Warhammer Tone Pro Review

Thanks to Red Claw Gaming (my part time job) I got my hands on the sample pack of the new Warhammer Tone Pro paints and was able to take them home for a test drive to see if they indeed live up to the hype.

So without further ado, here is my review;

(image courtesy of Warhammer Community)

I was very excited with the announcement of these paints. I have been using Warhammer Contrasts paints as a staple of my painting process since their debut. Using them for their advertised purpose, to 'one thick coat' models I want to speed run through. But I also using them for shading, layering, glazing and even basing. So when these paints were announced and claimed to have incredible coverage with just one coat and the added flow for ease of application I knew I'd want to get my hands on these to test the claims.

The sample pack sent to Red Claw had the following paints from the new range included in the package;

Plus the Shading Medium which is meant to be mixed with any paints from this range so that you can turn that paint into a shade.

PROS:

(my test model, done entirely with the paints provided in the sample pack)

Pigments are fantastic with incredible coverage. The coverage you get with these paints straight out of the bottle is wild. The pigments are strong and in almost every case require one coat to give you a satisfying coverage over top of black (I tested these paints on top of Chaos Black primed models) Every colour I tested needed one coat for full coverage except for 3 colours. Khemri Sands 4 and Plague Toad Venom 5 both mostly covered the black, just needing tiny touch ups to give me that smooth finish I was looking for. The 3rd being the White (Blackstone Void 5) this one definitely covered better than any other white I have had a chance to use as you can see below though it will require at least one more coat for that full coverage.

I didn't give Hierotek Green 5 a test in this same way, but I suspect over top of black it would react similarly to Khemri Sands 4 and Plague Toad Venom 5.

Flow is smooth and easy to use straight out of the bottle.

The flow straight out of the bottle is perfect. I love the way the paint interacts with my brush and the models. This makes basing models so easy and a joy for wet blends as well. It keeps that same flow as it gets thinned down which makes this paint very predictable. As both a lazy artist and professional artist, predictability is something I cherish more than gold.

The pigments hold as you thin the paints.

There is zero separation of pigments when thinning these down (at least when using water or the shading medium for thinning as I did) That once again brings me back to that wonderful word for artists, predictable. It makes these paints a workhorse which means they move up high on my must have list. I can rely on them to perform most any job I need for my models. This will make shading, glazing and detail work a breeze.

The Shading Medium doubles the use of each of these paints.

The Shading Medium worked exactly as advertised, giving you an entire rainbow of colours to wash your models in. I can see myself buying this just for the fact that it makes every Tone Pro paint I buy doubly useful.

They stay wet for longer, giving you a longer working time.

I started working with these paints at 11:30 pm on a monday night and worked with them on my wet palette for maybe an hour and a half before calling it a night. On Tuesday morning I was able to return to my same wet palette around 11:00 am. In 12 hours not only had the paints not dried, they looked as if I had just added them to the wet palette then and there. They mixed, thinned and went onto the models in exactly the same way that they had the night before. By the time I had left my house for work at 5 pm I had to throw away the paints on my wet palette and they were STILL wet. These paints are magic and I thank the wizards at Gamesworkshop for concocting these unnatural paint potions to combat our intensely dry Alberta climate.

You need less paint to do more.

That slower dry time is such a game changer especially for a dry climate like Alberta. It finally allows me to add minimal paint to my detail brushes for fine work like scratches, highlights, script, eyes and free handing. I need so little paint in my brush to get working colour off the tip, and my paints feel like they go so much farther. The crazy free handing and texture work I will be doing with these paints in my quiver has me extremely excited.

The White (Blackstone Void 5) is the best white paint I have used to date.

I loved this White and it will be the first paint I purchase once they become available. There are so many uses for this paint besides the obvious use of making painting white that much less painful. With the way it applies to models it, one coat gives you an incredible basis for creating inner glows (plasma weapons and lava effect for example) And as stated above, needing less of it in my brush means that my free hand work using white has just gotten so much easier.

The 5 tone system makes them extremely approachable to new and casual painters.

