Premium Painted Figures vs Unpainted Miniatures: Which Should You Buy?

Quick answer

Buy premium painted figures if you want miniatures that hit the table the day they arrive and you don't want to paint. Buy unpainted miniatures if you enjoy painting, want exact control over colors and basing, or need many figures on a small budget. Many players do both: prepainted minis for NPCs and monsters, unpainted for heroes and centerpiece models.

The fastest way to settle this is to ask what you want to do on a free evening: run a game, or paint a figure? Premium painted figures answer the first question immediately, while unpainted miniatures turn the hobby itself into the point. Neither is better in the abstract.

The practical differences come down to time, money, and control. Pre-painted minis arrive ready to play but lock in the manufacturer's color choices. Unpainted minis cost less per figure and reward patience with a look nobody else at the table has. Below, we compare real examples from the WizKids lineup and explain who each option suits.

Time to table: the biggest difference

A pre-painted figure needs no prep at all. The D&D Icons of the Realms: Storm King's Thunder: Box 1 arrives as five painted miniatures, including three Huge figures, so a giant-themed encounter can be on the table the same day it ships. That matters if you run a weekly game and prep time is already tight.

Unpainted miniatures need assembly and painting before they look finished. Nolzur's figures come primed and ready to paint out of the box, which removes the priming step, but you still supply the paint, brushes, and drying time. Budget a few evenings per figure if you paint in thin layers.

• If your next session is this week, painted figures are the only realistic option.
• If you have a backlog of unpainted minis, finish those before buying more.

Cost per figure and what you actually get

Unpainted miniatures are cheaper per figure, but the total cost depends on what you already own. The D&D Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures: Elf Rogue & Half-Elf Rogue Protégé and the Drow Mage & Drow Priestess packs each contain two characters, so a small party can be covered for very little. Paint and brushes are a one-time purchase you reuse across every figure.

Pre-painted figures cost more because the painting labor is already done. A set like Storm King's Thunder: Box 1 bundles five painted miniatures, including three Huge ones, which is efficient if you need large monsters and don't want to paint them. Compare the price against the paint and hours you would spend doing it yourself.

• Count your existing paint supply before comparing prices.
• Large and Huge monsters are usually the best value in pre-painted form.

Control over color, theme, and basing

Unpainted miniatures let you match a specific character sheet, faction color scheme, or campaign palette. Nolzur's miniatures include deep cuts for easier painting, which helps when you want clean color separation on small details. You also control the base, so you can add texture, snow, or dungeon flagstones to match your terrain.

Pre-painted figures come in the manufacturer's chosen scheme. That is fine for monsters and generic NPCs, but it can clash if your campaign has a strong visual identity. If a prepainted figure's colors don't match your world, you would need to repaint it anyway, which defeats the purpose.

• Paint your player characters; use pre-painted minis for monsters.
• Check product photos closely before buying pre-painted figures for a themed warband.

Scenery and accessories change the math

Some purchases are not really about a single figure. WarLock Tiles: Accessory - Torture Chamber is a scenery set with cages, chains, racks, and a torturer figure, all usable as-is in a dungeon encounter. If you want that scene ready tonight, buying it beats building and painting each piece from scratch.

Unpainted scenery gives you more freedom but multiplies the work, because every crate, cage, and wall section needs its own paint job. For one-off set pieces, pre-painted or fully assembled scenery is usually the smarter buy. For a recurring location you will use for a whole campaign, painting it yourself pays off.

• Buy pre-painted scenery for locations you will use once.
• Paint scenery you plan to reuse across many sessions.

Skill, mistakes, and resale

Painting has a learning curve. Thin your paints, work in layers, and accept that your first figures will not match the box art. The upside is that mistakes are fixable: you can strip and repaint most miniatures, and the skills carry over to every future figure you buy.

Pre-painted figures are consistent, but they are harder to customize without losing value, and paint applied at the factory can vary slightly between copies. Unpainted miniatures hold their usefulness even if your paint job is imperfect, because you can always repaint them later.

• Practice on cheap unpainted figures before tackling a centerpiece model.
• Keep your first painted mini as a progress marker, not a display piece.

Trade-offs at a glance

• Time: Pre-painted figures play immediately; unpainted minis need assembly and painting before they look finished. Choose pre-painted if your next session is soon.
• Money: Unpainted minis cost less per figure, but paint, brushes, and your hours are part of the real price. Compare total cost, not just the sticker price.
• Control: Unpainted minis let you match a character sheet, faction colors, and basing; pre-painted figures lock in the factory scheme. Choose unpainted for player characters and themed warbands.
• Consistency: Pre-painted figures are uniform and ready to use, while hand-painted results vary with skill and practice. Choose pre-painted if you want a uniform look across many monsters.

Product facts that affect the decision

• D&D Icons of the Realms: Storm King's Thunder: Box 1: This set contains 3 Huge and 2 Medium miniatures, including King Hekaton, Queen Neri, Eigeron's Spirit, Xolkin Alassandar, and Lord Khaspere Drylund. Five painted miniatures, three of them Huge, cover a giant-themed encounter without any painting time. That is the strongest case for buying pre-painted.
• D&D Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures: Elf Rogue & Half-Elf Rogue Protégé: Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures come highly detailed, primed and ready to paint out of the box, with deep cuts for easier painting and clear packaging so you know exactly what you are getting. Two characters for a low price, with priming already done. You save setup time but still supply paint and brushes.
• D&D Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures - Drow Mage & Drow Priestess: This pack contains two highly detailed Drow figures, primed and ready to paint out of the box. A themed pair you can paint to match your campaign's villains, which is exactly the control unpainted minis give you.
• WarLock Tiles: Accessory - Torture Chamber: The set contains cages, chains, an iron maiden, stocks, torture crosses, racks, a brazen bull, a pendulum, and a torturer figure, among other pieces. This is scenery you can drop into a dungeon immediately. Painting every piece yourself would take far longer than the set costs.

Which should you buy?

Best for

• Game masters who need monsters and NPCs ready for the next session
• Players who want a uniform look across many figures without painting
• Buyers who value time over saving money per figure

Not for

• Painters who want exact control over colors, shading, and basing
• Budget-minded buyers building a large collection of rank-and-file troops
• Campaigns with a strong visual identity that factory paint schemes would clash with

Start with pre-painted figures for the monsters and scenery you need now, and buy unpainted miniatures for the characters and warbands you want to make your own. That mix gets you playing tonight and painting something personal on the side.