➡ For those that would like my hand-painted colour swatch with all 216 Fanatic colours, please grab it here: www.patreon.com/stahlytaleofpainters/shop ➡ FAQ & clarifications: 1. The Army Painter confirmed to me that they didn't change the formula of their washes. They suggested that the Fanatic washes I got perform slightly better because they arrived to me fresh out of the factory, while my reference washes from the old range are a couple of years old. In the past, I have often experienced production fluctuations with Army Painter products, which might be another explanation. 2. Are you sponsored by The Army Painter or any other company? No. I receive free review samples but don't take any payment or sponsoring, and companies that send me their products don't have a say in the type of content or review I produce. As I cooperate with several hobby companies, I am not dependent on the goodwill of a single company, so I'm not shy of voicing my opinion. I like to compare myself to an independant movie or game critic, just for paints. 3. But you thinned the yellow, orange, and red, they would have covered better if you didn't! Yes, but then they would have been so thick that detail would get lost and the finish would be streaky.
Always appreciate your thorough reviews! I was just about to settle of taking the Speedpaint 2.0 metallics then come this set of Fanatic metallics! Confusion confusion! 🤣 Do I really need both metallic ranges or just one of them will do? 😬
TAP is probably being honest about not changing formulation. I've never seen them lie. Their suppliers may have changed things and weren't required to admit it.
19:21 It defeats the purpose of having a range of colors in each hue, but you can easily mix an olive to your liking quite simply. As you will see from playing with the palette in an image editor, olive is _not_ green; it is a very dark yellow -- start with pure yellow -- RGB 0xFFFF00 -- and reduce the brightness. As the shade darkens, it turns from yellow to olive. One example of this in the real world is zinc chromate anti-corrosion paint used by the US military during WWII; when a single layer of paint was applied, it was the base yellow zinc chromate; when a second layer was applied, black was mixed into the zinc chromate to make an olive shade (which shade depended on the factory based on how much black was added) so that workers could visually identify where a second layer had already been applied.
❤ the video. Balanced review. A few thoughts: 1. These are probably the best paints that the Army Painter has ever made. 2. Army painter is available everywhere, making this a collection I can restock easily when I use them up. 3. I’m a combo speed paint 2.0 and acrylic painter, so I feel like I have a solid, compatible color system from one manufacturer. 4. I satin varnish all my minis at conclusion for protection, so I don’t mind that these dry satin. 5. I’m really tired of decanting Citadel paints into dropper bottles, so will likely now only buy colors that have no equivalent. 6. The flexible triad system makes it much easier for someone like me with less artistic intuition to know that I’m picking the right highlights in the right family. 7. Cost is a big win. This looks to be high quality paint at an affordable price point.
Point 2 and 7 mean a ton to me! I want to support my local stores which pretty much all carry army painter, with little support for Pro Acryl, AK, and new Vallejo. Those paints are great, but I want to go down the street and pick up a paint! And if they're similar but one's a better value well then the choice is easy to me. Can't wait for these to hit shelves.
per no.2: its actually the opposite for me, I can get two thin coats, citadel, ak, sc75 and vallejo here in china but for some reason there hasnt been apy army painter here for about 7 years
I bought the whole pro acryl range a couple of years ago, and while I love their coverage, I'm not a fan of super matte paints because I find them just more difficult to work with than satin paints. More and more often when I have to replace or pick up a new color I find myself going back to citadel colors for that satin feel while painting. I can get the matte finish through varnish at the end of the paintjob.
@@IcarusGames i would never Go Back to the mediocre, extremely overpriced citadel paints. they have No selling Point except bias. If you want the citadel feel, with Satin Finish but with good Pigments, buy duncans line. they come in bottles. they have Satin Finish and so they Work well with contrasts or washes
I can’t wait for these paints to come out. AP has been making massive improvements. I’m pretty new to painting and I primarily use citadel a 2 thin coats. But when I bought AP air paints and speed paints it completely changed my opinion of AP. Their air paints are the underrated and their speed paint 2.0 is incredible.
I have been painting minis for about thirty years and have tired many, many brands of paint. I have been fortunate enough to test Taps new fanatic paints. I can honestly say they are the best paints I have ever used. Better than ak 3rd gen l, better than pro acryl. You name it. I don’t like click bait videos but feel I had to comment. Regarding consistency it’s perfect. As you can always thin it which is sublime. But you can’t make thin paint thicker for dry brushing ect. So think you make a bad point. Anyway it’s your opinion and this is mine.
@@mikefisher8563did you decide? Vallejos new Model/Game colors are worth considering too i think. One thing I’m considering is buying one single color (your personal favourite) from AK, AP, Vallejo and Two Thin Coats. Then testing them head to head using the techniques I use most often (including airbrushing) to see which one I prefer most. None are going to make you a worse painter. All have pros and cons. Got to go with your gut…
I must say, your channel is the most objective one out there. You don't hate on GW when the product is great and you don't push an alternative just because it isn't GW. Also your presentation style is so helpful with the painted pallets.
@@jamesw2111 I know this sounds weird, but sponsored does not automaticly mean that you have to give up your integrity (see the prof of tolarian community college who shit talks (rightfuly so) a product he might have gotten for free or is sponsored by).
It doesn't sound weird. It is often accepted though that affiliation with a company being "reviewed" should be made abundantly clear to viewers. I am not implying that Stahly is being biased but it certainly doesn't sit right as a proper review due to this. @@Mensch777
I have thought again, perhaps it shows that Warpaints Fanatic are confident enough in their product that they'll give affiliation to people who could potentially criticise their product. That could be copium though
@@jamesw2111 It's the standard UA-cam notice, I can't change it. To make it clear, I receive free review samples, but don't take any payment or sponsoring, and companies that send me their products don't have a say in the type of content or review I make. As I cooperate with several hobby companies, I am not dependent on the goodwill of a single company, so I'm not shy of voicing my opinion. Hope this helps :)
Same. Not that I do it much, but they're also better for drybrushing, since there's less moisture to remove from the bristles. The way I see it, a thick paint can do everything a thinner paint can (unless it's one of those weird drybrushing paints like the Citadel Drys), and more, but the opposite isn't true.
Agreed, imho a thicker paint that needs thinning has more options, as long as it doesn't split when diluted, either with water or medium then I'll be happy. My flgs has said they'll be getting AP fanatic in stock (they already sell warpaint) so I'm keen to give them a go. I tried the tones and warpaints but never got on well with them, however, I LOVE the speed paint and speed paint metallic range by AP, so will definitely be giving fanatic a try!
I prefer think paint that I can thin down to my preferred consistency. I don’t like when a company has thinned the paint for me. I can always thin paint down, but I can’t make it thicker. I’m excited to try the fanatic range.
Stahly, I cannot thank you enough for the work you do reviewing paints. I really appreciate your objectivity and how you honestly go over the pros and cons of each range so we can decide what works best for us. I was thinking of picking up the Mega Set of the new Warpaints, but after your review I think I will wait for the smaller starter set to try them out. I'm pretty happy with my Pro Acryl paints, and will probably just pick up a few more colors from that range (and maybe try out some of the Two Thin Coats stuff). Also I really appreciate the feedback on the paints that are being transferred from the old Warpaints line to the new line. I have a Battletech force that uses the Dragon Red spray/paint as it's base and I'm waiting for some of the new Kickstarter mechs to finish it up, so I think I will pick up and extra can and bottle of the current paint so I can have a consistent look across the whole force.
Lovely and very substancial review of the paints, while you have listed your 27 problems I feel like you have cut some good points away from AP. 1. AP shines when you buy them in their sets, making them cheaper than you have listed 2. Availability 3. Company effort and uping their standards 4. AP coversge test on bases was made unthinned so your thinned one doesn’t debunk it Just my two cents, love the colour swatches as usual
Adding to Army Painter company effort, their customer support is top notch, never had a product get so quickly replaced, and handled by rep so expediently!
