Review: The perfect match(es) for 90s Goblin Green

There is something special about the 90s version of Goblin Green. It’s the colour of our childhoods, when garishly painted armies clashed on green flocked tabletops. But replicating the exact shade of classic Goblin Green seems surprisingly difficult. In this video, I test and rank similar green paints from over 14 old and new paint brands. Let’s determine once and for all which modern paint is the perfect match for the classic Goblin Green of the 90s.

I grew up with the 2nd edition of Warhammer 40,000 as a kid, and back then armies were colourful and bases were green. A while ago, Polygon also wrote about the love for Goblin Green. If you want to revive that iconic look, for example for your Oldhammer projects, then I’ll show you in this video which modern paint comes closest to the Goblin Green of those days:

I’ve sampled over 14 miniature paint brands for this, and I can tell you that hitting the right shade is harder than you might think. That’s because the original Goblin Green in the hexagonal pot isn’t that easy to define. It’s a slightly pastel mid-green, not too saturated, but not too greyish either. Not too yellowish or olive, but not too bluish either. So the colour sits between the cracks, and that’s why it’s so hard to find a match for 90s Goblin Green.

The test setup

First, I took a sample of my original Goblin Green, and then, using my interactive 7-in-1 document, which contains over 1,100 professional hand-painted samples covering the 7 most popular paint ranges, I searched for the best matches.

Over 1,100 accurate hand-painted colour samples, covering the seven most popular miniature paint ranges (Citadel, Warpaints Fanatic, Vallejo Game & Model Color, AK 3rd Gen, Pro Acryl, and Two Thin Coats). Sorted by colour families, hue, value, and saturation, in an interactive PDF document with a handy navigation and helpful appendix about colour reproduction. Check out my Patreon shop for details.

That was a good start, but not enough for me. I continued to sift through my Patreon swatches AND my archive and ordered and sampled more paints until I had at least one similar colour from pretty much every miniature paint brand out there. I have older and newer paint ranges here, over 19 bottles from 14 paint ranges in total. I’ll rank these samples in a tier list according to how close they come to the original Goblin Green from the 90s. Goblin Green, of course, comes right at the top in the S tier, and then we’ll go through each of the colours alphabetically.

The ultimate Goblin Green tier list

Patreon bonus content: A higher resolution, uncompressed version of this tier list can be downloaded here.

AK 3rd Gen: Alga Green

Let’s start with A for AK 3rd Gen, and here I found Algae Green comes closest. And we’re off to a good start, because Algae Green is a rather good match. What’s more, the consistency and covering power are very good. However, in direct comparison, Algae Green is a tiny nuance darker and warmer. Also, the finish is a bit more matte than the original Goblin Green. I want to put it in the B tier for that, but if I compare Algae Green not with the original Goblin Green, but with the bases of the Eavy Metal painted miniatures in White Dwarf and the armybooks from back then, then for some reason Algae Green comes closer to the photos than the original paint does. So for that I’ll put it in the A tier.

Citadel Colour 1998 – 2012: Goblin Green

Next up is a blast from the past, namely Goblin Green from the 2000s Citadel Colour range. This range initially launched in 1998 with the black screw-tops, which were later replaced by flip-top lids and then changed to the familiar conical Citadel shape pots. I’ve dedicated a separate review to the 2000s Citadel paints on my channel, feel free to check it out. The 2000s paints took over many colours from the 90s range, but in most cases, the shades changed quite a bit. This version of Goblin Green is no exception, so I can just put it in the B tier. It’s more blueish and not as pastel as the OG version. 

Citadel Colour (current generation): Warboss Green

Then we take a look at the current Citadel Colour range, and here the most-similar colour would be Warboss Green. Although it’s “only” a Layer paint, the covering power is quite good. The underlying colour tone goes in the right direction, but Warboss Green is darker than the original Goblin Green and a hint more blueish. Which is why it makes it only to the C tier, but later in the video I’ll give you the recipe for mixing a perfect Goblin Green with the current Citadel paint range, so don’t miss it.

