How to paint Tyranids
Carapace and skin Contrast. Swarms batch-paint cleanly. Difficulty 2 / 5. About 8 hours for a Combat Patrol with Contrast.
Updated 2026-07-10
Unofficial fan guide. Citadel paint and kit names identify products for sale. Not affiliated with Games Workshop.
Kits to buy, then paint
Live floors for stores that ship to the US.
Leviathan-style Tyranids (Contrast)
- Method
- contrast
- Difficulty
- 2 / 5
- CP time
- ~8 hrs
- Primer
- Wraithbone
- 01PrimeWraithbone
- 02CarapaceLeviadon Blue
Or Black Templar for darker swarms.
- 03SkinMagos Purple
Keep skin lighter than carapace.
- 04Weapons / clawsBlack Templar · Warp Lightning
- 05Teeth / tonguesSkeleton Horde · Volupus Pink
- 06BaseAstrogranite · Nuln Oil
- +Hormagaunts and Termagants are batch-paint gold. Same three colours.
- +Characters get one extra edge highlight. Swarms do not need it.
Other Tyranids recipes
After the first box
Combat Patrol: Tyranids sealed. Add Termagants or a monster kit second. Count bases on used swarm lots.
Full start collecting path →Common questions
How long does it take to paint a Tyranids Combat Patrol?
About 8 hours with the Leviathan-style Tyranids (Contrast) Contrast recipe, batching infantry.
What primer should I use for Tyranids?
Wraithbone. Match the recipe on this page so Contrast colours land cleanly.
Where do I buy Tyranids kits at a fair price?
Open the Tyranids army hub or the linked Combat Patrol box page for live floors, then set a watch under the middle of the sealed band.