Pro Acryl 1-Step Quick Paints Review

Monument Hobbies has entered the speedpaint/contrast/quick paint race with a brand of their own, a new line called 1-Step. A new paint set, containing 12 colors from the first wave, is their first foray into getting players to be able to quickly paint their pieces and get them onto the table.

So, how good are these quick paints?

Description

GamingTrend has done some prior coverage of the Pro Acryl paint line, and so Monument Hobbies was kind enough to provide us with a box for review. Ever since discovering their brand by way of their matte black and white, I have and continue to be a huge fan of the Pro Acryl paint line. With the introduction of these 1-Step paints, Monument Hobbies offers another painting tool for the tool belt to help get models painted and onto the game table faster.

PRO Acryl 1-Step Set #1

The easiest way to grab all 12 of the first-wave 1-Step colors! PRO Acryl 1-Step is formulated to give you vibrant color in one single layer over a bright base coat. These colors also give you an initial contrast between the darker spots on the model and the brighter highlight areas without having to even think about i

Monument HobbiesMonument Hobbies

From their website description: “PRO Acryl 1-Step is formulated to give you vibrant color in one single layer over a bright base coat. These colors also give you an initial contrast between the darker spots on the model and the brighter highlight areas without having to even think about it! Simply apply PRO Acryl 1-Step colors over a model primed either in a bright color like white or over a zenithal primed surface that uses a bright color over a darker color (white over black, for example). 1-Step colors will give you more depth to the model than a simple, single layer of normal paint, but with the same easy application. No special tools or techniques necessary. PRO Acryl 1-Step colors can also be thinned or mixed with other PRO Acryl colors to give you limitless possibilities when doing more complex techniques or to extend your ability to find just the right combination of colors.  A tool that grows as your capabilities do and is always ready to add more awesomeness to every project!

Unboxing

The box comes nicely packaged, with all the 22ml paints in a single tray. Each paint comes with a paint agitator/mixing ball. 

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.”

Using some Spartans from the Halo: Flashpoint Fireteam Phoenix, my goal was to get them to be tabletop-ready and match the one I painted previously.

Impressions & Thoughts

Pro Acryl 1-Step paints are not the first quick paints I’ve used. Starting with the Citadel Contrast Paint line, I have collected and painted with many speed paints over the years, and each does well within its respective paint line. Recently, I covered the Army Painter Speed Paints [LINK]. I have mixed-and-matched paints as well, and have found that it’s best not to mix speed/contrast paints of different lines together to get colors. Not all speed paints have the same chemical mixture, and so it can cause some undesirable results. 

So, how do they look?

Most speedpaints look better on models with more details and fewer, large, flat surfaces. The more detail there is on the model, the easier it is to let the paints flow into the recesses and get that contrast look.  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; paints tend to unevenly pool, creating some weird looks to them. It’s a great painting tool, but it’s not a replacement.

Overall, the 1-step paints look fantastic. They are less glossy than some of the other speed paints out there, and they have an excellent flow to them on the models. I experimented with applying the speedpaints directly from a mixing tray and from a wet palette. Depending on the opacity you want with the color, the wet palette thins out the mixture a lot without compromising the pigment. 

For these Spartans, who are crafted in highly detailed resin, the 1-Step paints really shine. With the undercoat accenting the highlights and shadows, the 1-Step paints really pop on the armor and helmets. I touched up some of the details using other Pro Acryl paints, and I had no issue painting over the 1-Step with other paints. In fact, for some of the basing, I mixed a few 1-Step paints with Pro Acryl washes to create the muddy look on the base. All of the 1-Step paints are designed to be mixed with the standard Pro Acryl paint line.

Pro Acryl paints are fantastic for those painters looking to move beyond the starter paints. The 1-Step paints provide an excellent additional tool for anyone wanting to try speed paints, and certainly for those looking to expand their Pro Acryl line. Currently, there are only these 12 paints available for the 1-Step line, so hopefully Monument Hobbies expands the range with more colors and more boxed set options. 

Purchase Links

PRO Acryl 1-Step Paint

PRO Acryl 1-Step Paint

Monument Hobbies

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