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Warhammer fans are crafting armies from Citadel paint pots

Warhammer 40k and Age of Sigmar fans customise Citadel miniatures paints into the ultimate pot army for the ‘paint pot challenge’.

Warhammer 40k paint pot challenge - two Citadel paint pots customised into miniatures. The left has arms and legs, and the right is gold with a sword in its lid
Mollie Russell's Avatar

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Warhammer 40k 

If you’re a Warhammer 40k  or Age of Sigmar fan with a social media account, chances are you’ve spotted posts about a special Citadel paint pot recently. This is Alexandrius The Nuln Knight, the creative work of Ao Sebastien, who shares his art under the name Morose Miniatures. Alexandrius has gained quite the following – and now, he’s amassing his own army in the ‘paint pot challenge’.

“It was while I was cleaning up my desk and paints that I got the idea [for Alexandrius]”, Ao tells Wargamer. “I made it in just one hour. It made me laugh so much I decided to post it as is, without painting it, and the feedback was immediate.” Ao added a paint job and a Citadel-brand shield a few days later. Taking his name from Alexander, the pot warrior from Elden Ring, Alexandrius the Nuln Knight was born. “He really is full of Nuln Oil”, Ao adds, “and I almost spilled him several times while taking pictures”.

After a lot of love online, Ao and some of his fellow Warhammer painters came up with the paint pot challenge. Running from May 1 to May 14, Ao challenged the Warhammer world to “build a model with a Citadel paint pot only as the torso/head of the miniature”.

And Warhammer fans took to the challenge like an Ork to WAAGH-ter. Mini painters have so far shared paint pots having a sofa day, paint pots cacti, and even a tiny Nurgling using a paint pot as his own private pool.

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Warhammer 40k paint pot challenge - a Citadel paint pot customised to look like a cactus in a plant pot, wearing a fake moustache and sombrero, holding maracasWarhammer 40k paint pot challenge - a pot of paint lying on a small sofa, under a blanket and eyemask, with a pot of aspirin on a table next to itWarhammer 40k paint pot challenge - Alexandrius, a Citadel paint pot customised to have arms, legs, a sword and shield, standing on green terrain
Warhammer 40k paint pot challenge - a Citadel paint pot customised to look like a cactus in a plant pot, wearing a fake moustache and sombrero, holding maracasWarhammer 40k paint pot challenge - a pot of paint lying on a small sofa, under a blanket and eyemask, with a pot of aspirin on a table next to itWarhammer 40k paint pot challenge - Alexandrius, a Citadel paint pot customised to have arms, legs, a sword and shield, standing on green terrain

Other creators have stuck more closely to existing characters and lore from Warhammer 40k and Age of Sigmar. There are plenty of (admittedly, adorable) Space Marines, and Khorne and Gork both have pots designed in their honour (and colour).

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Warhammer 40k paint pot challenge - a pot of green citadel paint, customised to be riding a boar and wielding a spear and shieldWarhammer 40k paint pot challenge - a pot of 'Khorne' red paint, customised to have two legs and a mouth full of teethWarhammer 40k paint pot challenge - an open pot of 'Abaddon black' paint, with a green Nurgling sitting in an inflatable flamingo, floating in the paintWarhammer 40k paint pot challenge - a blue paint pot, customised to have arms, legs, and a gun
Warhammer 40k paint pot challenge - a pot of green citadel paint, customised to be riding a boar and wielding a spear and shieldWarhammer 40k paint pot challenge - a pot of 'Khorne' red paint, customised to have two legs and a mouth full of teethWarhammer 40k paint pot challenge - an open pot of 'Abaddon black' paint, with a green Nurgling sitting in an inflatable flamingo, floating in the paintWarhammer 40k paint pot challenge - a blue paint pot, customised to have arms, legs, and a gun

There’s even a floating wraith made from, yes, Wraithbone paint. From Blood for the Blood God pots oozing gore, to an Incubi Darkness pot sprouting hordes of legs and teeth, the colour choices in the paint pot challenge are on point.

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Warhammer 40k paint pot challenge - a 'wraithbone' paint pot with wraith cloak and weapon, floating above a green piece of terrainWarhammer 40k paint pot challenge - A pot of red 'Blood for the Blood God' paint, customised to have arms and legs, holding an axeWarhammer 40k paint pot challenge - a pot of black 'Incubi Darkness' paint, customised to have multiple sets of limbs and teeth, sat on a pile of skullsWarhammer paint pot challenge - two pots of red paint fighting, with one of them lying, spilled, on its back
Warhammer 40k paint pot challenge - a 'wraithbone' paint pot with wraith cloak and weapon, floating above a green piece of terrainWarhammer 40k paint pot challenge - A pot of red 'Blood for the Blood God' paint, customised to have arms and legs, holding an axeWarhammer 40k paint pot challenge - a pot of black 'Incubi Darkness' paint, customised to have multiple sets of limbs and teeth, sat on a pile of skullsWarhammer paint pot challenge - two pots of red paint fighting, with one of them lying, spilled, on its back

Ao tells Wargamer he’s received a lot of kind messages. “I didn’t expect it”, he says. “A lot of people asked me how I [made the mini], with which bits, and if they could do their own.” However, it’s this kindness that is Ao’s favourite thing about the Warhammer community.

“There are lots of talented artists out there with their hearts in their hands”, he adds. “I think of all my hobbyist friends on Instagram, and my amazing narrative group Dvrk Imperium 28 (created by @andrejazze), who are always there when I need support and advice.”

As well as the kindness from the community, Ao’s favourite thing about miniatures painting is the creativity. “I try to create something with character, something emotive that will make the viewer feel something beyond the plastic and paint.”

 

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A post shared by Sebastien (@morose.miniatures)

Thanks to the newfound fame of Alexandrius and that classic Warhammer kindness, the paint pot challenge also has prizes. First prize is a mini case from Frontier Wargaming, plus a $12.18 / £10 donation to a charity of your choice; second place earns a box of Tzeentch Arcanites Tzaanors and some Warhammer badges; while the ‘jury’s choice’ winner wins minis of a Psychomancer and Eden’s Hans, as well as more Warhammer badges.

Morseminiatures has also crafted another paint pot mini – spray painted gold to make the perfect trophy.

Warhammer 40k paint pot challenge - a citadel paint pot, sprayed gold, with a gold sword in its lid

Want to take on the paint pot challenge? Be sure to check out our painting miniatures guide. We’ve also compiled the best paints for miniatures to give your next kitbash that perfect finish.

Mollie Russell is Wargamer's resident D&D and guides specialist. She has a degree in Creative Writing and English Literature, and you can also find her writing at Pocket Tactics and in various poetry magazines. She's covered some of the biggest and weirdest releases for Wargamer - including the DnD movie, Frosthaven, and Baldur's Gate 3. Mollie is constantly playing Dungeons and Dragons, but she's still on her quest to try every tabletop RPG she can get her hands on. An avid fan of MTG drafts and horror board games, she will take any opportunity to info-dump about why Blood on the Clocktower is the best social deduction game. (She/Her)