Army Painter – John Blanche Masterclass Volumes 1 & 2

I was quite excited when the Masterclass Volumes 1 & 2 by John Blanche were announced, and I bought them as I like the Blanchitsu style we've seen over the years, and I already had a project in mind where I could put them to use!

This is not a review, but merely an unboxing. I am going to use these items for an upcoming project and will refer to this when people ask me how I painted the miniatures.

I previously treated myself to his Voodoo Forest art book, among others, and I even had the honour of meeting him in person at BOYL (Bring Out Your Lead) in 2023. He was responsible for much of the aesthetics of Warhammer and the Grim Dark. I loved his conversion pages in the codices and army books — I'll try to recreate some of these in my retro projects. These new paints would provide a great foundation for bringing some of these ideas to life. However, as I prefer the second edition of 40k and fourth/fifth edition of WHFB in their goblin green bases and 'red phase', a project that would really thrive on that palette is Turnip!

Each volume is priced at around 35 euros (that's what I paid at Radaddel) and contains 10 paints, a painting guide, a small art print, and an introduction to the triad paint system. More on that below.

Volume one covers the following ten paints:

6 Warpaints Fanatic (acrylic paints):

• Banshee Brown
• Blighted Green
• Ironclad Grey
• Ivory White
• Moonbeam Yellow
• The Darkness

2 Washes:

• Grimdark Shadow
• Warm Skin Shade

1 Metallic:

• Emperor Gold

1 Speedpaint:

• Bloodmoon Red

Volume two covers the following ten paints:

6 Warpaints Fanatic (acrylic paints):

• Blanched Berry
• Fiery Vermilion
• Midnight Olive
• Ruddy Terra
• Sunburst Ochre
• Tainted Garden

1 Wash:

• Voodoo Shade

1 Metallic:

• Heavy Metal

1 Effect:

• Grim Rust

1 Speedpaint:

• Turnbull Turquoise

Each of these special paints has John Blanche's signature on the label. However, this signature is different to the one found on his art books, for example. This makes these paints stand out as something special, rather than just a bundle.

The following items are the same in both volumes.

A small flyer explains the triade paint systems, with a few additions thanks to the new Masterclass paints for dark/deep shades. You also get a simple art print with a letter by John Blanche. The art prints would have been cooler if they were different in both volumes, which would have made this special edition more interesting.

As Army Painter helps a lot of people to get started, and as they are still focused on completing projects, they have included a painting guide with various techniques and different steps to help you achieve your desired level of skill.

I am very happy with the paints I have here as I want to paint the Turnip forces in the Blanche style, and I have everything I need: red and brown tones, metallics, and grime to complete the look. I'm looking forward to getting started!