The Great Paint Range Comparison 2023

By: Jeff Van Laethem (@Painting_For_The_Emperor)

Ask 10 miniature painters what their favorite paint brand is, and you'll get 5 different answers at least. Different techniques demand different types of paint, and personal preference plays a large part. So recently I decided to sit down with dark reds from seven different paint ranges to compare smoothness, coverage, and value. 

I chose what most generically-named paint ranges would refer to as Black Red. It's a dark, cooler red (leans slightly more blue than yellow). The main reason is that it's the color I could easily find the most brands of. But that was fine, as I was able to pretty closely match most of the brands.

Editors Note: Jeff has been painting for over 25 years and is a highly decorated painter in the 5280 Legion scene. In fact, he's won so many local painting competitions that he was asked by the Rocky Mountain Open staff to help judge the painting contest… to give everyone else a chance. He’s a local expert who has the painting chops and experience to back up these opinions. Here’s a small slice of some of Jeff’s recent work

The Paints

Here's the list I used, in no particular order:

• Vallejo Model Color - Black Red

• Scalecolor - Deep Red

• AK Interactive - Black Red

• Pro Acryl - Burgundy

• Two Thin Coats - Berserker Red

• Army Painter - Crusted Sore

• Citadel - Gal Vorbak Red

Not all of these are perfect color matches, but finding a perfect match of any color across seven brands was nearly impossible, and these were quite close. 

My Biases

It goes without saying that before this test, I had opinions about paints and brands. But I pride myself on being as neutral as possible - after all, if a brand I don't like beats one I do like, I now have a new tool to use on my painting journey!

Here's a quick list of my impressions BEFORE having conducted this test:

• Citadel is OK. Their main upside is that you can easily color-match what paints were used on Warhammer box art with paints on a rack. The paint pots aren't as convenient as a dropper bottle, and they can dry out more quickly. The actual quality of the paint is fine - it's not the smoothest, and sometimes lighter colors go on unevenly, but if Citadel were the only paint brand left, I wouldn't be heartbroken.

• Vallejo Model Color I usually think of as the best value - the Paints are smooth and well-pigmented, and you get more paint for less money than Citadel. My only complaint is some of the lighter colors get a bit watery.

• AK Interactive has been my go-to brand for a year or more now. Their paints are smooth, and even the lighter colors have exceptional coverage. It's a touch more expensive than other paints, but they're consistently high quality.

• Army Painter left a very poor impression on me. I once had a bottle of some dark gray from them, which was… "grainy"?... no matter how much I'd shake it. I can leave bottles of Vallejo on a shelf for a year, and they need virtually no shaking. Army Painter is the cheapest of the bunch, but I've never been tempted to try them again.

What & How I'm Judging

I wanted to compare three main points of these paints:

• Price (per milliliter)

• Coverage (single-coat)

• Flow/consistency

My plan was to paint a swatch of each of these colors on a miniature, all on the same primer, Citadel Grey Seer. I would put a small amount of paint on a wet palette, load a brush, and paint a single coat on an area with some flat surfaces and some details. Then, I'd get another brushload, and paint a single streak on the back of a receipt to compare the colors side by side.

Without further ado, let's dive in!

The Results

Vallejo Model Color

• Size: 17mL

• Cost: $3.99

• Price per mL: $0.24

I've had tons of experience with VMC, and even with Black Red in particular. The funny thing is that Black Red from Vallejo is one of their worst entries - over the years I've found it to be a little "goopy", and uneven.

Here's the swatch on a miniature:

It's definitely not as smooth as I'd like. Also, while applying this single coat, I really struggled with the odd, thick consistency. Decided I'd give Model Color a grade C here - while it wasn't great, I've had paints MUCH worse.

Final Grade: C

Army Painter

• Size: 18ml

• Cost: $3.75

• Price per ml: $0.21

Sometimes you go into a situation with low expectations, and you come away with a new appreciation for whatever it is. This was not one of those situations.

I shook the bottle of Crusted Sore for my usual ~2 seconds, then squeezed out a goopy, uneven mess. After painting one bit, I thought "it can't be that bad…" so I shook the bottle for a full minute, squeezed out some more, and tried again in a new spot, and added a second coat to what I had already applied. Still appalled by what I was seeing, I added one more coat to everything, then gave up.

The upper leg has one coat. The back of the torso has 2 coats, and the lower leg has 3 coats. It's streaky, thin, and uneven. This was the only paint of the bunch I tried multiple coats on.

I didn't expect my Army Painter experience could've been worse than my previous experiences with them. But it was! "You need to shake it even more!" I can hear Army Painter fans exclaiming. No. How long would it take?? Two hours? I shook this paint for a full 60 seconds, which is 58 seconds more than usual for me.

Not to beat a dead horse, but if I walked into a hobby shop and had these two options:

• Buy a bottle of Vallejo for $20

  OR

• Get a free bottle of Army Painter and GET $20

I'd pay the $20. I was recently at a grocery store, and a newspaper salesman tried to get me to subscribe. After politely declining, he said "it's free for the first 6 months, there's no commitment, and you get a $25 gift card to the grocery store". And that wasn't worth it to me. And THAT deal sounds better than Army Painter to me.

