FROM THE TRENCH RUNNER ARCHIVES...
Hey Guys ! After that long break, I am back with a review, from one of the most amazing brands there is out there for modelling supplies and chemicals. Chris, the head of VMS aka Vantage Modelling Systems is a chemistry God, and also a very nice guy. He listen to us, modellers and always keeps an eye on the market and what we need to aid our daily bench routine. This time, it was not a regular VMS product review (which I love to do and try to test all), it was a sort of developing a product.
Chis reached out to me in 2019 and asked for help testing an beta chemical which would end up becoming VMS Oil Expert. I got an early release product, which after my testing and use, Chris would make any changes to the chemistry if needed. He knows by now that I love making figures and I only use oils for skin tones, and also leather and wood details, whenever possible. So I had all those ideas on how to test and give an honest feedback. After a few weeks, Chris sent me the first beta bottles of oil expert medium (3 , one for matt, one for satin and one for gloss, which I will talk a little bit more soon), but they arrived here in Brasil just in the middle of my work storm, that was a tour I got to work and consumed half year and a few white hairs lost in the process. So the testing was delayed by a few months, and Chris waited along, patiently for my schedule, that proves he really wanted my take on his new product. It's a huge responsibility, and I am honoured to be part of this development.
So in mid November 2019 I had a class for teaching some friend on how to paint figures, and what best test ground for VMS new Oil product than a workshop with many brands of oil paint and so, that's where I began testing. After the classes I went home and finished the face for a Life Miniatures U-Boat captain, the light system on the class was not ideal for color rendering, So I insisted on making the heavy review and testing home in my well known bench. After some days I finished the face and I was very amazed with the results, specially with drying time. It's the main downfall for oil paints, drying time in wet days or humid places, It can take up to 5-7 days for oil paint to fully dry to the touch and that is a pain in the butt.
No More!
So, here, let me show you guys a little about this product ⤵
The above photo shows my testing grounds, my usual method of applying oils over acrylics to achieve leather and wood finishes (Shown HERE in more detail on a older step by step I did on using oils for leather), the main difference now is that I have a product which will speed up drying time by a mile and I can choose finishes. That is a product to achieve matt finishes in oil painting, one for satin and one for glossy results (which can be great for engine oil grease, blood effects, fuel, and so on).
You can choose your finishes. The results vary by how much medium you add to your paint mix, but usually a drop as you will see is enough to achieve very subtle results, and all with drying time of 24 hours tops.
So, as mentioned before, my only method for skin tones in any scale is oils over acrylics, shown HERE also on another part of my older article using oils.
Here is my latest figure using this same method. I only wish I had VMS Oil expert back when I did this figure! ⤵
And here my test subject for the new medium. I loved the drying time and the natural sheen it gives (which I love in oils and overall painting). The Templar figure above is a figure 100% free of any varnishes, in any part. I like to have all parts having different finishes, sheen....Fabric can't have the same finish as leather, metal, the skin, the hair...so I use minimal to no varnishes and work my way into getting the desired sheens with the painting process alone. So VMS Oil Expert helped making my own mix of matt, satin and gloss finishes, without having to varnish after each one. ⤵
Again, this test figure above, has zero varnish so far. I choose VMS Oil Expert Satin finish, which in my testing was the same as keeping the natural oil finish, which was my goal using oil paints in the first place. So if you don't "need" shiny results or matt results, the Satin option is the way to go.
So, the above figure which I mentioned before was painted and the testing began during my class on how to paint figures, and here is me and my loaded bench before the class started ⤵
You can see below the VMS Oil Expert mediums waiting for testing for the first time ever! ⤵
Now, here is a photo of the beginning of the process at the class, but I won't use anymore photos from that day because light source was terrible (cold lights) and I wanted to keep color rendering on this article, so I will test on a plastic strip the same method I use on skin tones and leather to show you guys. ⤵
See now my bench photo, despite almost finished, the main skin tone color is way more precise.
Note also the natural sheen we can see on the figure's cheeks and neck. This is my goal with oil painting for skin tones, having a natural sheen which will be exclusive to the flesh. ⤵
Now, let's see the medium itself, as said before, they come in 3 choices of finishes, and they are marked on the back which one you are using ⤵
Now, I will paint oils over acrylics on a plastic strip, simulating leather, the exact same method I used on the article link earlier on.
The medium has a dark-purple color but it won't alter your paint color, not to my eyes anyway. So, I divided the plastic strip in 3 sections, for matt, satin and gloss finishes demo (from left to right).
Let's give it a drop on each mix, from my experience, its enough to dry the paint in under 24 hours ⤵
Consistency is very fluid. Has almost no color as you can see. You can add that medium to any kind of use of oils, heavy body as I am using here (it will smoothen out but not thin out your paint), washes, streaks, etc.
