20% off RRPNighthaunt · 25 models · 4 kits
£80.10 of contents → £76.00 (save at least £4.10)
How to Paint Nighthaunt
Ghostly, glowing spirits done fast with contrast paints
Prices in £ for the UK
Before you commit
How hard to paint
99of 116 easiest
Harder than most
Model size3 out of 5Detail density3 out of 5Technique demanded2 out of 5
Compare all 116 factions →
What it costs to start
£76.00
£0.10 per point
Nighthaunt: Cursed Shacklehorde - Spearhead, 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 Nighthaunt — 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 7 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 7 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 4 of 12 colours in this scheme
Covers 4 of 12 colours in this scheme
· compare 2 shops· priced 13 Sep
Covers 4 of 12 colours in this scheme
Covers 4 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 coatJadeMonument · Monument Pro Acrylic Paints MPA021View paint
- ShadeDark Angels GreenCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Contrast 99189960106View paint
- LayerEvergreen FogArmy Painter · Warpaints Fanatic WP3061PView paint
- HighlightBright JadeMonument · Monument Pro Acrylic Paints MPA067View paint
- Edge highlightBaharroth BlueCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951375View paint
Additional details
Trim
Weapons
Leather
Skin
Lenses
Basing
Ghostly glow
- TrimNecron CompoundCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Dry 99189952048View paint
- WeaponsJohn Blanche Masterclass: Heavy MetalArmy Painter · Warpaints FanaticView paint
- LeatherBeasty BrownVallejo · Game Color 72.043View paint
- SkinPale Grey BlueVallejo · Model Color 70.907≈ Closest paint we sellView paint
- LensesAngelic RedArmy Painter · Warpaints Fanatic WP3104PView paint
- BasingEnglish UniformVallejo · Model Color 70.921View paint
- Ghostly glowTurquoiseMonument · Monument Pro Acrylic Paints MPA054≈ Closest paint we sellView paint
1
Base coat
Lay the foundation colour down over primer, slightly darker than the final tone.
★ Our pick for base coat
Very Close
Sons of Horus Green
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951383
from£2.42· compare 6 shops· priced 1 Oct
Very CloseDiscontinued
Close
Close
2
Shade
Wash the recesses to add depth and separate the details.
Dark Angels Green
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Contrast 99189960106
from£4.03· compare 5 shops· priced 1 Oct
★ Our pick for shade
Close
Close
Close
Close
3
Layer
Rebuild the main colour on the raised areas, leaving the shade in the cracks.
★ Our pick for layer
Close
CloseDiscontinued
4
Highlight
Pick out the upper edges and surfaces that catch the light.
★ Our pick for highlight
Very CloseDiscontinued
Close
Temple Guard Blue
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951318
from£2.33· compare 3 shops· priced 1 Oct
Similar
5
Edge highlight
Sharpen only the sharpest edges for a crisp, finished look.
Baharroth Blue
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951375
from£2.33· compare 6 shops· priced 1 Oct
★ Our pick for edge highlight
Very CloseDiscontinued
Close
Close
Details & accent colours
Everything else on the model - metals, skin, leather, lenses, basing and this faction's signature accents.
Metal — trim
Trim and bare plate. Basecoat steel, wash dark, then edge bright silver.
★ Our pick for metal — trim
Very Close
Very Close
Very Close
Close
Shining Silver
Army Painter · Warpaints
No shop price tracked yet — the paint’s page has every seller we find.
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.
Closest paint we sell — not an exact match for this colour
★ Our pick for skin & flesh
Exact Match
Vince Venturella White Blue
Monument · Monument Pro Signature Series
£4.29at Loaded Dice· priced 13 Sep
Very Close
Close
Similar
Eyes & lenses
Lenses, eyes and energy. A bright spot colour that pops against the armour - dot it on and add a white glint.
★ Our pick for eyes & lenses
Exact Match
Very Close
Very 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
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
Ghostly glow
Blend the lower body up from teal into bright white-green for that spectral fade.
Closest paint we sell — not an exact match for this colour
★ Our pick for ghostly glow
Similar
Similar
Similar
Buy It as a Box
Paint sets that cover this recipe - a set is usually cheaper than buying pots one by one.
Covers 7 of 12 paints in this scheme (58%) — base coat, shade, layer, leather & pouches and more.
