Model paint guide

How to paint Deathleaper

Deathleaper is a Lictor-scale assassin. Match your hive fleet skin and carapace, then push the claws and feeder tendrils. Unofficial fan recipe.

Difficulty 3 / 5 · ~6 hrs · Updated 2026-07-10

Unofficial fan guide. Citadel paint and kit names identify products for sale. Not affiliated with Games Workshop.

Tyranids: Deathleaper box art
Tyranids: Deathleaper. Product image for kit identity. Not a painted example.
Tyranids: DeathleaperTrack price
Primer

Start here

Wraithbone or Grey Seer

Step

Skin and carapace

Skin: Magos Purple, Leviadon Blue, or Snakebite Leather Contrast. Carapace: Black Templar or Dark Angels Green. Drybrush Administratum Grey on carapace edges. Same colours as your Hormagaunts.

Step

Claws, teeth, and tongue

Claws: same carapace with a sharper edge. Teeth: Skeleton Horde. Tongue: Volupus Pink with Carroburg Crimson.

Step

Base

Stirland Mud or Astrogranite. Keep it dark so the assassin reads as stalking cover.

Buy paints

Paints for Deathleaper

Colour chips are approximate. Buy links open live marketplace search for that Citadel paint across Shopify catalog stores and other sources.

Video

YouTube tutorials

External videos. We link creators whose techniques match this kit. Watch on YouTube. Support the painter if you use their method.

Further reading

Other painters

Army recipes

Match the rest of the force

Common questions

How long does it take to paint Deathleaper?

About 6 hours for a tabletop-to-display finish at difficulty 3 / 5.

What primer should I use for Deathleaper?

Wraithbone or Grey Seer

Where do I buy Deathleaper?

Open the Tyranids: Deathleaper price page for the live sealed floor, then set a watch under the middle of that band.

Are these official Games Workshop instructions?

No. Unofficial fan recipes that name Citadel paints and kits as products. Not affiliated with Games Workshop.