Last updated September 1, 2026. By marlevelpainting.
This guest review comes from Alexander Foust of MARLevel Painting. Alex is a miniature painter, Emergency Room nurse, husband, and father of twins. The Army Painter sent him three Warpaints Fanatic colors to test on a Warhammer Age of Sigmar miniature. What follows is Alex’s firsthand experience with those paints.
Hello everyone, and welcome back to another product review! This time, I’m taking a look at The Army Painter’s Warpaints Fanatic line. The company sent me three colors to try: Imperial Navy, Greenskin, and Burning Ore.
As a fairly new but super-enthusiastic miniature painter, I’m always looking for good paints that can help bring my models to life. I tested these three colors on a Killaboss from Warhammer Age of Sigmar, paying close attention to coverage, consistency, mixing, and the Flexible Triad system.
This is my experience with three colors from a much larger paint range. I haven’t tested every Fanatic paint, so I’m keeping my conclusions focused on the bottles and miniature in front of me.
Disclosure: The Army Painter supplied the three paint samples used in this review. Tangible Day did not receive payment for the conclusion, and the opinions below are my own.
Key Takeaways
- Strong coverage in my samples. All three paints had a creamy consistency and covered well. Greenskin came close to covering in one coat, though I used a second thin coat for a cleaner finish.
- Flexible Triads were genuinely helpful. The label made it easy to see where each paint sits within its color family. This took some guesswork out of selecting shadows, midtones, and highlights.
- Less shaking, based on three bottles. Army Painter says Fanatic contains 300–700% more pigment than its older Warpaints range and uses proprietary stabilizers. My samples needed only a short shake, though acrylic paint still needs mixing before use.
Top Picks for Warpaints Fanatic Sets
If you want to start with the current Fanatic formula, these are the three sets I would look at:
- Warpaints Fanatic Starter Set for a smaller beginner-friendly selection
- Warpaints Fanatic Most Wanted Set for a broader working palette
- Warpaints Fanatic Mega Set for painters who want a larger range from the start
Before we get into the new Fanatic line, let me share that I have a soft spot for The Army Painter. Their starter set was the first paint set I used when I began painting, and I still use many of their paints and equipment.
Now, let’s explore the Warpaints Fanatic line.
How the Fanatic Line Was Developed
A few years before launch, Army Painter CEO Bo Penstoft asked the development team to create a miniature paint that would work for display painters and gamers painting armies.
The company says the process took several years and included feedback from hobbyists and professional painters.
I went through The Army Painter’s YouTube channel and website, watching videos and reading about the new line. It was clear that they wanted Fanatic to work for experienced painters as well as people who were just getting started. They also wanted to move past the reputation that Army Painter products were strictly for new painters and hobbyists. Their words, not mine.
The bigger technical claim is pigment load. Army Painter currently says Fanatic contains 300–700% more pigment than the original Warpaints range. That is the manufacturer’s figure, so I treated it as a claim to test rather than something I measured myself. What I could test was coverage, consistency, and how quickly the three sample bottles mixed.
Of course, this led to a new paint-engineering problem, color separation!
How Fanatic Handles Paint Separation
Paint separates in the bottle over time because pigment settles away from the medium. Fanatic uses a proprietary stabilizer intended to keep pigment dispersed more evenly.
My three samples were ready after a short shake, and I did not have trouble remixing them. Give the bottle a shake before use, especially if it has been sitting for a while.
Army Painter calls this addition its stabilizer. The exact formula is proprietary, but its purpose is to help the medium and pigment remix more easily.
In my three bottles, it worked as intended. The paints were ready to use after a short shake and stayed smooth on the palette.
How Flexible Triads Work
Another interesting choice in the Fanatic line is the Flexible Triad system.
Army Painter groups the paints into six-color families that move from dark to light around a shared hue. The bottle label shows where each color sits within that family.