Final Grade: F -

Citadel

• Size: 12ml

• Cost: $4.55

• Price per ml: $0.38

I do think Citadel is an OK brand. I loved them when I was new and didn't know anything else existed, but I have almost no Citadel paint in my collection anymore.  I shook the pot of Gal Vorbak and was pleasantly surprised at the smooth consistency within. 

In a single coat, the Citadel contestant went on quite smoothly - not as opaque as the other entrants, but smooth nonetheless. I personally like my paints opaque, so this is a downside to me but if you like zenithal priming maybe this is a feature rather than a bug. 

Final Grade: C

Two Thin Coats

• Size: 15ml

• Cost: $4.99

• Price per ml: $0.34

My "it'd be cool to meet them someday" list is short. But Duncan Rhodes, creator of the Two Thin Coats line, is on it prominently. For those unaware, Duncan is the Bob Ross of miniature painting, having formerly been the face of games Workshop painting tutorial videos. I learned a great deal watching him, and he has a very encouraging demeanor about him.

I've been hesitant to try his paint line though… what if it sucks? Would my rosy, fanboy image of Dunc be shattered? Could my frail worldview handle such a revelation? Only one way to find out!

My first impression was that this paint is very well-pigmented, and very smooth to apply. It didn't end up looking quite as even as I expected on the model, but still good coverage and minimal fuss to get a solid coat.

Final Grade: A

AK Interactive

• Size: 17ml

• Cost: $5.49 (AK's site lists them under $3, but that's in Euros. $5.49 is what I can find them at reliably)

• Price per ml: $0.33/ml

My old standby brand had my expectations high from the start, but with Two Thin Coats performing well, I was getting a bit nervous. Here's how AK stood up:

The coverage was basically the same as Two Thin Coats, and went on basically just as smooth. The two paints are very comparable. I think the slight difference is that TTC is a tad more opaque, but AK is a tad smoother to work with. In reality I'd be thrilled with either.

Final Grade: A

Scalecolor

• Size: 17ml

• Cost: $4.49

• Price per ml: $0.27

Scalecolor is the range I had the least info on going into this adventure. I've known many Pro Acryl fanatics, and I've used most of the other ranges at some point before myself. But Scalecolor? I've heard I think one person talk about them. So with zero idea what to expect, I shook the dropper a few times and…

I was blown away. The color itself is a bit lighter than most of the others in this test. But it was by far the smoothest of the entire run. The mini above had its swatch of color painted in 2 brush strokes. Not a single brush mark, and complete coverage. I wept briefly, knowing if I started getting into yet another paint range, my wife would kill me.

Final Grade: S

Pro Acryl

• Size: 22ml

• Cost: $4.65

• Price per ml: $0.22

Last but not least, Pro Acryl. To say I've heard a lot of great things about Pro Acryl is a massive understatement. Here's how my test went:

It was smooth, and it was a strong color, but in neither way did it top the list. The results were still great, and the value is impressive.

Final Grade: B

Wrap-Up

So, where does that leave us? Judging on a combination of smoothness, coverage, and value, here's the Good, the OK, the "meh", and the Ugly:

The Good:

• AK Interactive

• The value isn't the best, but these paints are consistent, and easy as hell to apply. The coverage is also excellent, and I don't plan on switching from AK after these tests

• Scalecolor

• What a surprise! Based on the combination of all factors, Scalecolor took the cake in this test. 

• Two Thin Coats

• The only thing keeping TTC a shade below Scalecolor is the value. 7 cents isn't much, but it is something.

The OK:

• Pro Acryl

• Maybe the hottest take on this list. The value is certainly there, and it's absolutely good paint. It just slightly lags behind the front-runners in terms of coverage. 

• Vallejo Model Color

• VMC is maybe the least-exciting brand here. In this particular test I'm torn between calling it OK or calling it "meh". Knowing from first-hand experience that Black Red is one of the range's weaker entries, OK seems appropriate.

The "Meh":

• Citadel

• It's the most expensive entry on the list, and lags a bit behind the rest in terms of coverage consistency. It's smooth, but not as smooth as the top tier. You could do far worse.

The Ugly:

• Your child's finger-paints

Unmitigated Garbage:

• Army Painter

• What a mess. I had to strain not to channel my inner Gordon Ramsey while using this stuff. My quick notes I took during the test simply read "worst thing in history" (actually true). I would not recommend Army Painter to anyone.

Closing Thoughts

I'm glad I went through this process. Hopefully this helps you decide what paint you want to try out next in your hobby journey! And frankly, don't take my word for what paints are "good". Different colors, sub types within a brand, etc. will all make a difference and will all perform differently. The most important thing this reinforced for me was that firsthand experience with something is the only way to know for sure what you like. Don't hesitate to try a new paint range! …unless it's Army Painter. (Just kidding!)

By: Jeff Van Laethem (@Painting_For_The_Emperor)
Edited By: Stephen Cobb (@ASpaceViking)

Editors Note - The opinions expressed in this article are sole opinions of the author……

…..please still sponsor our events with prize support Army Painter… pretty please… =]