Wandering Adventures

If you've been in the hobby for any length of time, you've probably wrestled with metallics. Getting a gold that actually looks like gold, a silver that catches light the right way, or a copper that doesn't just look like brown with glitter — it's harder than it sounds. I've been painting miniatures for 20 years and metallics have always been one of those things that separates a decent paint job from a truly striking one. When Vallejo released their True Metallic Metal range, I paid attention. After putting it through its paces across fantasy models, sci-fi armies, and detailed scenic bases, here's my take.   What is Vallejo TMM? True Metallic Metal — TMM for short — is a painting technique where you use actual metallic paints to simulate the look of metal, as opposed to NMM (Non-Metallic Metal) where you fake the effect using regular colours and careful shading. Vallejo's TMM range is built specifically around this technique, with paints formulated to give you the most realistic metallic finish possible straight from the bottle. The range covers all the bases — silvers, golds, coppers, and a solid selection of coloured metallics that open up a lot of creative options. What makes it stand out from generic metallic paints is the particle size and the consistency. The metallic particles are fine enough that you get a smooth, reflective finish without that chunky glitter look that plagues cheaper metallic paints. Built to Work Together One thing that sets the TMM range apart from just buying random metallic paints is that it's designed as a cohesive system. Each metal colour comes in a base, shade, and light version — so if you pick up Ruby Red, there's a darker shade version for recesses and a lighter highlight version to bring up the brightest points. You don't have to figure out what to mix or which other paint to grab for highlights — the range does the thinking for you. For painters who are newer to metallics especially, this takes a lot of the guesswork out and helps you get results that look intentional and polished rather than accidental. It's the kind of thoughtful design that makes a range genuinely enjoyable to paint with rather than just technically good. The Silvers and Grays Sterling Silver is the workhorse of the range and it earns that title. It's smooth, it covers well, and it has a clean cold tone that works perfectly for blades, armour plating, and anything that needs to look like actual steel. I've used it on everything from Space Marine power swords to fantasy knight armour and it consistently delivers. If you're doing any kind of zenithal highlighting or OSL on metallic surfaces, the grays in the TMM range give you a level of control that's hard to achieve with standard metallics. You can build up subtle gradients that make armour look like it's actually reflecting light rather than just being painted silver. The Golds and Coppers This is where the range really shines for me. Ancient Copper is one of my favourite paints in any range right now — it has a warmth and depth to it that makes it perfect for aged bronze, weathered armour trims, and any kind of antique metal effect. Pair it with a dark wash and some selective highlights and you've got metal that looks like it's been through a hundred battles. The gold options are similarly impressive. Whether you're painting ornate Space Marine shoulder pads, Age of Sigmar Stormcast armour, or intricate fantasy jewellery, the golds in the TMM range have a richness that cheaper metallics just can't match. They layer beautifully too — you can go from a dark base tone up to bright highlight gold without losing that metallic quality. The Coloured Metallics This is the part of the range I wasn't expecting to love as much as I do. Sapphyre Blue, Celestial Violet, Amber Green, Ruby Red — these are coloured metallics that open up options most hobbyists haven't explored. Imagine a deep violet metallic cloak on a chaos sorcerer, or a green-tinged corroded bronze effect on an ancient relic. These paints make effects like that achievable without advanced techniques. The Ruby Red and Forged Red in particular are worth calling out. Getting reds to look metallic is notoriously tricky — they either go too orange under highlighting or lose their vibrancy. The TMM reds nail it, giving you that deep blood-metal look that works brilliantly on World Eaters, Khorne daemons, or any army with a red armour scheme. How Does it Compare to Citadel and AK Metallics? Citadel metallics are fine for tabletop standard but they've always felt a bit thick and gloopy to me. The particle size is larger and you often get uneven coverage if you're not careful. They're convenient and widely available but they're not where I go when I want a showpiece model. AK Interactive's metallic range is excellent — particularly for weathering effects and realistic military finishes. But for clean, rich fantasy and sci-fi metallics with strong colour variety, the Vallejo TMM range has the edge for me. The two complement each other well — I'll often use AK for weathering and base metal effects and then come in with Vallejo TMM for highlights and coloured metallic details. Who is This Range For? Honestly, any painter who wants their metallics to look better than they currently do. The range works for beginners because the paints are well-behaved straight from the dropper bottle — no thinning required for most applications. But it also rewards more experienced painters who want to do proper TMM blending and gradient work. If you paint Warhammer 40K, Age of Sigmar, fantasy models, or really anything with armour, weapons, or ornate details, there's something in this range for you. Where to Get It We stock the full Vallejo TMM range at Wandering Adventures — you can browse everything online at wanderingadventures.ca/collections/vallejo-true-metallic-metal or come into the store in Vaughan and I'm happy to talk you through which colours make sense for your project. If you're not sure where to start, Sterling Silver, Ancient Copper, and one of the coloured metallics like Sapphyre Blue or Ruby Red will give you a solid foundation to work from. Metallics are one of those things that are worth spending a little more on. The difference between a cheap metallic and a good one shows up immediately on the model — and the Vallejo TMM range is genuinely one of the best on the market right now.

