App Review: Model Colors

By Richard Steer

Many wargamers that I know keep a recipe book, a notebook that is used to record which paints have been used for a particular project. This record is invaluable should the project be put on hold for a time, or ends up being extended at a later date due to new releases, as it avoids the question of “what on earth did I paint those with?”

Model Colors is a free iOS application that I have started using in place of my own recipe book. At its core is a paint library holding over 24,000 products from a wide range of manufacturers, which includes other types of products such as inks, pigments, and thinners. It also has a number of features that mean it can serve as more than just a catalog of the paints that you own.

The starting point for using the app is to create a “Stash” of your paints, which the app stores in your iCloud Drive, by searching by product code or name, or alternatively by scanning the product’s barcode. You use the same method to drive a “Shopping List” of products that you want to acquire. I find the shopping list particularly helpful for preventing purchasing mishaps, such as the two bottles of Vallejo US Dark Green that I own: a color that I have never used for anything.

The key function of the application for me is the “Models” section, as this has become my digital recipe book. I use it by creating one “model” for each project. Once you have created the model, you allocate colors to it, add text notes, attach photos and reference documents, and specify the details of any custom paint mixes that you use. All of this helps keep a detailed record of the process you went through to paint and base the figures.

The only negative aspect that I have found is that the application requires a data connection when starting up. This prevents it from being used offline, occasionally causing problems for me at our local hobby shop, which for some reason is a black hole for cellular data.

Model Colors is a great little application, without ads or “premium features” (although there is a voluntary subscription if you wish to support its upkeep), and I absolutely recommend checking it out if you have an iOS device.

The author has no association with the app or its developer.