10 replies to this topic

[warhorseminis]

Okay, I have a LGS that I go to occasionally, it's the only one within a 2-3 hour drive so they can pretty much charge what they want. They also have a notoriously slow inventory turn-over. If I buy paints there, I have to be very careful as some have solidified on the shelf.

But I had to go in there today and pick up some paint that I needed ASAP - couldn't wait for it to arrive in the mail. I go straight to Reaper and notice that they have a rack with the eye-dropper bottles and next to that - a rack with these short and wide jars. Well, I've always seen these things ever since I first walked into that store years and years ago. I look closer - because I never really checked them out. The sign under the shelf says Reaper Paint. They must have it labeled wrong.

But upon closer inspection, all of these jars are labeled Reaper Pro Series. The next time I go in there, I'll see if I can snap a couple pics on my phone. But I can't help but wonder how old are these things?

So I gotta admit I'm insanely curious now. lol!

Cheers,
Kath

[ReaperClark]

We had to discontinue Pro-Paint a while back now because the manufacturer wasn't going to make the bottles for us anymore without charging us more than was practical. It was before Jan 2011.

[Inarah]

Pro Paint and the dropper bottles (RMS) all have shaker beads. If you can hear the bead rattling around the paint should still be good, though you might have to give it a good shaking to get it off the bottom and moving around.

[Heisler]

Actually RMS did not replace Pro Paints and they existed simultaneously for a couple of years. You really could view the Reaper HD series as a replacement for the Pro Paints. I'm not sure that the dropper bottles have the shaker in them anymore though.

[kit]

Actually RMS did not replace Pro Paints and they existed simultaneously for a couple of years. You really could view the Reaper HD series as a replacement for the Pro Paints. I'm not sure that the dropper bottles have the shaker in them anymore though.

We still add them! Perhaps the shaker bead gnomes have paid you a visit?

[Heisler]

Maybe, I definitely have bottles that do not have shakers in them.

[Wren]

There has been two different Pro Paint line releases. The first paints had a white label attached to the top of the lid. There are some other label differences, but I'm not finding any useful pics on Google. If your store is selling those, they are very old and I would be surprised if they weren't at least somewhat dried out, if not completely unworkable. I have some paints of that era that are useable, but I've stirred and added water to them every now and then. One of our local stores was still selling some of these, but at least they were significantly discounted.

The newer Pro Paints have the label wrapped around the jar rather than on the lid, and would only be a couple of years old or so.

[warhorseminis]

We had to discontinue Pro-Paint a while back now because the manufacturer wasn't going to make the bottles for us anymore without charging us more than was practical. It was before Jan 2011.

Thanks ReaperClark! These always have a mountain of dust on them so they appear to have sat there for centuries. ;)

Pro Paint and the dropper bottles (RMS) all have shaker beads. If you can hear the bead rattling around the paint should still be good, though you might have to give it a good shaking to get it off the bottom and moving around.

Actually RMS did not replace Pro Paints and they existed simultaneously for a couple of years. You really could view the Reaper HD series as a replacement for the Pro Paints. I'm not sure that the dropper bottles have the shaker in them anymore though.

We still add them! Perhaps the shaker bead gnomes have paid you a visit?

I personally the shaker bead! At least that's one less thing I have to worry about adding. Plus knowing it's there, when I pick up the bottle and shake it gives me a sense that the paint is still good or maybe I should try another bottle instead. The only downside is if the paint is a bit thick, I can't always tell if the bead is there or if those pesky gnomes made another raid. But I very much like that feature and as I try different colors, I'm really impressed with the quality of Reaper paints.

The folks in the store laugh because I take awhile to make my selections. I shake everything before I decide which bottle I want. If they have a bunch of one particular color I need, I'll check every darn bottle. Can you blame me? This stuff isn't exactly cheap. I check every bottle since I accidentally bought some Vallejo Scab Red that all of the pigment was in one massive hard lump even though it was still surrounded in liquid. I didn't shake it before I purchased it. It was only after I got it home and tried to use it did I realize what was wrong. Because I had opened it, the store wouldn't take it back.

No amount of shaking could break up the lump of pigment. I spent some time breaking it up with a T pin and adding acrylic retarder, flow improver, and distilled water, just to see if I could save it. It worked to a certain extent, I got about half a bottle of usable paint but I wouldn't trust it not to flake off somewhere down the road.

