Cultist Purple vs Forbidden Fruit: Which Purple Paint Wins?
By The Army Painter: all you need for miniature painting | Published: 2026-10-23
Category: Comparisons
Compare Warpaints Fanatic Cultist Purple and Forbidden Fruit side by side. Find out which purple miniature paint fits your project based on tone, coverage, and color triad placement.
Quick answer
Choose Cultist Purple for a punchy strong violet mid-tone or layered highlight. Pick Forbidden Fruit for a softer light purplish red that works as a versatile mid-tone or highlight in desaturated violet schemes.
Why tone matters in purple miniature paints
Purple is a tricky color to get right on miniatures. A shade that looks great in the bottle can turn muddy or chalky on the model. The Warpaints Fanatic line solves this with Flexible Colour Triads, grouping three paints that naturally work together for shading, mid-tones, and highlights.
Cultist Purple sits in the "Purples" triad, while Forbidden Fruit belongs to the "Desaturated Violets" triad. That placement tells you a lot about how each paint behaves and where it fits in your painting workflow.
Coverage and opacity differences
Both paints are formulated for smooth application, but their pigment loads differ because of their intended roles. Cultist Purple is a strong violet that packs a punch, meaning it covers well over a dark primer and needs fewer coats to reach full opacity. Forbidden Fruit is a light purplish red that works best as a mid-tone or highlight, so it may require an extra thin coat over dark base colors to avoid streaking.
If you are layering over black or dark grey, start with Cultist Purple for the base mid-tone, then use Forbidden Fruit for a softer transition into lighter highlights.
Trade-offs: Cultist Purple vs Forbidden Fruit
- Cultist Purple – Strong Violet: Use as a bold mid-tone or layered highlight for purple schemes. Works best in the "Purples" triad with a darker shade and a lighter highlight. Best for projects that need a punchy, saturated purple with strong coverage.
- Forbidden Fruit – Light Purplish Red: Use as a versatile mid-tone or highlight for desaturated violet schemes. Pairs naturally with the other colors in the "Desaturated Violets" triad. Ideal for muted, realistic purple tones on fabric, skin, or weathered armor.
- The real trade-off: Cultist Purple gives you bold saturation and fast coverage, but it can look too bright for subtle shading. Forbidden Fruit offers softer transitions and natural desaturation, but it may need extra coats over dark primers. Choose based on whether your project demands vivid purple or realistic, subdued violet.
Product facts at a glance
- Warpaints Fanatic: Cultist Purple: Cultist Purple is a strong violet that packs a punch as a mid-tone or layered highlight for purple. It is one of the two middle tones from the "Purples" Flexible Colour Triad and its Practical Colour Name is "Strong Violet". This means it delivers bold, saturated coverage straight from the bottle, ideal for painting power armor, cloaks, or any area that needs a vivid purple without mixing.
Warpaints Fanatic: Cultist Purple - Warpaints Fanatic: Forbidden Fruit: Forbidden Fruit is a light purplish red that is versatile as a mid-tone or highlight colour. It is one of the two middle tones from the "Desaturated Violets" Flexible Colour Triad and its Practical Colour Name is "Light Purplish Red". Its desaturated nature makes it perfect for muted, realistic purple tones on fabrics, skin, or weathered surfaces where a pure violet would look too bright.
Warpaints Fanatic: Forbidden Fruit
Which one fits your project?
Best for
- Miniature painters who want a strong, saturated purple that covers quickly over dark primers
- Artists working on power armor, cloaks, or fantasy creatures that need a bold violet mid-tone
Not ideal for
- Painters looking for a muted, realistic purple for historical or gritty sci-fi schemes
- Projects that require a light highlight that blends naturally with desaturated base colors
