Pro Acryl 1-Step is Monument Hobbies’ answer to contrast and speed paints, with smooth coverage, built-in depth, and a medium for custom mixes.
Monument Hobbies is getting into the fast-paint game with Pro Acryl 1-Step, and this one looks aimed right at painters who want solid results without turning every squad into a month-long project. If you’ve been living on Contrast paints, Speedpaint, or any other one-coat shortcut, this is Monument’s answer, just built to fit the Pro Acryl ecosystem instead of feeling like a separate lane.
Their big idea is simple. Pro Acryl 1-Step is made to give you vibrant color in a single coat over a bright primer, while naturally settling darker in the recesses and brighter on raised areas. So you get built-in depth, some instant contrast, and a much faster path to a finished model.
What Makes Pro Acryl 1-Step Different From Contrast?
Snag your new 1-step paint, and give us a high-five in support! Every qualifying purchase helps Spikey Bits keep the lights on and the fun going.
At a glance, this is still a contrast-style paint range. You put it over white primer or a bright zenithal undercoat, and the paint does a lot of the shading work for you. No tricks, no weird secret method, no extra tools needed.
But Monument is also pushing Pro Acryl 1-Step as a smoother, more consistent option that blends easily and works with the rest of the Pro Acryl paint line. That matters because a lot of hobbyists do not want another isolated paint range cluttering up the desk. They want something that works with what they already own.
That is where this starts to feel less like “Monument made contrast paints too” and more like a smart expansion of the line.
The first wave includes 12 colors, with an initial prerelease planned for AdeptiCon 2026, followed by a wider release later in the spring.
The Real Hook Is The 1-Step Special Sauce
Let’s be honest, the wildest part of this launch might be the medium.
Pro Acryl 1-Step Special Sauce is designed to do two very useful things. First, it can dilute existing 1-Step colors for techniques like glazing and filtering. Second, and this is the big one, it can turn regular Pro Acryl paints into one-step paints.
Monument says a rough two-to-one mix of medium to paint gives standard colors that same 1-Step behavior. If that works as advertised, it is a great move. Instead of locking painters into whatever twelve launch colors are on the rack, it gives them a way to experiment with the rest of their collection.
That kind of flexibility is a real selling point. Painters love options, especially when it means they do not have to buy an entirely separate range to achieve a certain effect.
How to Use 1-Step
Like most contrast paint alternatives, Pro Acryl 1-Step wants a bright surface underneath. White primer is the easy answer, but zenithal priming should also work really well since the paint can take advantage of those light and dark values underneath.
The basic game plan looks pretty familiar:
Prime bright
White, off-white, or a strong zenithal undercoat will get the best effect.
Apply one smooth coat
Let the paint settle and create the depth for you.
Thin with water or Special Sauce
That gives you more control for glazes, filters, or softer effects.
That makes the range useful for both newer painters and experienced hobbyists. Beginners get easy depth with less effort. Veteran painters get another tool for fast basecoating, tinting, glazing, and custom mixes.
Why This Could Be a Big Deal
The hobby already has plenty of speed paints and contrast paints, so Monument needed more than a copycat release here. On paper, the big wins look like smoother application, a more consistent finish, easier mixing, and a medium that expands what the whole line can do.
That last part is the real kicker. 1-Step Special Sauce makes the range feel more like a system than just another paint set.
If the finish is as clean as Monument is shooting for, Pro Acryl 1-Step could land in a very nice spot for painters who want fast results without giving up control. For army painters, that means quicker tabletop-ready models. For more advanced hobbyists, that means another flexible tool that can do much more than slap-chop a cape and call it a day.
Final Thoughts on Pro Acryl 1-Step
Pro Acryl 1-Step looks like Monument Hobbies saw what people like about Contrast and Speedpaints and decided to do it in a way that plays nicely with the rest of their range. The one-coat color and instant shading are the headline, but 1-Step Special Sauce is what gives this launch real hobby legs.
If it applies smoothly, avoids the usual patchy nonsense, and really works with standard Pro Acryl paints, Monument might have a winner on its hands. For hobbyists looking for a new contrast paint alternative, this is definitely one to watch.
Click Here to See More From Monument!