There has been two different Pro Paint line releases. The first paints had a white label attached to the top of the lid. There are some other label differences, but I'm not finding any useful pics on Google. If your store is selling those, they are very old and I would be surprised if they weren't at least somewhat dried out, if not completely unworkable. I have some paints of that era that are useable, but I've stirred and added water to them every now and then. One of our local stores was still selling some of these, but at least they were significantly discounted.

The newer Pro Paints have the label wrapped around the jar rather than on the lid, and would only be a couple of years old or so.

Thanks Wren! Some of the jars were upside down in the rack and so I could see the paint had separated significantly but didn't notice where the labels were. The ones right-side up had labels on the side and a couple had them on top of the jar. I'll have to take a closer look at them next time. Like I said, I only go there when I need something right away but the store is large and has a good selection. I just have to be careful on stuff that has a limited shelf-life because it sits for so long.

Thanks for the info gang! Because this stuff can sit for so long, I was really curious how old this paint might be.

Cheers,
Kath

[MonkeySloth]

Actually RMS did not replace Pro Paints and they existed simultaneously for a couple of years. You really could view the Reaper HD series as a replacement for the Pro Paints. I'm not sure that the dropper bottles have the shaker in them anymore though.

We still add them! Perhaps the shaker bead gnomes have paid you a visit?

Step 1: Steal Shaker Beads.
Step 2: ????
Step 3: Profit!

[Serenity]

I personally the shaker bead! At least that's one less thing I have to worry about adding. Plus knowing it's there, when I pick up the bottle and shake it gives me a sense that the paint is still good or maybe I should try another bottle instead. The only downside is if the paint is a bit thick, I can't always tell if the bead is there or if those pesky gnomes made another raid. But I very much like that feature and as I try different colors, I'm really impressed with the quality of Reaper paints.

You and me both. When I'm taking care of my paint, if I can't hear the shaker rattling I know it's time to take a look inside the bottle and see what's up. Sometimes it can shake and still be thick enough to need water, but it helps to decide the paint's condition much of the time.

The folks in the store laugh because I take awhile to make my selections. I shake everything before I decide which bottle I want. If they have a bunch of one particular color I need, I'll check every darn bottle. Can you blame me? This stuff isn't exactly cheap. I check every bottle since I accidentally bought some Vallejo Scab Red that all of the pigment was in one massive hard lump even though it was still surrounded in liquid. I didn't shake it before I purchased it. It was only after I got it home and tried to use it did I realize what was wrong. Because I had opened it, the store wouldn't take it back.

Your store won't take returns on bad paint that they sell to you? I wonder what prompted that poor policy to come to be. Kiddies buy paint, use some, and try to bring it back? That's different from paint that's not salvageable. Would a craft store or art store treat you that way, too?

I know it can be hard to predict what you'll need sometimes, but generally you're better off buying paints direct from Reaper or another trustworthy online vendor (one with fresh stock) and keeping a reserve of the ones you know you use a lot. I have five-year-old MSPs that still work great, but I keep them hydrated. Once bitten...

[warhorseminis]

Your store won't take returns on bad paint that they sell to you? I wonder what prompted that poor policy to come to be. Kiddies buy paint, use some, and try to bring it back? That's different from paint that's not salvageable. Would a craft store or art store treat you that way, too?

I know it can be hard to predict what you'll need sometimes, but generally you're better off buying paints direct from Reaper or another trustworthy online vendor (one with fresh stock) and keeping a reserve of the ones you know you use a lot. I have five-year-old MSPs that still work great, but I keep them hydrated. Once bitten...

You have no idea. I may have swapped out the paint I bought there with a bottle of bad paint I had at home. Trying to return a brand new un-opened product is practically impossible. I really don't like this store because of prices and attitude. But the only other gaming stores are over 2 hours away in Houston so this place has a bit of a monopoly in the local area. Right now, my business is online only but one of my long range goals is to open a brick and mortar gaming store that will blow the doors off the other place. hehe!

I have commissions that I need specific supplies for now and then and clients who order various hobby supplies through my business. Since I'm working on carrying an "inventory", I just take orders for stuff right now. I get a list going and when I have enough to qualify for Reaper's free shipping, I'll pull the trigger. But this stuff is for a commission that's almost finished so I couldn't wait very long. I put it off for two days because I didn't want to go. lol!

I much prefer ordering from Reaper directly. Of course, now that I've seen these paints in the store, I definitely need to go back and check them closer.

Hey, I might have stumbled onto the miniature hobby's version of an archaeological dig! (Ha! Found an Indiana Jones smiley!)


Okay, I'm tired and getting goofy, time to log off. lol! Have a good night folks - I'll catch y'all tomorrow.

Cheers,
Kath