Buying for someone who collects or paints Warhammer? As a long-time Ultramarines collector, here's what hobbyists are genuinely happy to unwrap, from easy stocking stuffers to big army boxes. If you're not a hobbyist yourself, read the quick tip below first: it saves you from the most common gift mistake.

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Quick tip: ask one question first

Warhammer armies are split into factions (Space Marines, Orks, Necrons, Stormcast Eternals and many more), and most players only collect one or two. Before buying models, find out which game they play (Warhammer 40,000 or Age of Sigmar) and which army they collect. If you can't ask, skip the models and go for paints, brushes or tools: those work for every army.

Painting supplies: the safest gift

  • Citadel paint sets or single paints: every painter runs out of their favourite colours. Base, layer, shade and contrast paints all get used up.
  • Good brushes: a fine detail brush makes a big difference for eyes, edges and freehand. Painters never have enough.
  • Primer spray: used on every model before painting, and it runs out fast.

The Army Painter: great-value paint sets

Citadel isn't the only option. The Army Painter makes popular dropper-bottle paints (Warpaints Fanatic) and one-coat Speedpaint, and its boxed sets make easy gifts:

  • Fanatic Starter Paint Set (11 paints) for beginners, or the Fanatic Mega Paint Set (50 paints) for someone who wants a full collection.
  • Speedpaint Markers: Speedpaint in a pen, so there's no mess and no water cup. The Most Wanted Set has 20 markers, and the Mega Set has 60.
  • John Blanche Masterclass sets (Volumes 1 to 4): colour sets curated by John Blanche, the artist behind much of Warhammer's classic look. A great gift for painters who like a darker, grimier style.
The Army Painter Fanatic Mega Paint Set, Fanatic Starter Paint Set, and two Flexible Triad sets
Fanatic paint sets. Image: The Army Painter.
The Army Painter Speedpaint Marker Most Wanted Set with 20 markers
Speedpaint Marker Most Wanted Set. Image: The Army Painter.
John Blanche Masterclass paint sets, volumes 1 to 3
John Blanche Masterclass sets. Image: The Army Painter.

Vallejo Game Color: dropper bottles that last

Vallejo paints come in dropper bottles, so they don't dry out and you only squeeze out what you need. Many painters mix Vallejo with Citadel. Good gift picks:

  • 16-paint Game Color sets (Introduction, Advanced and Specialist): a big, ready-made collection in one box.
  • 4-paint colour sets built around one job, like the Ultramarine Color Set (great for Ultramarines players), the Ork Skin Set, or skin, leather and metal sets.
  • Silver NMM and Gold NMM sets for "non-metallic metal", the technique of painting shiny metal with normal colours that you often see on competition models.
Vallejo Game Color sets: a 16-paint Game Color Set, the Ultramarine Color Set, the Silver NMM Set and the Gold NMM Set
Game Color sets, from a 16-paint box to 4-paint sets. Image: Vallejo.

Tools that make painting easier

  • A wet palette: keeps paint from drying out for hours. Many painters say it's the single best upgrade they ever made.
  • A magnifying lamp or a daylight lamp: good light is the secret behind clean highlights. Competition painters like the Golden Demon winners use strong, even light.
  • Clippers, a hobby knife and files: for cutting models off the sprue and cleaning them up.
  • A painting handle: holds the model so you don't touch the wet paint.

Models and army boxes

  • Combat Patrol boxes (Warhammer 40,000) and Spearhead boxes (Age of Sigmar): small ready-to-play forces and the best-value way to start or grow an army.
  • Christmas Battleforces: bigger seasonal boxes that usually save money compared with buying the units separately. See our 40K Christmas Battleforces 2026 review and the Age of Sigmar Battleforces.
  • A character model for their army: a famous hero like Marneus Calgar for an Ultramarines player is always a hit.

Storage and display

  • A carry case with foam: protects painted armies on the way to a game or store.
  • A display cabinet or shelf with LED lights for their best work.

Warhammer video games and books

  • Space Marine 2: the action game many 40K fans love.
  • Dawn of War IV, out December 3 on PC, for strategy fans.
  • Black Library novels: the Horus Heresy series is the classic starting point.

My take

If you only remember one thing: paints, brushes and tools are always safe, models are only safe if you know their army. And if you want to see what's possible with a brush, look at this year's Golden Demon winners. What's on your own hobby wishlist?

Sources

  1. Warhammer Community: Golden Demon 2026 winners revealed at SPIEL Essen warhammer-community.com
  2. Warhammer: Combat Patrol warhammer.com

Written by the WIZY creator

An independent builder on Monad, working on the WIZY project and the WIZY RPG game. I write about crypto in plain English and about the games I care about, and I check every fact against its source.

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