Best Model Building Paints of 2025

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Model building paints are an essential part of any hobbyist's toolkit. These paints are specifically designed to provide high-quality, long-lasting coverage for model cars, planes, figures and other miniature models. With a vast range of colours, finishes and textures available, model building paints can help bring your creations to life with realistic detail and precision. Whether you're a seasoned hobbyist or just starting out, investing in quality model building paints is sure to enhance the overall look and feel of your models.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks
Top 10 Model Building Paints
Vallejo Model Color Utility Paint Set
The Vallejo Paint Set offers a variety of colours suitable for both children and adults. With eight 17 ml tubes, you can easily find the perfect shade for your model-building needs. The compact package dimensions allow for convenient storage, making it easy to keep your workspace tidy. This set is ideal for enhancing your projects and achieving professional results, whether you are a beginner or an experienced modeller.
Revell 32342 Base Colour Set 2 with 6 Enamel Paints
The Revell 32342 Base Colour Set is designed specifically for plastic model kits, making it an essential addition to your modelling supplies. You can easily apply the enamels using either a brush or a spray gun, offering you flexibility in your painting technique. If you need to make adjustments, the paints can be re-applied in just 4-6 hours, allowing for quick touch-ups. After application, the paints are fully dry within 24 hours, ensuring your models are ready for display in no time.
Warhammer 40,000 Paints and Tools Set
The Warhammer 40,000 Tools Set is perfect for assembling, preparing, and painting your miniatures. It includes essential base paints like Abaddon Black and Corax White, which provide a sturdy foundation for your projects. You’ll also find other useful paints such as Thunderhawk Blue for layering and Agrax Earthshade for shading, enhancing the details and depth of your work. Furthermore, the set comes with handy tools like the Citadel Starter Brush and Clippers, making your painting experience more enjoyable and efficient.
The Army Painter Warpaints Washes Set
The Warpaints Washes Set offers excellent shading capabilities for your miniatures. With extra-heavy pigment, you can easily create depth and shade, enhancing the overall appearance of your models. The set includes a variety of tones, ensuring you find the perfect shade for any project. If you require a custom hue, the washes are fully mixable. You can use them directly from the bottle, saving you preparation time and allowing you to achieve beautifully shaded miniatures quickly.
Vallejo 70109 WWII Allies Acrylic Paint Set
The Vallejo WWII Allies Paint Set features 16 vibrant acrylic paints in convenient 17ml eyedropper bottles, ensuring you can easily manage your paint without spills. As a non-toxic option, these paints are safe to use, free from solvents and lead pigments, which is ideal for health-conscious users. With great coverage, Model Colour adheres well to various surfaces, particularly plastics and polyesters, making it versatile for your projects. Additionally, being water-soluble, you can dilute and mix the colours, providing you with endless creative possibilities.
Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Mega Set
The Warpaints Fanatic Mega Set contains an impressive selection of 50 acrylic paints, providing you with excellent value for your hobby. With 36 vibrant colours, 4 skin tones, and 3 metallics, you’ll have everything you need to bring your miniatures to life. The included paint station helps you keep your paints organised, making your painting experience more manageable. Plus, the free character brush ensures you have the right tools to achieve precise details on your models.
Revell 14ml Enamel Paints for Models
The Revell Enamel Paints offer a convenient selection of 10 colours, allowing you to choose the shades that best suit your model-building projects. Each 14ml bottle provides ample paint for various applications, ensuring you have enough to complete your designs. As a trusted brand in model building, Revell ensures quality in every product, helping you achieve professional results. With this set, you can easily bring your models to life with vibrant colours and smooth finishes, making your hobby even more enjoyable.
The Army Painter Speedpaint 2.0 Starter Set
The Speedpaint 2.0 Set is designed for those new to miniature painting or looking to simplify their process. Featuring a unique one-coat formula, it offers vibrant colours and smooth finishes, making it easy for you to achieve great results quickly. With its flexible and strong pigmentation, you can effortlessly apply it like a wash, ensuring a professional look. The starter set includes essential colours and metallic options, giving you everything you need for tabletop-quality painting without the hassle.
Vallejo 16 Pack Earthtones Acrylic Paint Set
The Vallejo Earthtones Paint Set offers a collection of 16 water-based acrylic paints, perfect for model building. Each 17 ml eyedropper bottle ensures precise application, allowing you to control the amount of paint you use. The non-toxic and non-flammable formulation makes it safe for indoor use, giving you peace of mind while you create. Designed specifically for brush painting, these paints facilitate smooth application, enhancing your artistic experience.
Vallejo Metallic Paint Set for Models
The Vallejo Metallic Paints are water-based acrylic paints specifically designed for model building. Their colour-matched feature ensures that you can achieve consistent and accurate results, enhancing the overall look of your plastic models. Being non-toxic and non-flammable, these paints provide a safe option for both beginners and experienced hobbyists alike. The convenience of water-based formulations allows for easy clean-up, making your painting experience more enjoyable.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What paints to use for models?
Most model enthusiasts choose acrylic paint as their standard paint choice. Mixing it with water makes it easy to thin and is easy to work with. As a result, acrylic paint is not as durable as spray paint or enamel. If you do not need to use acrylic paint, do not use it.
2. What kind of paint do you use on wood models?
Water-based acrylic paints are the most popular type of paint used by modellers. These paints are non-toxic, odourless, and dry very quickly so you don't have to wait a long time between coats.
3. What is the best paint for wooden models?
Best Paint For Wood Crafts. Apple Barrel Promoabi Acrylic Paint– (Best Non- Toxic Wood Craft Paint)Crafts 4 All Acrylic Paint Set – (Best Acrylic Paint for Wood Crafts)Liquitex BASICS 48 Tube Acrylic Paint– (Best Budget Option)Arteza Acrylic Paint, Set of 60 Colors/Tubes – (Best Acrylic Paint for Beginners)
4. Is acrylic or enamel better for models?
With the correct application, curing time and prolonged care, enamel paint can maintain its rich color and beautiful finish for many years. It may take longer to cure than acrylic paint, but many model car enthusiasts trust enamel paint as the best choice for longevity.
During our model building paint research, we found 306 model building paint products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 37,724 customer reviews through our big data system to write the model building paints list. We found that most customers choose model building paints with an average price of £24.54.
The model building paints are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of model building paints, including Vallejo, Revell, Games Workshop, The Army Painter. The seller of top 1 product has received honest feedback from 846 consumers with an average rating of 4.9.

Edward's family owns a retail store in Edinburgh for toys and games. He grew up taking a very active part in the family's business. Edward earned his first income from writing web content on a toy related gig for an online company. When he was 18, he took over from his father, and since then, he has been in charge and management of the store and several others around England.