Best Paints for Warhammer — Complete Comparison Guide

Weathering and Battle Damage

Once your base paintwork is complete, adding weathering effects brings your models to life with a sense of battlefield realism that elevates them beyond a clean tabletop standard. Weathering tells a story — every scratch, scorch mark, and rust streak suggests a history of brutal combat across the grimdark battlefields of the 41st millennium.

Start with sponge weathering using a torn piece of blister pack foam. Dab a small amount of dark brown or black paint onto the sponge, remove most of it on a paper towel, then lightly press it against edges, corners, and raised surfaces where paint would naturally chip. Focus on areas that would see the most wear: knee pads, shoulder pad edges, weapon housings, and the leading edges of armour plates. For a more refined look, go back with a fine brush and add small scratches using a light silver or metallic colour inside the larger chips, simulating exposed metal beneath the paint.

Mud and dust effects work wonderfully on legs and lower hull sections. Mix a brown wash with a touch of texture paint and stipple it around feet, tracks, and lower armour panels. Rust streaks can be painted vertically downward from rivets and bolt holes using thinned orange-brown paint, creating the appearance of rainwater carrying oxidised metal particles down the surface. Finish with a matte varnish to unify the weathering effects and protect your work during gaming sessions.

Speed Painting Alternative

Not every model needs hours of painstaking layering. Speed painting techniques using Citadel Contrast paints, Army Painter Speed Paints, or similar one-coat systems can produce impressive results in a fraction of the time, making them ideal for batch painting large squads or getting an army table-ready for an upcoming tournament.

The key to successful speed painting starts with your undercoat. A zenithal prime — spraying black from below and white from above — creates natural shadow and highlight gradients that Contrast paints will follow beautifully. Apply the Contrast paint in a single, confident coat over the zenithal prime, letting the translucent formula do the heavy lifting. The paint naturally pools in recesses and thins on raised surfaces, creating instant depth and definition without any manual shading.

For batch efficiency, work in assembly-line fashion: complete one colour across all models before moving to the next. A squad of ten can be speed-painted to a solid tabletop standard in two to three hours this way. Pick out key details like lenses, weapon casings, and insignia with regular paints for contrast, then apply a quick drybrush highlight to add extra definition. The result is a cohesive, battle-ready force that looks great on the table and holds up well at normal viewing distances.

Display Painting Tips

For painters looking to push their skills beyond tabletop standard, display painting techniques offer the opportunity to create true miniature works of art. These methods require patience and practice but produce stunning results that stand out in competitions and showcases alike.

Edge highlighting is the foundation of display-quality painting. Use the side of a fine-pointed brush rather than the tip, drawing it along armour edges to create clean, consistent lines. Build up highlights in two to three stages, using progressively lighter colours and applying each layer to a smaller area. The final highlight — often a near-white mix — should touch only the sharpest corners and most prominent edges, creating the illusion of light catching polished surfaces.

Non-metallic metal (NMM) painting replaces actual metallic paints with carefully blended regular colours to simulate reflective surfaces. This technique uses stark transitions between dark shadows and bright highlights, placed according to how light would interact with the surface. Wet blending — applying two colours side by side on the model while still wet and blending them together on the surface — creates the smooth, seamless gradients essential for convincing NMM effects. Practice on spare models or test pieces before committing to your display miniature, and reference photographs of real metal objects to understand how reflections behave on different shapes.

Community Showcase

The Warhammer painting community is one of the most welcoming and inspiring creative spaces in the hobby. Platforms like Reddit’s r/minipainting and r/Warhammer40k, Instagram’s thriving minipainting hashtags, and dedicated Discord servers provide endless inspiration and constructive feedback for painters at every skill level. Sharing your own work — even early attempts — is a fantastic way to track your progress, connect with fellow hobbyists, and discover new techniques. Many local gaming stores also host painting competitions and hobby nights where you can learn directly from experienced painters in your area.

Choosing the right paints for your Warhammer miniatures is one of the most important decisions you will make as a hobbyist. The paint brand you select affects colour coverage, consistency, drying time, colour range, and ultimately how your finished models look. With so many options on the market — from the official Citadel range to popular alternatives like Vallejo, Army Painter, ProAcryl, and AK Interactive — it can be overwhelming to know where to start. This comprehensive comparison guide breaks down every major paint brand, compares them head to head, and helps you find the best paints for your needs and budget.

Understanding Paint Types

Before we compare brands, it is important to understand the different types of paint used in miniature painting. Each type serves a specific purpose in the painting process:

• Base paints: High-pigment, opaque paints designed for solid coverage over primer. These are your workhorse paints for laying down core colours.
• Layer paints: Slightly thinner and more translucent paints designed for building up highlights and smooth transitions over base colours.
• Shade / Wash paints: Very thin, highly fluid paints that flow into recesses to create instant shadows and definition. Essential for any painter.
• Contrast / Speed paints: One-coat paints that combine basecoat, shade, and highlight effects in a single application over a light primer.
• Metallic paints: Paints containing metallic particles to simulate metal surfaces like silver, gold, bronze, and copper.
• Technical paints: Specialty paints for specific effects — texture paints for basing, blood effects, rust effects, gloss finishes, and more.
• Dry paints: Thick, low-moisture paints specifically formulated for drybrushing. They come out of the pot already at the right consistency for the technique.

