The Army Painter Speedpaint 2.0: Carmine Dragon

One Coat. Rich Colour. Done.

Carmine Dragon is a deep, saturated crimson from The Army Painter's Speedpaint 2.0 range — a single-coat paint that handles base colour and shading in one pass. Speedpaint 2.0 flows over primed plastic, metal, and resin, pooling naturally into recesses to create shadow and depth without a separate wash step. The result is a vivid, game-ready finish that would take multiple traditional layers to match. For anyone painting a red-armoured force, dragon-scaled creatures, or any model calling for a bold, warm red, Carmine Dragon delivers immediately.

How Speedpaint 2.0 Works

Speedpaint 2.0 is The Army Painter's take on the one-coat contrast-style paint formula. Apply it over a white or light grey primer — or The Army Painter's own Speedpaint Primer — and the pigment-rich formula does the rest. It saturates flat areas with colour and collects in recesses to define detail. Speedpaint 2.0 improves on the original formula with reduced reactivation, meaning it is more stable for layering and highlighting once dry. For hobbyists who want to paint faster without sacrificing the look of a finished model, this workflow removes several steps from the process.

Who It's For

Carmine Dragon suits new painters who want strong results without mastering layering and blending, and experienced hobbyists speed-painting large units or batch-processing infantry before spending more time on characters and centrepieces. It is not locked to any game system — the same pot works equally well on a Space Marine, a Warmachine warjack, a fantasy hero, or a board game miniature. A single pot covers a solid batch of models and pairs naturally with a bright highlight layer and a matte varnish for a clean, durable tabletop finish.