Are you running out of space for storing your hobby paints? As your hobby needs expands, so does your paint collection. At some point, if you’re like me, you’ll have bottles from every maker, e.g., Vallejo, Army Painter, Citadel, and more. Most modular hobby paint racks sit on your painting desk. But, that’s precious real estate! Your desk space is limited and should be devoted to the task at hand–painting. What to do? Have you considered a wall mounted paint rack?
In this article, I review two Plydolex wall mounted paint racks (that also work on your desktop, too): a Citadel Paint Rack Organizer and a Vallejo Paint Rack Organizer. These paint storage solutions are versatile, helping you to organize your model paints, hobby tools, and are a great option for saving space on your painting desk.
If you have dropper bottles, such as those from Vallejo, Army Painter, or GW Citadel, check out exactly what I thought about these hobby paint storage racks below. To see other featured Plydolex shelves and organizers, check out the Plydolex home page.
READ MORE: POPULAR PAINT STORAGE RACKS FOR MINIATURE PAINTERS
Disclaimer: Plydolex sent me these two wood racks for testing and usage, but they provided no limits on how I may test them and utilize them. Here are my thoughts about these paint storage racks for hobbyists and miniature painters, including the pros and cons, and whether I believe they are worth the money compared with other miniature paint rack options.
What Should You Look for When Shopping for a Paint Rack?
There are a number of compelling reasons to keep your hobby materials and paints organized. Here are four things to consider when purchasing a hobby paint organizer rack:
- Good paint storage capacity is a must-have for any painting enthusiast. The best paint organizers have enough of a space to store the items you collect. To discover if your favorite brand(s) will fit in a particular storage rack, take a look at this paint dimension chart .
- How much space you have helps determine your ideal kind of paint rack system you need. How much paint do you want to store? Some paint storage containers need a lot of flat surface area. The wall mounted storage rack option is great for those of you who have limited hobby space. Sure, you can get fancy Displate posters to hang on your walls. Or, you could get a storage unit that hangs up vertically on those large vertical surfaces, e.g., your hobby room walls. If you have a shelf as part of your hobby desk or a separate storage unit that works, too.
- A modular paint rack design is versatile and flexible. Modular storage and display solutions are popular among hobbyists. They’re meant to fit together and expand as your needs change, similar to Legos. For me, the simplicity and potential for expanding my hobby into other technical areas is an appealing feature of modular paint racks. I can organize and find whatever I need, e.g., model paint or tools, even if I don’t need them frequently.
- Price. The most inexpensive and prevalent paint display racks are constructed of laser cut MDF (e.g., medium density fiber board). The most costly storage solutions are either branded by a well-known business or feature moving parts, such as rotating or spinning racks. Plydolex is a budget-friendly solution in the middle ground. The modular system they have in their product line have a high-quality feel, and well constructed.
Key Impressions About Plydolex Hobby Paint Storage Racks
- These shelves are made of plywood, which has advantages over medium fiber density (MDF), such as durability and excellent build tolerance.
- Extremely accurate corner, edge, and panel construction.
- As with other hobby paint rack units, the Plydolex paint racks require assembly.
- Glue is recommended for durability, but I found the shelves hold together well without any adhesive.
- Hanging these racks on your walls will give you more dedicated space for painting miniatures on your hobby desk.
- The two Plydolex racks have paint holder designs for a wide variety of hobby paint brands, including Games Workshop, Army Painter, and even popular craft paints, e.g., Folk Art, Apple Barrel.
- If you already have a paint station for storing paints, brushes, and tools, these Plydolex paint racks are a great choice for making room for other things on your desk.
- Plydolex hobby paint storage racks allow you to customize the perfect setup for your specific hobby desk space.
Continue reading to discover more information about my thoughts on these hobby paint rack shelves.
First Impression (Unboxing the Plydolex Paint Rack)
Both the shelf and its supporting panels were neatly packaged (unassembled) into flat boxes. The laser-cut wooden components were carefully stacked and wrapped using cardboard sheets and paper backings. I had no trouble locating the instructions for assembly as soon on as I lifted the cover.
Based on prior experience with assembling laser-cut parts for various hobby projects, including other storage paint rack units from Gamecraft Miniature Paint Rack systems or Amazon Basics Craft Paint & Brush Organizer Rack, I did expect some work to make parts fit during assembly. A closer look showed me that this was not the case.
I will note that as with other Plydolex modular shelves for storing paint, the build tolerances are tight. I was careful during assembly to avoid using too much force getting parts to sit together. In the paint rack boxes, Plydolex includes extra connector pieces in case you need spares. I didn’t need them, but it was a thoughtful touch!
The instructions do suggest using glue for a stronger build for these shelves, but I don’t think you need any. Depending on how many or how large your paint bottles you put in the storage rack, you may want to secure the parts with an adhesive for a more stable rack (especially if you hang it on a wall).
Quick Assembly Overview
I was able to assemble each hobby paint rack in less than 10 minutes. There weren’t that many parts. Each shelf had pre-cut hole panels that inserted easily into the angled side “frames”. Using the connectors, I was able to quickly slot the panels and secure them without any trouble.
Each panel has perfectly cut holes for storing paint bottles, pots, and other supplies.
I didn’t need to refer to the instructions often, as the parts fit together using an intuitive system. Not very complicated at all!
How Do the Plydolex Paint Rack Wall Units Look and Feel?
You can see in the photos how the shelves look after I assembled them. They are solid, functional, and have a minimalistic appearance on my hobby table.
Both paint racks appear similar, but have different sized holes for different paint bottles and pots, e.g., Citadel paints, Army Painter or Vallejo dropper bottles, and even oddly shaped paint tubes (see below).