I'm late on this, but for 4, the paint requires thinning if you want nice layers. You definitely can apply a thick layer with a thick paint and cover anything in one coat, but that's not useful for anything practical. You need thin coats if you don't want to swamp your details.
Really happy to see Army Painter finally step up their game after struggling for so long. It might be a bit too late as I'm all in with the amazing Two Thin Coats range but where I can see the Army Painter beating both vallejo and two thin coats in the U.S., is distribution. It is really, really easy to find Army Painter products but getting a hold of the other two ranges, even at stores that officially stock them, can be a challenge as the distribution isn't as good. Now they need to fix their spray paint.
This... This is why I trust Stahly. I was getting super hyped on Fanatic, but i knew I had to wait for reviews since i also have a bulk of Monument Hobbies and Two Thin Coats. Thanks for doing what you do! 🤘
I really appreciate your hard work! Your regular output of content and comparison charts in such detail is what made me want to support you on Patreon! Keep up the exceptional work :)
Very thorough and honest review. Glad to hear and see the metallics and washes are a step in the right direction, cause I did love the Speedpaint 2.0 metallics and I tend to thin their washes with medium and use matte/ultra matte varnish at the end. Dabbled a bit with Scale 75(like 4 colors really) and I like the results, albeit they have a bit of a curve and are way more matte than satin, and now wondering if I continue down that path or go with the Warpaints Fanatic, because both have pretty good color variety and I hate mixing colors on a wet pallet. Plus there's always Pro-Acryl...Who am I kidding, I really don't need more paint....or do I? 🤔
I don't mind diluting paints at all, more value for money after all. I really like the army painter speed paint so i am very interested to try this range, hopefully my local hobby store will be stocking them. Also i do admire army painters ethos of listning to the feedback/criticism and striving to improve.
I’m in the only one that loves when Stahly says “Color palette” i know im not alone! Great review and i wish TAP the most success with the new line. Ill just stick with my mixed pallets of Pro Acryl, New Vallejo game, Ak and Citadel is got everything I’ll ever need. 👍🏼
I really appreciated your take on the new paints. A large majority of painters are hobbyists who paint to play. I myself enjoy using minis as a canvas to create. Your insite and work put into the video offer a lot if information and it is appreciated. Danke.
I think the best part of all this is that it shows us that these companies really do care about the product and are doing their best to ensure that they deliver a quality one. If all these does is lead to more improvements and each company trying to one up the other, than that's better for the consumer in the long run... I hope.
As someone who is colorblind TAP is helping me make my painting better! The group labeling and the layer in which they go in will help drastically even if they are only now becoming standard hobby paints. I hope TAP keeps this method of labeling and improves their formula as time passes, if they do they will keep me as a customer for life!
Thank you for your review. Was using old AP and was in pain and angry from them. Was thinking about getting these, but they cost a lot, but saw on facebook someone selling them for only 56% of original price without even using them, so ya, now I have them and I am happy.
really impressed with the effort that went into this. Thank you for all your hard work. Yes I certainly would like you to test yellow across different brands. I also lean toward matt finish over satin. TY
My personal preference is a thicker paint that is thinned as needed. Airbrush paints are my go to when I want prethinned paints which are often still really good layering paints or blending. Having a single range that covers a lot of bases, technical paints and speed painting options is valuable in its own right. The current mid to high end market has a glut of options (but availability and shipping mitigates it's use to entry level markets) and now thankfully with Army Painter picking up their ranges quality over all the low to mid end is also covered again. GW still often rains supreme but that's more to do with having high street locations/consumer facing stores. 👍
Great review! You only briefly touched on pricing though, and if you actually are able to purchase the huge complete fanatic set of 216, it’s $3.50 per bottle, and you also get 4 very nice brushes and 2 mixing balls per bottle, which probably amounts to around $35 value, making the paint set final cost about $3.35 USD per bottle (before tax). That’s the absolute best price in the business, for a set of paints that has everything, rated 8.5/10 by this video. That’s the main reason I ordered the complete set. It’s an unbeatable deal.
Love your videos. Would very much enjoy a series of videos comparing individual colors across ranges. You mentioned yellow, but I'd also enjoy seeing red, orange, etc.
Yo Sturdy, thanks for all you do, your reviews are always top tier in descriptions and visuals. If I'm being honest though, My main interest in this upcoming video isn't the colors themselves but their green capped affects, the metals and the washes. I love Ducan Roadies paints but not a fan of his washes (or at the very least how I use them) so I hope they're pretty great! (just like your vids)
Satin paints have been my preference for most of miniatures outside of cloth for the last few decades. I appreciated the review, though I did wonder how much of the past problems were due to getting paint that had been sitting for a couple of years. My biggest problem with my paint collection is keep them all shaken and not stirred.
I am thoroughly impressed with this new range. I do prefer a slightly thicker paint when using my wet palette. Your videos have always been top quality and I appreciate your insights.
My favorites out of the range so far have been the magentas and warm skin tones. Them in combination make for some absolutely beautiful tan skin tones. I look forward to finding more great mixes. That said, I use a bunch of different ranges in combination. I rarely stick to one.
Please do the yellows, or better for me personally, oranges! I love orange, but I've found that there's just not a lot of options for it and most of 'em aren't great. What I'm wondering for Fanatic is how they drybrush. Probably well enough, but lately I've been trying to figure out which the best options are.
The best thing about Army Painter is that they're available everywhere. I'd love to try AK 3rd Gen but I can't find anywhere locally that stocks single bottles and I don't want to pay $5 + shipping to try out a single bottle of paint. There's already several local stores with deep discounts on current AP Warpaints as they gear up to stock Fanatic. Between price and availability I can see me pickup up Fanatic when some of my paints run out or to replace current well used paints when they just don't cut it anymore.
For me in Canada Two Thin Coats, Reaper, and Scale 75 may as well not exist. Two Thin Coats has a few stockists listed in my province. The closest one is a 90 minute drive away and the only one that does online shipping only carries half the line lol. Pro Acryl, Vallejo, Citadel, and AP are a lot easier to get for me in my location so they're basically what I use.
What I really want is a test of airbrush primers. I would love to know who’s has the best white, black and great. What is best for regular painting and what is best for “contrast” paints. I know many are saying - use a spray can for contrast paints, but I don’t like to prime with a can 😂
Colour specific reviews would be great. I'm often like 'I need a [whatever] colour, which one should I get?'. Would be really good if it covered a 'this is the best 'standard [colour], but here is a great darker tone, and this is the better highlight'.
Thank you for such a thorough and detailed review. I never liked the original army painter range,with the exception of the metallics and washes. I fact I ended up putting the lot in the bin and have never bought their acrylics since. Having watched a few videos and read some magazine reviews I was tempted by this latest range. The triad aspect really appealed. However, thanks to your unbiased and superb review I have decided to give the Fanatic range a miss. I’m going to stick with my AK third generation and will probably pick up a few of the Vallejo Game Color triad sets and try some of the Two Thin Coats range. I think yours is probably the best no nonsense review I have seen and the suggestions for alternatives is a real help to me as an historical miniatures painter. Thanks again, I have also subscribed. Cheers Keith
If you didn't do that yellow paint test, I'd love to see a Yellow, Orange, Red and Magenta test series sometime. That Daemonic Yellow was the best yellow I've used, at least when you compare several other brands including Pro Acryl's Golden Yellow.
As someone who hasn’t painted a model since 7th Ed. 40K, and who’s old paints were a ruined mess (thanks storage) that had to be thrown out, I’m very interested in Warpaints Fanatic and their Speedpaint 2.0. Seems like it’ll have more than what I’m likely to need getting back into the hobby with those.
Yes would definitely like a comparison of yellows. You don't mention AK3 much in your video so I would like to see more coverage of that brand too as they seem to be the one to beat these days.
