Ancient Honey sits in the yellow family: very light in tone, vivid in saturation, warm in cast. For modelling, drop to Ochre Clay in the recesses and step up to Zealot Yellow on the edges, both The Army Painter paints. Ancient Honey is a little less common: the closest same-finish match, Citadel Iyanden Yellow, reaches 91 percent, and 1 other brand carries a strong same-finish alternative. A cross-brand swap will get you most of the way, but eyeball it against the original first.
Ancient Honey equivalents in other ranges
No brand clones Ancient Honey outright, but 1 range comes close enough to swap. The best candidate from each catalog:
- Closest Citadel equivalent: Citadel Iyanden Yellow, close enough that batch variation matters more (delta E 1.8).
- Best Tamiya option: Tamiya Clear Yellow, a usable stand-in rather than a twin (delta E 7.5).
- From Vallejo: Vallejo Deep Yellow, a near match with visible drift up close (delta E 2.3), but it is an opaque acrylic so treat it as a color reference, not a swap.
- Humbrol's closest color: Humbrol Lufthansa Yellow, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 2.5), but it is an opaque acrylic so treat it as a color reference, not a swap.
- Nearest in the Revell catalog: Revell Lufthansa Yellow/Lufthansa - Gelb (RAL 1028), a near match with visible drift up close (delta E 2.6), but it is an opaque acrylic so treat it as a color reference, not a swap.
- Best AK Interactive option: AK Interactive Yellow, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 2.7), but it is an opaque acrylic so treat it as a color reference, not a swap.
The honest caveat: Citadel Iyanden Yellow dries slightly cooler than Ancient Honey, so expect recess shading and edge highlights to shift with it.
How to read the score
90+Close
80sUsable
<70Mix
Citadel
Tamiya
Vallejo
Humbrol
Revell
AK Interactive
Green Stuff World
Two Thin Coats
P3 Paints
Scale75
About this color
Color profile
Highlight and shade ladder
Pairs well with
Try any paint in the scheme toolMatch difficulty
Found in 1 other brand with a same-finish match.
Where painters use it
Frequently asked
What is the closest equivalent to The Army Painter Ancient Honey?
The closest same-finish match is Citadel Iyanden Yellow at 91% color similarity.
Is Ancient Honey a one-coat paint?
Ancient Honey is a contrast paint, made to basecoat and shade in a single pass over a light primer. One coat drops color into the recesses and leaves the raised areas brighter; a second coat deepens the tone if you want it richer.
What do I highlight and shade Ancient Honey with?
Highlight Ancient Honey toward Zealot Yellow and shade it down into Ochre Clay, both The Army Painter paints in the same finish family.