Paints & tools, Reviews

Review: AK Quick Markers

The opened complete box set of AK Quick Markers, displaying two inserts with 34 markers on a concrete background, lit with pink light
6.0

I’m testing the new Quick Markers from AK, and stacking them up against  Speedpaint Markers and the refillable markers from Green Stuff World. AK Quick Markers aim to rival The Army Painter and likewise promise “maximum contrast in a single coat”. However, there is one crucial difference: the design of the tips. Which marker technology comes out on top?

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Paints & tools, ToP Tips

ToP Tip: The best bone & beige paints

8 bone and beige paint sample squares from light to dark on a dark background, Stahly's best paint picks for bone miniature paints

Using the Stahly Swatches System, I’ve put together two more colour palettes for you, each with four paints from light to dark. One palete with classic warm bone tones as you know and love them from Citadel / Warhammer Colour, but with better consistency and coverage. And then a somewhat more realistic bone palette that leans more towards beige or warm grey. Check out these essential paint picks.

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Paints & tools, Reviews

Review: AK’s new Acrylic Washes

AK Master Acrylic Wash Set box arranged with three paint bottles, on a concrete background lit with pinkt light, taken for review purposes
8.5

I’m testing the 18 new acrylic washes from AK with the blue cap. Easiest, fastest, and most effective shading – that’s what the marketing promises. Also, loads of realistic brown tones, and you can never have enough brown washes. But can AK’s new washes really do something the others can’t? We’ll find out in this review, with a big comparison of the most popular brands like Citadel and The Army Painter, and of course the old Deep Shade washes from AK that they’re meant to replace.

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Paints & tools, Product Guides

Guide: Ranking & recapping the best miniature paints of 2025

A silhouette of four miniatre paint bottles and a paint marker illuminated by pink light, with gold text reading "Top 5 2005"

This post is a must-read if you’re passionate about miniature paints or thinking about giving your paint collection a proper update. I’ll be crowning the top five paint releases of 2025, after spending the entire year testing paints for you. Which new paint products offer a genuine leap in quality that you’ll feel in your day-to-day painting; which paint brands are worth their money, and which ones you’re better off skipping – I’ll tell you in this guide.

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Paints & tools, Reviews

Review: Green Stuff World “vivid” Metal Colors

All five Green Stuff World "vivid" metallic paint bottles lined up on a concrete background, lit with pink light
6.5

Shortly after Vallejo released the True Metallic Metal paints as next-generation metallic paints, Green Stuff World is now expanding its metallic range with five new extra-intense “vivid” paints I was already able to examine the prototypes at the Green Stuff World stand at Spiel 2025 in Essen, and have now tested them more extensively. Whether they can keep up with Vallejo or even surpass them, you’ll find out in this review.

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Paints & tools, Reviews

Review: Vallejo True Metallic Metal – the next gen of metallic paints?

Vallejo True Metallic Metal Imperial Gold colour family bottles lined up: Light, Base, Shade, and Airbrush
9.0

They say Vallejo’s new True Metallic Metal range is the future of metallic paints – the best aspects of Vallejo’s previous metallic ranges combined, one range to rule them all. But can it be… true? I’ve tested the entire set, all 80 colours, every technique, every finish, every stress test, to see if these paints are truly revolutionary… or just the next product hype cycle.

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Paints & tools, Reviews

Review: Dark Arts paint set by Two Thin Coats

Noir Brown paint bottle from the Two Thin Coats Dark Arts range, on a concrete plinth, background lit with pink light
8.0

The fourth wave of Duncan Rhode’s Two Thin Coats paints brings 30 new colours – but this time, everything’s gone grimdark. Dark Arts is the name of the new expansion, and it does quite a few things differently from the regular Two Thin Coats paints. In this video review, I’ll be testing the new acrylics, metallics, and inks, explaining the differences and similarities, and comparing them with The Army Painter’s equally grimdark John Blanche Masterclass paints.

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