Cant wait for your review. I restocked my paints with Vallejo Game Color (had the old ones, bought the new ones) and I was shocked how good they are now. I mix and match to my needs (Nocturna skin colors, AK3rd pastels and fluos) and I am really curious if these new paints are as good as all those influencers with their free Mega Sets or Complete Sets want me to believe they are.
@@stahly_taleofpainters My only serious problem with the new range is the inclusion of urethane varnish as regular varnish. Many people airbrush varnishes and airbrushing urethane is no joke. Including that without any warning or application guides bothers me a lot
Did you know that Vallejo is going to launch a new Model Color range with the same bottle design as their new Game Color? They claim improved opacity, more content per bottle (likely the +1ml increase from the bottles) and an ultra-matt finish. Received a flyer in my order today and this seemed pretty recent. @@stahly_taleofpainters
Been hyped for this review since it was announced earlier this week and am not dissapointed. I'd love a review of yellow paints from the ranges.. I'm always on the look out for a high coverage yellow with less coats.
Agree, it's not a 'debunking' if it's not a like-for-like comparison - it's just a caveat. I mean, on a bit of scenery or something flat where you don't care about detail - or indeed on a base as they show in the marketing - using it straight from the bottle for a bit of one thick coat coverage is fine for many people.
Yeah Stahly I would love to see a yellow comparison. Try to get your hands on some Ultracryl, especially the yellow. They've finished their kickstarter but the videos show unusualy insane coverage compared to others, especially the yellows. They do seem like a unique product.
@stahly I have the complete set and I find that last 2 or 3 colors in each 6 color triad very thick. Did you find this as well when you were painting your chart? If what is your ratio of paint to water to get a good working paint? As it’s so thick and can be hard to work with.
For availability, consistency and price point this seems like the best game in town. It will lilely not replace my entire kit and i likely will not use the triad system but instead buy the 27 most dark colors and mix them, but with their stability it doesn’t seem like it will be a problem. I would like to see how the triads used as base coat, mid coat and highlights dry brushed will make slapchop pop as that is honestly the way I will likely use them. The sheen leaning into satin does not bother me honestly as my varnish will likely add that much sheen. Good video, thank you!
I want to give my congratulations to Army Painter for making quality paints a lot more accessible to beginners, but I do not see myself converting from Vallejo Model Color mostly because the range lacks earthy colors I use and the satin finish is not something I am big on.
Vallejo gang! Price of 2.3EUR is also half without having to buy full sets for a diacount... Also think @Sthaly misused some of the new Vallejo Game Color effects, the bile and frost in particular are nuts! But I had to really look up how to apply it on youtube before I got a random painter properly using them (bile needs to be glooped on and the bubbles stay! And the frost needs to be pretty thick for any effect). Big props to Army Painter though.
Loved the video and I would love if you did a video about you testting all the yellows and oranges you can find since those are infamous colors to paint with
I would love to see a review of all the manufactuter's yellow paint. I use yellow a lot and am very familiar with how difficult it is. The first tiime I had access to Pro Acrylic (PA) I chose their yellow to see if they could do a good job with a difficult color. I was very happy with it and it motivated me to buy more PA.
I’ve been wondering if you prefer Reaper paints for their color choices? I’ve been very reliant on them for the rich dark colors especially, but they also do some good reds and yellows, but I rarely hear people talking about them online
I think that army painter is doing the best they can working with in their own "box". The old warpainter ketchup was annoying especially after excessive shaking. The speed paint line I believe is where it is at to put more models on the table faster. Good review.
Hey guys, I know the video title & thumb is a bit provocative but I promise this will be a nuanced and fair review, just like the other vids on my channel. No sponsorship, no bias, no agenda, no BS, just an honest review from someone who compares Warpaints Fanatic to all the paint ranges of the last few years. So be nice to each other and see you on Saturday :)
Thanks Stahly. It’s been hard finding good quality reviews for these products which actually show things like coverage over miniatures as a lot of people have just been focusing on painting over bases or using the speed paints. It’s also great that you’ve actually used top end brands like AK and pro-acryl so I know you’re not one of those types that thinks citadel metallics are actually amazing 😆
I’ve thought since the very first video that a lot of the triads look like they just add more and more white. To me it looks like on the “old vs new” colour match section it looks very much the case. Still looks like a big improvement and there’s some good individual colours. But I think 2 plus white in each triad will give you same thing.
The quality of the content means we can ignore the clicky baitiness. Think I've watched most of your range reviews a few dozen times to pick up everything, even if I don't agree with quantitative value the info is solid and well presented.
Judging by the video, the washes are noticably thinner. They also look to cause less coffee staining. I love strong tone, but it looks like I will love the new strong tone even more
This guy is doing gods work thank you so much your one of the few UA-camrs I can trust to give me an honest detailed review appreciate the work you do ✌️
Great review one of the best on this range! I personally loved how you compared them to the other ranges which I should try Vahalo game color and this new range when it comes to a primary,secodary color set or indvuals which $4 for that much paint is really nice and beats my Tamiya off sale on US amazon!
Great job as usual, Stahly!! One rec I’d have if this is even something you’d do - two of my favorite paints are discontinued and I’m not aware of anyone making an exact match, and I’d love to see a series on how to try and replicate such paints using existing ones. For example, my two are Titillating Pink from GW’s original range and Warcolours Nostalgia 88 range, and the Cryptek Armourshade that GW used to make until they dropped all the glossy washes. I’d love to see how/if there’s a way of modifying an existing pink to get it as bright, or what mix of browns, blacks, and glossy medium would be needed to replicate a glossy wash.
Probably quite hard because I imagine you would need a specific pigment to recreate the intensity of both paints, which is something you can't really achieve with mixing existing colours.
I've been waiting for your review of these paints. Yourself and Vince Venturella are my trust worthy sources. I prefer satin finish paint. A set of six is called a sextet.
Fanatic seems pretty good, but Vallejo still seems hands down the best proposition in general: can get it for 2.3Eur per bottle and no need to get a set for the discount (except the xpress line), great consistency across the range, and I prefer matte as a standard since I was used to Citadel getting glossier and glossier after 1 coat until I had shiny tree leaves/wood details after 2-3 thin layers 😢 Also they are great mixed with water, and have insane shelf life as well (have 20 year old paints still working fine!).
They have a very nice turn your brain off property about them. Grab these, Grab a shade, grab the next color down, repeat for however far you want to go into the highlighting. I do feel the range could have been tightened up a bit, there are quite a few tones that are pretty samesy, and as many have said the paints seem to have a heavy level of white in them leading the selection to feel very pastel. I really like all the washes, though some of them are kinda samesy as well. looking at you Sepia, Soft tone, light tone, and rust tone. That being said ive painted more models this month then i have ever done in the past
Great videos man! Always appreciate the work and time you put into these, making such informative videos explaining everything. That being said you said you said the mask covers up your age. I was born in early 90’s! Now I’m wondering if I’m old 🥲
This is fantastic, thank you so much! I'd love to see comparisons between the same colours from different lines. Also, have you ever tried Golden's acrylics? I have a friend who swears by them and I use their metallics almost exclusively (Along with Vallejo Liquid but that's alcohol based 😅), but because Golden's main line is in artist acrylics, their mini-friendly paints aren't as well known.
Thanks for the review. Glad to see Army Painter has brought the quality up to modern standards, even if there's a few gaps in the line (what range doesn't?). The original versions of Vallejo Game Color and AP Warpaints always felt like the lower-quality budget options to me, and VGC went from being an insta-avoid to one of my favourite brands when they overhauled them a year ago, so I'm glad to see AP following suit. 4:25 I'm fairly certain the original AP metallics *were* the 2000s GW ones, I honestly can't tell the difference between them in a blind test. They used to source paints from different companies, and I suspect their first-gen metallics came from the same French company GW sourced most of their 1998-2012 range from.
