Fanatic Orange vs Wasteland Brown: Two Thin Coats Paints Compared

Quick answer

Buy Fanatic Orange if you need a midtone for rust, leather or warm cloth; buy Wasteland Brown if you need a highlight for earth tones and worn equipment. They are not substitutes for each other, so the real question is which role your current project is missing.

Midtone versus highlight: why the labels matter

Fanatic Orange is catalogued as a midtone, while Wasteland Brown is catalogued as a highlight. That difference decides how you use each pot. A midtone covers the main body of a colour area and sets the overall hue; a highlight sits on top to catch raised edges and light. If you swap their roles, you either lose depth or end up with a chalky top layer.

For 28mm miniatures, the midtone does most of the visual work because it is the colour the eye reads at arm's length. The highlight is a smaller investment that sharpens the silhouette. That makes Fanatic Orange the busier pot on a typical project, while Wasteland Brown is used in smaller amounts but is harder to replace with a generic brown.

Coverage expectations from the range

Two Thin Coats paints are formulated to be thinned and applied in two thin layers rather than one thick coat. The range does not publish a separate opacity rating for each colour, so treat coverage as something you confirm on your own test piece. Orange pigments generally need a light undercoat to read cleanly, and brown highlights are more forgiving over a midtone base.

The practical consequence is that Fanatic Orange rewards a planned base layer, while Wasteland Brown can be brushed directly onto a midtone for edge work. Neither pot is a one-coat solution, and the catalog does not claim otherwise.

Where each pot fits on a 28mm force

Fanatic Orange is the more versatile midtone for historical and fantasy armies: rust streaks, leather straps, warm cloth and shield devices all start here. Wasteland Brown is a targeted highlight for earth, dust and worn wood, and it becomes essential once you want your browns to read as layered rather than flat.

The trade-off is budget and palette space. If you are starting from scratch, the midtone earns its place first because it covers more area. If your browns already look flat, the highlight is the missing step.

Trade-offs to weigh before you buy

• Role coverage: Fanatic Orange covers large areas as a midtone; Wasteland Brown is a highlight used in smaller amounts. If you can only buy one, choose the role your current project lacks.
• Layer order: Plan to apply Fanatic Orange over a base layer, then use Wasteland Brown on top for edges. Reversing the order wastes the highlight's contrast.
• Palette efficiency: Wasteland Brown stretches further per pot because highlights use less paint. Fanatic Orange will run out sooner on armies with large orange or rust areas. Track which pot empties first; that tells you which role your painting actually demands.

Product facts

• Wasteland Brown - Two Thin Coats: Wasteland Brown is listed in the Highlight category and comes in a 15ml pot. A highlight pot is used in small amounts, so 15ml lasts through many projects when reserved for edges and raised detail.

  

• Fanatic Orange - Two Thin Coats: Fanatic Orange is listed in the Midtone category within the Two Thin Coats range. As a midtone it is intended to cover the main colour area, which makes it the busier pot on a 28mm project.

  

Which pot should you buy?

Best for

• Painters starting a 28mm force who need a warm midtone for rust, leather or cloth
• Hobbyists building a layered brown scheme who need a dedicated highlight

Not for

• Anyone looking for a single pot to cover both midtone and highlight work
• Painters who expect one-coat coverage from either colour