Citadel Paints (Games Workshop)

Overview

Citadel is the official Games Workshop paint range and is by far the most widely used brand in the Warhammer community. The range is designed specifically for Warhammer miniatures, with colours that match exactly to the painting guides in Codexes and Battletomes. The range includes over 300 individual paints across all categories.

Pros

• Massive colour range with paints designed specifically for Warhammer models
• Excellent shade paints — Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade are industry standards
• Contrast Paints are innovative and extremely useful for speed painting
• Comprehensive tutorial support — every GW painting guide references Citadel paints by name
• Widely available in Games Workshop stores, independent retailers, and online
• Technical paint range is outstanding (texture paints, blood effects, rust, etc.)
• Dry paints are uniquely convenient for drybrushing

Cons

• Most expensive option per ml of paint
• The flip-top pot design is controversial — prone to drying out if not closed properly, harder to use with a wet palette
• Some colours have inconsistent coverage (looking at you, yellow and white base paints)
• Cannot be easily used in an airbrush without significant thinning

Price Range

Individual pots: approximately £3.50-£5.50 per pot (12ml for base/layer, 18ml for shades, 24ml for technical). Starter sets like the Citadel Essentials Set offer reasonable value.

Best For

Beginners who want paints that match official painting guides exactly, painters who value the Contrast Paint range, and anyone who shops primarily at Games Workshop stores.

Vallejo Paints

Overview

Vallejo is a Spanish paint company that produces several ranges suitable for miniature painting. The two most relevant ranges are Vallejo Model Color (designed for scale models and miniatures) and Vallejo Game Color (designed to match and replace Citadel colours). They also produce Vallejo Metal Color (exceptional metallics) and Vallejo Mecha Color (for airbrushing).

Pros

• Excellent dropper bottle design — easy to control paint amounts, great for wet palettes
• More paint per bottle (17ml vs Citadel’s 12ml) at a lower price
• Very smooth consistency that thins beautifully with water
• Vallejo Metal Color metallics are widely considered the best on the market
• Huge colour range across multiple lines
• Excellent for airbrushing with minimal thinning
• Bottles seal well and paints last a long time

Cons

• Game Color range can be inconsistent — some colours are excellent, others have poor coverage
• No direct equivalent to Citadel’s Contrast Paints (though Vallejo Xpress Color has been released)
• Washes are good but not quite as effective as Citadel shades
• Not stocked in Games Workshop stores
• Colour names do not match GW painting guides, requiring conversion charts

Price Range

Individual bottles: approximately £2.50-£3.50 per bottle (17ml). Significantly better value than Citadel.

Best For

Painters who want good quality at a better price point, airbrush users, and experienced painters comfortable with not following Citadel paint guides directly.

The Army Painter

Overview

The Army Painter is a Danish company that focuses on making miniature painting accessible and affordable. Their Warpaints range covers all the basic paint types, and they also produce the popular Speedpaint range (their answer to Citadel Contrast Paints). They are particularly well known for their coloured primer sprays and painting accessories.

Pros

• Most affordable option among major brands
• Speedpaint 2.0 range is excellent and arguably better than Contrast Paints for some applications
• Wide range of coloured spray primers that match their paint colours
• Dropper bottle format
• Good starter sets at budget-friendly prices
• Warpaints Fanatic line (newest range) significantly improved quality

Cons

• Older Warpaints range had inconsistent quality (though Fanatic has addressed this)
• Metallic paints are merely adequate compared to Vallejo or Citadel
• Washes can be a bit glossy compared to Citadel shades
• Speedpaint 1.0 had reactivation issues (largely fixed in 2.0)

Price Range

Individual bottles: approximately £2.50-£3.00 per bottle (18ml). Excellent value, especially in larger sets.

Best For

Budget-conscious painters, beginners looking for affordable starter sets, and painters interested in speed painting with Speedpaints.

ProAcryl

Overview

ProAcryl is a newer brand created by Monument Hobbies, developed in close collaboration with professional miniature painters. Despite being a relative newcomer, it has quickly gained a devoted following among competitive and display painters for its exceptional paint quality.