So, I mix with the paint and have a go for Matt results first ⤵
See the mix, just a great way to improve handling on heavy body oils, and even more so on more dried out tubes, which are harder to work with ⤵
Now, let's paint over the acrylic Vallejo Saddle Brown (ref.70940) color to get the leather color we use Abteilung 502 Shadow Brown (ref. ABT 015) ⤵
Hey, look....we made WOOD GRAINS!! ⤵
Not for this particular example, but yes, this is a great method to get wood veins and wood paint. Using oils over acrylics, it will give you the natural sheen simulating that old wood varnish and also with a flat brush a little bit more on the firm side, you can make the wood veins ⤵
It would be a nice wood plate huh? ⤵
Now, the satin medium ⤵
Goes in the plastic strip ⤵
And now the gloss finish medium (the photo shows the satin, sorry, but I made sure which one was it by writing on the back of the strip) ⤵
Chis reached out to me in 2019 and asked for help testing an beta chemical which would end up becoming VMS Oil Expert. I got an early release product, which after my testing and use, Chris would make any changes to the chemistry if needed. He knows by now that I love making figures and I only use oils for skin tones, and also leather and wood details, whenever possible. So I had all those ideas on how to test and give an honest feedback. After a few weeks, Chris sent me the first beta bottles of oil expert medium (3 , one for matt, one for satin and one for gloss, which I will talk a little bit more soon), but they arrived here in Brasil just in the middle of my work storm, that was a tour I got to work and consumed half year and a few white hairs lost in the process. So the testing was delayed by a few months, and Chris waited along, patiently for my schedule, that proves he really wanted my take on his new product. It's a huge responsibility, and I am honoured to be part of this development.
So in mid November 2019 I had a class for teaching some friend on how to paint figures, and what best test ground for VMS new Oil product than a workshop with many brands of oil paint and so, that's where I began testing. After the classes I went home and finished the face for a Life Miniatures U-Boat captain, the light system on the class was not ideal for color rendering, So I insisted on making the heavy review and testing home in my well known bench. After some days I finished the face and I was very amazed with the results, specially with drying time. It's the main downfall for oil paints, drying time in wet days or humid places, It can take up to 5-7 days for oil paint to fully dry to the touch and that is a pain in the butt.
No More!
So, here, let me show you guys a little about this product ⤵
The above photo shows my testing grounds, my usual method of applying oils over acrylics to achieve leather and wood finishes (Shown HERE in more detail on a older step by step I did on using oils for leather), the main difference now is that I have a product which will speed up drying time by a mile and I can choose finishes. That is a product to achieve matt finishes in oil painting, one for satin and one for glossy results (which can be great for engine oil grease, blood effects, fuel, and so on).
You can choose your finishes. The results vary by how much medium you add to your paint mix, but usually a drop as you will see is enough to achieve very subtle results, and all with drying time of 24 hours tops.
So, as mentioned before, my only method for skin tones in any scale is oils over acrylics, shown HERE also on another part of my older article using oils.
Here is my latest figure using this same method. I only wish I had VMS Oil expert back when I did this figure! ⤵
And here my test subject for the new medium. I loved the drying time and the natural sheen it gives (which I love in oils and overall painting). The Templar figure above is a figure 100% free of any varnishes, in any part. I like to have all parts having different finishes, sheen....Fabric can't have the same finish as leather, metal, the skin, the hair...so I use minimal to no varnishes and work my way into getting the desired sheens with the painting process alone. So VMS Oil Expert helped making my own mix of matt, satin and gloss finishes, without having to varnish after each one. ⤵
Again, this test figure above, has zero varnish so far. I choose VMS Oil Expert Satin finish, which in my testing was the same as keeping the natural oil finish, which was my goal using oil paints in the first place. So if you don't "need" shiny results or matt results, the Satin option is the way to go.
So, the above figure which I mentioned before was painted and the testing began during my class on how to paint figures, and here is me and my loaded bench before the class started ⤵
You can see below the VMS Oil Expert mediums waiting for testing for the first time ever! ⤵
Now, here is a photo of the beginning of the process at the class, but I won't use anymore photos from that day because light source was terrible (cold lights) and I wanted to keep color rendering on this article, so I will test on a plastic strip the same method I use on skin tones and leather to show you guys. ⤵
See now my bench photo, despite almost finished, the main skin tone color is way more precise.
Note also the natural sheen we can see on the figure's cheeks and neck. This is my goal with oil painting for skin tones, having a natural sheen which will be exclusive to the flesh. ⤵
Now, let's see the medium itself, as said before, they come in 3 choices of finishes, and they are marked on the back which one you are using ⤵
Now, I will paint oils over acrylics on a plastic strip, simulating leather, the exact same method I used on the article link earlier on.
The medium has a dark-purple color but it won't alter your paint color, not to my eyes anyway. So, I divided the plastic strip in 3 sections, for matt, satin and gloss finishes demo (from left to right).
Let's give it a drop on each mix, from my experience, its enough to dry the paint in under 24 hours ⤵
Consistency is very fluid. Has almost no color as you can see. You can add that medium to any kind of use of oils, heavy body as I am using here (it will smoothen out but not thin out your paint), washes, streaks, etc.
