20% off RRPBlood Angels · 17 models · 3 kits
£119.60 of contents → £87.20 (save approx £32.40)
How to Paint Blood Angels
Deep red armour, gold trim, and getting red to cover cleanly
Prices in £ for the UK
Before you commit
How hard to paint
47of 116 easiest
Easier than most
Model size4 out of 5Detail density3 out of 5Technique demanded3 out of 5
Compare all 116 factions →
What it costs to start
£87.20
£0.18 per point
Combat Patrol: Blood Angels, cheapest shop we track
Compare armies by value →
Painting ratings are our judgement, with the reasoning on the comparison page; prices are live and dated.
Start Blood Angels — boxes & paint sets
The boxes we can price for this faction, cheapest first, and the paint sets that cover most of the recipe below.
20% off RRPCovers 9 of 12 colours in this scheme
Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Mega Paint Set
50 paints
£136.00
£160.15-15%
+38
· compare 4 shops· priced 1 OctCovers 9 of 12 colours in this scheme
+40
at Loaded Dice· priced 13 SepCovers 8 of 12 colours in this scheme
Covers 6 of 12 colours in this scheme
Vallejo Model Color - American Colonial Set
16 paints
£38.39
£47.99-20%
+4
· compare 3 shops· priced 3 JulCovers 6 of 12 colours in this scheme
Model Color Set - American Revolution (x16)
16 paints
£30.79
£47.99-36%
+4
· compare 5 shops· priced 5 JulCovers 5 of 12 colours in this scheme
Recommended recipe
How the scheme reads on a model
Armour — base to highlight
Base coat
Shade
Layer
Highlight
Edge highlight
- Base coatWazdakka RedCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951305View paint
- ShadeFlesh Tearers RedCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Contrast 99189960207View paint
- LayerCarmine RedVallejo · Model Color 70.908View paint
- HighlightFaded RedVallejo · Model Color 70.747View paint
- Edge highlightRosy FleshVallejo · Game Color 72.100View paint
Additional details
Trim
Weapons
Leather
Skin
Lenses
Basing
Wax seals & parchment
- TrimBright GoldArmy Painter · WarpaintsView paint
- WeaponsJohn Blanche Masterclass: Heavy MetalArmy Painter · Warpaints FanaticView paint
- LeatherBeasty BrownVallejo · Game Color 72.043View paint
- SkinBestigor FleshCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951243View paint
- LensesTurquoiseMonument · Monument Pro Acrylic Paints MPA054≈ Closest paint we sellView paint
- BasingEnglish UniformVallejo · Model Color 70.921View paint
- Wax seals & parchmentIvoryVallejo · Model Color 70.918View paint
1
Base coat
Lay the foundation colour down over primer, slightly darker than the final tone.
★ Our pick for base coat
Very Close
Very Close
Transparent Red
Monument · Monument Pro Acrylic Paints MPA047
from£4.19· compare 2 shops· priced 25 Sep
Close
Close
2
Shade
Wash the recesses to add depth and separate the details.
Flesh Tearers Red
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Contrast 99189960207
from£4.03· compare 6 shops· priced 1 Oct
★ Our pick for shade
Very Close
Close
Approximate
3
Layer
Rebuild the main colour on the raised areas, leaving the shade in the cracks.
★ Our pick for layer
Exact Match
Dragon Red
Army Painter · Warpaints
No shop price tracked yet — the paint’s page has every seller we find.
Very Close
Very Close
Very Close
Transparent Red
Monument · Monument Pro Acrylic Paints MPA047
from£4.19· compare 2 shops· priced 25 Sep
4
Highlight
Pick out the upper edges and surfaces that catch the light.
★ Our pick for highlight
Close
Close
Rogue Hobbies Orange Red
Monument · Monument Pro Signature Series MPA-S31
from£4.50· compare 2 shops· priced 25 Sep
Close
Wild Rider Red
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951304
from£2.33· compare 5 shops· priced 1 Oct
5
Edge highlight
Sharpen only the sharpest edges for a crisp, finished look.
★ Our pick for edge highlight
Very Close
Very Close
Close
Close
Lugganath Orange
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951381
from£2.33· compare 5 shops· priced 1 Oct
Details & accent colours
Everything else on the model - metals, skin, leather, lenses, basing and this faction's signature accents.
Metal — trim
Aquilas, rims and ornament. Basecoat gold, wash with a brown shade, then edge a brighter gold.
Bright Gold
Army Painter · Warpaints
No shop price tracked yet — the paint’s page has every seller we find.
★ Our pick for metal — trim
Very Close
Very Close
Close
Close
Metal — weapons
Bolters, blades and casings. Dark gunmetal, washed black, edged with bright steel.
★ Our pick for metal — weapons
Very Close
Close
Close
Adepticon Magnesium
Monument · Monument Pro Signature Series MPA-S42
£4.29at Loaded Dice· priced 13 Sep
Similar
Leather & pouches
Straps, holsters and bare wood. Mid brown, shaded, then drybrushed a lighter tan.
★ Our pick for leather & pouches
Exact Match
Very Close
Flameon Dark Green Brown
Monument · Monument Pro Signature Series MPA-S25
£4.29at Loaded Dice· priced 13 Sep
CloseDiscontinued
Skin & flesh
Faces and hands. Basecoat, a flesh wash into the recesses, then build the highlights back up.
Bestigor Flesh
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951243
from£2.33· compare 5 shops· priced 1 Oct
★ Our pick for skin & flesh
Very Close
Barbarian Flesh
Army Painter · Warpaints
No shop price tracked yet — the paint’s page has every seller we find.
