AK Interactive 3G Acrylics Basic Starter Set - AK11775 (14 x 17ml) Review (2026)

What is in the box

This set contains 14 bottles of AK Interactive's 3rd Generation acrylic paint, each holding 17ml, and includes white, black, several blues, a turquoise, greens, a deep yellow, an orange, and several reds through magenta. AK describes the selection as built around the color wheel specifically so that a painter working through the set can learn to mix intermediate shades from these core colors rather than needing to buy a separate bottle for every color variation. The paints are water-based and described as non-toxic, which matters for anyone painting regularly at a home desk rather than in a dedicated, ventilated workspace.

Why a curated color-wheel set helps beginners

Rather than bundling a large number of pre-mixed specific colors, AK's approach with this starter set is to hand a new painter a smaller number of core hues that combine to produce a much wider range through mixing. This teaches color theory alongside painting technique, since a painter has to actually blend two colors to get a shade that a bigger, pre-mixed set would have included as its own bottle. For someone new to the hobby, that can be a slower start than opening a box with fifty ready-made colors, but it builds a skill that keeps paying off long after this particular set is used up and replacement bottles are needed.

3rd Generation formula characteristics

AK markets this line as its 3rd Generation acrylic formula, which the brand positions as an evolution of its earlier acrylic ranges aimed at smoother brush handling and better behavior when thinned for airbrush use. Because the set is water-based, cleanup uses water and standard acrylic thinner rather than harsher solvents, and the dropper-style bottles common to this AK range are designed to dispense controlled amounts onto a palette rather than pouring loosely. That control matters when mixing custom colors from the core palette, since accurate small amounts make repeatable results easier than eyeballing pours from a wide-mouth jar.

What is not included

Unlike some competing starter sets that bundle in a brush, a primer, or even a sample miniature to practice on, this AK set is paint only, with 14 bottles and nothing else in the box. A new painter will still need to source a decent brush, a primer to prepare bare plastic or resin, and a model to paint on top of the paint set itself before any of these 14 colors go to use. Buyers coming from a brand like Citadel may also need a little time to map AK's own color names onto more familiar naming conventions if they are following army-specific painting guides written around a different paint range.

Bottom line

This is a solid starter set for anyone committing to AK Interactive's acrylic system specifically, offering a genuinely useful color-wheel spread across 14 bottles that supports both brush painting and airbrush work once thinned. It suits a painter who wants to learn color mixing from a smaller core palette rather than relying on dozens of pre-mixed bottles bought one at a time. The trade-offs are that it ships as paint alone, without a brush or primer, and that its AK-specific naming takes some adjustment for anyone used to following guides built around a different major paint brand.

Frequently asked questions