Model paint in the UK: what model paints and modeling paint cost, retailer by retailer

Entry prices, checked

How to choose

1. Pick a range before you pick colours. Ranges are not interchangeable: pot size, pigment density and naming all differ, and a shade matched in one range has no exact twin in another. Choosing the range first means your reds keep matching as the collection grows.
2. Count the pots, not the pot. The number that matters is what a usable starting set costs, not what one pot costs. A cheaper pot in a range that needs three coats is not cheaper by the time the model is finished.
3. Check the pot, not just the price. Dropper bottles and flip-top pots hold different volumes and waste different amounts. Two ranges at the same shelf price can be a long way apart per millilitre once the pot is empty.
4. Buy the colours you will actually reach for. Most armies are painted with a small core of base colours, one or two metallics and a wash. Buying that core in one range beats buying a wide set you use a third of.

What separates one range from another

The visible difference between hobby paint ranges is pigment load and medium. A densely pigmented paint covers in one or two coats and costs more per millilitre; a thinner one costs less and asks for another layer, which is time rather than money but is still a cost. The second difference is the container: flip-top pots are convenient at the desk and dry out faster once the lid seal ages, while dropper bottles meter the paint and suit anyone who thins on a palette or sprays. Neither is better in the abstract, and painters who work quickly tend to prefer droppers while painters who work in short sittings tend to prefer pots.

Why the range you start in tends to be the range you stay in

Colour names and colour matching are the lock-in. A range is a system: its base, layer and shade colours are designed to sit on top of each other, and its published recipes assume you own the other pots in the family. Switching mid-army means eyeballing a match, which is harder than it sounds under different lighting, so most painters commit to a range for the duration of a project and only change between projects. That is worth knowing before the first purchase, because it turns a cheap pot into a long relationship.

Where the price actually varies

Hobby paint is discounted continually, and the same pot moves in price by a noticeable margin between shops and between weeks. This is why the figures in the index beside this page carry the date they were read: the lowest printed price on a retailer's own range page is a snapshot, not a fixed rate. A retailer with a slightly higher headline price and free delivery over a threshold can be cheaper on a real basket, and a retailer with a deep discount on one brand may be ordinary on another.

Common questions

Which model paint should a beginner buy?

A starter set from one of the mainstream hobby ranges, then individual pots to fill gaps. Beginning with a set means the colours are designed to work together and you learn what you actually reach for before spending on a wide collection.

Is model paint different from craft acrylic?

Yes. Hobby model paint is milled finer and pigmented for thin coats over detailed surfaces, so it does not fill the recesses that give a miniature its definition. Craft acrylic is formulated for coverage on flat surfaces and behaves badly on a face or a chainmail link.

How many pots does an army need?

Fewer than most people expect. A coherent force is usually built from a handful of base colours, a metallic, a wash and one or two spot colours; the rest is technique. Buying that core well beats buying widely.

By type

• Compare Model paint on printed prices