I’ll note here that other paint brands have used triads before in their paint line systems, including those by Reaper Miniatures. Reaper bundles many of their Master Series Paints into triads to assist artists in their color selection. As such, the idea of a triad in colored paint sets is not necessarily new.
Within each family, the colors can serve as shadows, midtones, or highlights. The system gives you several related options without requiring you to mix every step yourself.
I found the labels genuinely useful. I spent less time second-guessing the next color and more time painting the miniature in front of me. That small reduction in decision-making kept the session moving.
By the way, The Army Painter did something similar with its airbrush range, though those paints were grouped three per triad.
In the Fanatic line, I think the Flexible Triad system is a real winner. It makes choosing shadows, midtones, and highlights much easier for those of us who are still learning how to combine colors properly.
My Experience With Three Fanatic Colors
The three sample colors were Imperial Navy, Greenskin, and Burning Ore. I was excited to see what separated them from other brands I had used before.
I had the perfect model for this color combination, a Killaboss from Warhammer Age of Sigmar.
I had used Greenskin from The Army Painter’s older Warpaints line, so I noticed the difference immediately. The Fanatic version felt creamier on the palette and covered more evenly. Greenskin is one of the midtones in the Deep Greens Flexible Triad.
Greenskin
Greenskin flowed well from the bottle and gave me strong coverage on the model. One coat came close, but I used a second thin layer for a more even finish. The result was opaque and smooth without much effort.
Burning Ore
I used Burning Ore as the midtone across the armor. It had the same creamy feel as Greenskin, and the vibrant orange suited what I had in mind for the model.
I added a couple of drops of water, and the paint still gave me strong coverage. For the highlights, I mixed in a little pale yellow. The blend stayed smooth and kept enough opacity for the raised areas.
Imperial Navy is the darkest color in the Vivid Blues family. I used it on the tassels as an accent. The clean blue looked a little too formal for a swamp creature, so I dirtied it with a thin mud-colored wash. That small adjustment helped the blue sit with the rest of the model.
Cost and Value
Warpaints Fanatic and current Vallejo Game Color paints both come in 18 ml bottles. Retail prices vary by store and region, so I would compare current per-bottle prices before buying a larger set. Based on these three samples, Fanatic sits competitively within the hobby-paint market. I reached an even finish with two thin coats or fewer.
Final Verdict After Three Colors
I love them! Based on the three colors I tested, the Fanatic paints are great right out of the bottle. Greenskin, Burning Ore, and Imperial Navy were creamy, easy to mix, and strong in coverage.
I especially appreciate the Flexible Triad system and the simple naming on the labels. It made choosing related colors much easier, which is helpful for painters like me who are still learning how to combine shadows, midtones, and highlights. I spent less time second-guessing the next color and more time painting the miniature.
Three bottles cannot represent every paint in a range this large, but these samples made a strong first impression. I would feel comfortable using them for quick tabletop work or taking more time on a display piece. I’m looking forward to doing just that.
About the Author
Alexander Foust is a loving husband, father of twins, and committed Emergency Room Nurse. Balancing his personal and professional life, he finds strength in his faith and enjoys fitness, miniature painting, and tabletop gaming. Alex is open to miniature painting commissions. You can reach him via email ([email protected]) or his MARLevel Painting Facebook page.
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Are there specific pros and cons mentioned for “The Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Paint” in the review? Greeting : Telkom University
This is good, except your pricing at the end is way off.
Vallejo game colour paints come in 18ml dropper bottles, while citadel colours typically come in 12ml (!) bottles, making the latter one of the WORST price points on the market. Even at this slightly increased price point (compared to their older paints), Army Painter generally provides one of the highest value/ml paints available.
Pro Acryl is the only upper echelon paint that I’m familiar with that comes in 22ml bottles (it’s outstanding btw), making it an excellent value proposition, slightly hampered by a more limited colour palette.
Really strange that you would recommend people buy the old Warpaints sets when they have such a poor (deserved) reputation.