Romain tests out Secret Weapon Washes

March 14, 2012 by elromanozo

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Romain tries some of the washes from Secret Weapon... what will he think of them?

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3 Colours Up Painting Painting & Hobby Secret Weapon

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3448xp

nogginthenog

Nice review , thanks very much.

Now they have a UK retailer I may give a few a try, the baby poop one looks like it could have some uses , I tend to use vallejo for my sepia stuff as I just buy it with the paints, but there are some interesting colours there.

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misterjustin

Thanks for the great review, Romain! I’m glad that you enjoy the washes 🙂

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kaine

Yes, we have the full range in-stock in the uk at http://www.basecrafts.com and will restock as required. We also have a promotion running where if you buy 10 of the washes we’ll throw in a free basecrafts weathering powder.

I’ve been using the washes myself and i like them, you do need to remember to shake the bottles very well before use, they flow very well and dont require mixing with water, you can however add some water if you want a lighter effect.

The colour range they offer is extensive.

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elromanozo

Indeed, I really like them !

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manpug

I find the choice of colors great. Yes, some are unique to the SW range. Hope to get my hands on some in the future.

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tigerstein

Roman, next time please wear something else. The Black-White stripes are killing my eyes >_<

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tigerstein

Sorry, I mean Romain, can’t spell today.

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elromanozo

It’s all right… Next time I’ll wear pink.
Or vivid puce.

Or nothing.

Who knows ?

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dragon4989

Its not that bad, you could be using yourself to demonsrate the washes!

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chibi

I liked the Gallic look Romain, just lacking the beret and string of onions.
I myself being English always where a bowler and carry a brolly. lol

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manicray

Do you think you could get an extreme close up? I can’t really see the results too well. I would love to know how these compare to the vallejo and citadel both of which I use ALOT.

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misterjustin

Manicray — these are an entirely different product. The GW and Vallejo washes are effectively inks as they’re solvent based. The Secret Weapon Washes are a true acrylic suspension — making them, in effect, very, very, VERY! thin paint with a liquid pigment base.

This has the advantage of providing a little body coverage, to blend your shadows, or a lot — depending on how you apply the product. You get consistent colour and coverage every time and there’s really nothing else like them on the market.

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jaybutton

Romain, How would you compare the Secret Weapon washes to Citadel washes? Thanks! And great review!

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elromanozo

Thank you for watching !

There’s not much comparison, really.

Citadel washes are glossy (which makes your minis toylike if used all over the place), and pool thickly on the details. They take a while to dry and can seem a bit oily, as they’re solvent based.

Secret Weapon washes are matte, they don’t hide details as they are consistently thin and fine. They are also more varied.

You can compare the price per milliliter yourself…

My choice is made !

BoW Romain

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misterjustin

Ah, the price is a point I hadn’t thought to bring up.

But with the Secret Weapon Washes you get 20ml for $2,99 in the colonies — compared to the other washes that means you get almost 70% more product with a lower price point.

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jaybutton

Thanks Romain and misterjustin for the replies!

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karrde

I have a full set of the washes but am scared of using them as I just don’t know how. I know it sounds silly but never sure how best to use and having got them for a great price should experiment but…

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misterjustin

That’s a fair point — because the Secret Weapon Washes aren’t one trick ponies in the way that ink washes are.

If you want ONLY recess shadowing I recommend thinning the washes a bit — then apply them like you would any ink.

If you want a little bit of body shading use them as-is and feather them into the recesses, like you would blending paint into shadow.

If you want a LOT of body shading put down your base coat and use it like you would a thin paint — and understand that if you glob it on you’ll get an effect similar, but far more controlled, than “dipping” a model. That much acrylic will also give you a bit of shine — even though it’s a matte product if you apply a really, really thick coat like this it’ll have some reflective properties.

I’m always happy to answer questions, of course — and Les at Awesome Paint Job has some good videos. I suspect we can all convince Romain to make some more videos too 🙂

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elromanozo

Les is much more experienced at this… But after only my second try I’ve had excellent results !

It really is easy to use.

My only advice to @karrde is to experiment… See how the product “behaves” for yourself, you’ll be happily surprised !

BoW Romain

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noborders

Thanks Romain! Good works as usual.

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tinracer

Great to see the maker joining in on our site – helping out with the learning. All I need now is a sexy deal with basecrafts to get my hands on they 😉

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tinracer

doh! them

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bigneily

well im happy to see basecrafts doing them as ive always wanted to get them but hate ordering from america (dont get me wrong ive gotten from secret weapons and chapterhouse before and have had no problems from either) just dont like the extra wait and postage

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beerogre

@bigneily … when we got the washes sent over from the US, the UK Customs got hold of them and wouldn’t release them until we paid them a fee… it’s a damned liberty!

Having a UK supplier makes much more sense, no fuss with “the man” and easy postage. I think it also makes it easier to send to the EU… but don’t quote me on that.

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bigneily

yeah ive had to pay customs for computer stuff before as well think its something to do with how much the item is but then again living in northern ireland we more than often get charged more even from england

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rdubayoo

Huh. Coulda sworn I posted a comment on this. But anyway, I’ve used Secret Weapon washes myself and while I don’t think they shade quite as gradually as the GW washes, they do have a lot of colors, which is why I keep going with them over GW. I can’t think of anyone else who would have a lime green wash or a pink wash!

Also, the concrete wash is pretty much essential for anyone who want to make concrete terrain.

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misterjustin

Gradual shading… well that depends on how you apply them. If you’re putting it on heavy and thick you’ll get fast, heavy body coverage. But if you feather the wash into the recess, like you would when you’re painting normally, you’ll get a nice, smooth transition.

But, yes, Fallout and Cotton Candy are fairly unique colours 🙂

I have to say that Golden Brown is one of my favorites — since it’s the ONLY metallic wash on the market and makes such a nice gold shade.

Concrete and Stone are indeed MUST HAVE products for urban environments.

Thanks for the kind words!

And now I think I need to work on some new SWM Washes videos, don’t I?