In a way, you could call me a pot-head

I have played Warhammer...-esque games for something uptowards ten years now and I have been painting scale miniatures (my fondest memory being getting my hands on an Airfix 1:72 scale Messerschmidt Me 262 Schwalbe at age 10) for many years more. I still have my first Spitfires and Me 109s lying around somewhere.
This means I have a very particular relationship with the paints involved in creating these little pieces of art. Strangely enough, I consider the glue more as a tool than helpful friends, as in the case with my paint pots and brushes.



So, when the Foundation Paints arrived, I was first a bit apprehensive, as I was used to my Citadel Colours, some of the pots so old I have colours that aren't around any more. Anyone else that recalls Elf Grey? Didn't think so. I am one of these hopeless people who remember the Citadel Glazes with certain fondness. I never had any, as I could barely afford getting the basic colours I needed back then, but I remember them, more than well enough.
Anyway, I got around to know the Foundation Set a little bit better, and I like them a lot. Smooth results with good coverage. Good job there, Citadel (Am I the only one to find it slightly strange that they have a name that is not only a freakishly large medieval castle, but also the name of a HUMONGOUS Wehrmacht tank operation? Apparently, yes, and I need to up my medication.)

So, as I got back into the swing of following what was going on the Games Workshop world, after a year or so dry spell, trying to get into Confrontation (it worked, but the minis take time to paint...) I was smashed over by the hype of the new Citadel Washes, that essentially would replace the old Citadel Ink series.

First, let me just say, that they live up to the hype. Ok, that out of the way, let's get down to my various reactions to this.

*"Thank goodness to that!" -This was due to my increasing exasperation at inks re-wetting themselves when in contact with, say, water and brush-on varnish? As I varnish my display pieces by hand, and not spray-can, this was most annoying, especially considering the properties of my High Elves heroes metallic shade was a Blue/Black Ink mix with water. The inks have been good, but the re-wetting ability of theirs is one that made me use very unlady-like language on more than one occasion.

*"Hang on a minute? Wasn't Citadel Washes discontinued years ago?" -A reaction that stemmed from me recognising the SMELL of the washes as I opened the pots (Oh, yes, I went there!). I remember reading somewhere (My zoology book, actually) that the memories that remain most strongly with us are those linked to sensations of smell. There is probably a perfectly plausible reason for that (shit smells bad, as does rotten food, whilst highly edible things smell good. Strange, eh?), but I wouldn't say there is for me remembering what my old pot of Flesh Wash smelled like seven years ago! Unless I had shoved my nose into that stuff already then. And I am not talking about the ink-line of Flesh Wash, I am talking about the kind that came in those high hexagonal pots with a blue pop-up lid, the one that formed a flesh coloured residue in the bottom if left to stand too long. Yeah, those pots! I told you, I am old at this...
Anyway, seems GW realised they should bring the washes back, better than ever before.

*"What is this? Three (3) different browns?" -I will avoid a Godwin's Law invoking joke on behalf of GW here, but it is true; they have techincally indcluded three different kinds of brown washes in the set of 8. They are: Devlan Mud (VERY dark brown), Ogryn Flesh (An updated Flesh Wash, with cooler name) and Gryphonne Sephia (Light, sandy brown). Now, I have mentioned this current trend in war games before and I will mention it again:
What is it with the colour palette trying to be "realistic", but only giving us a choice between gunmetal grey and dogshit brown? There is colour in the world. Amazing colour. Just look outdoors for a short moment! I am a biologist, I know the world as an explosion of colour!
True, when humans go to war, the world around tends to loose some of that wonderful colour to being covered in gun-powder residue or just plain fucking blown-up, but it isn't merit to the total lack of colour you see in many war games of today, especially the FPS genre.
All these rampant variations on BROWN gives me the feeling that I am sitting painting participants at a Nuremburg Party Rally!

No, wait... OH SHI--