The Army Painter Speedpaint Paint: Maggot Skin

One Coat. Instant Depth. Ready to Game.

Maggot Skin is a pale, sickly yellow-green that does the work of base coat, shade, and highlight in a single application. Part of The Army Painter's Speedpaint range, this formula flows across raised surfaces and pools into recesses automatically, leaving models looking shaded and finished straight off the brush. It is designed for hobbyists who want their models on the table fast — without sacrificing the kind of depth that takes experienced painters several separate steps to achieve by hand.

How Speedpaint Works

Speedpaint is a water-based formula with a unique binder that reads the surface of a miniature and behaves accordingly — sitting on high points to create natural highlights while flowing into recesses to build shadow. Apply over a white or light grey primer for maximum vibrancy, or over a mid-tone primer for a more muted, gritty result. One coat is typically all it takes. A second coat can deepen shadows and intensify the tone on larger flat areas. Unlike traditional washes, Speedpaint is opaque enough to cover bare primer with colour, not just add tint over an existing base coat. Seal with a matte varnish after drying to lock in the finish and prevent reactivation if additional layers are applied on top.

Colour and Applications

Maggot Skin reads as a desaturated, pale lime with warm undertones — an immediately unsettling tone that suits corrupted flesh, diseased skin, undead complexions, and any creature that has spent too long away from sunlight. It is an excellent pick for Nurgle-themed armies, undead forces, swamp creatures, goblins, and anything that lives in the dark and wet. On textured or sculpted skin, the contrast between highlighted peaks and shadowed recesses gives results that genuinely look like a finished paint job rather than a speed technique.

Who It's For

New painters will find Speedpaint one of the most forgiving ways to get colour on a model quickly — the formula does the blending for you. Experienced painters building large armies use it to batch-paint entire squads in an afternoon without losing visual interest. It works equally well on Warhammer models, Warmachine warjacks, board game miniatures, and any other hobby miniature on a 28mm or larger scale. The pot is compatible with any standard brush and can be thinned with water or The Army Painter's Speedpaint Medium for more controlled application.