Warpaints Fanatic vs Historical: Which Range Fits You?
By The Army Painter: all you need for miniature painting | Published: 2026-10-13
Category: Comparaisons
Warpaints Fanatic and Warpaints Historical share colours and a common formula, but the ranges are built for different painters. Here is how to choose between them.
Quick answer
Start with Warpaints Fanatic if you paint fantasy, sci-fi, or mixed projects and want the broadest colour choice. Choose Warpaints Historical if you mainly paint historical figures and want historian-approved colours with practical names that match real uniforms and equipment. The two ranges share identical colours in some cases, so you can mix them freely without a colour shift.
What the two ranges actually share
The most useful fact for anyone comparing these ranges is that at least one colour exists in both: Historical: Leather Brown matches Leather Brown from the Warpaints Fanatic range. That means you can move between the two ranges mid-project without repainting a leather strap or a wooden stock. The naming is deliberately aligned, so you do not have to guess whether a Fanatic brown will sit next to a Historical brown. Practical colour names, such as Very Dark Reddish Brown for Oak Brown, also tell you where a paint sits in the value scale before you open the bottle.
Where the ranges genuinely differ
Warpaints Historical is built around historical gaming and collecting, and the range carries historian approval rather than only a colour description. That matters when you are painting a specific uniform, because the colour is intended to represent a real material rather than a generic tone. Warpaints Fanatic is organised into Flexible Colour Triads and practical colour names, which makes it easier to build highlights and shadows for fantasy and sci-fi subjects where you are inventing the scheme. Fanatic also includes metallic paints such as Bright Gold, so you can handle armour and trim without leaving the range.
How to test the difference cheaply
Pick one shared colour, such as Leather Brown, and one range-specific colour, then paint the same test area on two spare bases or a piece of primed plastic. Compare how each covers over your primer and how the finish dries. If you already use the Fanatic triads, add a single Historical colour and check whether it sits naturally in your existing triad. This costs less than committing to a full set and tells you more than any colour chart.
Trade-offs to weigh before you buy
- Colour choice versus historical accuracy: Warpaints Fanatic covers fantasy and sci-fi needs with triads and practical colour names, while Warpaints Historical is built around historian-approved colours for historical subjects. Choose Fanatic for range breadth, Historical for documented uniform colours.
- Mixing the two ranges: Historical: Leather Brown matches Leather Brown in the Fanatic range, so shared colours let you blend ranges without a visible shift. You do not have to commit to one range for an entire army.
- Metallics and special finishes: Warpaints Fanatic includes metallic paints such as Bright Gold, while the supplied Historical record does not list a metallic equivalent. If your project needs gold armour or trim, plan for Fanatic metallics or a separate metallic line.
Products that show the difference
- Historical: Leather Brown: Historical: Leather Brown is part of Warpaints Historical, a range designed for historical gaming and collecting with historian approval, and it matches Leather Brown from the Warpaints Fanatic range. You can use it as a bridge between the two ranges, so a single bottle lets you test Historical accuracy without replacing your Fanatic browns.
- Warpaints Fanatic: Oak Brown: Warpaints Fanatic: Oak Brown is a black reddish brown, the darkest tone in the Ruddy Browns Flexible Colour Triad, with the practical colour name Very Dark Reddish Brown. The triad position tells you it is a shading or base tone, so you can plan highlights without guessing where the colour sits in the value range.
- Warpaints Fanatic Metallic: Bright Gold: Warpaints Fanatic Metallic: Bright Gold uses a blend of aluminium and mica for coverage and sheen. If your project needs metal armour or trim, this keeps you inside the Fanatic range instead of buying a separate metallic line.
- Warpaints Fanatic: Space Dust: Warpaints Fanatic: Space Dust is a yellow used as a light layer or highlight tone, and it is the second-lightest tone in the Yellows Flexible Colour Triad. It shows how the Fanatic triads handle bright highlight steps, which is useful for fantasy and sci-fi schemes but less relevant to muted historical uniforms.
Which range should you buy?
Best for
- Painters working on fantasy or sci-fi miniatures who want a broad colour selection and triad-based highlighting
- Hobbyists who want metallic paints such as Bright Gold in the same range as their main colours
- Anyone who wants practical colour names that describe where a paint sits in the value scale
Not for
- Painters who need historian-approved colours matched to specific historical uniforms or equipment
- Collectors who want a colour range labelled and documented for historical accuracy rather than generic colour names
