How to Paint Tyranids Quickly and Effectively (Horde Army Hacks)

Meta Description: Facing down a hundred-model Tyranid swarm? Master these speed painting techniques for Gaunts, Carnifexes, and more to get your hive fleet table-ready in record time.

https://i.imgur.com/placeholder.png *You don't need to spend 10 hours on every Gaunt. This guide reveals the assembly-line secrets to painting a terrifying Tyranid swarm that looks great on the tabletop.*

You’ve assembled your swarm. A hundred Hormagaunts stare at you from their sprues, alongside a few hulking monsters. The excitement of a new army is quickly replaced by a daunting question: “How will I ever paint all of this?”

Painting a Tyranid horde to a high display standard is a year-long project. Painting them to a fantastic tabletop standard is a weekend project—if you know the right tricks.

The key is to abandon the idea of painting one model at a time. You must think like the Hive Mind: efficient, adaptable, and focused on the swarm. Here’s how to paint your bugs quickly and effectively.

The Core Philosophy: The Assembly Line

You will paint in batches. Group your models by type (all Termagants, all Hormagaunts, all Carnifexes) and apply each step to every model in the batch before moving on. This is the single biggest time-saver.

The Ultimate Speed Painting Recipe (The 5-Step Method)

This method uses Contrast or Speed Paints over a clever primer job to do 80% of the work for you.

Step 1: The "Zenithal" Prime (The Most Important Step)

• Prime Black: Give the entire model a black primer coat. This will be your shadow color.

• Drybrush Grey: Heavily drybrush the entire model from all angles with a light grey paint. This catches all the edges and mid-tones.

• Drybrush White: Lightly drybrush from above with pure white. This picks out the highest edges and details.

• Why this works: This creates a value sketch that the Contrast paints will adhere to, creating instant highlights and shadows.

A photo here showing three models: one black, one after grey drybrush, and one after white drybrush. This visualizes the "zenithal" process perfectly.

Step 2: The Skin (The Base Tone)

• Choose your Hive Fleet color. Slather the entire model in a Contrast/Speed Paint.

  • Leviathan: Volupus Pink or Sigvald Burgundy

  • Behemoth: Blood Angels Red

  • Kraken: Gryph-Hound Orange

  • Custom Color: Pick your favorite!

• This one step will instantly color the skin and define all the muscles, vents, and biological details.

Step 3: The Carapace (The Pop of Detail)

• Paint the carapace plates with a dark color. Black, dark blue, or dark purple work great.

• The Speed Hack: Use a dark Contrast Paint (e.g., Black Legion, Leviadon Blue) over the carapace. It will pool at the bottom of the plates, creating a natural gradient.

Step 4: The "Flash" Details (Claws, Hooves, Tongues)

• Pick out the claws, talons, hooves, and tongues with a bone color (e.g., Skeleton Horde Contrast over the grey base, or a basecoat of Ushabti Bone).

• A thin wash of Seraphim Sepia or a brown shade will add quick depth.

Step 5: The Base & The Goo

• Base: Use a simple texture paint (e.g., Stirland Mud, Astrogranite), drybrush it lightly, and add a few tufts of alien-looking grass.

• The Secret Weapon: Paint the model’s base rim with a bold, uniform color (e.g., Abaddon Black). This neatens the entire model and makes the army look cohesive on the table.

A flat-lay image showing a "production line" of 5-10 Gaunts, each at a different stage of this 5-step process. This showcases the batch-painting method in action.

Monster Tips (For Carnifexes, Hive Tyrants)

The above method works for monsters too! For larger models, add one extra step:

• Carapace Highlights: After Step 3, use a bright color (e.g., Fenrisian Grey, Moot Green) to carefully edge highlight the carapace plates. This makes your big bugs pop and draws the eye on the battlefield.

The Thrifty Painter's Final Verdict

This method proves that an impressive army isn't about every model being a masterpiece; it's about consistency and contrast. A hundred models painted to this standard will look infinitely more impressive on the table than ten perfectly painted models surrounded by grey plastic.

Embrace the batch process, let the Contrast paints do the heavy lifting, and watch your hive fleet come to life at a terrifying speed.

Which Hive Fleet scheme will you try first? Share your swarm progress in the comments below!