There are dozens of companies making paints for your Warhammer. Whether you like to stick to your official Games Workshop Citadels or a celebrity-endorsed range like Duncan Rhodes’ Two Thin Coats, go into any decent hobby store and you’ll find yourself bombarded with choice. And most of the brands have their merits.
Veteran painters will tell you exactly which colour to buy from which company. AK Interactive makes my favourite yellow – Deep Yellow. I use Tamiya’s Flat White for my whites, but that’s alcohol-based rather than water-based, so it’s not for beginners or those who care about their paint stations having a whiff to them. If that sounds like you, I’d ordinarily point you towards Vallejo. But nobody’s buying Vallejo paints right now.
The Vallejo Paints Boycott And Strike
98 percent of Vallejo workers are striking right now. In a statement released by CGT Catalunya, the union representing the workers, they are demanding three things.
This translation comes from the union’s DMs sent to YouTuber Hellstorm Wargaming, which he published
on his channel
.
“A 15 percent salary increase. Right now, we are earning almost the legal minimum wage in Spain [around $1,200 a month], while the company continues to make more and more revenue and increase profits. The gap between the workers’ wages and the executives’ wages is growing larger.
“Improvement of safety conditions. Currently, there are areas of the factory that are in a deplorable state. Some parts of the ceiling have fallen, luckily without injuring anyone. There are outdated machines with no maintenance. To give you an idea, some machines had to be repaired by putting in brackets to keep them together.
“Creation of a protocol against workplace harassment. There are executives in the company who are professionals in workplace harassment, and have dedicated themselves to harassing and making workers’ lives impossible. This cannot be allowed under any circumstances.”
The representative also told Hellstorm Wargaming that the community at large could help by spreading awareness; organising events or solidarity actions; putting up posters in your LGS; contributing to the workers’ resistance fund, which will help pay the workers’ salaries while they’re on strike; or by boycotting Vallejo products until the strike is over.
Do Boycotts Work?
Boycotts are not always the right answer. Sometimes, striking workers want consumers to place more orders while they’re striking, to add stress on the factories and show how vital they are. But Vallejo has explicitly asked for a boycott, and boycott I shall.
However, it’s important to remember to stop boycotting when asked. If you just ignore Vallejo going forward, even after the workers have reached a deal and stopped striking, then it doesn’t help them at all. Go back to buying your Vallejo paints after the strike is over, as that will also support the workers.
Perhaps the executives at Vallejo don’t understand that, as a creative community, we Warhammer painters tend to lean towards supporting workers, giving credit, and wanting everyone to work safely and be compensated fairly. And, anecdotally at least, the boycott seems to be spreading.
Multiple high-profile YouTubers have now covered the strikes, including both the Paint Bravely and Juggz podcasts, the latter of which is run by three ex-Games Workshop workers and is a must-watch to see Chris ‘Peachy’ Peach, Louise Sugden of Rogue Hobbies, and Rob ‘The Honest Wargamer’ Symes discuss the strikes in relation to alleged union busting during their time at Games Workshop.
In my LGS, too, it seems people are avoiding Vallejo. Again, this is just anecdotal evidence, but it’s heartening. There are plenty of paint companies out there, and of course nobody is stopping you from using the Vallejo paints you currently own. But if you want to join the legions boycotting Vallejo to show your support for the striking workers, then maybe look elsewhere for your acrylics.
Next
TheGamer’s Warhammer Model Of The Year
Games Workshop has put out some impressive kits in 2024, but which is best?