Or cover 100% of the recipe with 3 boxes (£360.04 total):
Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Mega Paint Set
50 paints
£136.00
£160.15-15%
+38
· compare 4 shops· priced 1 Oct
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: John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal
£4.99 UK delivery, 1-2 working days, free over £65
- not stocked: Jade, Bright Jade, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Turquoise
free UK delivery over £75, £3.99 below that
- not stocked: Jade, Bright Jade, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Pale Grey Blue, English Uniform, Turquoise
postage per seller
- not stocked: Jade, Dark Angels Green, Bright Jade, Necron Compound, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Turquoise
- not stocked: Jade, Dark Angels Green, Bright Jade, Baharroth Blue, Necron Compound, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Turquoise
prices shown on Amazon at checkout
- not stocked: Evergreen Fog, Bright Jade, Necron Compound, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Pale Grey Blue, Angelic Red, English Uniform, Turquoise
free UK delivery over £75, from £2.66 below that
- not stocked: Jade, Dark Angels Green, Evergreen Fog, Bright Jade, Baharroth Blue, Necron Compound, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Angelic Red, Turquoise
- not stocked: Jade, Evergreen Fog, Bright Jade, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Beasty Brown, Pale Grey Blue, Angelic Red, English Uniform, Turquoise
totals excl. delivery · affiliate links
Jade
Monument
at Wayland Games· priced 25 SepDark Angels Green
Citadel (Warhammer Paints)
at Merlin's Miniatures· priced 1 OctEvergreen Fog
Army Painter
at Merlin's Miniatures· priced 1 OctBright Jade
Monument
at Wayland Games· priced 25 SepBaharroth Blue
Citadel (Warhammer Paints)
at Merlin's Miniatures· priced 1 OctNecron Compound
Citadel (Warhammer Paints)
at Merlin's Miniatures· priced 1 OctJohn Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal
Army Painter
No price tracked yetBeasty Brown
Vallejo
at SnM Stuff· priced 24 SepPale Grey Blue
Vallejo
at SnM Stuff· priced 24 SepAngelic Red
Army Painter
at Merlin's Miniatures· priced 1 OctEnglish Uniform
Vallejo
at SnM Stuff· priced 24 SepTurquoise
Monument
at Wayland Games· priced 25 Sep
Recommended Box Set
Nighthaunt: Cursed Shacklehorde - Spearhead Affiliate links — how we make money What's inside this box
The fastest way to start a Nighthaunt army — a boxed force to paint with this scheme.
£80.10 of contents → £76.00 (save at least £4.10)
Best price
£76.00Wayland Games
in stock · priced 25 Sep · free UK delivery over £20
cheapest of 6 UK sellers · save £19.00 vs the most expensive · excl. delivery
Every Nighthaunt kit and box, priced
Prices compared across the shops that stock them — boxes ranked by cost per model.
Nighthaunt are spectral undead, and their entire aesthetic is the ethereal glow of a ghost. It is one of the most striking armies on the table and, thanks to contrast paints, one of the fastest to paint - the signature look is practically built for the technique.
The signature look
Translucent teal/blue-white spirits fading from a glowing core to wispy, pale tails, with bone, rusted iron and the occasional spot colour (a lantern, a cloak). The key effect is the spectral fade - bright where the spirit is "solid", fading to white at the trailing edges.
Painting the ethereal glow
The classic method is a single contrast paint (a spectral green or blue) over a white undercoat, applied so it pools in the recesses and lower body and thins out toward the top:
- Undercoat white.
- Apply a teal/green spirit contrast heavily at the base and recesses.
- Pull it thin (or leave white) toward the upper edges and tails so the spirit looks like it is dissolving into light.
That is genuinely most of the model done in one pass.
Bone, iron and accents
Wraith bone (cream, brown wash), rusted chains and weapons (dark metal, orange rust), and a single warm accent - a glowing lantern or a coloured cloak - give the eye somewhere to land amid all the cool spectral tones.
Tips and common mistakes
- Let the contrast fade. The transition from solid to wispy is the whole effect - don't paint the spirit a flat, even colour.
- Keep it cool. Teal and blue read as spectral; warm tones break the illusion.
- One warm accent. A single lantern or flame stops the army feeling monotonous.
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.