The Speedpaint Mega Set is worth buying once you have already tried Speedpaint on a handful of models, know you like the one-coat workflow, and are ready to paint an army rather than a squad. It is the wrong first purchase if you have never used Speedpaint before, since a 50-bottle commitment is expensive to make on an untested technique; the smaller ten-color Starter Set is the sensible entry point, and its colors, including Grim Black, carry straight over into this box.
What is in the Speedpaint Mega Set
Fifty 18ml bottles broken down like this:
| Category | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Speedpaint colors | 46 | One-coat basecoat-plus-shade acrylics |
| Speedpaint metallic acrylics | 3 | Exact tones not itemized, check current listing |
| Speedpaint Medium | 1 | Clear extender, see below |
The individual color names were not itemized for this box during research, so this guide does not attempt to list all 46 standard colors; the current product listing is the source of truth if you need the exact roster before buying.
Speedpaint Medium deserves its own mention because it is not a color at all. It is a clear extender you mix into any Speedpaint bottle to stretch coverage and lighten the pooling effect in recesses, useful when a color is shading too aggressively for a particular model or when you want to make a bottle last longer across a large batch of miniatures.
Do not confuse this with the other Speedpaint boxes
Army Painter sells four different Speedpaint set sizes and the names are easy to mix up:
- The Starter Set: 10 colors, entry point
- The Speedpaint Mega Set covered here: 50 colors plus medium
- The Wargamers Mega Set: 60 colors, a different SKU with a different color spread
- The Complete Set: 90 colors, effectively the entire standard Speedpaint range in one box
If a listing mentions 60 or 90 bottles, you are looking at a different product than this one, and the price and per-bottle value calculation changes accordingly.
Coverage gaps
Even at 50 colors this is not the full Speedpaint range, which runs to roughly 90 colors across the line. Painters with unusual army color schemes, bright fluorescents, or a specific niche tone should check the current color list against their plan before assuming it is covered. Three metallics is also a modest spread for anything with heavy mechanical or armored detail; a Space Marine or vehicle-heavy army will likely want additional metallics beyond what ships here.
Who this set suits
Painters committed to batch-painting a full army with Speedpaint's one-coat workflow get the most value from the bottle count here, since buying 46 colors individually costs more in both money and separate purchase overhead than one box. It also suits painters who already own the Starter Set and are expanding rather than starting from zero, since the core ten colors are typically included again in the larger box.
Who should skip it
Skip it if you are still deciding whether the Speedpaint workflow suits your painting style, since the Starter Set answers that question for a fraction of the commitment. Skip it too if your army needs heavy metallics or a very specific narrow palette, since three metallic tones and an unconfirmed general spread may not match a themed scheme as well as building a custom collection from the full Army Painter range would.
Stock and pricing shift on Amazon, so check the current listing before buying: Army Painter Speedpaint Mega Set on Amazon(affiliate link).
FAQ
How many colors are in the Army Painter Speedpaint Mega Set?
Fifty 18ml bottles: 46 standard colors, 3 metallics, and one bottle of Speedpaint Medium.
What is Speedpaint Medium for?
It is a clear extender that thins Speedpaint, stretches how far a bottle goes, and softens how aggressively the paint pools into recesses.
Is the Speedpaint Mega Set the same as the Wargamers Mega Set?
No. The Wargamers Mega Set is a separate 60-color SKU with a different lineup, and the Complete Set is a separate 90-color box. All three use similar naming, so check the bottle count before buying.
Do the Starter Set colors carry over into the Mega Set?
Speedpaint set tiers are built to overlap on core colors as you move up in size, so most or all of the Starter Set's ten colors are typically included again here, though the exact overlap should be checked against the current listing.
Is 50 colors enough for a full army?
For most single-faction armies, yes, especially with three metallics covering trim and weapons. Armies with unusual or bright color schemes may still need a handful of extra bottles.