The citadel washes you quote as being 'first generation' are third generation at least. Maybe fourth depending on if you count the 1st generation inks as a generation or not.
Very cool video 👍👍👍 I need your advice!!! From your point of view what paints I should choose between army painter Warpaints fanatic and Scale75 fantasy &games?
I really enjoy the range; the cool red burgundy and the magenta range is colours I’ve been searching for quite a while. If army painter give me a maroon range and expands the warm reds to favour more of the red than orange side I’ll be a happy painter.
Thanks as always for the hugely informative rundown. Wondering, do you see a dark grey similar to my favorite "not-black black" necromancer cloak? From seeing the chart online I'm concerned they don't actually have a grey that dark.
Hi Stahly, as for the color match, you should do a conparison with tge sprays. The spray color matches have always been kibd if off so im curious to see if the match is better to the spray cans than the old bottles
I don't know if this helps but I have a few dozen citadel paints from maybee 1992. Some are unopened. After hours of shaking I have tested some against 2023 Citadel and they seem to me to hold up very well, or in some cases be better in some aspects particularly whites, yellows. I'd happily send some over for testing.
I think they are the first formula they did from rouge trader days. The only unopened round ones (before the hexagonal bottles) are skill white and chaos black. The only yellow I have is the hexagonal bad moon yellow. Sorry but I can't quite figure the ages of them but for sure the white seems superior to the new citadel.
AK Interactive and ProAcryl are at the top of quality in this industry. Vallejo is almost there with most of their products, on par with minority (Metal Color for example). The new Fanatic line just jumped over Citadel and joined the rest in quality. It's better, cheaper and has superior bottles to what Citadel is manufacturing.
Not sure if i should get Ak paints now or wait till AP release theirs, my impression is that AP seems like a better company to support.@@PrzybyszzMatplanety
Hard to explain in just a few words, but I have a list of my favourite paint ranges where I also discuss some of the strengths and weaknesses: taleofpainters.com/2023/08/stahlys-best-acrylic-paints-for-painting-warhammer-miniatures-2023/
As always, another great video. I agree with your issues with the some of the triads being on the brighter side. When the colours were revealed I did think some of the groupings were 'must haves' whilst others were a little .... meh. I have no arguments with the final points on Pro Acryl and New Vallejo Game Color being a better alternative. I had planned on buying in to the new Game Colors but I haven't found anywhere in the UK that stocks the entire range. AP's Warpaints have always been up there with GW for availability in the UK, so I hopefully they can repeat that with their new products.
I prefer my pro acrylic for everything but my metal paints, and I'm not sure that I love how thick these fanatic paints are compared to my Vallejo metal color though. It doesn't look as good of a finish imo, and it's definitely thicccc. I'm having a hard time seeing why I would buy a huge amount of paint from them, when I have so many that even your video says are on par or better. This paint line would've been so good 4 years ago. It would've changed the game. Still I'll be interested in seeing some of the effect paint, washes, and the specialties.
If all the reviews truly are unbiased, then these are the best paints at their price point if they're sold at the same price as the current war paints. They're also far more widely available than most brands. My local store only carries Citadel, 2 Thin Coats, Vallejo, and Army Painter. Will I replace my whole range? Nah. Will I pick them up if I want a specific colour? Heck yeah. I will also argue that being able to mix your paints and colour match is an invaluable skill, but the hexad system of these paints will really help new painters out!
Can I just say, the triads and the "general color" label are some of my favorite additions to this line. So nice to have the triad label so I can grab and go, and the general color means im not looking up conversion charts because gw can't just tell us the color.
What I found most damning about AP's quality control was that I'd always see people talk about which of their paints were "the bad ones" for poor coverage, separating from their medium in the bottle etc, and they'd _always_ cite different paints each time, suggesting it's just a tendency for dud bottles across the range. So I'm going to wait and see if that's still a problem once this new range has been out for awhile; there's definitely some colours they do that I'd use a lot more of if I didn't feel I was taking a gamble on whether the bottle I just bought is any good.
Thanks...I lov this type of video. I would be interested in the colour for colour comparison you suggested at the start. Im currently using Citadel for fantasy painting, VMC for historic, and AK for all types. Ill likely pick up a couple of these, and might try out some of Duncans TCC range at some point.
Please do a full review of the AK 3rd gen range. The colors on their website don’t match most of their actual colors and that really hinders online shoppers.
I've always liked Army Painter their brushes and tools. The Regiment brush is and remains a workhorse for me. Never used their paints though. Good to see them putting out a very solid range here. They might not be the very best, but the Fanatic paints are looking like another great addition to our hobby toolkits. We're really being spoiled for choice here. It's good to finally see an orange-y gold that can stand up to Retributor Armour. That paint is and remains the gold standard in... Well... Gold... The flexible triad system and detailed descriptions on the bottles is something every single other paint range can and should take notes from. Having such an expansive clearly laid out palette of colours is just so nice to have. Now they just need to fill out some of the small gaps left in the range. One or two more triads might be all it takes. On a different note: excellent taste in manga in that bottom left corner Stahly!
A quick question, have you noticed coffee staining when thinning them for glazing? Have seen some people say that they don't take thinning with a lot of water not too well,.
➡ For those that would like my hand-painted colour swatch with all 216 Fanatic colours, please grab it here: www.patreon.com/stahlytaleofpainters/shop
➡ FAQ & clarifications:
1. The Army Painter confirmed to me that they didn't change the formula of their washes. They suggested that the Fanatic washes I got perform slightly better because they arrived to me fresh out of the factory, while my reference washes from the old range are a couple of years old. In the past, I have often experienced production fluctuations with Army Painter products, which might be another explanation.
2. Are you sponsored by The Army Painter or any other company? No. I receive free review samples but don't take any payment or sponsoring, and companies that send me their products don't have a say in the type of content or review I produce. As I cooperate with several hobby companies, I am not dependent on the goodwill of a single company, so I'm not shy of voicing my opinion. I like to compare myself to an independant movie or game critic, just for paints.
3. But you thinned the yellow, orange, and red, they would have covered better if you didn't! Yes, but then they would have been so thick that detail would get lost and the finish would be streaky.
Always appreciate your thorough reviews!
I was just about to settle of taking the Speedpaint 2.0 metallics then come this set of Fanatic metallics!
Confusion confusion! 🤣
Do I really need both metallic ranges or just one of them will do? 😬
They did not say they had 300% to 700% more pigment than other brands. They said that about their past paints.
TAP is probably being honest about not changing formulation. I've never seen them lie. Their suppliers may have changed things and weren't required to admit it.
19:21 It defeats the purpose of having a range of colors in each hue, but you can easily mix an olive to your liking quite simply. As you will see from playing with the palette in an image editor, olive is _not_ green; it is a very dark yellow -- start with pure yellow -- RGB 0xFFFF00 -- and reduce the brightness. As the shade darkens, it turns from yellow to olive. One example of this in the real world is zinc chromate anti-corrosion paint used by the US military during WWII; when a single layer of paint was applied, it was the base yellow zinc chromate; when a second layer was applied, black was mixed into the zinc chromate to make an olive shade (which shade depended on the factory based on how much black was added) so that workers could visually identify where a second layer had already been applied.
❤ the video. Balanced review. A few thoughts:
1. These are probably the best paints that the Army Painter has ever made.
2. Army painter is available everywhere, making this a collection I can restock easily when I use them up.
3. I’m a combo speed paint 2.0 and acrylic painter, so I feel like I have a solid, compatible color system from one manufacturer.
4. I satin varnish all my minis at conclusion for protection, so I don’t mind that these dry satin.
5. I’m really tired of decanting Citadel paints into dropper bottles, so will likely now only buy colors that have no equivalent.
6. The flexible triad system makes it much easier for someone like me with less artistic intuition to know that I’m picking the right highlights in the right family.