Over the past little while we've had a lot of new painters walk through our doors at Wandering Adventures, which has been amazing to see. The hobby is growing and it's genuinely exciting to watch people pick up a brush for the first time. But one question comes up almost every single time — "which paints should I buy?" After answering that question more times than I can count, I figured it was time to write it all down. What follows is the same advice I give every new painter who comes into the store: an honest breakdown of the three main brands you'll encounter, based on 20 years of painting everything from grimdark sci-fi to fantasy warbands to detailed scenic bases. No fluff, just what I've actually learned from using all of them. Citadel: The Gateway Drug Most painters start with Citadel, and for good reason. Games Workshop has built an ecosystem around their paints that's hard to beat for beginners — every pot is named after something that sounds cool, the app tells you exactly which colours to use for your Space Marines, and the range is enormous. But after two decades, I've developed some strong opinions. The Contrast paints are genuinely brilliant. If you haven't tried them, they're a game changer for getting fast, striking results on models — one coat over a light primer and you've got shading and basecoat done simultaneously. I reach for them constantly, especially on infantry where I need to batch paint efficiently. The Shades (washes) are equally indispensable — Agrax Earthshade and Nuln Oil live permanently on my desk and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Where Citadel loses me is white. Their white paints have always been inconsistent — chalky, grainy, prone to clogging. I stopped buying them years ago and haven't looked back. If you need white, there are better options elsewhere. Vallejo: The Unsung Hero for Colours Vallejo doesn't get talked about as much as Citadel online, but serious painters know how good they are. The dropper bottles alone make them worth considering — no dried crusty rims, no accidentally knocking a pot over and watching $$/ paint spread across your desk. Where Vallejo truly shines is their greens. I don't know what they put in them but the greens in the Game Color and Model Color ranges are some of the most vibrant, well-pigmented colours I've ever used. Whether I'm painting forest bases, ork skin, or elvish robes, Vallejo green is almost always my starting point. The coverage is excellent and they layer beautifully without becoming muddy. Their flesh tones are also solid, and the Game Air range is fantastic if you work with an airbrush. The consistency across the range is reliable — you know what you're getting pot to pot, which matters when you're mid-project and need to restock. AK Interactive: My Personal Favourite I'll be upfront — AK Interactive is my go-to brand, and has been for a while now. What won me over initially was their approach to realistic, muted tones. Their neutral colours — the browns, the grays, the earthy tones — are simply unmatched for painting realistic textures. Whether I'm painting weathered armour, muddy boots, rocky bases, or aged wood, AK's neutrals give results that just look right in a way that brighter hobby ranges sometimes don't. The brown and gray ranges in particular are incredibly well thought out. There are warm browns, cool browns, desaturated mid-tones that work perfectly as zenithal highlights — the kind of nuance that makes a model look like it actually exists in a physical world rather than a cartoon. But the thing that genuinely surprised me was their red gradient range. Getting smooth, rich reds has always been one of the harder things in miniature painting — they're notoriously hard to highlight without going chalky or orange. AK's reds have a depth and richness that I haven't found anywhere else, and the gradient range makes smooth blending far more approachable. Whether it's blood angels armour, daemon skin, or a dramatic cloak, I reach for AK reds every single time now. The 3rd Generation acrylics also have excellent flow straight out of the bottle, which means less fiddling with medium and more actual painting. So Which Should You Buy? Honestly? All three — but strategically. Here's how I think about it: Citadel for Contrast paints, Shades, and technical paints. Their ecosystem is unbeatable for those specific products. Avoid the whites. Vallejo when you need rich, consistent colours — especially greens and flesh tones. Great all-rounder for traditional layering. AK Interactive for realistic neutrals, browns, grays, and the best reds in the hobby. If you paint gritty, realistic, or heavily weathered models, AK should be your primary range. After 20 years the honest answer is that no single brand does everything perfectly. The painters I respect most all mix and match — and so do I. But if I had to pick one brand to keep if the others disappeared tomorrow, it would be AK Interactive without hesitation. All three brands are available at Wandering Adventures in Vaughan — come in and ask us anything, we're always happy to talk paint.

Hi everyone, just wanted to show off some of what I've been working on recently.With our Star Wars: Legion learn to play and tournament around the corner, I have been madly dashing through completing some squads and commanders to use.First we have Anakin and friends. These were given to me second hand, built and sort of primed. I'm pretty happy with the way they came out, considering I didn't get to work on them right from the start. The Sabre Tank was probably the hardest to work on. I primed it white, then pinwashed a ton of black. The problem was I wasn't using a thin enough brush for the pinwashing, and made a lot of smudges. So when I had to go back and fix them you can see a different tone of white.  Luke was fun because I like working on solo models, and flesh tones are always a treat. I have to figure out my formula for lightsabers though, as this one is a 5/10 for me. I really rushed through the Stormtroopers but I think they came out ok. Prime white, pin wash black, Black Legion contrast on weapons and some belts. Second coat of pinwash for under armors. Minor white cleanup.  Lastly were the wookies, which were a joy to work on. Contrast the fur, add some extra tones and drybrush a bit. Thinned out Black Legion for the belts, Snakebite Leather for the satchels, and quick-gen metallics. Fast and effective. Now lets see if I can finish some Rebels in 4 days...