So, I mix with the paint and have a go for Matt results first ⤵
See the mix, just a great way to improve handling on heavy body oils, and even more so on more dried out tubes, which are harder to work with ⤵
Now, let's paint over the acrylic Vallejo Saddle Brown (ref.70940) color to get the leather color we use Abteilung 502 Shadow Brown (ref. ABT 015) ⤵
Hey, look....we made WOOD GRAINS!! ⤵
Not for this particular example, but yes, this is a great method to get wood veins and wood paint. Using oils over acrylics, it will give you the natural sheen simulating that old wood varnish and also with a flat brush a little bit more on the firm side, you can make the wood veins ⤵
It would be a nice wood plate huh? ⤵
Now, the satin medium ⤵
Goes in the plastic strip ⤵
And now the gloss finish medium (the photo shows the satin, sorry, but I made sure which one was it by writing on the back of the strip) ⤵
So, all ready for removal, which is my method for achieving the flesh tones and leather, applying the oils over acrylics, and then after some 5 minutes, removing the excess off with a soft fabric (never regular cotton which will be a nightmare for loose fibers) and what this method does it stains the acrylic color with a new tone, giving subtle depth and uneven results for a more realistic finish. Also, as a added benefit, the natural sheen you get for leather, wood and so on. ⤵
Now, while I wait 5 minutes, wanted to show you guys that you can use the oils in any way and add the medium without any loss, such as oil washes, shown here with a oil mix added white spirit for heavy dilution, and very little amount of VMS Oil Expert medium (in my experience so far with this product, at any ratio it will speed up drying time enormously, just the finish will have more impact on ratio) ⤵
See how it turns into a great wash if you guys are into this ⤵
Now, after a few minutes, let's remove the excess oil on the plastic strip ⤵
See how the tinted paint looks great ⤵
Now, let's wait for it to dry for 24 hours ⤵
I wrote on the back of the strip to make sure which one is which ⤵
A few more photos, showing that they all look the same while wet ⤵
Now, 24 hours later, let's see what we have. I made sure that the oil was dry, by leaving the ceramic palette as it was so I can check for drying time on the ceramic and not the actual part. If it's dry on the palette, it's dry on the model.
You can already see the subtle finishes ⤵
Let's have a closer look, also to note the masked area which has no oil process on top ⤵
On the correct angle we can see the results better ⤵
Close up on matt finish results ⤵
Now, satin area, which for me is the natural one. It actually keeps the natural oil sheen adding "only" fast drying and smoothing the heavy body paint. This is my favourite (for my use of course) ⤵
And the glossy finish ⤵
The ceramic palette was fully dry to the touch in 24 hours ⤵
And the main mix area was also almost dry (taking into account it has a lot more paint), you can actually see the dried paint areas becoming matt finish ⤵
The Gloss mix stayed glossy ⤵
and the oil wash ⤵
Conclusion : Another amazing product from VMS. Another "works as advertised" release from the genius mind of Chris Obarski from Poland. Make no mistakes, there are similar products out there with such "benefits" from artist range brands to modelling exclusive brands like Uschi's. But they all fall short because when using those, if the ratio is not correct, you will always get matt finishes and maybe even crackled paint over time. It's based on my own experience.
This VMS Oil Medium has all those advantages of the similar products, while keeping the oil paint characteristics while adding the choice for 3 finishes, matt, satin (natural) and gloss. The speed up advantage here is that it works at any ratio.
It's a true winner, and we need fast drying paint most of the time, so we can see progress on our builds. You will still have hours of working time if you do oil blending (such as myself) but after that it will be cured under a full day, ready for the next step.
If you work with oils, this is a must. If you want to begin working with oils, lucky you that can already begin with such great aids for better and more controllable results. I wish I had these 15 years ago when I did my first oil painted figure face.
Highly Recommended !
To wrap up, since I mentioned this product was developed and tested before public release by myself (this review is from the Julian regular user, not as Santa's helper), I would like to proudly show VMS own website with my figure shown as a example of the product achieved results and my own name helping the brand ⤵
Check VMS website later on (https://www.vms-supplies.com) to see this and other products, since it's a complete site with videos and detailed instructions for each and every product they make!
Thanks Chris and Rick for the trust, always. It's an honor the be part of Michtoy's News from The Front team.
Julian Conde January 2020
Julian Conde is the backbone of the MichToy TRENCH RUNNER force with 50 and counting articles on our blog. Julian is an award winning modeler in São Paulo Brazil who equally likes building figures and AFVs with an occasional fantasy and sci-fi kit thrown in. His work has been pubished in several magazines including Scale Military Modeller International. His interest in the latest products brings a fresh perspective to these pages. We are thrilled to featuring his talents, views and opinions (good or bad) on the latest modeling products right here on News from The Front!
Follow Julian on Instagram @scalemodelstech
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You can order VMS Oil Expert from MTSC HERE
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You can order VMS Oil Expert from MTSC HERE
(Register and/or Login to save 10% on these products)
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