16 paints
Covers 8 of 11 colours in this scheme
How to Paint Imperial Fists
Bright yellow armour done right, plus black and red detailing
Prices in $ for the US
Before you commit
Painting ratings are our judgement, with the reasoning on the comparison page; prices are live and dated.
Paint sets that cover this scheme
All paint setsOne box of paints instead of 11 pots. Each card says how many of this scheme's colours it holds.
50 paints
Covers 7 of 11 colours in this scheme
69 paints
Covers 7 of 11 colours in this scheme
10 paints
Covers 6 of 11 colours in this scheme
16 paints
Covers 6 of 11 colours in this scheme
71 paints
Covers 6 of 11 colours in this scheme
Or cover 91% of this scheme with 2 paint sets, $83.57 together: Vallejo Game Color - Advanced Set + Signature Series Set 7 - AdeptiCon
General starter boxes
All boxesWe can't price a Imperial Fists box in your market today, so these are general starter boxes, and each card says so.
Not Imperial Fists — general starterOrks · 12 models · 4 kits
1× Space Marines Lieutenant · 5× Intercessors · 1× Ork Nob · 5× Ork Boyz
Not Imperial Fists — general starterDeath Guard · 14 models
7× Angels of Death Kill Team operatives · 7× Plague Marine Kill Team operatives
Not Imperial Fists — general starterUltramarines · 13 models · 4 kits
1× Captain with Relic Shield · 1× Librarian · 5× Intercessors · 5× Vanguard Veterans · 1× Land Speeder
Recommended recipe
How the scheme reads on a model
Armour — base to highlight
Tap a colour to change its paint.
- Base coatNaples YellowScale75 · Artist RangeView paint
- ShadeNazdreg YellowCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Contrast 99189960215View paint
- LayerAverland SunsetCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Base 99189950265View paint
- HighlightInner LightArmy Painter · Warpaints Fanatic WP3102PView paint
- Edge highlightInner LightArmy Painter · Warpaints Fanatic WP3102PView paint
Additional details
- 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
- LensesUltramarineVallejo · Model ColorView paint
- BasingEnglish UniformVallejo · Model Color 70.921View paint
1
Base coat
Lay the foundation colour down over primer, slightly darker than the final tone.
Suggested
★ Our pick for base coat
Very Close
John Blanche Masterclass: Moonbeam Yellow
Army Painter · Warpaints Fanatic
$4.25at War Games USA· priced 1 Sep
Close
2
Shade
Wash the recesses to add depth and separate the details.
Suggested
Nazdreg Yellow
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Contrast 99189960215
from$7.80· compare 6 shops· priced 5 Jul
★ Our pick for shade
Close
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Similar
3
Layer
Rebuild the main colour on the raised areas, leaving the shade in the cracks.
Suggested
Averland Sunset
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Base 99189950265
from$3.87· compare 4 shops· priced 13 Sep
★ Our pick for layer
Exact Match
Very Close
John Blanche Masterclass: Moonbeam Yellow
Army Painter · Warpaints Fanatic
$4.25at War Games USA· priced 1 Sep
Very Close
Expert Acrylics Arylide Yellow Deep
Monument · Monument Expert Acrylics
$7.00at Monument Hobbies· priced 12 Aug
Close
4
Highlight
Pick out the upper edges and surfaces that catch the light.
Suggested
★ Our pick for highlight
Close
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5
Edge highlight
Sharpen only the sharpest edges for a crisp, finished look.
Suggested
★ Our pick for edge highlight
Close
Close
Rogue Hobbies Bismuth Yellow
Monument · Monument Pro Signature Series
from$4.50· compare 2 shops· priced 13 Sep
Close
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.
Suggested
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
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Balthasar Gold
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Base 99189950310
from$3.87· compare 6 shops· priced 13 Sep
Close
Metal — weapons
Bolters, blades and casings. Dark gunmetal, washed black, edged with bright steel.