Coat’d’Arms: Goblin Green

Next, I have Goblin Green from the Coat’d’Arms range. Coat’d’Arms is an unofficial continuation of the Citadel range from the late 80s, the range in the round pots that came before the hexagonal pots. So I have high hopes. Like the Citadel Colours of that time, Coat’d’Arms is still made by HMG Limited in the UK. Unfortunately, the paints are hard to come by now, as they’re only sold directly by Battlezone. For delivery to Germany, I had to pay quite high shipping costs plus import fees on top, so the single pot cost me almost 20 euros. Let’s see if it was worth it. The consistency really feels like the paints of those days, with below average covering power and a satin finish, just like back then. Even though Coat’d’Arms is modelled on the 80s Citadel paints, the shade is almost identical to my 90s Goblin Green. Maybe a tiny nuance lighter, but that’s only noticeable in direct comparison, so for now I put Coat’d’Arms in the A tier right at the front. Will anything come close? Spoiler: yes, so stay tuned.

Green Stuff World: Warcry Green & Pickle Green

Here I have two greens from Green Stuff World. The two closest matches would be Warcry Green from the Maxx Formula range and Pickle Green from the Heavy Opaque range. However, they’re more of a C tier as both colours are too dark and also have a rather warm undertone.

Ionic Smart Colors: Goblin Green

Let’s move on to Ionic, the new paint range from Ammo (and formerly Big Child Creatives), which I recently tested. These paints are of superb quality and have some colours inspired by classic Citadel Colours. There’s actually an aptly named Goblin Green paint in the range. This comes pretty close to the 90s Citadel Goblin Green, Ionic is just a tiny bit lighter and maybe a touch cooler, so it barely misses the A tier and goes into B tier. By the way, there’s also an Ogre Green in the Ionic range, which is slightly darker and a bit more olive. If you mixed Ogre Green with Ionic Goblin Green, you’d get pretty much the perfect match.

Nostalgia 94: Goblin Green

Next, I have Goblin Green from the Nostalgia 94 range from Warcolours, which are explicitly modelled on the 90s Citadel Colour paints. My expectations are high on this one. The consistency and the measly covering power of the old days are well replicated, as is the glossy satin finish. While the Nostalgia 94 Goblin Green definitely nails the finish and undertone, it’s a nuance darker and not as pastel as my OG Goblin Green. That’s why it can’t join the A tier, but I put in the B tier at the front. Honestly, I expected a bit more.

Pro Acryl: Yellow Green

But then move onto Pro Acryl. The paint range is rather small, and therefore there’s not much choice when it comes to green. I’d say Yellow Green might be the closest, but as the name suggests it’s too yellowish compared to Goblin Green. Therefore I’ll put it in the bottom tier, which is kinda the misfit tier. This is for paint ranges I added for the sake of completeness that don’t really have a Goblin Green equivalent. As I said, we’re not evaluating the paint quality in this tier list, which is fantastic when it comes to Pro Acryl, but only the paint match.

P3: Ordic Olive

Same thing with the newly reissued P3 paints. Here too, there’s not really anything that goes in the Goblin Green direction. Ordic Olive might be the closest, but it also ends up in the bottom tier. The new P3 paints are great though, and are also made by HMG Limited, like Coat’d’Arms and the 90s Citadel paints. Feel free to write in the comments whether I should review the new P3 paints, and subscribe to the channel so you don’t miss it.

Reaper Master Series: Goblin Green

Now comes another paint range with a few years under its belt, Reaper Master Series. Here I found a Goblin Green in their Pathfinder sub-range. In the bottle, the colour looked quite promising, but in real life it’s too dark and olive, so bottom tier as well. Maybe there’s a colour in the Reaper range that fits better, if you know, feel free to write it in the comments.