Pros

• Extremely smooth, high-pigment formula with outstanding coverage
• Some of the best white and yellow paints available — traditionally the hardest colours for any brand
• Excellent dropper bottles with a mixing ball included
• Thins beautifully and works wonderfully through an airbrush
• Designed by painters who understand what miniature painters actually need
• Bold colour range that includes many useful mid-tones often missing from other ranges

Cons

• Smaller colour range than Citadel or Vallejo
• Limited availability — primarily online only
• No equivalent to Contrast/Speed Paints
• No technical paints, texture paints, or specialty effects
• Shipping costs can add up for international orders

Price Range

Individual bottles: approximately £3.00-£4.00 per bottle (22ml). Excellent value per ml given the quality.

Best For

Experienced painters who prioritise paint quality above all else, competition painters, and anyone frustrated with poor yellow and white coverage from other brands.

AK Interactive

Overview

AK Interactive is primarily known for scale model painting and weathering products, but their 3rd Generation Acrylics range is excellent for miniature painting. They also produce the AK Interactive 3G range specifically for wargaming miniatures.

Pros

• Outstanding paint quality with very smooth, consistent formula
• Excellent for airbrushing — one of the best ranges for airbrush use
• Huge range of realistic military and weathering colours
• Dropper bottle format with good flow control
• Superb weathering and effects products (washes, pigments, streaking effects)

Cons

• Less well known in the Warhammer community
• Colour range not optimised for fantasy/sci-fi miniatures
• No equivalent to Contrast/Speed Paints
• Can be harder to find in hobby stores
• Some products are more oriented toward historical and vehicle modelling

Price Range

Individual bottles: approximately £2.50-£3.50 per bottle (17ml). Competitive pricing.

Best For

Airbrush users, painters who also build scale models, anyone interested in weathering effects, and painters looking for realistic military colours for Imperial Guard or similar forces.

Brand Comparison Table

Best Starter Paint Sets by Brand

Citadel — Essentials Set or Paints + Tools Set

The Citadel Paints + Tools Set comes with 13 paints (including key colours like Macragge Blue, Leadbelcher, Retributor Armour, and Nuln Oil), a starter brush, clippers, and a mould line remover. It is the best all-in-one starter kit for a complete beginner. For just paints, the Citadel Essentials Set provides a curated selection of the most-used colours.

Vallejo — Basic Colors or Game Color Introduction Set

The Vallejo Game Color Introduction Set includes 16 paints in a carry case, covering most of the essential colours you need to start painting Warhammer models. The Model Color Basic Colors set is similarly well-curated.

Army Painter — Warpaints Fanatic Starter Set

The Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Starter Set is the best budget option, offering a generous selection of paints at the lowest price point. It includes washes and a starter brush.

ProAcryl — Starter Set

The ProAcryl Starter Set includes their best-selling colours and is an excellent choice if you want to jump straight to premium paint quality.

Our Recommendation

For beginners, start with Citadel paints. The tutorial support, availability, and colour matching to official painting guides makes learning easier. As you gain experience, supplement your collection with Vallejo metallics (Vallejo Metal Color is best-in-class), Army Painter Speedpaints for batch painting, and ProAcryl for your display pieces. Most experienced painters end up with paints from multiple brands, picking the best products from each range.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I mix paints from different brands?

Yes, absolutely. All major miniature paint brands are acrylic and mix together without issues. Many painters use Citadel base paints with Vallejo layers and Army Painter washes, for example. Use whatever combination works best for you.

Are Citadel paints worth the higher price?

For beginners, yes — the tutorial support alone is worth the premium. For experienced painters, it depends on the specific product. Citadel shades (Nuln Oil, Agrax Earthshade) and Contrast Paints are worth the price. For standard base and layer paints, alternatives like ProAcryl and Vallejo offer equal or better quality for less money.

Which brand has the best metallic paints?

Vallejo Metal Color is the gold standard (pun intended) for metallic paints. The range produces exceptionally smooth, reflective metallic finishes that are unmatched by any other brand. They are especially good through an airbrush.

Do I need to thin paints from all brands?

Yes, almost always. Even paints with excellent out-of-bottle consistency benefit from a small amount of thinning with water. The only exceptions are washes (already thin), Contrast/Speed Paints (designed to be used as-is), and dry paints (designed to be thick).

What is the best paint for yellow and white?

ProAcryl’s Bold Titanium White and their yellow paints are widely considered the best in the industry for these notoriously difficult colours. Citadel’s Corax White is also decent, and Army Painter’s Matt White (Fanatic range) has improved significantly.

Are cheap craft paints okay for Warhammer?

Craft store acrylics (like Apple Barrel or Folk Art) can technically be used but are not recommended. They are formulated for larger-scale applications and have much larger pigment particles, resulting in a gritty, uneven finish on miniatures. The money saved is not worth the frustration and inferior results. However, craft paints are perfectly fine for terrain.

For more painting guidance, check out our Contrast Paints guide, best brushes guide, and beginner painting tutorial.

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• Painting for Beginners — Everything to get started
• Contrast Paints Guide — One-coat painting technique
• Drybrushing Tutorial — Fast highlighting technique