Citadel Contrast Paints - first impressions

At the UK Games Expo 2019, I managed to try out the Citadel Contrast Paints. There has been a lot of hype about these 'miracle' paints and from the fuss, you'd think they painted Tartan straight from the can! As the Games Workshop painting tables were full all weekend, I had to be very quick to grab a seat and try them out.

The paints come in a variety of vivid colours, most of which I avoided like the plague. I recall my first paint set and my first painted miniature with a blue cloak, red trousers and yellow armour... he looked like a clown! So I chose as close to a normal figure (normal for Games Workshop) from the nice young lady with the miniatures tray and started to paint.

Before I started, I laid out the paints on a piece of folded paper to see how they flowed. They are like strong pigmented inks, quite viscous too. I tried mixing them - they mixed well - and tried seeing how they looked concentrated and thin on the paper. So far, so good. Now to time myself on a single figure...

Start the clock. I added Gulliman Flesh Contrast to the main areas of the body and Skeleton Horde Contrast on the 'spiky bits'. Mixing the Skeleton Horde and Black Templar Contrast, I made a leather colour for the belt and ammo pouches. To finish I used Black Templar on the weapon plus the base. Total time 5 minutes... I simply painted it on each section and then was careful to remove the excess liquid from the model.

So onto the results. The speed was amazing, I was very impressed. Everything was one coat. However, this isn't a Golden Daemon winner, it's a basic strong wash. I'm sure I could highlight the model further from here to make it more effective. The choice of colours will be limited for historical wargamers, I'm sure in time people will find their perfect recipes for German green-grey or US Army drab. So it's not Tartan paint but I think it is a useful addition to the painter's arsenal - I also bet the idea will be copied.