In this post, I’m going to teach you how to paint my grim black-and-grey Death Korps of Krieg paint scheme. Together we’ll paint the whole miniature in 32 easy-to-follow steps, so you can ready your Veteran Guardsmen Kill Team from Kill Team: Octarius in no time (or sacrifice yourself trying, like any proper Krieg Guardsmen is expected to).

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This tutorial assumes you know the basic grips of painting Warhammer miniatures. Step-by-step I explain all the paints and techniques I used. I have a rather eclectic paint collection, so when I use a paint that is not from Games Workshop (or out of production), I’ll try to provide you with suitable alternatives from the current Citadel paint range [in brackets]. However, if you want to achieve exactly the same result as shown, I recommend expanding your paint collection. You’ll find a list of all the paints used in this tutorial at the end of the post.

How to paint Death Korps of Krieg

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 1

Basecoat the model with Grey Seer primer. Then paint any areas the primer didn’t reach with Grey Seer base paint.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 2

Paint the texture of the base with Mechanicus Standard Grey, while leaving the rocks with Grey Seer. Drybrush the texture with Grey Seer, then wash the whole base with a 1:1 mix of Dark Tone and Strong Tone Wash from The Army Painter’s Warpaints [or Nuln Oil / Agrax Earthshade]. Drybrush the rocks with Grey Seer and Corax White.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 3

Paint the armour with Vallejo Mecha Color Dark Steel [or Leadbelcher].

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 4

Wash the armour with a 1:1 mix of Warpaints Dark Tone Wash [or Nuln Oil] and Nuln Oil Gloss. Be generous, but if you notice excessive pooling, use a damp brush to soak up the excess.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 5

Gently drybrush the metallic armour with Mecha Color Light Steel [or Stormhost Silver], concentrating on the edges.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 6

Tidy up the coat and trousers with a layer of Grey Seer.

Later on I decided it would be a good idea to pick out the trousers and hems in a darker shade of grey – check out steps 29 to 31. If you would like to do so as well, I recommend doing it now because then you can wash the whole uniform in the next step.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 7

Create a wash by mixing Basilicanum Grey with Contrast Medium, about 2:3. Apply a liberal amount all over the uniform, let it settle for a moment, then soak up any excess with a damp brush. Put the model sidewards, so gravity won’t pull the wash towards the bottom, and leave it plenty of time to dry.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 8

If you did it right, the thinned Basilicanum Grey should have created a beautifully soft shading that won’t need much more refinement. I added a highlight of Warpaints Spaceship Exterior [or Ulthuan Grey], but you could even skip this step when you’re in a hurry.


Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 9

Apply a coat of Cygor Brown over all the leather details. Make sure you don’t miss the little straps that keep the shoulder armour in place.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 10

Highlight the leather with Formula P3 Bootstrap Leather [closest GW colour would be Mournfang Brown] in a scruffy way to add a worn texture.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 11

Paint the gloves, boots, and gas mask with Vallejo Model Color Dark Grey [or Eshin Grey].

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 12

Apply a wash of Warpaints Dark Tone Wash [Nuln Oil] over the dark grey areas.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 13

Highlight the gloves, boots, and mask with VMC Dark Grey [or Eshin Grey].

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 14

Add a second highlight with Mechanicus Standard Grey.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 15

Basecoat the light steel details on the weapon and gas mask with Mecha Color Steel [or Ironbreaker or Iron Hands Steel].

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 16

Create a wash by mixing Basilicanum Grey with Lahmian Medium about 1:1 and apply it over the silver details.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 17

Wash the gas mask’s hose you painted with Dark Steel in step 3 with Basilicanum Grey.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 18

Highlight the steel details with Mecha Color Light Steel [Stormhost Silver].

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Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 19

Paint the gun casing with Warpaints Matt Black [or Abaddon Black].

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 20

Edge highlight the casing with VMC Dark Grey [or Eshin Grey].

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 21

Add an even finer edge highlight of Dawnstone.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 22

Basecoat the brass details such as the Imperial Eagles, the skull on the gun, and the buckle with Vallejo Game Color Brassy Brass [or Brass Scorpion].

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 23

Wash the brassy details with Warpaints Strong Tone Ink [or an Agrax Earthshade / Nuln Oil 2:1 mix].

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 24

Highlight the brass with Canoptek Alloy.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 25

Basecoat the lenses with Khorne Red. Try to leave a fine black line between the silver frame and the lens.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 26

Layer with Evil Sunz Scarlet, concentrating on the lower halves of the round lenses, aiming for a half-moon shape.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 27

Apply an even finer highlight to the lower part of the lenses with Troll Slayer Orange. I know it’s hard because the lenses are so small. Skip this step if you don’t feel confident enough.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 28

Add tiny white dots to the corners of the lenses with VMC White [or White Scar].


As mentioned earlier, I felt that uniform looked a bit bland. Inspired by the ‘Eavy Metal painted Death Korps, I decied to pick out the the trousers and hems in a different shade of grey.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 29

Basecoat the trousers and hems with Dawnstone.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 30

Like in step 5, create a wash of 2:3 Basilicanum Grey to Contrast Medium and apply it all over the grey.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 31

Finally, highlight the grey trousers and hems with Dawnstone.

Tutorial: How to paint Death Korps of Krieg step 32

To complete the model, painted the trim of the base with Warpaints Matt Black [or Abaddon Black] or in a colour that matches your gaming board.

And here we have the finished model. Matching the grey rubble of the Battlezone Manufactorum gaming board from the Warhammer 40.000 starter sets, I chose shades of grey for the uniform. The armour is pure ceramite, the weapon lacquered black with polished silver details like on my Silver Skulls, with the only splash of colour the piercing red eyes. For the Emperor, and for Krieg. In death, we seek atonement!

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Paints you will need for this tutorial:

If you need to expand your paint collection to follow the tutorial, check out our partner stores Wayland Games and Element Games, which offer an amazing range of paints at a discount.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If so, leave a comment or reaction below, and if you got any questions, leave them here so I can answer them for you.

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