Miniatures and models are painted almost exclusively with water-based acrylics today. They thin with water, dry in minutes and your brush rinses clean under the tap. Here you will find two acrylic brands, oil paints for weathering and blending, and auxiliary mediums.

Brands and ranges

• Ionic Smart Colors by MIG Jiménez – 20 ml bottles with dense pigment and a matt finish. Their self-hydrating formula keeps them workable on the palette longer than ordinary acrylics. Single colours and sets.
• AK Interactive – 3rd Generation acrylics in the Standard, Intense, Color Punch, Pastel and Metallic ranges, Quick Gen and Quick Markers contrast paints, Deep Shades and lacquer-based Real Colors matched to RAL, FS and BS standards. Plus primers, thinners and varnishes.
• Abteilung 502 – oil paints for vehicle weathering and soft blends on busts, acrylics and auxiliary products.
• Jo Sonja's mediums – retarders, glazing and blending mediums that work with any water-based acrylic.

Where to start

A beginner needs a primer, eight to ten basic colours and one wash or Deep Shade for shadows. Ready-made paint sets are the cheapest way to a matched palette – skin, uniforms, metal.

If you want your unit on the table fast, reach for Quick Gen contrast paints: base, shade and highlight in a single coat. Our article AK Quick Gen: how contrast paints work explains how. For competition pieces and busts, Ionic or 3rd Generation Intense suit layering and glazing, and Abteilung 502 oils handle the blends.

FAQ

Can I combine different brands? Water-based acrylics are commonly combined on one miniature. We recommend thinning each with its own brand's thinner. Do not mix oil into acrylic – oils go on top of dried, varnished acrylic.

Brush or airbrush? Both Ionic and 3rd Generation can be applied with a brush or an airbrush; for the airbrush, simply thin them.