Review: AK Playmarkers

Painting miniatures as easily as holding a pen? Well, AK Interactive has developed a range of markers specifically designed for painting miniatures. Might their new Playmarkers be the ultimate beginners product? I’ve tested the entire range of 34 colours and have some thoughts. I’ll tell you what I think of AK’s Playmarkers and whether they might even be worth a look for experienced painters.

You’re probably familiar with permanent or non-permanent felt-tip markers like classic Sharpies, and in the art world, alcohol-based markers like Copics are hugely popular. However, these pens aren’t really suitable for painting miniatures. While there are paint markers for Gundam models and acrylic graffiti pens from Molotow, they haven’t caught on in the tabletop and board game scene. But in recent months, a new trend has emerged. Companies like AK Interactive have developed a new generation of markers, specifically designed for painting miniatures from board games, RPGs and tabletop games like Warhammer.

The Playmarkers range boasts 34 colours, with plenty of bright and vibrant hues for fantasy and sci-fi miniatures. Markers are available in themed packs of three and six colours, a complete 34 colours set in a presentation box, and individually.

Playmarkers – a revolution in painting miniatures?

Playmarkers are a fusion of pen and miniature paint. They have a brush-like nip, with flexible, pointed synthetic bristles. Before you use Playmarkers for the first time, you need to pump the paint into the nib by pressing the button at the end multiple times. This can get a bit messy if you pump too much, so make sure to wipe off any excess on a towel. The brush-like pointed nib of the Playmarkers means you can get to small nooks and crannies well. However, if you are a total beginner, I feel you still need a bit practice to get a feel for the flexible bristles. That’s also down to the size of the tips, which is roughly comparable to a brush size 2 or 3, making it quite large for most infantry-sized miniatures in 28 to 32 mm scale.

The paint reminds me of thinned-down acrylic paint, the sort you’d use for painting minis with a brush. AK says you can use Playmarkers on bare plastic or resin, but in my experiments, I found that the paint doesn’t adhere that well to bare plastic. The paint’s consistency makes it bead up on smooth surfaces. Therefore, I recommend a spray primer.

Covering power is pretty good, but because of the thinner consistency brighter colours such as the green and red require quite a few coats for a perfectly even coverage. Just like with regular acrylic paints. Metallic colours have very fine metallic particles and a nice, shiny finish.

Once the paint’s dry, it has a satin-matte finish and good resistance to external factors. Just like with regular acrylic paints, you can paint over dried Playmarker paint. For example, to correct mistakes, highlight details, or apply a wash like Citadel Shade paints or AK’s Deep Shade washes (review here). For sweaty hands, I recommend sealing the models with a coat of matte varnish. You can find my matte varnish recommendations here.

Long-term experiences

I got early test samples of the Playmarkers back in October 2024 at the Spiel in Essen. This allowed me to get some idea of how Playmarkers behave over time. One concern I had was the nib drying out. However, even after several months, the markers still dispense paint as well as they did on day one. The cap seems to keep an airtight seal, and the paint doesn’t dry out quickly. You can clean the brush tip with water, by the way, just like regular brushes. AK also recommends their Synthetic Brush Conditioning Fluid for maintenance. 

Playmarker tips, however, are made of synthetic bristles, and this material develops slightly hooked tips over time. Unfortunately, the tips can’t be replaced. In other words, if the bristles get damaged or worn out, you can pretty much throw the marker in the bin, because it’s then hardly suitable for painting small details anymore. Having said that, the bristles are quite sturdy and can take some punishment.

Comparing Playmarkers with other types of miniature paint markers

A while ago I covered all the recently released markers for miniatures, inc. the new Playmarkers and AK’s other range of markers, Real Color markers. Check out this video to see the Playmarkers in action:

Value

Individual Playmarkers are already available from €2.60 (RRP), which is significantly less than the prices of individual paints from established players like Games Workshop and The Army Painter. I reckon that’s priced pretty well for beginners. However, it’s difficult to compare the amount of paint between a marker and paint in a pot/bottle, as AK doesn’t specify a millilitre count. The packs of 3 and 6, as well as the complete set, unfortunately, don’t offer any further savings.

You can find the latest hobby products at our 🇬🇧/🇪🇺 partner stores Wayland Games, Element Games, and Firestorm Games, at 🇩🇪 Taschengelddieb and PK-Pro, and at 🇺🇸 Noble Knight Games with a welcome discount of up to 10–15% over RRP. Using our links helps to support Tale of Painters at no additional cost to you, so thank you very much for using them!

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.