Very Close
Very Close
CloseDiscontinued
Eyes & lenses
Lenses, eyes and energy. A bright spot colour that pops against the armour - dot it on and add a white glint.
Closest paint we sell — not an exact match for this colour
★ Our pick for eyes & lenses
Close
Similar
CloseDiscontinued
Similar
Basing — earth
Groundwork. Earth basecoat, drybrushed bone, finished with your choice of grass, sand or snow.
★ Our pick for basing — earth
Very Close
Very Close
Very CloseDiscontinued
Close
Wax seals & parchment
Purity seals and scrolls - bone parchment with a red wax blob, a classic against the red.
★ Our pick for wax seals & parchment
Close
Close
CloseDiscontinued
Close
Buy It as a Box
Paint sets that cover this recipe - a set is usually cheaper than buying pots one by one.
Covers 9 of 12 paints in this scheme (75%) — base coat, shade, layer, highlight and more.
Or cover 92% of the recipe with 2 boxes (£216.05 total):
Your paints
Tick off what's already on your shelf — whatever's left is your shopping list.
12 paints in this scheme
Price this recipe
12 paintsfree UK delivery over £20
- not stocked: Flesh Tearers Red, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal
£4.99 UK delivery, 1-2 working days, free over £65
- not stocked: Bright Gold, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Turquoise
postage per seller
- not stocked: Wazdakka Red, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Bestigor Flesh, Turquoise
free UK delivery over £75, from £2.66 below that
- not stocked: Wazdakka Red, Flesh Tearers Red, Bright Gold, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Bestigor Flesh, Turquoise
prices shown on Amazon at checkout
- not stocked: Carmine Red, Bright Gold, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Turquoise, English Uniform, Ivory
free UK delivery over £75, £3.99 below that
- not stocked: Wazdakka Red, Carmine Red, Faded Red, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Turquoise, English Uniform, Ivory
- not stocked: Wazdakka Red, Flesh Tearers Red, Carmine Red, Faded Red, Rosy Flesh, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Bestigor Flesh, Turquoise
- not stocked: Carmine Red, Faded Red, Rosy Flesh, Bright Gold, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Beasty Brown, Turquoise, English Uniform, Ivory
totals excl. delivery · affiliate links
Wazdakka Red
Citadel (Warhammer Paints)
at Wayland Games· priced 25 SepFlesh Tearers Red
Citadel (Warhammer Paints)
at Merlin's Miniatures· priced 1 OctCarmine Red
Vallejo
at SnM Stuff· priced 24 SepFaded Red
Vallejo
at Model Workshop · eBay· priced 5 JulRosy Flesh
Vallejo
at SnM Stuff· priced 24 SepBright Gold
Army Painter
at Merlin's Miniatures· priced 1 OctJohn Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal
Army Painter
No price tracked yetBeasty Brown
Vallejo
at SnM Stuff· priced 24 SepBestigor Flesh
Citadel (Warhammer Paints)
at Merlin's Miniatures· priced 1 OctTurquoise
Monument
at Wayland Games· priced 25 SepEnglish Uniform
Vallejo
at SnM Stuff· priced 24 SepIvory
Vallejo
at SnM Stuff· priced 24 Sep
Recommended Box Set
Combat Patrol: Blood Angels Affiliate links — how we make money What's inside this box
The fastest way to start a Blood Angels army — a boxed force to paint with this scheme.
£119.60 of contents → £87.20 (save approx £32.40)
Best price
£87.20Wayland Games
in stock · priced 25 Sep · free UK delivery over £20
cheapest of 4 UK sellers · save £11.80 vs the most expensive · excl. delivery
Want the codex too? At Loaded Dice (UK):save £20.51 vs RRP
Shopping from the US?save $25.50 vs RRP(out of stock)
Every Blood Angels kit and box, priced
Prices compared across the shops that stock them — boxes ranked by cost per model.
Blood Angels are one of the most striking Space Marine chapters and one of the trickiest, because red is a notoriously difficult colour to get clean, even coverage with. Nail the red and the rest of the scheme - gold, black and bone - falls into place quickly.
The signature look
Blood Angels are deep, rich red armour with gold trim, black weapons and joints, and plenty of ornate iconography - wings, blood drops and purity seals. The red should look vibrant and slightly glossy rather than flat or chalky.
Getting red to cover
Red painted straight over a black undercoat goes patchy and dull. Two reliable approaches:
- Build up from a base. Undercoat in a warm tone (a red-brown or even a grey/white zenithal), basecoat a mid red, then a red contrast or glaze to deepen and even it out.
- Contrast in one pass. A red contrast paint over a light undercoat gives smooth, glossy red fast - ideal for a whole army.
Highlight by edge-highlighting with a brighter orange-red, then a tiny touch of orange on the sharpest corners.
Death Company and successors
- Death Company are black armour with red detailing - the inverse scheme, and a great change of pace.
- Successor chapters (Flesh Tearers, Angels Encarmine, Blood Drinkers) reuse the method with darker or two-tone reds.
Tips and common mistakes
- Don't basecoat red over black expecting coverage - it never works in one or two coats.
- Keep gold warm. Shade gold trim with a brown wash so it reads as gold, not yellow.
- Gloss the red slightly. A satin rather than dead-matt varnish suits the rich Blood Angels look.
Recipes are generated by perceptual colour matching against our cross-brand paint database. Use them as a strong starting point and test paints in person when precision matters.