Vallejo - Model Air Basic Colors - Acrylic Paint Set, Pre-Thinned Airbrush-Ready Formula, 8 Basic Shades, Non-Toxic Water-Based Pigments Review (2026)

Eight core colors, nothing extra to buy for airbrushing

This set, Vallejo's Model Air Basic Colors 71174, includes eight 17ml bottles: White, Medium Yellow, Red RLM23, Blue, Olive Green, Black, Silver RLM01, and Gold. That spread covers the core primary and neutral shades a painter needs to mix a wide range of secondary colors, plus a metallic silver and gold for basic accent work, all without needing a color mixing chart to get started. For a painter setting up an airbrush station for the first time, having a small, deliberately chosen core palette is more useful than a huge assortment of shades that mostly duplicate each other.

Pre-thinned, airbrush-ready formula

Model Air paints are formulated to spray straight from the bottle through an airbrush with no separate thinning step, using finely ground pigments suspended in a water-based acrylic that Vallejo describes as reaching an airbrush-appropriate viscosity out of the bottle. That matters for consistency, since manually thinning paint to the right ratio is one of the more common sources of clogging and uneven coverage for airbrush beginners. The bottles use a dropper-style tip, which makes it easy to measure small amounts directly into an airbrush cup without extra tools. That consistency is a real time saver for a painter who would otherwise be guessing at thinning ratios and cleaning a clogged airbrush mid-session instead of painting.

Safety and finish

The paints are water-based, non-toxic, and non-flammable, which matters for indoor airbrushing where ventilation may be limited compared with a dedicated spray booth setup. Vallejo states the cured finish is matte and durable, and reasonably waterproof once fully dry, which is the standard baseline miniature painters expect before applying washes or further layers over a base coat. Because the pigments are described as finely ground, the paint is also built to lay down smoothly in thin coats rather than needing heavy buildup to get even coverage. A matte, waterproof cured layer also gives a stable base for later drybrushing, washes, or a gloss coat without the base layer lifting or smearing underneath.

Where the format runs into limits

The same pre-thinned viscosity that makes this paint spray well through an airbrush makes it too thin and runny for most brush painting techniques, so this is not a substitute for a standard Model Color or similar brush-ready paint line. Eight colors is also a starting palette rather than a complete collection: painters wanting a wider range of metallics, transparent effects colors, or specific faction shades will need to buy additional Model Air sets or individual bottles on top of this one. For a painter's very first airbrush purchase focused purely on primers and base coats, that narrower scope is a reasonable place to start rather than a limitation to avoid.

Bottom line

This set is a sensible, low-friction way to get an airbrush running on miniatures without guessing at thinning ratios, and the eight-color spread covers the basics most painters reach for on base coats and zenithal work. It will not replace a full paint collection, and anyone planning to brush paint rather than airbrush should look at a different, non pre-thinned Vallejo line instead. For painters setting up their first airbrush station specifically for base coating and priming, it is a practical and non-toxic starting point. Treated as a foundation rather than a full collection, it earns its place on the shelf.

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