Army Painter’s new miniature paints are here to give James Workshop a run for his money

For just about as long as I can remember, products from The Army Painter have been judged a bit hit-or-miss by those in the painting community. Some colors were just okay, while others were best avoided entirely. All that’s changed over the past few years, however. Now, the Denmark-based company is a competitor in the space once again. Both of its two new lines of paint give industry leader Games Workshop a run for its money, and the newest is available to the public this week for the very first time.

The Army Painter’s fortunes began to turn in 2022 when it launched its line of Speedpaint, specially thinned formulations designed to compete with Games Workshop’s revolutionary line of Citadel Contrast paints. While the initial line had technical issues, the redesigned Speedpaint 2.0 out now works consistently and well. It provides one-coat base coloring and highlights when applied with a brush, making it a viable alternative to Games Workshop’s Contrast. It also works well through an airbrush, where its especially thin consistency is excellent for creating subtle tones and shading.

The big surprise, however, are the Speedpaint 2.0 metallic paints — something Games Workshop can’t compete with.

I’ve been playing around with them on and off for a month now, and I’m floored by how much coverage they provide out of the bottle. With Games Workshop metallics, I’m used to having to apply two, sometimes even three thin, patchy coats to get the kind of opacity that I’m looking for. With Speedpaint 2.0 it’s pretty much one-and-done.

The Army Painter Speedpaint 2.0 Metallics Set

• $43

Prices taken at time of publishing.

• $43 at Amazon
• $55 at The Army Painter

When you’re working with models that have as much bling as the Dark Angels above, it’s a real time-saver. But you need to be aware of how the color and the finish of your undercoat will impact the final result. I found Speedpaint 2.0 Golden Armor, when applied over Citadel Caliban Green, to have a rich, glossy sheen. But when I applied it over the top of Vallego Game Color Heavy Charcoal — a notoriously matte paint commonly used for creating shadows and outlines under details — it dulled the finish considerably. For more on how undercoats will impact your models, check out competition painter Vince Venturella’s deep dive on YouTube.

Meanwhile, Monday April 22 is the street date for The Army Painter’s all-new line of standard acryllic paints called Warpaints Fanatic. That means you’ll find them for sale at your local hobby shop for the first time, while inventories available online at places like Amazon can finally begin shipping.

While I’ve not had a chance to work with these new Fanatic paints yet myself, the early feedback from painting YouTubers has been extremely positive. Check out the preview from Goobertown Hobbies, where miniature painter (and Ph.D. chemist) Brent Amberger paints a handful of models with the new starter set.

The Army Painter’s Warpaints Fanatic sets run the gamut from the monstrous, limited edition Complete Set that goes for $759 on its website ($695 on Amazon), to a diminutive Starter Set for about $40. The sweet spot, however, is something like the Mega Set that offers 50 paints for $199.99 ($180 on Amazon).

For more on painting miniatures, check out Polygon’s complete guide.

The Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Starter Set

• $40

Prices taken at time of publishing.

• $40 at Amazon
• $40 at The Army Painter