Suggested
John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal
Army Painter · Warpaints Fanatic
$4.55at War Games USA· priced 1 Sep
★ Our pick for metal — weapons
Very Close
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Adepticon Magnesium
Monument · Monument Pro Signature Series MPA-S42
from$4.50· compare 2 shops· priced 13 Sep
Similar
Leather & pouches
Straps, holsters and bare wood. Mid brown, shaded, then drybrushed a lighter tan.
Suggested
★ Our pick for leather & pouches
Very Close
Flameon Dark Green Brown
Monument · Monument Pro Signature Series MPA-S25
from$4.50· compare 2 shops· priced 13 Sep
CloseDiscontinued
Skin & flesh
Faces and hands. Basecoat, a flesh wash into the recesses, then build the highlights back up.
Suggested
Bestigor Flesh
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951243
from$4.55· compare 5 shops· priced 5 Jul
★ 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.
Suggested
Very Close
Rogue Hobbies Ultramarine
Monument · Monument Pro Signature Series MPA-S35
from$4.50· compare 2 shops· priced 13 Sep
Close
Close
Basing — earth
Groundwork. Earth basecoat, drybrushed bone, finished with your choice of grass, sand or snow.
Suggested
★ Our pick for basing — earth
Very Close
Your paints
Tick off what's already on your shelf — whatever's left is your shopping list.
10 paints in this scheme
Price this recipe
10 paintspostage per seller
- not stocked: John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Ultramarine
prices shown on Amazon at checkout
- not stocked: Naples Yellow, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Ultramarine, English Uniform
$6.99 US delivery, 3-5 business days
- not stocked: Naples Yellow, Bright Gold, Beasty Brown, Ultramarine, English Uniform
$10 US delivery, 4-8 business days, free over $75
- not stocked: Naples Yellow, Nazdreg Yellow, Bright Gold, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Beasty Brown, Bestigor Flesh, Ultramarine, English Uniform
- not stocked: Naples Yellow, Nazdreg Yellow, Inner Light, Bright Gold, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Beasty Brown, Bestigor Flesh, Ultramarine, English Uniform
totals excl. delivery · affiliate links
Nazdreg Yellow
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Contrast 99189960215
from$7.80· compare 6 shops· priced 5 Jul
Averland Sunset
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Base 99189950265
from$3.87· compare 4 shops· priced 13 Sep
Bright Gold
Army Painter · Warpaints
No shop price tracked yet — the paint’s page has every seller we find.
John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal
Army Painter · Warpaints Fanatic
$4.55at War Games USA· priced 1 Sep
Bestigor Flesh
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951243
from$4.55· compare 5 shops· priced 5 Jul
Every Imperial Fists kit and box, priced
Prices compared across the shops that stock them — boxes ranked by cost per model.
Imperial Fists are defined by bright yellow armour, which is the single hardest colour to paint well. Yellow has poor pigment coverage, so painting it straight over a dark undercoat gives a streaky, greenish mess. Get the underpainting right and the rest is easy.
The signature look
Clean, bright yellow armour with black and red detailing, gold trim and lots of Imperial iconography. The yellow should be saturated and even - patchiness shows badly on such a bright colour.
Getting yellow to cover
Never basecoat yellow over black. Two methods that work:
- Build up. Undercoat white or bone, basecoat with a brown or orange-tinted yellow for coverage, then layer a clean yellow on top and glaze to even it out.
- Contrast. A yellow contrast paint over a white or bone undercoat gives smooth yellow in one or two passes - by far the fastest route for a yellow army.
Shade only in the deep recesses with a thin brown - black washes turn yellow dirty.
Successors
- Crimson Fists - blue armour with red gauntlets (a much easier scheme).
- Black Templars - black armour with white, for painters who want the opposite of yellow.
Tips and common mistakes
- Light undercoat, always. Yellow over dark = streaks.
- Shade with brown, not black. Black muddies yellow instantly.
- Thin your coats. Thick yellow dries chalky and uneven.
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.