Scalecolor: Spring Green & Fantasy & Games: Slimer Green

From Scale 75, I chose one colour each from the Scalecolor and Fantasy & Games ranges. Their selection is quite small, so there were no really suitable green tones to be found here, so that means bottom tier. Spring Green is far too bright and matte, and Slimer Green too vivid.

Two Thin Coats: Goblinoid Green

Next up is Two Thin Coats, one of my favourite paint ranges at the moment, and since Duncan Rhodes is a GW veteran and many of his paints are inspired by Citadel Colours, I have high hopes. Goblinoid Green from wave 2 comes closest to the original Goblin Green. And indeed, the colour match is pretty much perfect. It also applies wonderfully smoothly and has high covering power. Only the finish is matte, it lacks the satin sheen of 90s Citadel paints. Nevertheless, I’m putting Goblinoid Green in the A tier, but behind Coat’d’Arms Goblin Green, which is a bit more authentic in feel.

TTCombat: Tank Green

TTCombat has also a wonderful paint range, not quite as well-known. Especially the acrylics are of high quality and feel very similar to Two Thin Coats. However, the range lacks a good Goblin Green equivalent. The closest shade might be Tank Green, but I can only put it in the misfit tier as it is too light and greyish.

Vallejo Game Color: Goblin Green

Next up is Vallejo, here I have Goblin Green from the Game Color range, which was relaunched with a new formula in 2022. Game Color was launched as a clone, erm, “competing product” to the 2000s Citadel Colour range, and thus has many very similar shades. For example their version of Goblin Green, which actually comes quite close to the 90s Citadel Goblin Green. It’s a touch more olive, and the finish is very matte. I’d say it’s a B tier match, but behind Nostalgia 94 and Ionic. Also, my bottle somehow had a slightly uneven finish, perhaps they added too much matting agent.

Vallejo Model Color: Medium Olive

The recently updated Model Color range has a deep selection of green tones, so referencing my comparison document I’d say that Medium Olive comes closest to 90s Goblin Green. The covering power is very good, but the finish is also very matte and the shade is slightly darker, so I’d say B tier. Since it’s also another nuance more olive than the Game Color Goblin Green, I’m sorting Medium Olive behind it.

Warpaints Fanatic: Eternal Hunt

Last but not least we have The Army Painter, namely the Warpaints Fanatic range and the Warpaints Air. In the Fanatic range, you can’t really find a good Goblin Green equivalent. The closest shade would probably be Eternal Hunt, but that goes into the misfits tier because it’s too vibrant and has a quite blueish hue. Again, we’re just ranking for colour matching, not paint quality.

Warpaints Air: Goblin Green

Warpaints Air comes in triads, whose midtones were matched to the old Warpaints range. The old Warpaints range had a Goblin Green, but I’ll put it in the bottom tier as well, because it’s just too green compared to the classic 90s Goblin Green.

The best matches for classic Gobling Green

And with that, we have our final tier list. As a conclusion, I’d say that you can’t go too wrong with anything up to the B tier, and everything in the A tier is almost indistinguishable from the original. If I had to choose one more colour to put into the S tier, it would probably be Coat’d’Arms, because the feel and consistency are so authentic. Personally, though, I’d lean towards Two Thin Coats, because the covering power is much better and I prefer the more matte finish.

Two Thin Coats also did very well in another ranking of mine. Because painting yellow is such a pain in the bum, I tested 21 primary yellow paints in another tier list. You can find out which one covers best and is easiest to apply in the video on the right, so go read this next, it makes painting yellow so much less of a hassle.

How to mix 90s Goblin Green with the current Citadel Colour range

Here’s a bonus recipe for how to mix the perfect Goblin Green yourself. I used this for the base of my classic 2nd Edition Ultramarine, using only colours from the current Citadel Colour range. To do this, mix 2 parts Warboss Green with 1 part Ogryn Camo, and this will be a pretty perfect match for 90s Goblin Green.

Hope you enjoyed this fun trip down memory lane. Do you still cherish an old pot of Goblin Green, or have you moved on? If so, what’s your favourite Goblin Green replacement?