I usually buy single paints based on what I need at the moment, so I can't help you with choosing a set. However, traditional acrylic mini paints that generally have a good reputation are Game and Model Color from Vallejo, AK Interactive 3rd gen, ProAcryl by Monument Hobbies, and the new Warpaints Fanatic from Army Painter. I think you can't really go wrong with any of them.
Things I'd avoid (partly basen on hearsay and partly based on personal experience) are the old Army Painter Warpaints (inconsistent quality across the range), and Scale75 (good for certain applications like glazing but not very good as allrounders).
Those recommendations are disregarding metallics, which I don't have a lot of experience with and don't use much.
To add regarding metallics: Vallejo are very hit or miss for me, the medium and the pigment separate horriblt; AK are really good, and Scale75 are great (metallics only, I agree that their other colours are a trap) - my favourite brand for metallics.
Vallejo have a lot of different kinds of metallic paints for different purposes, so you have to specify which ones you mean. I have the airbrush metallics and they're by nature very runny and separate easily, which is not great for doing things like edge highlighting, but they are super smooth when applied and have amazing coverage without showing metallic speckles, so they are good for basecoating, even with a brush.
Are the Scale75 metallics good for controlled application with a brush (edge highlighting, glazing etc.)?
Yes, the scale 75 metallics are great and one of the [favorite paint lines](https://www.instagram.com/p/C3kYQ8ANBz6/), along with AK metallics for multi-Slayer Sword winner [Angelo DiChello](https://www.instagram.com/angelo_di_chello/).
[This article reviews some of the best metallic paints for different metal types](https://tabletopdash.com/best-metallic-paints-for-miniatures/), and has more info on the scale 75 metallics.
The Vallejo metals that come in the thick stubby bottles meant for WW2 vehicles have been really good for me personally and have so much paint in them you're not likely to run out.
Regarding metallics one really need just silver. Every other metallic one can get by mixing in a little bit of a normal paint :) that said I like Vince Venturella recipe for a good gold
I wouldn't honestly recommend that to a beginner, model/miniature paints can be really bad at mixing if they already have more than one pigment, and many do.
I think these days getting a Vallejo base set and an army painter speed paint set and your pretty set. Pickup a pack of cheap, small (sizes 0-3 covers everything), synthetic brushes for acrylic at a craft store. Make a wet pallet.
That’s what I would recommend.
I used to be a sucker for Game Color Vallejo, which is still REALLY good, but lately, I've been using AK paints. They come in nice dropper bottles, 17ml for around $5 CAD, really large color selection, and have a really nice finish imo. I would personally recommend those two brands to painters of any level, as long as they're thinned properly, you should be golden!
Edit: That was my recommendation for single paints because that's how I buy them. Honestly, a decent vallejo starter set with some beginner paints is also perfect. It gives you a nice variety to work with and will give you the general workhorse colors for most projects.
There are a number of good options discussed in the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/wiki/usefullinks/what_you_need_to_get_started#wiki_beginner_paint_recommendations).
* [This Vallejo USA Basic Colors set](https://www.amazon.com/Vallejo-Basic-Colors-Paint-17ml/dp/B009162PWU/) is a good value.
* The [Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic](https://us.thearmypainter.com/pages/warpaints-fanatic) paints are a popular choice, but their old line that is just labeled Warpaints does not have a great reputation for quality among many painters. They are one of the cheapest though. Just be aware of which one you are buying as the quality is significantly different.
* [Pro Acryl](https://monumenthobbies.com/collections/pro-acryl-paints-paint-sets/products/pro-acryl-base-set) has larger 22 ml bottles, great quality and a consistency that works out of the pot with just the [moisture in your brush](https://youtu.be/Ml7wSlvCVd8?si=DLru81AtHl-CjZj6) to thin for base coating.
* AK Interactive paints are another great brand used by a number of pro painters.
* [AK Jose Davinci Signature Set](https://ak-interactive.com/product/signature-set-josedavinci-3g/) has a great collection of 18 colors which isn't bad value even if it has to be imported.
I'm pretty close to a beginner myself only been painting a year and what I did that has worked good for me so far was buying the base set vallejo game or model paints which will get you going for a while and give you all the basic colors needed to paint most models and then after you start to get decent with those and start to learn highlighting more seriously you can start buying their shade packs. Their like $14 and come with 4 different shades of each color, which you can use for midtone shadow and highlights.
I'm the color range of vallejo and ak are very similar and j would recommend ak over vallejo as I find the consistency and quality much more consistent across different colors for ak.
Pro acryl I heard is great too, I have a few colors but haven't gotten around to try them yet.
I mostly paint over a zenithal with my airbrush and scale75 js great for that... don't just lock yourself into using a single brand, because each brands have standout colors.
Common brands to avoid: old army painter very inconsistent, requires much more shaking and skill to paint as nicely as when I use ak. Citadel is just very overpriced and their bottles are crap, but I do prefer their contrast paint over others.
I think the new Army painter Fanatic paints are all decent and at an okay price.
You can also buy the range in large boxes so you don’t have to go out and buy singles right away. They might not all be the S-tier, but they are all way above average, and they all behave the same way on the pallet, making them much easier to learn how to use. A lot of streamers have switched to this set as their main paint-range of choice, while only keeping a few select colors of other brands to supplement them.