7. Cost is a big win. This looks to be high quality paint at an affordable price point.
Point 2 and 7 mean a ton to me! I want to support my local stores which pretty much all carry army painter, with little support for Pro Acryl, AK, and new Vallejo. Those paints are great, but I want to go down the street and pick up a paint! And if they're similar but one's a better value well then the choice is easy to me. Can't wait for these to hit shelves.
oh yeah and two thin coats may as well not exist in NA lol
@@MechaTrogd0r they carry TTC and Pro Acryl in my local stores
per no.2: its actually the opposite for me, I can get two thin coats, citadel, ak, sc75 and vallejo here in china but for some reason there hasnt been apy army painter here for about 7 years
What satin varnish do you use? Do you prefer it over a matte varnish?
Yes! Please do all the yellows from different brands! I've had such an irritating time trying to find one that covers well.
Noted!
I too would love that. Whites too!
Try the pink undercoat before hitting it with the yellows, it is a massive game changer for most yellow ranges.
The newest Contracts yellows are fantastic! Bad Moon Yellow blew me away
@@fallen2205 Is there a specific pink that works best ?
I actually prefer a slightly satin paint because they are less likely to go grainy when thinned and are less dusty when drybrushed.
The dusty look while drybrush is because you brush dry. Use a dampening pad.
@@Gloomshimmerin the Artis opus tutorials, they also call out paints having a satin finish do get better results
I bought the whole pro acryl range a couple of years ago, and while I love their coverage, I'm not a fan of super matte paints because I find them just more difficult to work with than satin paints. More and more often when I have to replace or pick up a new color I find myself going back to citadel colors for that satin feel while painting. I can get the matte finish through varnish at the end of the paintjob.
I had the same problem dry brushing, but I learnt a year ago that you need to keep your brush slightly moist when dry brushing.
@@IcarusGames i would never Go Back to the mediocre, extremely overpriced citadel paints. they have No selling Point except bias. If you want the citadel feel, with Satin Finish but with good Pigments, buy duncans line. they come in bottles. they have Satin Finish and so they Work well with contrasts or washes
I can’t wait for these paints to come out. AP has been making massive improvements. I’m pretty new to painting and I primarily use citadel a 2 thin coats. But when I bought AP air paints and speed paints it completely changed my opinion of AP. Their air paints are the underrated and their speed paint 2.0 is incredible.
I have been painting minis for about thirty years and have tired many, many brands of paint. I have been fortunate enough to test Taps new fanatic paints. I can honestly say they are the best paints I have ever used. Better than ak 3rd gen l, better than pro acryl. You name it. I don’t like click bait videos but feel I had to comment. Regarding consistency it’s perfect. As you can always thin it which is sublime. But you can’t make thin paint thicker for dry brushing ect. So think you make a bad point. Anyway it’s your opinion and this is mine.
So you would buy the New Fanatic 216 paint set over AK FullRange set which is 230 plus paints ..I am asking because I am looking at both …
@@mikefisher8563did you decide? Vallejos new Model/Game colors are worth considering too i think. One thing I’m considering is buying one single color (your personal favourite) from AK, AP, Vallejo and Two Thin Coats. Then testing them head to head using the techniques I use most often (including airbrushing) to see which one I prefer most. None are going to make you a worse painter. All have pros and cons. Got to go with your gut…
I must say, your channel is the most objective one out there. You don't hate on GW when the product is great and you don't push an alternative just because it isn't GW. Also your presentation style is so helpful with the painted pallets.
Hard to say it's objective with a sponsor link in the description
@@jamesw2111 I know this sounds weird, but sponsored does not automaticly mean that you have to give up your integrity (see the prof of tolarian community college who shit talks (rightfuly so) a product he might have gotten for free or is sponsored by).
It doesn't sound weird. It is often accepted though that affiliation with a company being "reviewed" should be made abundantly clear to viewers. I am not implying that Stahly is being biased but it certainly doesn't sit right as a proper review due to this.
@@Mensch777
I have thought again, perhaps it shows that Warpaints Fanatic are confident enough in their product that they'll give affiliation to people who could potentially criticise their product. That could be copium though
@@jamesw2111 It's the standard UA-cam notice, I can't change it. To make it clear, I receive free review samples, but don't take any payment or sponsoring, and companies that send me their products don't have a say in the type of content or review I make. As I cooperate with several hobby companies, I am not dependent on the goodwill of a single company, so I'm not shy of voicing my opinion. Hope this helps :)
I prefer thicker paints for feathering and wet blending. You can thin paints but it's hard to make them thicker.
Same. Not that I do it much, but they're also better for drybrushing, since there's less moisture to remove from the bristles.
The way I see it, a thick paint can do everything a thinner paint can (unless it's one of those weird drybrushing paints like the Citadel Drys), and more, but the opposite isn't true.
Agreed, imho a thicker paint that needs thinning has more options, as long as it doesn't split when diluted, either with water or medium then I'll be happy.
My flgs has said they'll be getting AP fanatic in stock (they already sell warpaint) so I'm keen to give them a go.
I tried the tones and warpaints but never got on well with them, however, I LOVE the speed paint and speed paint metallic range by AP, so will definitely be giving fanatic a try!
I prefer think paint that I can thin down to my preferred consistency. I don’t like when a company has thinned the paint for me. I can always thin paint down, but I can’t make it thicker. I’m excited to try the fanatic range.
Couldn't you just add medium to thicken it, or if you want more pigment, just paint it a second coat
100% agree
Stahly, I cannot thank you enough for the work you do reviewing paints. I really appreciate your objectivity and how you honestly go over the pros and cons of each range so we can decide what works best for us. I was thinking of picking up the Mega Set of the new Warpaints, but after your review I think I will wait for the smaller starter set to try them out. I'm pretty happy with my Pro Acryl paints, and will probably just pick up a few more colors from that range (and maybe try out some of the Two Thin Coats stuff).
Also I really appreciate the feedback on the paints that are being transferred from the old Warpaints line to the new line. I have a Battletech force that uses the Dragon Red spray/paint as it's base and I'm waiting for some of the new Kickstarter mechs to finish it up, so I think I will pick up and extra can and bottle of the current paint so I can have a consistent look across the whole force.
Lovely and very substancial review of the paints, while you have listed your 27 problems I feel like you have cut some good points away from AP.
1. AP shines when you buy them in their sets, making them cheaper than you have listed
2. Availability
3. Company effort and uping their standards
4. AP coversge test on bases was made unthinned so your thinned one doesn’t debunk it
Just my two cents, love the colour swatches as usual
Adding to Army Painter company effort, their customer support is top notch, never had a product get so quickly replaced, and handled by rep so expediently!
I'm late on this, but for 4, the paint requires thinning if you want nice layers. You definitely can apply a thick layer with a thick paint and cover anything in one coat, but that's not useful for anything practical. You need thin coats if you don't want to swamp your details.
As already said, your channel is highly underrated. Appreciate your comprehensive delivery and clean editing.
Really happy to see Army Painter finally step up their game after struggling for so long. It might be a bit too late as I'm all in with the amazing Two Thin Coats range but where I can see the Army Painter beating both vallejo and two thin coats in the U.S., is distribution. It is really, really easy to find Army Painter products but getting a hold of the other two ranges, even at stores that officially stock them, can be a challenge as the distribution isn't as good. Now they need to fix their spray paint.
This... This is why I trust Stahly. I was getting super hyped on Fanatic, but i knew I had to wait for reviews since i also have a bulk of Monument Hobbies and Two Thin Coats. Thanks for doing what you do! 🤘
I really appreciate your hard work! Your regular output of content and comparison charts in such detail is what made me want to support you on Patreon! Keep up the exceptional work :)
Very thorough and honest review. Glad to hear and see the metallics and washes are a step in the right direction, cause I did love the Speedpaint 2.0 metallics and I tend to thin their washes with medium and use matte/ultra matte varnish at the end.
