If you're getting into miniature painting, the first big question is always the same: which paints do I actually buy? I get asked this in the shop constantly, usually by people who've been googling things like warhammer paint sets or hunting for a citadel paint set and have come away more confused than when they started. There are dozens of ranges out there, and every brand claims theirs is the best.

So here's my honest take. Whether you're painting your first 40k paint set project, building an Age of Sigmar army, or just want good paints for D&D miniatures, a curated paint set is almost always better value than buying pots one at a time. You get a balanced spread of colours, you save money versus individual prices, and you're not stuck mid-project realising you don't own a single brown.

One thing worth saying up front: a lot of newcomers assume they need official Citadel Colour paints to paint Warhammer models. You don't. Citadel paints are great (and we stock them – check out our Citadel Paint Bundle Builder if that's the route you want), but plenty of third-party ranges offer more paint per pot, dropper bottles instead of flip-top pots, and seriously competitive pricing. If you've been searching for a warhammer starter paint set or a citadel contrast paint set, the five sets below all do the same jobs – often for less per millilitre.

These are my five picks, in no particular order. Jump straight to any of them:

• Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Mega Paint Set – the do-everything mega set

• AK Interactive 3rd Gen Basic Starter Set – the budget-friendly entry point

• Green Stuff World Starter Mega Paint Set – the all-rounder with extras

• Vallejo Game Color Specialist Set – the trusted classic

• Pro Acryl Base Set – 24 Colors – the premium pick

1. Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Mega Paint Set

If I could only recommend one box to someone starting out, it would be the Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Mega Paint Set. It's the closest thing to a complete warhammer paint kit in a single purchase: 50 paints covering vibrant acrylic colours, dedicated skin tones, metallics, effect paints and washes, plus a free brush and a paint station to keep everything organised on your desk.

The Fanatic range launched in 2024 as a complete reformulation of Army Painter's paints, and the hobby community's verdict has been overwhelmingly positive – much denser pigment than the old range, smooth application, and dropper bottles pre-loaded with steel mixing balls so you're never fighting separated paint. They behave brilliantly whether you're slapping basecoats on a horde of Orks or carefully layering a centrepiece model.

Yes, it's the biggest spend on this list, but per paint it works out cheaper than almost anything else here. For anyone searching for a warhammer paints and tools set that genuinely covers every army colour scheme you'll ever attempt, this is it. It's the set I point people to when they say "I just want one box that does everything."

Best for: Painters who know they're in this hobby for the long haul and want a full palette from day one.

2. AK Interactive 3rd Gen Basic Starter Set (AK11775)

Not everyone wants to drop three figures on their first paints, and that's exactly who the AK Interactive 3rd Gen Basic Starter Set is for. It's 14 paints in 17ml dropper bottles, and the clever bit is that the selection – curated by miniature artist Jose Davinci – is built around the colour wheel. Primary, secondary and tertiary colours, deliberately chosen to teach you how to mix.

That might sound intimidating, but it's honestly one of the best ways to learn. Instead of owning 200 pre-mixed colours, you learn how to make exactly the shade you want from a small core palette – a skill that pays off forever. The 3rd Gen formula is lovely too: self-levelling, dries to a matt finish, gives excellent coverage, and works through both brush and airbrush.

If you've been eyeing up a citadel starter paint set but the price per pot made you wince, this is a fantastic alternative way into the hobby for around £35.

Best for: Beginners on a budget, and anyone who wants to properly learn colour mixing.

3. Green Stuff World Starter Mega Paint Set

The Green Stuff World Starter Mega Paint Set is one of those boxes that quietly includes everything you didn't know you needed. You get 48 products: a wide spread of acrylic colours, metallic paints, wash inks for shading recesses, an acrylic medium for thinning and blending, and a gloss varnish to protect your finished work.

It's the inclusion of those extras that makes this such a smart miniature painting kit for beginners. Washes and varnish are the two things new painters always forget to buy, and they make a bigger difference to your results than almost anything else. A simple basecoat-plus-wash approach will get a unit to tabletop standard remarkably quickly – the same idea that makes a citadel contrast paint set so popular, achieved with traditional paints and inks.

Green Stuff World are better known for their basing materials and hobby tools, but their paints punch well above their price point, and this set undercuts most comparably sized bundles.

Best for: Painters who want a large, well-rounded collection with shading and varnishing covered too.

4. Vallejo Game Color Set – Specialist (72.188)

Vallejo has been a staple of miniature painting for decades, and their reformulated Game Color range is better than ever – designed specifically for fantasy and sci-fi miniatures, with the kind of bold, saturated colours that suit a 40k paint set project perfectly. The Game Color Specialist Set gives you 16 x 18ml bottles, including two auxiliary products (a glaze medium and a matt varnish) and a dedicated rust effect paint.

This is technically the third set in Vallejo's Introduction / Advanced / Specialist trilogy, but don't let that put you off buying it on its own – the selection of flesh tones, earthy browns, metallics and characterful colours like Sick Green and Electric Blue stands up perfectly well by itself. The glaze medium in particular is a brilliant inclusion, opening the door to smooth blending and tinting techniques as you progress from beginner to intermediate.

If you already own some paints and want to expand sensibly rather than double up, this is the one I'd grab.

Best for: Improving painters ready to explore glazing, weathering and more advanced techniques.

5. Pro Acryl Base Set – 24 Colors

Ask serious hobbyists which paint range they'd take to a desert island and you'll hear "Pro Acryl" a lot. Monument Hobbies' Pro Acryl Base Set contains 24 of their best-selling colours, and the quality is genuinely premium: high-density pigment, superb one-coat coverage, a beautiful matte finish, and a consistency that works equally well through a brush or an airbrush.

The value here is sneaky. Each bottle holds 22ml – nearly twice what you get in a standard 12ml Citadel pot – so while the box price looks mid-range, the cost per millilitre is excellent. The bottles also feature a clever no-clog cap and glass agitators inside, so the paint stays perfectly mixed and the nozzles stay clean. Little things, but they matter when you paint regularly.

This is the set I recommend to anyone who started with a warhammer beginner paint set, caught the bug, and now wants paints that will grow with them all the way to competition-level work.

Best for: Intermediate painters investing in a premium core palette that lasts.

Final Thoughts from Jack

Honestly, you can't go far wrong with any of these. If you want everything in one go, get the Warpaints Fanatic Mega Set. If you're testing the waters, start with the AK Basic Starter Set. And if you're upgrading from your first warhammer starter paint set, the Pro Acryl Base Set is the treat-yourself option.

Two final tips from someone who's made every mistake going: thin your paints (two thin coats beats one thick one, every time), and don't forget a decent brush – have a browse of our paintbrush range while you're here. Every set above ships same day from our warehouse in South Wales when ordered by 3pm on weekdays, and if you're ever stuck choosing, drop us a message – we paint this stuff ourselves and we're always happy to help.

Happy painting!

– Jack