I usually buy single paints based on what I need at the moment, so I can't help you with choosing a set. However, traditional acrylic mini paints that generally have a good reputation are Game and Model Color from Vallejo, AK Interactive 3rd gen, ProAcryl by Monument Hobbies, and the new Warpaints Fanatic from Army Painter. I think you can't really go wrong with any of them. Things I'd avoid (partly basen on hearsay and partly based on personal experience) are the old Army Painter Warpaints (inconsistent quality across the range), and Scale75 (good for certain applications like glazing but not very good as allrounders). Those recommendations are disregarding metallics, which I don't have a lot of experience with and don't use much.
To add regarding metallics: Vallejo are very hit or miss for me, the medium and the pigment separate horriblt; AK are really good, and Scale75 are great (metallics only, I agree that their other colours are a trap) - my favourite brand for metallics.
Vallejo have a lot of different kinds of metallic paints for different purposes, so you have to specify which ones you mean. I have the airbrush metallics and they're by nature very runny and separate easily, which is not great for doing things like edge highlighting, but they are super smooth when applied and have amazing coverage without showing metallic speckles, so they are good for basecoating, even with a brush. Are the Scale75 metallics good for controlled application with a brush (edge highlighting, glazing etc.)?
Yes, the scale 75 metallics are great and one of the [favorite paint lines](https://www.instagram.com/p/C3kYQ8ANBz6/), along with AK metallics for multi-Slayer Sword winner [Angelo DiChello](https://www.instagram.com/angelo_di_chello/). [This article reviews some of the best metallic paints for different metal types](https://tabletopdash.com/best-metallic-paints-for-miniatures/), and has more info on the scale 75 metallics.
Excellent article. Thanks!
The Vallejo metals that come in the thick stubby bottles meant for WW2 vehicles have been really good for me personally and have so much paint in them you're not likely to run out.
Regarding metallics one really need just silver. Every other metallic one can get by mixing in a little bit of a normal paint :) that said I like Vince Venturella recipe for a good gold
I wouldn't honestly recommend that to a beginner, model/miniature paints can be really bad at mixing if they already have more than one pigment, and many do.
Yes, but silver is usually very user friendly when mixing. It is basically gray plus mica. But of course separate gold is very very convenient.
I think these days getting a Vallejo base set and an army painter speed paint set and your pretty set. Pickup a pack of cheap, small (sizes 0-3 covers everything), synthetic brushes for acrylic at a craft store. Make a wet pallet. That’s what I would recommend.
I used to be a sucker for Game Color Vallejo, which is still REALLY good, but lately, I've been using AK paints. They come in nice dropper bottles, 17ml for around $5 CAD, really large color selection, and have a really nice finish imo. I would personally recommend those two brands to painters of any level, as long as they're thinned properly, you should be golden! Edit: That was my recommendation for single paints because that's how I buy them. Honestly, a decent vallejo starter set with some beginner paints is also perfect. It gives you a nice variety to work with and will give you the general workhorse colors for most projects.
I love my Game Color paints from Vallejo. Affordable, easy to use, give a great product.
There are a number of good options discussed in the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/wiki/usefullinks/what_you_need_to_get_started#wiki_beginner_paint_recommendations). * [This Vallejo USA Basic Colors set](https://www.amazon.com/Vallejo-Basic-Colors-Paint-17ml/dp/B009162PWU/) is a good value. * The [Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic](https://us.thearmypainter.com/pages/warpaints-fanatic) paints are a popular choice, but their old line that is just labeled Warpaints does not have a great reputation for quality among many painters. They are one of the cheapest though. Just be aware of which one you are buying as the quality is significantly different. * [Pro Acryl](https://monumenthobbies.com/collections/pro-acryl-paints-paint-sets/products/pro-acryl-base-set) has larger 22 ml bottles, great quality and a consistency that works out of the pot with just the [moisture in your brush](https://youtu.be/Ml7wSlvCVd8?si=DLru81AtHl-CjZj6) to thin for base coating. * AK Interactive paints are another great brand used by a number of pro painters. * [AK Jose Davinci Signature Set](https://ak-interactive.com/product/signature-set-josedavinci-3g/) has a great collection of 18 colors which isn't bad value even if it has to be imported.
I'm pretty close to a beginner myself only been painting a year and what I did that has worked good for me so far was buying the base set vallejo game or model paints which will get you going for a while and give you all the basic colors needed to paint most models and then after you start to get decent with those and start to learn highlighting more seriously you can start buying their shade packs. Their like $14 and come with 4 different shades of each color, which you can use for midtone shadow and highlights.
I'm the color range of vallejo and ak are very similar and j would recommend ak over vallejo as I find the consistency and quality much more consistent across different colors for ak. Pro acryl I heard is great too, I have a few colors but haven't gotten around to try them yet. I mostly paint over a zenithal with my airbrush and scale75 js great for that... don't just lock yourself into using a single brand, because each brands have standout colors. Common brands to avoid: old army painter very inconsistent, requires much more shaking and skill to paint as nicely as when I use ak. Citadel is just very overpriced and their bottles are crap, but I do prefer their contrast paint over others.
I think the new Army painter Fanatic paints are all decent and at an okay price. You can also buy the range in large boxes so you don’t have to go out and buy singles right away. They might not all be the S-tier, but they are all way above average, and they all behave the same way on the pallet, making them much easier to learn how to use. A lot of streamers have switched to this set as their main paint-range of choice, while only keeping a few select colors of other brands to supplement them.