Dabbled a bit with Scale 75(like 4 colors really) and I like the results, albeit they have a bit of a curve and are way more matte than satin, and now wondering if I continue down that path or go with the Warpaints Fanatic, because both have pretty good color variety and I hate mixing colors on a wet pallet. Plus there's always Pro-Acryl...Who am I kidding, I really don't need more paint....or do I?
🤔
I don't mind diluting paints at all, more value for money after all. I really like the army painter speed paint so i am very interested to try this range, hopefully my local hobby store will be stocking them.
Also i do admire army painters ethos of listning to the feedback/criticism and striving to improve.
Very informative review for a newbie painter. These seems to be the only paints my local store stocks so i'm glad to hear they are pretty good
I’m in the only one that loves when Stahly says “Color palette” i know im not alone! Great review and i wish TAP the most success with the new line. Ill just stick with my mixed pallets of Pro Acryl, New Vallejo game, Ak and Citadel is got everything I’ll ever need. 👍🏼
I really appreciated your take on the new paints. A large majority of painters are hobbyists who paint to play. I myself enjoy using minis as a canvas to create. Your insite and work put into the video offer a lot if information and it is appreciated. Danke.
Fantastic review as always. You set the benchmark for these. Thank you for putting so much work into it.
I think the best part of all this is that it shows us that these companies really do care about the product and are doing their best to ensure that they deliver a quality one. If all these does is lead to more improvements and each company trying to one up the other, than that's better for the consumer in the long run... I hope.
As someone who is colorblind TAP is helping me make my painting better! The group labeling and the layer in which they go in will help drastically even if they are only now becoming standard hobby paints. I hope TAP keeps this method of labeling and improves their formula as time passes, if they do they will keep me as a customer for life!
Yes, I would absolutely love a color by color brand comparison.
Got it!
Thank you for your review. Was using old AP and was in pain and angry from them. Was thinking about getting these, but they cost a lot, but saw on facebook someone selling them for only 56% of original price without even using them, so ya, now I have them and I am happy.
really impressed with the effort that went into this. Thank you for all your hard work. Yes I certainly would like you to test yellow across different brands. I also lean toward matt finish over satin.
TY
Cheers, I already did the yellow comparison, check my channel :)
My personal preference is a thicker paint that is thinned as needed.
Airbrush paints are my go to when I want prethinned paints which are often still really good layering paints or blending.
Having a single range that covers a lot of bases, technical paints and speed painting options is valuable in its own right.
The current mid to high end market has a glut of options (but availability and shipping mitigates it's use to entry level markets) and now thankfully with Army Painter picking up their ranges quality over all the low to mid end is also covered again.
GW still often rains supreme but that's more to do with having high street locations/consumer facing stores. 👍
Great review! You only briefly touched on pricing though, and if you actually are able to purchase the huge complete fanatic set of 216, it’s $3.50 per bottle, and you also get 4 very nice brushes and 2 mixing balls per bottle, which probably amounts to around $35 value, making the paint set final cost about $3.35 USD per bottle (before tax). That’s the absolute best price in the business, for a set of paints that has everything, rated 8.5/10 by this video. That’s the main reason I ordered the complete set. It’s an unbeatable deal.
Love your videos. Would very much enjoy a series of videos comparing individual colors across ranges. You mentioned yellow, but I'd also enjoy seeing red, orange, etc.
Yo Sturdy, thanks for all you do, your reviews are always top tier in descriptions and visuals. If I'm being honest though, My main interest in this upcoming video isn't the colors themselves but their green capped affects, the metals and the washes. I love Ducan Roadies paints but not a fan of his washes (or at the very least how I use them) so I hope they're pretty great! (just like your vids)
Satin paints have been my preference for most of miniatures outside of cloth for the last few decades. I appreciated the review, though I did wonder how much of the past problems were due to getting paint that had been sitting for a couple of years. My biggest problem with my paint collection is keep them all shaken and not stirred.
I am thoroughly impressed with this new range. I do prefer a slightly thicker paint when using my wet palette. Your videos have always been top quality and I appreciate your insights.
My favorites out of the range so far have been the magentas and warm skin tones. Them in combination make for some absolutely beautiful tan skin tones. I look forward to finding more great mixes.
That said, I use a bunch of different ranges in combination. I rarely stick to one.
Very good review, nice to see that the new paints aren't just hype. As always, your approach to paint reviews is exceptional.
Please do the yellows, or better for me personally, oranges! I love orange, but I've found that there's just not a lot of options for it and most of 'em aren't great.
What I'm wondering for Fanatic is how they drybrush. Probably well enough, but lately I've been trying to figure out which the best options are.
I really miss Delvan Mud. Your channel is my go-to source for learning about hobby paint ranges. Thank you for making great and helpful videos!
My pleasure!
The best thing about Army Painter is that they're available everywhere. I'd love to try AK 3rd Gen but I can't find anywhere locally that stocks single bottles and I don't want to pay $5 + shipping to try out a single bottle of paint. There's already several local stores with deep discounts on current AP Warpaints as they gear up to stock Fanatic. Between price and availability I can see me pickup up Fanatic when some of my paints run out or to replace current well used paints when they just don't cut it anymore.
For me in Canada Two Thin Coats, Reaper, and Scale 75 may as well not exist. Two Thin Coats has a few stockists listed in my province. The closest one is a 90 minute drive away and the only one that does online shipping only carries half the line lol. Pro Acryl, Vallejo, Citadel, and AP are a lot easier to get for me in my location so they're basically what I use.
What I really want is a test of airbrush primers. I would love to know who’s has the best white, black and great. What is best for regular painting and what is best for “contrast” paints. I know many are saying - use a spray can for contrast paints, but I don’t like to prime with a can 😂
Monument hobbies by a mile has the best airbrush primers
Colour specific reviews would be great. I'm often like 'I need a [whatever] colour, which one should I get?'. Would be really good if it covered a 'this is the best 'standard [colour], but here is a great darker tone, and this is the better highlight'.
Thank you for such a thorough and detailed review.
I never liked the original army painter range,with the exception of the metallics and washes. I fact I ended up putting the lot in the bin and have never bought their acrylics since.
Having watched a few videos and read some magazine reviews I was tempted by this latest range. The triad aspect really appealed. However, thanks to your unbiased and superb review I have decided to give the Fanatic range a miss. I’m going to stick with my AK third generation and will probably pick up a few of the Vallejo Game Color triad sets and try some of the Two Thin Coats range.
I think yours is probably the best no nonsense review I have seen and the suggestions for alternatives is a real help to me as an historical miniatures painter.
Thanks again, I have also subscribed.
Cheers
Keith
This is the review I've been waiting for. The promises from army painter were so high I just couldn't believe them
If you didn't do that yellow paint test, I'd love to see a Yellow, Orange, Red and Magenta test series sometime. That Daemonic Yellow was the best yellow I've used, at least when you compare several other brands including Pro Acryl's Golden Yellow.
How is the coverage when you don't dilute the yellow, orange, and red with water?
Higher obviously, but you will smudge over any details so that's not an option for me.
As someone who hasn’t painted a model since 7th Ed. 40K, and who’s old paints were a ruined mess (thanks storage) that had to be thrown out, I’m very interested in Warpaints Fanatic and their Speedpaint 2.0. Seems like it’ll have more than what I’m likely to need getting back into the hobby with those.
Yes would definitely like a comparison of yellows. You don't mention AK3 much in your video so I would like to see more coverage of that brand too as they seem to be the one to beat these days.
I like that there are more good quality options. I don't think I'm going to move away from pro acryl, ak, and two thin coats though
Cant wait for your review. I restocked my paints with Vallejo Game Color (had the old ones, bought the new ones) and I was shocked how good they are now. I mix and match to my needs (Nocturna skin colors, AK3rd pastels and fluos) and I am really curious if these new paints are as good as all those influencers with their free Mega Sets or Complete Sets want me to believe they are.
