Vallejo Metallic Set Model Air Paint, 17ml, Multicolor (Pack of 16) Review (2026)

Who this paint set fits

This set targets painters who regularly airbrush vehicles, mechs, aircraft, or armored miniatures and want a range of metal tones ready to use without mixing paint and thinner themselves. Because the formula is water-based and pre-thinned specifically for airbrushing, it saves setup time compared with thinning solid-color acrylics to the right viscosity by hand. It also works with a brush despite being optimized for airbrush use, so painters can use the same bottles for touch-ups or small detail work without switching paint lines. Painters who only need one or two metallic accents on otherwise non-metallic models may find a smaller single-bottle purchase more practical than a full 16-bottle set.

What is in the bottles

Each of the 17ml bottles holds a water-based acrylic formulated with a resin blend Vallejo describes as offering strong resistance, hardness, and covering power for airbrush work. The pigments are ground to a fine consistency, which is standard practice for smooth metallic finishes, and the paint sprays straight from the bottle with no thinning or special mixing required. Colors can still be mixed with each other to create intermediate metal tones, or diluted further with water if a thinner coat is needed for subtle highlighting. Being part of Vallejo's Model Air line, the metallics share a base formula with the brand's solid Model Air colors, so the two ranges blend and layer predictably together.

Living with it day to day

Shake bottles before use, since metallic flake pigment can settle differently than solid pigment over time in storage. Because the paint is ready to spray, skipping the thinning step saves real setup time across a painting session, but it also means the airbrush should be cleaned promptly afterward, since fine flake pigments are generally more prone to building up in a nozzle than solid colors, so more frequent flushing keeps flow even. Multiple thin coats build a smoother metallic sheen than one heavy pass, which is typical of airbrushed metallics generally, and following the manufacturer's label guidance on drying time between coats helps avoid disturbing the shimmer finish.

How it compares with other paint sets

Against the Army Painter Warpaints Air Starter Set, which our score ranks slightly higher, that set mixes standard colors, one metallic, and a primer in a single box, making it more of an all-in-one starting point, while this Vallejo set focuses purely on metallics for painters who already have base colors covered. Against Vallejo's own Basic Colors 16-pack, this set trades solid flat coverage for shimmer, and many painters end up owning both side by side rather than choosing one over the other. The Army Painter Warpaints Air Complete Set offers far more total colors for painters wanting one large collection instead of a focused metallic range.

Verdict and who should look elsewhere

This set is a strong pick for painters who regularly work on vehicles, armor, or mechanical models and want a dependable range of metal tones that spray consistently straight from the bottle without any mixing step. Painters who only need the occasional metallic highlight are better served by a smaller set or individual bottles rather than all sixteen colors at once, since a full set sitting mostly unused is not the best value. Gaming pieces that will see regular handling should get a protective varnish as part of normal finishing, since delicate metallic finishes are generally more prone to wear from handling than flat colors, and a topcoat helps the shimmer hold up over repeated games.

Frequently asked questions