The Army Painter The Most Wanted Brush Set
- Nicholas Smith
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Greetings one and all,
Back in the distant past, I wrote an article on brushes. It was one of my first articles for this blog, and I'm still rightly proud of it. I learned a lot from researching and writing that article about the tools I use for this hobby, such as what the different materials were, how they were used and why, and I even bought myself a brand new set of brushes to test them out so I could really feel the difference, and after 28 years of painting various figures I thought I'd finally settled in my mind what I liked in a brush: sable always seemed to be best for me, and I thought synthetics were kinda rubbish… However, dear reader, I'm now going to admit something to you… I may have become a synthetic brush convert.
Now that I have spent some time using the subject of today's review brushes, I would like to invite you to join me on my journey of discovery as we take a look at the Army Painters' new line of synthetic brushes with bionic bristles.
What are Bionic Bristles?
These are a next-generation of synthetic fibre, designed for modern miniature painting. Brushes with bionic bristles are built to work especially well with one-coat paints, glazes, and advanced layering, offering smooth coverage, durability, and consistent performance where natural hair brushes can struggle.
Developed with input from experienced painters, the new range keeps the reliability and value of the original Wargamer brushes, while improving their strength, precision, and longevity. They might still bend with time, though, but if they are well cared for they can be cleaned and reshaped, which is a huge boon for painters.
Army Painter has also implemented a clear and standard numbering system that helps painters choose the right brush for each task, which can mean the extension of the brush's life when used as intended.
Wargaming claims these new brushes are a push towards a more eco-friendly and sustainable future, and I for one applaud that, as they now come in cardboard packaging and the brushes themselves no longer rely on farming animals for their fur. Both of these are things that I can only consider to be a great step in their approach to sustainability. And also, technically, I think these brushes would also count as Vegan for those who look for that kinda thing in their brushes.
So yeah, Army Painter seems to promise a lot here, but do they deliver? (Well, if you read my intro… You already know the answer.)
The Most Wanted Brush Set
The Army Painters Most Wanted brush set contains three brushes called Wargamer: Insane Detail, Wargamer: Layer, and Wargamer: Small Drybrush. They are all synthetic brushes featuring Army Painters' new bionic bristles, but I must admit after beginning to use them, I did have to check that they are actually synthetic because they don’t act like any synthetic brushes I’d ever used before. There wasn’t that plastic rigidity to them that I’d noticed before with other synthetic brushes, and even when I put them in my mouth (yes I’m a brush licker how else am I going to get a good tip on brushes?) they didn’t feel synthetic either. They felt natural. To say I was confused was an understatement.
I’ve now used the Wargamer: Layer brush for well over two months now and have painted at least 100 models with it, and although it is now starting to show a bit of wear, it’s not nearly as bad as the natural brushes I’ve tended to use in the past. I find myself really liking the thicker, triangular handle on the Layer and the Insane Detail brushes, because for someone such as myself with large oafish hands, the shape and size really helps me get a better grip on the brush which allows me much better control over my painting.
Even the Small Drybrush returns to its original shape easily after cleaning, and although this one is lacking the triangular handle the others have been given, it’s still quite thick anyway which makes it very comfortable to hold and use.
I bought my box of the Most Wanted for £19.99, which overall saved me about £2 compared to if I’d bought each brush individually. You’re probably not gonna keep buying this set over and over, but if you wanted to test the whole range of brushes for yourself, this is certainly the best way to go.
Summary
Overall, as a lifelong user of sable brushes, these bionic ones blew my mind. They are thus far proving to be well worth the price tag which honestly, isn’t that much for a good brush set, and these are definitely some of the best brushes I have ever used in my 28 years of this hobby. I’ve found them easy to use and control, simple to clean and maintain, and most importantly, they get the paint on my models in a way that makes them look great! What more could I want?
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