This one makes me extremely happy as an art teacher, the Red Claw hobby hangout host and a cheerleader of painters. This gives new and casual painters a very easy reference on how to shade and highlight their models. Choose a colour you like, start at 1 for your base and work your way up to 1. Now this isn't for everyone and is a very safe way of shading/highlighting your models, but having that guide there for those that want it is a plus. Art can be intimidating and anything that helps people feel more confident in their journey as an artist is a good thing.

CONS:

The 5 tone system is limiting and has some unnecessary colours.

Starting off the cons right where we left our pros. The 5 tone system is a very 'safe' way to shade and highlight your models. True colours have alot more variety than the tonal shifts presented here, and then there is expressive colours which can be alot more experimental than the 5 tone system presents. That said, if you can recognize this fact then the 5 tone system isn't for you and you can ignore it while enjoying some superb paints. There's no real reason to stew over the limitations of the 5 tone system if it's not for you. It'd be like getting mad that training wheels exist. If you've moved past those first steps just appreciate that they are still there for those that need/want them.

This does also mean some of the colours feel a bit unnecessary. I found the difference between Bloodtoof Red 2 and 3 to be negligible. Same thing for Blue Gorkshroom 2 and 3. This isn't the worst thing, since it is really easy to spot the similarities while they are still in the bottle. Meaning you can skip similar colours when you are buying them. I'd recommend in most of the 5 tone systems you only need 3 colours. Number 5, 1 and then choose your favourite colour between 2, 3 and 4.

They are still in the Warhammer pots.

I won't get into the frustrations everyone has with the infamous Warhammer paint pots. They still have all their same problems and I do understand and appreciate their intention. If you have chatted with me about paints before though you will know that I prefer dropper bottles unless I'm using Contrasts or shades/washes. In those cases I prefer the pot since I waste less paint. And though there are situations where I can see myself dipping my brush straight into the Tone Pro bottles, those situations will be greatly outnumbered by the times that I will want to have a drop on my wet palette for mixing or thinning. But that said these paints are so good that it's worth getting them in spite of the pots. Now you can invest in dropper bottles to transfer them over into or you can watch this Ninjon video where he shows you his handy side turn technique to get a drop out of the bottle easily (time stamp 15:59)

Slower dry time means you need to be patient and careful.

The slower dry times are a god send and open up so many opportunities for painters. That said it does also mean that you need some patience in working with these paints. Like a contrast or a shade, there is a danger in overworking the paints. You have to be careful to work with paint only while it is freshly wet or fully dry. There is a period in between where it will be partially dry and if you paint over that you can create unintended lumps, streaks and patches. This is extremely easy to avoid though once you are aware of it. With my Grot example above for instance I always started my painting at the top of his head and worked my way down. By the time I had journeyed to his toes the paint on top of his head was typically dry enough to go back over. If it wasn't dry I would simply shift onto another model while I waited.

MY VERDICT:

These paints 100% live up to their hype. If you've followed the all-star lineup of painters that Gamesworkshop invited to give them their first test run though you won't be surprised by this result in the slightest.

These will be a wonderful addition to any painters hobby desk. Should you go out and replace your entire paint rack with these when they debut? No, but I highly recommend adding at least a few to your regular paint rotation. They are an amazing tool to have in your arsenal.

Highest on my list will be Blackstone Void 1 & 5. The much hyped Tone Pro white (Blackstone void 5) is going to make such a difference in painting white, while the Blackstone Void 1 with it's flow will be my standard for panel lining and quick recess shading. I'll also be grabbing Plague Toad Venom 5, that nearly neon saturation is right up my alley. Over the next few weeks I'm going to take a close look at the entire range to see what colours I want to try first. If you as a reader would like a follow up to this review once I've got my hands on my very own Tone Pro paints let me know in the comments. A big thanks to Red Claw Gaming for letting me take these home to fully dive into. If you are in Edmonton check them out, and if you come by on a tuesday night come tell me about your current hobby projects. Thanks for reading!