Warhammer paints, primer and brushes: your questions answered

The questions in this section

• Paints for Ultramarines
  The pots in the blue Ultramarines recipe a Games Workshop painting team published, matched to the sets and pots we list.
• Paints for Tyranids
  Which paints five Tyranid hive fleets need, what the Tyranid Paint Set holds and the four pots it leaves out.
• Paints for the Starter Set armies
  The Starter Set holds no paints; one 13-paint set covers the paints of both Games Workshop army paint sets.
• Paints for Orks
  The six paints in the Orks paint set, the six more in the Getting Started box and how to pick a clan before you buy more.
• Which colour primer for Warhammer?
  Which spray undercoat to buy for which paints, and whether a model needs one at all.
• Paint set or single pots?
  Whether a Warhammer paint set beats the same colours bought as single pots, priced both ways.
• Base, Layer, Shade, Contrast, Technical, Dry
  Which paint type does which job on a model, with one real pot of each and when it is the wrong one to reach for.
• Are Contrast paints worth buying?
  Which parts of a first army suit Contrast paints, which parts do not, and how many pots to start with.
• Which brushes to buy first
  The few Warhammer brushes a first army needs, what each is for, and which to leave until later.
• Technical paints and the texture spreader
  What Technical paints do, why a texture spreader beats a brush for them, and how to finish a base.
• Palette, painting handle and water pot
  Which of the small painting accessories are worth buying first, and the split in opinion on the new handle.
• Can you paint models any colour?
  What Games Workshop says about painting your own colours, what can affect your choice, and how to test a scheme.
• What are Tone Pro paints?
  What the new 150-paint Tone Pro range is, how the 1 to 5 numbers work, and whether a first army needs it.