Premium Color is the Vallejo line for effect finishes, where the aim is the impression rather than a documented shade. The category holds fluorescent colours from yellow through to magenta, a phosphorescent paint, gold and silver metallics, black, and a gloss clear in a 200 ml bottle.
Luminous pigments behave unlike ordinary acrylic in two respects: they are semi-transparent, so the base decides how bright they read, and they are soft, so they need protecting afterwards. The paragraphs below deal with both, along with where a 200 ml bottle actually makes sense.
At its core are fluorescent shades, which glow more strongly under daylight and UV than ordinary pigment can, and a phosphorescent paint that holds an afterglow once it has been charged with light. Around them sit gold, silver, a pure black and a gloss clear in two hundred millilitres.
The line therefore turns up on custom finishes, backlit models, sci-fi and gaming subjects, and pieces where the paint itself is meant to draw the eye. A historical build will not run on this palette, since luminous pigments have no equivalent in real finishes, but as an accent on lettering, warning markings and light effects it has a place there too.
Fluorescent pigment is semi-transparent. Over grey or black it goes dull; over white it lights up. Always start with a white base from surfacers and primers and lay the colour over it in two or three thin coats.
Across a surface the result is unambiguously smoother through an airbrush, because luminous shades do not cover and every brush stroke shows. On small details and edges a brush works, provided you apply in sections and let each coat flash off.
Luminous pigments are soft and take less handling than ordinary ones, so seal them once dry. The gloss clear in this range also gives a phosphorescent surface depth, which keeps it from looking dusty.
For the maker's full catalogue, classic matt lines included, see Vallejo model paints.
