Does Army Painter Speedpaint 2.0 Still Keep Up? Review

Army Painter’s Speedpaint brand is one of many new “quick paints” that have entered the market over the last few years. Their initial formula was met with mixed reviews when first released, and so after a reworking of the mixture, they released a 2.0 version a couple of years ago. Since then, many other big paint lines have been hot to trot and release a speedpaint or quick paint of their own brand. 

So, with all of the other speed/quick/contrast paints out there, does Army Painter Speedpaint still hold up?

Description

Army Painter was kind enough to provide us with a box of their Army Painter Speedpaint Starter Set 2.0 for review. While I have been intermittently using Army Painter speedpaints for a few years, I have not used speedpaints solely for any given project. 

Army Painter Speedpaints combine their paints with an innovative resin medium solution that allows for a single coat of paint to cover the model, flowing into the recesses. The idea is that the paints reduce the amount of time needed to paint a model, removing the standard painting technique of base layer, then washes, then highlighting. If players find painting a nuisance to get their pieces to the table, but (like me) refuse to play with gray plastic, then speed paints can, in theory, provide an easy process to paint minis.

Unboxing

The box comes nicely packaged, with all the paints in a single tray. Speedpaints come with two high-grade, rust-proof stainless steel Mixing Balls already loaded in the bottle. The box also comes with an Army Painter Basecoat Brush, a Painting Guide, and some other literature.

Army Painter Metallic Speedpaints are easily the best metallics on the market, and this paint set includes one of them. GamingTrend has previously done a review on these paints, and both Randy and I still use them in nearly every project. 

Painting with the Paints

I have found with speedpaints, or contrast paints that a variation on the Slapchop method helps maximize the shadows, midtones, and highlights of the models once the color has been applied. I typically use a black or dark brown wash over a zenithal highlight (black base coat, with a white sprayed top down). After the wash dries, I drybrush white over the model, which highlights and accents the most prominent and outward features of the models, leaving the recesses dark. This isn’t the only way to achieve this outcome, but its process has worked well for me over the years, especially when I am batch painting armies and needing to paint a lot of minis quickly. 

Using speedpaints also allows me to “color block” on the model, where I paint the sections in whatever color I’m using. It’s like paint-by-numbers, but I don’t have numbers. Starting with the lightest colors, subsequent darker speedpaints cover up and paint that “went over the line.”

With figures from the Heroscape G.I. Joe Rumble at the Rift and Battle for the Wellspring Battle Boxes, as well as the Cobra Trooper expansions, for a total of 24 miniatures, I was able to basecoat every model in an evening. 

Pairing with Army Painter Paints

Even though painting with speedpaints implies you need just a single coat, you can utilize Army Painters Warpaint Fanatics line to highlight beyond the speedpaint for additional detailing. Painting buckles or gold insignias over the top of speedpaints is also doable. Army Painter’s robust line of paints allows for mixture and experimentation if a new painter wants to push themselves beyond just the speedpaints. 

Impressions & Thoughts

Army Painter speedpaints are not the first quick paints I’ve used. Starting with Citadel Contrast Paint line, I have collected and used many speed paints over the years, and each does well within their respective paint line. I have mixed-and-matched paints as well, and have found that it’s best not to mix speed/contrast paints of different lines. However, using standard pigment acrylic paints to highlight or detail a model can be universal. So, for example, I have had no issues using Monument Hobbies’ Pro Acryl paint on top of Army Painter Speedpaints.

So, are Army Painter Speedpaints still worth it?

Like with any speedpaint, the more detail there is on the model, the easier it is to paint quickly and make it look tabletop-ready or better. This has less to do with the paint mixture and more to do with how the model was made. Soft plastic, shallow detail models, like board game minis or Wizkid’s pre-primed D&D minis, aren’t going to look as good as, say, a Marvel: Crisis Protocol or Warhammer 40K mini with contrast paints applied. Also, big flat surfaces, such as on terrain or vehicles, don’t look good with contrast paints. It’s a great painting tool, but it’s not a replacement.

What does make this paint set stand out and be worth the purchase is that their new formula is really a huge improvement. Their dropper bottles make it easy to control how much speed paint you need. Unlike standard pigment paints, speedpaints do well in a paint tray. In fact, I have had less success painting with speedpaints on my wet palette. And, being able to use the Warpaint Fanatics line to layer up your model beyond just the speedpaint coat is a great way to expand painting skills and gain confidence, especially as a new painter. Compared to other paints on the market, Army Painter is still more economical and provides a great result for the price. Starter sets are key for new painters, as they are typically cheaper than buying the individual bottles.  

For the Heroscape figures, speedpaints are all you need to quickly paint up the models. I was able to paint the entirety of both Battle Boxes to tabletop-ready using just the starter box. So you don’t need every single paint out there. And, of course, I used other Army Painter paints to paint details beyond that, but that was just for my own style and workflow. 

Even though this starter set has a nice little starting selection, If I had to choose one of the Speedpaint sets for a new painter to purchase, I would recommend getting the Speedpaint Most Wanted Set 2.0, which has 25 speed paints in it, including two Speedpaint Metallics. This starter set gives you more than enough colors to work with for any miniature painting project that may come your way.

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