John Blanche is a visionary artist who has shaped the look and feel of the Warhammer IP like no other. But now that he’s retired, he’s joined team Army Painter to make his own paint sets?! In this review, I show you all 20 colours from both John Blanche Masterclass Sets. I’ll explore how the new colours fit into the existing Warpaints Fanatic range, and whether these sets are worth the hype or just a cash-in on a prestigious name.

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Coming in February 2025, The Army Painter will be releasing two paint sets in collaboration with none other than ex-Games-Workshop-mastermind, John Blanche. Each Masterclass set contains 10 brand new and unique colours, a mix of new Warpaint Fanatic colours plus some new metallics, washes, effect paints, and even some new Speedpaints. Some of these colours stand on their own, while others integrate into the Fanatic range’s flexible triad system. All colours were developed in collaboration with John Blanche himself and are tailored to his signature ‘Blanchitsu’ palette.

Check out my video for the unboxing:

About John

Now, John Blanche is undoubtedly a Games Workshop legend. He’s renowned for iconic box artworks and later became more of a concept artist, shaping the Warhammer universe with his grimdark gothic style. Some people aren’t keen on his later, sketchier style, but the creative genius behind it is undeniable. In the 2010s, he was given his own column in White Dwarf, ‘Blanchitsu’, where he showed off models from his collection, converted and painted in his unique signature style. Blanchitsu inspired countless painters in the Warhammer community, and now that John has retired from Games Workshop, it seems that The Army Painter has jumped at the opportunity to cash in on his style. It’s a clever move for sure, and quite a coup to snatch such an icon from Games Workshop’s clutches.

Unboxing the Masterclass paint sets

The box is quite pretty, featuring bespoke artwork by the master John Blanche himself. It’s made from regular thin cardboard, nothing that screams super high-quality collectors item, but then, this is not a limited edition release. Inside, in addition to the paints, you’ll find a small flyer explaining how the colours complement the flexible triads, as well as a small art print. The print is the same in both boxes, and shows the cover artwork, which is a rather abstract landscape. I would have preferred something a bit more gothic, but on the back there‘s a little note from John himself, which is quite nice. Then there’s The Army Painter‘s hobby booklet, but I’m missing something that demonstrates how to paint in the Blanchitsu style using the colours from the set. Hopefully The Army Painter will do some tutorials on their YouTube channel for that. But hey, then the paints will have to speak for themselves.

Both John Blanche Masterclass paint sets, photographed for a review on a concrete background with pink lighting
These items were kindly provided by The Army Painter. Thoughts and opinions are our own.

All the colours in Vol. 1

First we have a new warm off-white and a rich new yellow paint. Then there are four dark colours that extend some of the existing flexible triads. I appreciate that, because in my original Fanatic video review I criticised that some flexible triads didn’t go dark enough for me. There is a new dark grey that closes the gap between Matt Black and Deep Grey, a dark blue, a dark cool green similar to Caliban Green, and a dark brown similar to Rhinox Hide from the Citadel range. In addition, there is a new brownish gold that I would say is more like a bronze, as well as two washes. Warm Skin Shade matches Flesh Wash from the old Warpaints range, while the aptly named Grimdark Shadow is an almost black wash with a hint of green. Last but not least, we have a new Speedpaint, a red that is slightly more muted than the existing Speedpaint reds.

Hand-painted swatch of all 20 colours from the John Blanche Masterclass Vol. 1 and 2 sets from The Army Painter

By the way, these little squares here come from my Warpaints Fanatic swatch, where I hand-painted all 216 colours onto plasticard and professionally digitised them. To coincide with the start of this video, I’ve added the 20 new colours from both the John Blanche sets. If you already have the Fanatic swatch, you can get a free update to the new version, click here. And if you don’t have the swatch yet, check out my Patreon, I have made many more cross-compatible swatches in the same style, for example for Citadel, AK 3rd Gen, Vallejo, and many more, as well as for one coat paints like Contrast and Speedpaint.

