If we're talking pigments, I must chime in with the cheap, er, ah, frugal alternative, too, and that's to get yourself a set of artist's pastel chalks. Again, you can mix your own blends. Mig's pigments are just that, chalk pastels ground up, with some additional bonding agents.
I bought a set of artist's chalks a couple of years ago, a set of earth tones, from a brownish yellow through siena, browns and ending with a stick of black, it set me back about $10. I use my hobby knife to scrape from the chalk stick into a well on my palette or into a jar, and then apply them with a brush, for things like engine exhaust or blast staining, on an aircraft model. Here is an example on a 1/72 Italian fighter:
I used chalks for the engine exhaust along the wing root.
Or I'll add a drop or two of water, thinned white glue, or dishwashing liquid and mix a sludge, and apply this to replicate mud on a vehicle. I can also blend colors to make others, and I also use ground blackboard chalk for white. I don't have a photo of that, though, unfortunately.
Hope that helps show what's available to you, prosit!
Brad