Yeah the new Game Colors are really nice, especially their acrylics. I also love the soft bottles!
@@stahly_taleofpainters My only serious problem with the new range is the inclusion of urethane varnish as regular varnish. Many people airbrush varnishes and airbrushing urethane is no joke. Including that without any warning or application guides bothers me a lot
@@alternate3787 what kinda problems do you have? I mixed up 60% varnish and 40% thinner and use it all the time through the airbrush.
@@XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD4 its a health risk
Did you know that Vallejo is going to launch a new Model Color range with the same bottle design as their new Game Color? They claim improved opacity, more content per bottle (likely the +1ml increase from the bottles) and an ultra-matt finish. Received a flyer in my order today and this seemed pretty recent. @@stahly_taleofpainters
Been hyped for this review since it was announced earlier this week and am not dissapointed. I'd love a review of yellow paints from the ranges.. I'm always on the look out for a high coverage yellow with less coats.
If you want a high coverage yellow/red/orange get a true cadmium paint: Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylic 59ml 161 Cadmium Yellow Medium
No brush licking :)
@@electrictrojan6719 but.... The brush licking is the best part!
/lj
I'm not sure if you should say that the advertised coverage is debunked, if you thin the paint and not use it straight from the bottle.
IMO They‘re too thick out of the bottle, unthinned they‘d smother all of the models‘ details.
Agree, it's not a 'debunking' if it's not a like-for-like comparison - it's just a caveat. I mean, on a bit of scenery or something flat where you don't care about detail - or indeed on a base as they show in the marketing - using it straight from the bottle for a bit of one thick coat coverage is fine for many people.
Yeah Stahly I would love to see a yellow comparison. Try to get your hands on some Ultracryl, especially the yellow. They've finished their kickstarter but the videos show unusualy insane coverage compared to others, especially the yellows. They do seem like a unique product.
@stahly I have the complete set and I find that last 2 or 3 colors in each 6 color triad very thick. Did you find this as well when you were painting your chart? If what is your ratio of paint to water to get a good working paint? As it’s so thick and can be hard to work with.
For availability, consistency and price point this seems like the best game in town. It will lilely not replace my entire kit and i likely will not use the triad system but instead buy the 27 most dark colors and mix them, but with their stability it doesn’t seem like it will be a problem. I would like to see how the triads used as base coat, mid coat and highlights dry brushed will make slapchop pop as that is honestly the way I will likely use them. The sheen leaning into satin does not bother me honestly as my varnish will likely add that much sheen. Good video, thank you!
I want to give my congratulations to Army Painter for making quality paints a lot more accessible to beginners, but I do not see myself converting from Vallejo Model Color mostly because the range lacks earthy colors I use and the satin finish is not something I am big on.
Vallejo gang! Price of 2.3EUR is also half without having to buy full sets for a diacount... Also think @Sthaly misused some of the new Vallejo Game Color effects, the bile and frost in particular are nuts! But I had to really look up how to apply it on youtube before I got a random painter properly using them (bile needs to be glooped on and the bubbles stay! And the frost needs to be pretty thick for any effect).
Big props to Army Painter though.
Loved the video and I would love if you did a video about you testting all the yellows and oranges you can find since those are infamous colors to paint with
Do you have a video showing the glow paints they made?
I really appreciate the color samples and depth of the review. Thanks.
I would love to see a review of all the manufactuter's yellow paint. I use yellow a lot and am very familiar with how difficult it is. The first tiime I had access to Pro Acrylic (PA) I chose their yellow to see if they could do a good job with a difficult color. I was very happy with it and it motivated me to buy more PA.
The video is already on my channel :)
I’ve been wondering if you prefer Reaper paints for their color choices? I’ve been very reliant on them for the rich dark colors especially, but they also do some good reds and yellows, but I rarely hear people talking about them online
I think that army painter is doing the best they can working with in their own "box". The old warpainter ketchup was annoying especially after excessive shaking. The speed paint line I believe is where it is at to put more models on the table faster. Good review.
Hey guys, I know the video title & thumb is a bit provocative but I promise this will be a nuanced and fair review, just like the other vids on my channel. No sponsorship, no bias, no agenda, no BS, just an honest review from someone who compares Warpaints Fanatic to all the paint ranges of the last few years. So be nice to each other and see you on Saturday :)
I would expect nothing less from a gentleman and a scholar like you. We all know you gotta do what you gotta do with thumbnails and titles.
I get the clickbait stuff you need to get views somehow
Thanks Stahly. It’s been hard finding good quality reviews for these products which actually show things like coverage over miniatures as a lot of people have just been focusing on painting over bases or using the speed paints. It’s also great that you’ve actually used top end brands like AK and pro-acryl so I know you’re not one of those types that thinks citadel metallics are actually amazing 😆
I’ve thought since the very first video that a lot of the triads look like they just add more and more white. To me it looks like on the “old vs new” colour match section it looks very much the case.
Still looks like a big improvement and there’s some good individual colours. But I think 2 plus white in each triad will give you same thing.
The quality of the content means we can ignore the clicky baitiness. Think I've watched most of your range reviews a few dozen times to pick up everything, even if I don't agree with quantitative value the info is solid and well presented.
Judging by the video, the washes are noticably thinner. They also look to cause less coffee staining. I love strong tone, but it looks like I will love the new strong tone even more
Yes, I would want to watch a video exclusively about painting yellow onto black bases. Let the coverage Olympics begin!
Excellent video, does this large box set come with all of their contrast paints as well? Or speedpaints I think they call it.
No, that's a separate box.
This guy is doing gods work thank you so much your one of the few UA-camrs I can trust to give me an honest detailed review appreciate the work you do ✌️
Great review one of the best on this range! I personally loved how you compared them to the other ranges which I should try Vahalo game color and this new range when it comes to a primary,secodary color set or indvuals which $4 for that much paint is really nice and beats my Tamiya off sale on US amazon!
I like your thought out and practiced reviews. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and time.
Great job as usual, Stahly!! One rec I’d have if this is even something you’d do - two of my favorite paints are discontinued and I’m not aware of anyone making an exact match, and I’d love to see a series on how to try and replicate such paints using existing ones.
For example, my two are Titillating Pink from GW’s original range and Warcolours Nostalgia 88 range, and the Cryptek Armourshade that GW used to make until they dropped all the glossy washes.
I’d love to see how/if there’s a way of modifying an existing pink to get it as bright, or what mix of browns, blacks, and glossy medium would be needed to replicate a glossy wash.
Probably quite hard because I imagine you would need a specific pigment to recreate the intensity of both paints, which is something you can't really achieve with mixing existing colours.
I've been waiting for your review of these paints. Yourself and Vince Venturella are my trust worthy sources.
I prefer satin finish paint.
A set of six is called a sextet.
Fanatic seems pretty good, but Vallejo still seems hands down the best proposition in general: can get it for 2.3Eur per bottle and no need to get a set for the discount (except the xpress line), great consistency across the range, and I prefer matte as a standard since I was used to Citadel getting glossier and glossier after 1 coat until I had shiny tree leaves/wood details after 2-3 thin layers 😢 Also they are great mixed with water, and have insane shelf life as well (have 20 year old paints still working fine!).
They have a very nice turn your brain off property about them. Grab these, Grab a shade, grab the next color down, repeat for however far you want to go into the highlighting. I do feel the range could have been tightened up a bit, there are quite a few tones that are pretty samesy, and as many have said the paints seem to have a heavy level of white in them leading the selection to feel very pastel.
I really like all the washes, though some of them are kinda samesy as well. looking at you Sepia, Soft tone, light tone, and rust tone.
That being said ive painted more models this month then i have ever done in the past
Great videos man! Always appreciate the work and time you put into these, making such informative videos explaining everything.
