the cracking effect (to the point you get none). You can also try drying it with different methods (like sun, or a hair dryer) for different size cracks. I also plan on applying this over a undercoat (but under the base/top coat) of tanks etc to replicate heat effects on paint such as melta blasts or heat from missile launchers.

I experimented with giving some of the textures a wash and quick highlight to see the results. I found it a quick and easy way to base a model to a good standard. A few static grass tuffs and/or rocks, or maybe some leaf flock will finish the base nicely. Above is desert sand with a watered down sepia wash over half of it. Below is Brown Earth with an undiluted sepia wash. A quick dry brush to high light will give a simple but effect quick way to base an army. 

In my next post I will try using some other materials like fine mesh, rubble and bricks to make a complete base. Hopefully the above gives you an idea on what these ready made products can do. They definitely will speed up the time it takes to base/finish an army.