Paint Review: Army Painter Warpaint

Due to the withdrawal of Testors from the paint market, and the “shift” of Badger from brush paint to “airbrush ready”– I’m forced to look farther out to sea to find paint I can use. 

I carry on an unending crusade for truth, justice, the American Way and brushpainting. I’ve tried a number of new paints. Most of them are “just okay” or “awful.” This paint really impressed me with the amazing coverage I got from the white paint. I was so impressed that I gave it a good review. But further investigations revealed some problems. 

It’s difficult to “draw lines” with this paint. This item on my review checklist is VERY IMPORTANT. It’s right up there with “self leveling.” If I can’t “draw lines” with a paint, then it’s not going to be any good to me. 

Unfortunately, I was so “over the moon” regarding the coverage of the white paint that I just didn’t see what was in front of my face. Furthermore, it’s been a while since I encountered a “no line drawing” paint. I’d almost forgotten what it was. 

Until now. Here’s a definition of “line drawing.” To be a usable paint, to me, I need to be able to put the brush in the paint and then pull the brush across the model, leaving a nice clean line. Not a blotchy, sketchy line. A solid, smooth line. Without additives this paint fails in this regard. This problem seems to be related to the “self leveling” rating. The paint fails to “self level” as it should. This is a major deal that doesn’t appear unless you flow the paint onto the model. 

Flowing is really how I MUST PAINT in order to get good results. If a paint doesn’t flow, I can’t use it, unless there is a color that is so outstanding in other ways that it can be used as a “special weapon.” Tamiya is a special weapon and now it looks like the Army Painter Warpaint is also. The white and yellow are outstanding, as long as they are scrubbed onto the surface with manly force. 

But, in general, I have to change my review and say that what looked like a lake of fresh water turned into a mirage. 

 

The Jury is Still Out
  • Self Leveling
  • Need for Additives
  • Coverage
  • Proper Drying Time
  • Compatibility
  • Stippling
  • Fingerprinting
  • Adhesion
  • Line Drawing
  • Color Selection
  • Smell
  • Price
3.6

Impressive Coverage, Poor Flow Properties

I removed the ratings for “packaging” and “availability.” These ratings were just handicapping certain paints to no purpose. These days, all paint packaging is lousy and availability is a challenge. We have to live with it.

2 Replies to “Paint Review: Army Painter Warpaint”

  1. Enjoyed the review! The local shop just started carrying this stuff, been wanting to try it out. I’m going to pick up a few bottles next visit. Now…if I can find the Italeri paint to try out..

    1. The Army Painter Warpaint has amazing coverage and leveling ability. It’s very similar to Revell Aqua. The Warpaint actually makes a white that I can paint on as if it were a darker color. I used it to paint the white “bandages” on the Revell Ki-61 I posted a little while ago.

      I haven’t tried the Italeri paint.

      UPDATE:

      See the above review for my new and improved rating of this paint. I may have used the wrong thinner (water?) but it didn’t behave well under stress. As we say in Girl Scouts: darn it!

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