Should you buy a Warhammer paint set or single pots for a first army?
Buy a paint set if you also need the brush, tools or models it carries. Buy single pots if you already have tools and know your colours. The Orks set is £18.99, and its six paints bought one by one come to £13.50.
The Orks set costs more than its six pots, but it also holds a brush and three miniatures. The larger Paints & Tools set holds 13 paints, a brush and two tools, and only ten of those paints are sold singly here.
The same paints, bought two ways
We priced each set against its own colours sold as single pots. Every pot in these sums is a 12ml Base paint.
| Set | Set price | Its paints singly | What else the set holds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orks: Boyz & Paints | £18.99 | £13.50 for all six | One brush and three miniatures: two Boyz and a Gretchin. |
| Space Marine: Intercessors & Paints | £18.78 | £11.25 for five of six | One brush, two Intercessors and the sixth paint, Retributor Armour. |
| Paints & Tools (11th Edition) | £22.83 | £22.50 for ten of thirteen | Three paints we do not sell singly (Retributor Armour, Armageddon Dust and Agrax Earthshade), a brush, clippers and a mouldline remover. |
The models in the first two sets are supplied unpainted and may need some assembly. The colours form one scheme for that army, and the Orks listing says you can also use them to make your army your own.
A rule for choosing
- Count your tools. With no clippers, brush or mouldline remover, look at the Paints & Tools set, which holds all three beside 13 paints. It is sold out at the moment.
- Count your colours. One squad needs a handful. If your scheme does not match the set's colours, you pay for pots you will not use, so buy pots.
- Decide on models. The Orks and Space Marine sets give you a few figures to practise on in the right colours. The Paints & Tools set holds no models.
The paint sets we list
Pot sizes differ
The 10th Edition Paints + Tools set names its 13 paints, including Contrast, Shade and Technical ones, and says all are 12ml pots. Single Contrast and Shade pots are listed at 18ml here, and Technical pots at 24ml. The Tyranid paint set lists 12ml pots too, with a Contrast and a Technical paint among its six. A set gets you started, and a larger pot of one colour is a separate purchase later.
The 11th Edition listings do not state a pot size, so compare colours there.
Common questions
Is a Warhammer paint set worth it for a beginner?
Usually, if you have no brush or tools, because the Paints & Tools set carries them with 13 paints. If you already own tools and know your colours, three or four single pots cost less than any set and cover one squad.
Do Warhammer paint sets come with models?
Some do. The Orks: Boyz & Paints set holds three miniatures and the Space Marine: Intercessors & Paints set holds two. The Paints & Tools set holds paints, a brush and tools but no models. Models are supplied unpainted.
Is there a Tyranid paint set?
The Tyranid paint set holds three Termagants, a Ripper Swarm, a brush and six paints. It is £17.78 and is sold out at the moment.
Can I use a paint set's colours for a different army?
Yes, but expect to buy extra pots for any colour the set does not hold. Check the set's paints before you decide.
Set contents: our product listings for each set, read 29 October 2026. Pot sizes: product titles and the 10th Edition Paints + Tools listing. Prices and stock: this shop, read live.