# Best Miniature Painting Kits and Starter Sets Source: https://minipaintlab.com/best/best-miniature-painting-kits Publisher: Mini Paint Lab. Our score is an editorial rating out of 10 (fit 35%, features 25%, build 20%, value 20%), not a customer rating. Method: https://minipaintlab.com/how-we-research#our-score A miniature painting kit puts paints and the tools to use them in one box, so a first model can be finished without a shopping list. The contents differ far more than the box art suggests. Some kits are paint sets with a brush added. Others include clippers and a mold line scraper for building plastic models, a practice miniature, or a wet palette and a painting handle. Check four things before buying: how many paints you get and in what bottle size (18 to 20 ml droppers last far longer than 10 ml bottles), whether a wash and a metallic are included, how many brushes come in the box and in what sizes, and whether there is something to paint. No kit here includes a spray primer, so plan for a can of grey or black primer as well. This guide compares learn-to-paint boxes with miniatures, brand starter sets from The Army Painter and Citadel, and budget all-in-one kits with brushes and palettes, and lists what each box contains. ## Picks ### 1. The Army Painter Speedpaint 2.0 Starter Paint Set, 10 x 18 mL Acrylic Contrast Paints incl. 1 Basecoating Brush Our score: 8.6/10 (Fit for the job 9/10 · Features and specs 8/10 · Build and materials 8/10 · Value 9/10) Army Painter Speedpaint 2.0 Starter Set of 10 x 18 mL contrast-style paints with a basecoating brush. Pros: - Speedpaint 2.0 is reformulated for more even flow and less pooling - 10 bottles give enough range to finish a small warband quickly - Basecoating brush is suited to laying speed paint over broad areas Cons: - Only one brush, so fine detail work needs a smaller tip - Requires a light undercoat, which is not included in the box Details: https://minipaintlab.com/product/B0C2Z32FCB ### 2. Reaper Miniatures 08906 Learn to Paint Kit Core Skills, Master Series Paint Box Set Our score: 8.4/10 (Fit for the job 9/10 · Features and specs 8/10 · Build and materials 8/10 · Value 8/10) Reaper's Learn to Paint Kit: Core Skills, a guided box set that teaches layering and shading with Master Series paints. Pros: - Structured lessons walk beginners through core techniques step by step - Includes paints, brushes and practice figures chosen to match the lessons - Great for self-taught painters who want a clear learning path Cons: - Colors are chosen for the lessons, not for any particular army scheme - Experienced painters will find the guided content too basic Details: https://minipaintlab.com/product/B07F9K41NZ ### 3. Games Workshop - Warhammer 40,000: Paints + Tools Set Our score: 8.2/10 (Fit for the job 9/10 · Features and specs 8/10 · Build and materials 8/10 · Value 7/10) Games Workshop Warhammer 40,000 Paints + Tools Set (2023 Edition) holds 13 Citadel paints plus a starter brush, starter clippers and a mouldline scraper to assemble, prepare and paint miniatures. Pros: - Thirteen Citadel paints: nine Base colors plus a Layer, a Contrast, the Agrax Earthshade shade and a Technical texture paint - Includes Citadel Starter Clippers and a Mouldline Scraper, tools that most paint-only kits leave out - Colors cover black, white, bone, blue, red, purple, a silver and a gold, enough to finish a first squad Cons: - Only one starter brush is included, so a finer detail brush is a likely early add-on - No miniatures or glue in the box, and the listing does not state the pot size Details: https://minipaintlab.com/product/B0CBKHZY3V ### 4. The Army Painter, Warpaints Fanatic Starter Set Combo, 11 x 18 ml Our score: 8.1/10 (Fit for the job 9/10 · Features and specs 7/10 · Build and materials 8/10 · Value 8/10) The Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Starter Set Combo packs 11 x 18ml acrylic paints with a starter brush, a basecoating brush and a miniature figure, so painting can start straight from the box. Pros: - Eleven 18ml Warpaints Fanatic paints, described in the listing as highly pigmented with strong coverage - Includes two brushes (starter and basecoating) and a miniature figure to practice on - Paints belong to the Flexible Colour Triad system, so matching shades and highlights can be added later Cons: - No clippers, glue or other assembly tools, so building a plastic kit needs a separate purchase - Eleven colors is a tight palette, and the listing does not name the exact colors in the box Details: https://minipaintlab.com/product/B0CVHB4CPX ### 5. Nicpro All-in-One Miniature Painting Kit with 18 Model Paints & Wet Palette Our score: 8.0/10 (Fit for the job 9/10 · Features and specs 9/10 · Build and materials 6/10 · Value 7/10) Nicpro All-in-One Miniature Painting Kit with Wet Palette adds a painting handle and a stay-wet palette to 18 model paints in 20ml dropper bottles, thinner, 8 detail brushes and 3 drybrushes. Pros: - Painting handle with mounting putty, 360 degree rotation and swappable caps holds the model while you work - Triple wet and dry palette with lid, 2 gray sponges and 50 sheets of palette paper keeps paint workable - 18 pre-thinned paints in 20ml dropper bottles plus 11 brushes cover the same ground as the basic Nicpro kit Cons: - Costs roughly twice the basic 18-color Nicpro kit, so it only pays off if you want the handle and wet palette - Still no miniature or primer in the box, despite the all-in-one name Details: https://minipaintlab.com/product/B0FDQTSRCL ### 6. Nicpro All-In-One Miniature Painting Kit, 18 Colors Starter Model Paint Set Our score: 7.8/10 (Fit for the job 8/10 · Features and specs 8/10 · Build and materials 6/10 · Value 9/10) Nicpro All-In-One Miniature Painting Kit is a 32-piece set: 18 acrylic model paints in 20ml bottles, a thinner, 8 detail brushes, 3 drybrushes, a plastic mixing palette and a color wheel. Pros: - 18 colors at 20 ml each, pre-thinned for brush painting and listed as drying to a matte finish - 11 brushes in the box: 8 detail brushes from #2 down to 10/0 plus 3 domed drybrushes - Comes with thinner, a mixing palette, a color wheel and a printed instruction sheet for beginners Cons: - No miniature, primer or assembly tools are included, so you still need a model and a primer - A newer hobby brand, so its colors do not map onto the Citadel or Army Painter names used in most tutorials Details: https://minipaintlab.com/product/B0G6KRQGR8 ### 7. FansArriche Model Paint, 28 Colors with 2 Thinners, 8 Brushes & 2 Drybrush Our score: 7.4/10 (Fit for the job 8/10 · Features and specs 7/10 · Build and materials 6/10 · Value 8/10) FansArriche Model Paint set includes 28 bottles of acrylic model paint at 0.34 fl oz each, 2 thinners, 8 detail brushes and 2 drybrushes. The range covers basic tones, skin tones, shadow colors and metallics. Pros: - 28 colors including skin tones and metallics give the widest palette among the budget kits here - Pre-thinned for both brush and airbrush use, with two bottles of thinner for further adjustment - Ten brushes are included: 8 detail brushes and 2 drybrushes for texture and highlights Cons: - Bottles are small at 0.34 fl oz (about 10 ml), half the volume of the 18 to 20 ml bottles in other kits - An unfamiliar brand, with no palette, painting handle or miniature in the box Details: https://minipaintlab.com/product/B0GVF28B76 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.