That being said you said you said the mask covers up your age. I was born in early 90’s! Now I’m wondering if I’m old 🥲
I was born 86 ;)
@@stahly_taleofpainters I'm 91. You're fine! lol
This is fantastic, thank you so much! I'd love to see comparisons between the same colours from different lines. Also, have you ever tried Golden's acrylics? I have a friend who swears by them and I use their metallics almost exclusively (Along with Vallejo Liquid but that's alcohol based 😅), but because Golden's main line is in artist acrylics, their mini-friendly paints aren't as well known.
Not yet, but I will investigate!
Thanks for the review. Glad to see Army Painter has brought the quality up to modern standards, even if there's a few gaps in the line (what range doesn't?). The original versions of Vallejo Game Color and AP Warpaints always felt like the lower-quality budget options to me, and VGC went from being an insta-avoid to one of my favourite brands when they overhauled them a year ago, so I'm glad to see AP following suit.
4:25 I'm fairly certain the original AP metallics *were* the 2000s GW ones, I honestly can't tell the difference between them in a blind test. They used to source paints from different companies, and I suspect their first-gen metallics came from the same French company GW sourced most of their 1998-2012 range from.
Colart, I suspect the same
When I saw that Devlan Mud bottle, my eyes got all wet and let out a deep sigh. That was the best wash ever.
Right!
I used the last of my Devlan Mud last year. It was a solemn moment.
The citadel washes you quote as being 'first generation' are third generation at least. Maybe fourth depending on if you count the 1st generation inks as a generation or not.
Looking forward to seeing the white held up against pro-acryl
Very cool video 👍👍👍
I need your advice!!!
From your point of view what paints I should choose between army painter Warpaints fanatic and Scale75 fantasy &games?
I'd prefer Warpaints Fanatic then
@@stahly_taleofpainters Thank you! 😉👍
I really enjoy the range; the cool red burgundy and the magenta range is colours I’ve been searching for quite a while.
If army painter give me a maroon range and expands the warm reds to favour more of the red than orange side I’ll be a happy painter.
Thanks as always for the hugely informative rundown. Wondering, do you see a dark grey similar to my favorite "not-black black" necromancer cloak? From seeing the chart online I'm concerned they don't actually have a grey that dark.
True, the darkest grey in the greys triad is a bit lighter than Necromancer Cloak.
@@stahly_taleofpainters thank you
I like ProAcryl, the first layer doesn’t stick too well to rattle can primer though, so expect to use your airbrush 😅
Hi Stahly, as for the color match, you should do a conparison with tge sprays. The spray color matches have always been kibd if off so im curious to see if the match is better to the spray cans than the old bottles
I come here for one thing... thoroughness!! Thank you for not doing reviews the "easy" way and actually going in depth and providing CHARTS
A very substantial review. Thank you for all of your hard work in evaluating these.
I’m with you on the old citadel washes. Pour a nuln oil out for devlan mud!
I don't know if this helps but I have a few dozen citadel paints from maybee 1992. Some are unopened. After hours of shaking I have tested some against 2023 Citadel and they seem to me to hold up very well, or in some cases be better in some aspects particularly whites, yellows. I'd happily send some over for testing.
I think they are the first formula they did from rouge trader days. The only unopened round ones (before the hexagonal bottles) are skill white and chaos black. The only yellow I have is the hexagonal bad moon yellow. Sorry but I can't quite figure the ages of them but for sure the white seems superior to the new citadel.
I really wish you had a review like this, or compared it to, the Vallejo MODEL Color range
I'm actually waiting for the Model Color range to be reworked like Game Color and Game Air
I need to ask, between Greedy Gold and Retributor Armor, which one had the better coverage?
Retributor Armour is slightly better I'd say
Best paint reviews on the internet. Thank you once again Stahly
I am mostly using citadel with a mix of a few vallejo. How big of a difference is there between citadel and ak, pro acryl and these paints?
AK Interactive and ProAcryl are at the top of quality in this industry. Vallejo is almost there with most of their products, on par with minority (Metal Color for example). The new Fanatic line just jumped over Citadel and joined the rest in quality. It's better, cheaper and has superior bottles to what Citadel is manufacturing.
Not sure if i should get Ak paints now or wait till AP release theirs, my impression is that AP seems like a better company to support.@@PrzybyszzMatplanety
Hard to explain in just a few words, but I have a list of my favourite paint ranges where I also discuss some of the strengths and weaknesses: taleofpainters.com/2023/08/stahlys-best-acrylic-paints-for-painting-warhammer-miniatures-2023/
As always, another great video. I agree with your issues with the some of the triads being on the brighter side. When the colours were revealed I did think some of the groupings were 'must haves' whilst others were a little .... meh.
I have no arguments with the final points on Pro Acryl and New Vallejo Game Color being a better alternative. I had planned on buying in to the new Game Colors but I haven't found anywhere in the UK that stocks the entire range. AP's Warpaints have always been up there with GW for availability in the UK, so I hopefully they can repeat that with their new products.
I prefer my pro acrylic for everything but my metal paints, and I'm not sure that I love how thick these fanatic paints are compared to my Vallejo metal color though. It doesn't look as good of a finish imo, and it's definitely thicccc. I'm having a hard time seeing why I would buy a huge amount of paint from them, when I have so many that even your video says are on par or better. This paint line would've been so good 4 years ago. It would've changed the game. Still I'll be interested in seeing some of the effect paint, washes, and the specialties.
Very thorough and I appreciate comparison to other brands.
Thank you!
If all the reviews truly are unbiased, then these are the best paints at their price point if they're sold at the same price as the current war paints. They're also far more widely available than most brands. My local store only carries Citadel, 2 Thin Coats, Vallejo, and Army Painter. Will I replace my whole range? Nah. Will I pick them up if I want a specific colour? Heck yeah.
I will also argue that being able to mix your paints and colour match is an invaluable skill, but the hexad system of these paints will really help new painters out!
Can I just say, the triads and the "general color" label are some of my favorite additions to this line. So nice to have the triad label so I can grab and go, and the general color means im not looking up conversion charts because gw can't just tell us the color.
What I found most damning about AP's quality control was that I'd always see people talk about which of their paints were "the bad ones" for poor coverage, separating from their medium in the bottle etc, and they'd _always_ cite different paints each time, suggesting it's just a tendency for dud bottles across the range. So I'm going to wait and see if that's still a problem once this new range has been out for awhile; there's definitely some colours they do that I'd use a lot more of if I didn't feel I was taking a gamble on whether the bottle I just bought is any good.
Thanks...I lov this type of video. I would be interested in the colour for colour comparison you suggested at the start. Im currently using Citadel for fantasy painting, VMC for historic, and AK for all types. Ill likely pick up a couple of these, and might try out some of Duncans TCC range at some point.
Please do a full review of the AK 3rd gen range. The colors on their website don’t match most of their actual colors and that really hinders online shoppers.
Thanks for the review! AP seems to have really stepped up their game, and is pushing up the baseline for the industry. 8.5/10 ain’t bad!
I've always liked Army Painter their brushes and tools. The Regiment brush is and remains a workhorse for me. Never used their paints though. Good to see them putting out a very solid range here. They might not be the very best, but the Fanatic paints are looking like another great addition to our hobby toolkits. We're really being spoiled for choice here.
It's good to finally see an orange-y gold that can stand up to Retributor Armour. That paint is and remains the gold standard in... Well... Gold... The flexible triad system and detailed descriptions on the bottles is something every single other paint range can and should take notes from. Having such an expansive clearly laid out palette of colours is just so nice to have. Now they just need to fill out some of the small gaps left in the range. One or two more triads might be all it takes.
On a different note: excellent taste in manga in that bottom left corner Stahly!
A quick question, have you noticed coffee staining when thinning them for glazing? Have seen some people say that they don't take thinning with a lot of water not too well,.
Yeah, I'd recommend adding Stabilizer Medium for glazing
Great review, thanks for sharing and putting the range through its paces.