Stahly's hand-painted Warpaints Fanatic swatch banner

This hand-painted swatch is available in my Patreon shop for a small donation (or by becoming an Autarch tier member). I also have swatches for Citadel Colour, Vallejo Game Color, AK 3rd Gen, and Two Thin Coats – all cross-compatible with each other so you can compare colours across different brands. Check out my shop for details.

My experiences with Warpaints Fanatic so far

Before I talk about the colours from Vol. 2, let me tell you a bit about my experiences with the Warpaints Fanatic range. I’ve already posted two videos/reviews about them, one an in-depth review of all 216 colours, and another more hands-on video in which I painted a Striking Scorpions Exarch from start to finish. The Army Painter loves to make bold marketing claims, like ‘unparalleled coverage’ and ‘best paints in the world’. Obviously, you have to decode this as marketing, but the Warpaints Fanatic paints are honestly pretty good, and for a fair price. I heard of a lot of hobbyists who are really happy with them, and I‘d love to hear about your experiences with them in the comments below.

Sons of Horus Horus Ascended WIP image 2
I painted Horus’ pteruges leather straps with the Desaturated Violet triad

However, there are a few reasons why Fanatic paints didn’t become MY daily drivers. The consistency is a bit on the thicker side, and I’m not super into the satin finish. But my main gripe is the colour palette. Don’t get me wrong, there are some really great and unique colours I like, for example the Desaturated Violets flexible triad, which I used for the pteruges leather straps on my version of Horus Ascended. But I found a lot of the colours are slightly paler and not as vibrant than comparable colours from other manufacturers, due to the high amount of white and grey pigment they added to increase the covering power. And some staple colours of mine are completely absent, like a deep warm red similar to Mephiston Red, or warm browns like Mournfang Brown from Citadel.

All the colours from Vol. 2

So maybe the Volume II set can fill in those gaps? Well, we have Fiery Vermillion, a bright red more vibrant than what you can find in the Fanatic range. There is also a new warm orange ochre, as well as four more dark colours that complement the existing flexible triads, just like in the other set. These include a darker ochre yellow, a dark olive green and yellow ochre green, as well as a dark burgundy colour. In addition, we have a really nice dark steel paint, darker than the existing Gun Metal and Citadel‘s Leadbelcher, but not as dark as Iron Warriors. Voodoo Shade is a greenish-brown wash, Grim Rust is a brown rust effect paint, and with Turnbull Turquoise we get a new Speedpaint, which is a quite dark petrol, similar to Tyrian Navy. So, lots of dark or dare I say… grimdark colours in this set.

Hand-painted swatch of all 20 colours from the John Blanche Masterclass Vol. 1 and 2 sets from The Army Painter

Value

The sets are priced at an RRP of £35 / 42 € / $50. Each set contains 10 colours, individual Warpaints Fanatic paints cost €3.50 each. Normally you’d expect to make a saving on a set, but here you’re paying a certain amount for the packaging and the art print.

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I hope you found this review helpful, feel free to leave a reaction or comment below, or post your questions here or discuss on our Discord channel.

8.0
Score

Pros

  • Bespoke artwork and art print from John
  • 20 all new colours, inc. 2 new Speedpaints
  • Filling in some of the gaps in the Fanatic range

Cons

  • Price is slightly higher than if you were to buy 10 colours individually
  • No tutorial or instructions for the included colours

Final Verdict

These two sets are a solid addition to the Warpaints Fanatic range. They add more dark colours, some new grimdark washes that are really useful, and a more vibrant red and yellow. Would these sets appeal to those who aren't looking to expand their Fanatic collection but are simply John Blanche fans? To be honest, I‘m not sure, as the only special thing is the packaging and the art print. Can the sets fill all the gaps in the Fanatic colour palette? When it comes to dark colours, quite so, but I'm still missing more warm deep reds, richer warm browns, and a few more vivid skin tones. That's why, going forward, I want to see new flexible triads with six all new colours each, not just more collaboration sets with a mix of random colours.