Vallejo Xpress Color sits inside the wider Vallejo Game Color range and is built for figure painters who want shading, mid-tones, and base color in a single layer. The paint is heavily diluted by design, with high capillarity that pulls pigment into the recesses of a miniature and leaves the raised areas lighter. Drop it on a white or light grey primer and you get an instant contrast effect with no manual highlighting required.

The line covers 60 colors across Wave 1 (24 colors, 2023) and Wave 2 (36 colors, 2024), with the second wave adding 8 higher-pigment Intense variants and 8 colors aimed at military uniforms. The full spectrum runs from skin tones and fantasy creature shades through to reds, blues, greens, neutrals, and historical earth tones, all in a matt finish. Bottles come in 18ml dropper format, the same as the rest of the Vallejo paint catalog, which keeps mixing and dosing predictable across your shelf. If you're after metallic or fluorescent effects, those live in their own separate Game Color sub-lines and are not part of Xpress Color.

This is a water based acrylic through and through, fully compatible with the wider Vallejo water based range. You can layer it under or over standard Vallejo Game Color matt acrylics, Vallejo Mecha Color, washes, and inks. Two or more Xpress Color shades mix together cleanly to create custom tones, and Vallejo's own Xpress Medium is the official thinner for the line. Use it to extend working time or to lighten saturation without breaking the capillary effect.

A few practical notes from actual use. Xpress Color does its best work on figures with sculpted surface detail, where the deep recesses and raised areas give the paint something to settle into. On flat or smooth surfaces the effect is much subtler, so you may want to layer or follow up with regular acrylic for opacity. The colors are matt straight from the bottle; if you need gloss or satin you finish with a varnish on top. Coverage over dark primer is poor, so always primer with white, light grey, or bone for the cleanest result, or use a water based primer in those tones before you start.

The line works as a fast painting solution for wargame and fantasy miniatures, but it has a place in mecha and Gunpla workflows too!! Specially when you want a quick wash style effect on detailed parts like inner frames, weapon details, or exposed pipework. Apply with brush, airbrush, or even directly over a panel line, depending on how much control you want. 

How to Use

Surface preparation. Always primer your figure first. Xpress Color reaches its full effect on white, bone, or light grey primers — the lighter the base, the more vivid the final color. Dark primers absorb too much light and the contrast effect collapses. Let the primer cure fully before you start painting.

Brush application. Shake the bottle well, then use it straight from the dropper. Load a soft brush generously, touch it to the figure, and let the paint flow on its own. Don't scrub it in — the whole point is the capillarity, so the paint needs to find its own path into the recesses. Work one panel at a time and keep the wet edge moving so you don't get tide marks where two pools meet.

Airbrush application. Thin around 1:1 with Xpress Medium for a smooth feed. The paint is already fluid, so don't over-thin or you lose pigment density. Low pressure (around 1.0–1.5 bar) and short passes work best.

Quick reference.

Layering and sealing. Xpress Color plays well with other water based acrylics on top — you can highlight with regular Game Color, glaze with washes, or add detail with markers. Avoid putting strong lacquer paints or lacquer varnishes directly over Xpress Color, since they can lift the layer. Use a water based or compatible acrylic varnish to seal once you're happy with the figure.

Cleanup. Water and a brush soap are enough while the paint is wet. Once cured, you'll need a stronger acrylic cleaner.

Specifications Table