Color-wise this is a vivid, light yellow leaning warm. Within the Citadel range it ladders cleanly, Nazdreg Yellow for the shadows and Iyanden Yellow for the highlights. Imperial Fist is a bit distinctive: no other brand carries a strong same-finish match, though The Army Painter Ancient Honey comes nearest at 76 percent. Any substitute is a mixing base rather than a drop-in, so tune it on the model.
Imperial Fist equivalents in other ranges
This is one of the colors that keeps Citadel pots in painters' cases. Across the mapped brands, nothing qualifies as a real equivalent.
The drift here is spread thinly across hue, lightness and saturation rather than leaning one way, so the mismatch reads as a general haze at delta E 4.9 rather than an obvious shift.
How to read the score
90+Close
80sUsable
<70Mix
The Army Painter
Revell
Vallejo
AK Interactive
Two Thin Coats
Tamiya
Humbrol
Green Stuff World
Scale75
Monument Pro Acryl
About this color
Color profile
Highlight and shade ladder
Pairs well with
Try any paint in the scheme toolMatch difficulty
Found in 0 other brands with a same-finish match.
Where painters use it
Frequently asked
What is the closest equivalent to Citadel Imperial Fist?
The closest same-finish match is The Army Painter Ancient Honey at 76% color similarity.
Is Imperial Fist a one-coat paint?
Imperial Fist 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 Imperial Fist with?
Highlight Imperial Fist toward Iyanden Yellow and shade it down into Nazdreg Yellow, both Citadel paints in the same finish family.