Vallejo Paint Stand and iModelkit Review

Ok, we're now in the beginning of a new year and it is the time for renewal, commitment, and organization. So I have taken that to heart with one product that I have found online and one that we now carry on the website.

The first product is a great new paint organizer from Vallejo. The organizer comes in two different modules, the Vallejo Front Module Paint Stand straight organizer holds 60 paint bottles (45 17ml and 15 larger size) and brushes. The other module is the Vallejo CornerModule Paint Stand which will hold 44 bottles (27 17ml bottles and 17 larger bottles) plus brushes. The modules can be configured in a U shape by using the corner pieces at each end and the straight module in the center. The modules are made of thin but sturdy pre-cut plywood that easily assemble with CA glue.

With two corners and one straight you have enough space for almost the entire Vallejo 17ml line of Model Paints. You also have enough room for the Vallejo primer and wash bottles and assorted brushes. These modules have gone a long way in helping organize the mess that was(and to a lesser degree still is) my paint desk. I have used two corners and two straight modules. The paints above the Vallejo modules are using a expandable spice rack on top of some "Made for TV" racks. Of course additional modules can be added for over the top organization! Available at last cavalry.com.

The second product is a useful tool if you like looking at your phone. I have a Apple iPhone and found this at the App Store. It is iModelkit and is primarily a paint line reference. It comes in a free version with ads or a paid version for a very nominal fee. A nice feature of this app is the ability to communicate with the developers regarding ideas to improve the app. The app includes samples of most of the major, and some smaller paint lines including, Tamiya, Vallejo, Humbrol, Model Master, etc. Also included is a Federal Standards 595c chart. I must say that all the colors are subject to some interpretation due to the website samples used, but they appear to be a good representation.

There is also a very cool paint mixer section. Any paint mix you create is able to be saved for further reference. A great way to organize and keep those special secret mixes. One caution - you can mix different brands of paint but there is no safety check regarding different types of paint. Be careful if you mix brands to mix only acrylic brands with another acrylic brand, and so on. Another feature is a scale computation area. There is the ability to define different types of shapes and measurement units. Again you are able to save your information. Finally there is a section to keep the saved color mixes and scale information. Updates are planned, but no timetable is available. Check this app out! It is availble for Apple products, not sure about Android.

There you are with the first steps toward a new and organized 2016.