The bottom of each rack has a storage space for paint brushes and other tools you want to store off your table. I’ve always preferred shelves that have storage capacity for tools and various other things, which keep your table free from clutter.
When you mount the paint racks on a wall using the holes on the back of each shelf, you can immediately see how they can save you space.
Comparison with Other Model Paint Storage and Paint Rack Displays
If you compare this paint rack to other modular storage systems, you’ll find a few reasons why the Plydolex works better in many ways, but limited in others. For example, these wooden paint racks have panels that are thinner than laser cut MDF, but give you a lighter build overall.
This allows you to move your hobby paints around in the rack pretty easily. You can also hang the rack on a wall without using thick nails or other robust hanger system. A simple wood nail or drywall screw will hold this paint rack securely on your wall.
For portable workstations for miniature painting, check out some of these travel- and storage-ready paint stations.
You can certainly use these paint racks with your available desk space along with the other modular units from the Plydolex product line (or whatever system you’re using to store your brush and paint supplies).
How Much Paint Will the Plydolex Racks Hold?
Here’s a useful table of paint bottle and pot dimensions. Use this data to see whether your favorite paints will fit any hobby paint rack.
| Model Paint Brand | Diameter | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Army Painter/Vallejo/Master Reaper Series/Scalecolor | 0.75″ (20mm) | 3″ (77mm) |
| Citadel (Games Workshop) – 12ml | 1.25“ (32mm) | 1.75″ (45mm) |
| Citadel (Games Workshop) – 24ml | 1.25″ (32mm) | 2.4″ (61mm) |
| P3 (Privateer Press) | 1.2″ (30mm) | 2″ (50mm) |
| Testors Enamel Paint | 0.94″ (24mm) | 1.9″ (48mm) |
| Minitaire (Badger) | 1.2″ (32mm) | 3.2″ (80mm) |
| Vallejo wash or pigment bottles (35ml) | 1.5″ (35mm) | 2.75″ (70mm) |
| Vallejo surface primer bottles (200ml) | 1.9″ (50mm) | 5.75″ (14.5mm) |
| Vallejo surface primer (60ml) | 1.5″ (35mm) | 3.8″ (97mm) |
| Kimera color paints (*not round bottles) | *1.6″ (40mm) | 3.75″ (95mm) |
The dimensions listed here are only estimates. You may want a larger or smaller paints organizer that has more space than the actual paint bottle size (to avoid a cramped fits). If you’re searching for a Citadel paint rack, for example, you might use the specifications of 12ml or 14ml Citadel paint pots to find one that fits.
Modular Citadel Paint Rack Storage Capacity
The Plydolex Citadel paint rack has 60 holes that will store larger paint bottles or pots, including those that hold Citadel paint pots, Folkart or Apple Barrel paint bottles, and even larger Vallejo pigments or Tamiya paint bottles.
The angular tilt of the shelves make it easy to see the labels and color of each bottle. This makes it easy to find the paint you need. As mentioned above, there is a room for storing tools below your paints on the rack.
Modular Vallejo Paint Rack Storage Capacity
The Plydolex Vallejo paint rack has 72 holes that will store your 17ml dropper style paint bottles, including those from Vallejo, Army Painter, and AK Interactive.
The shelf unit is the same overall size as the Citadel rack above, except that the holes are smaller which allow you to store more paint.
Dropper bottles are often harder to find on your desk, because they have caps without color on them. This shelving system angles the bottles so you can see them more easily and find what you need when you’re painting.
A cool feature of these Plydolex paint racks, especially the dropper bottle sized rack, is that it can hold paint tubes. Though I’ve found a few great options for paint tube storage and organization, e.g., for oil paints or acrylic, there aren’t many.
Other Wall Mounted Paint Storage Options
Nail polish racks are also wall mounted and are another good paint storage option. However, unlike display organizers for model hobby paints, nail polish bottles are heavier, usually made of glass, and require stronger racks and shelves. They are also usually displayed for commercial use (in a store or salon), and you may find acrylic display racks are much more expensive.
I’ve found that these kinds of shelves can weigh a lot so you will need strong nails or screws and anchors to hang them up. I’ve got a two of these nail polish racks in my room, which I simply prop against a chair or table. The drywall in my workspace room isn’t strong enough to hang a fully loaded acrylic nail polish wall rack.
Final Recommendation for the Plydolex Wall Mounted Paint Rack Unit(s)
The Plydolex is a high-quality paint organizer and rack that can sit on your desk or table, or that you can mount on your wall. The paint racks, have excellent build quality, functionality, and versatility. They easily fit within my top 10 paint rack choices for hobbyists who don’t want to spend a lot of money, but want a durable system for organizing paints and tools.
Overall, I would strongly recommend these Plydolex Wall Mounted Paint Racks for anybody looking for a practical paint storage solution that can be expand with your miniature painting hobby.
Other Top 3 Editor’s Paint Rack Favorites 🏆
- Hex Hive Craft Paint Storage Organizer Rack (Modular)
- Rotating Essential Oil Display Stand Spinning Rack (Compact)
- Wooden Rotating Essential Oil Rack (Huge capacity)
Final Word
If you already have a modest collection of model paints and enjoy painting miniatures, I’m sure you’ll run out of storage space soon!
| Image | Product | Price |
|---|---|---|
 |
Vallejo Modular Wall Mount Paint Rack | Check Price |
 |
Citadel Modular Wall Mount Paint Rack | Check Price |
The Plydolex rack system is one of the most flexible modular paint storage and organization solutions available. If you’re just getting started with miniature painting or want to upgrade your desk setup, these racks are future-proof—they’ll expand (or shrink) as your needs change.
I hope you found this review helpful! Are you looking for a shelving system that adapts with your needs? How do you stay organized with your hobby painting supplies? Let me know with a comment.
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