In this post, we tackle the question of exactly what is BuildInstructions.com, and also take a look at answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What is BuildInstructions.com?
BuildInstructions.com is an online library of free PDF downloads of build instructions, assembly and construction guides for model sets across the Warhammer – Age of Sigmar (AoS), Warhammer – The Horus Heresy (30K), Warhammer 40,000 (40K), and Middle Earth Universes.
All downloads are free and provided in PDF format.
How many Warhammer model sets are covered by BuildInstructions.com?
The BuildInstructions.com library currently includes 2,750+ products, and 1,250+ corresponding PDFs. Across the main product ranges of Warhammer Age of Sigmar (AoS), The Horus Heresy (30K), and Warhammer 40,000 (40K), we have an average of over 50% coverage, and that figure grows monthly as we add new PDFs.

Who created BuildInstructions.com?
Build Instructions has been developed by a small team of Warhammer gaming enthusiasts, who have been in and around the hobby for the last 20yrs+.
We have day jobs but collecting Warhammer and maintaining the BuildInstructions.com website is our passion outside of work.
Why was BuildInstructions.com built?
The online community for the Warhammer hobby continues to grow, and one key online activity is the sharing of advice, tips and guides. We have observed that many people are looking for copies of the original build instructions booklets, to help them build model sets for which they might not already have the instructions.
This is becoming more and more commonplace as sales of unbuilt model sprues proliferates on secondary marketplaces such as Ebay.
Traditionally, each model set which is bought over the counter at a Warhmmer store, at a hobby shop affiliate, or from an online store – comes with a printed copy of the instructions within the box. However, when people break down larger box sets or sell old models which they have accumulated – these are often sold as just collections of unbuilt sprues, with the build instructions not included.
What the Build Instructions team are doing is bringing all of that together into one place.
In doing so, we can provide a far larger and more comprehensive library and allow members of the community to “self serve” and remove the need to contact the Games Workshop customer service desk for help finding instructions.
The BuildInstructions.com online library is also a great visual aid to any Warhammer enthusiast; in that it allows them to browse larger model set ranges in one go.
For example, on BuildInstructions.com it’s possible to browse all model sets related to a given faction (army or race).

So, if you look up ‘Aeldari’ for instance – you will see all Aeldari related model sets which are currently in production with Games Workshop, plus any which are produced by Forge World. You’ll also be presented with any that have been identified as OOP (Out of Print / Production), and which have also been added to the library.
That’s quite a cool feature, and a useful tool for any Warhammer collector wanting to visualise what’s available for their favourite race or faction.

The same isn’t possible currently on the GW websites. If you search for Aeldari on games-workshop.com, you will only be presented with the currently product range for GW, and will have to go to a separate website (forgeworld.co.uk) to view anything which Forge World also offer for Aeldari. You also won’t see anything which is OOP and no longer in production.
Who is BuildInstructions.com for?
The website, and library of instructions booklets, is intended for the benefit of any and all members of the global Warhammer community.
Whether someone collects Warhammer 40,000 (40K), Warhammer – The Horus Heresy (30K), Warhammer Age of Sigmar, or the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game (MESBG), we hope you will find use and value in our PDF downloads.
What are the benefits to using PDF build instructions?
By having one comprehensive online library which is up to date and accurate, users can self-serve, and find what they need, when they need it, and in their own time.
This should reduce the number of requests being made into the GW customer service helpline for build instructions, which will ultimately reduce the impact on GW customer service agents.
If customer service agents are freed-up from doing small tasks like hunting down instructions booklets, then that makes them more available to deliver bigger and better customer experiences elsewhere – like resolving your order issue, or providing guidance on a rules clarification.
There’s also a Paperless benefit to using PDF based build instructions. If we could all adopt the use of digital copies of instruction booklets, then GW could do away with the paper printed copies included in new box sets, and we could reduce the volume of paper consumption in our hobby.
PDF build instructions also benefit from being Digital Native, meaning that it is very easy to store and open the instructions on multiple devices.

Rather than have to look after a paper booklet and keep it to hand, you can just look up the build instructions you need, and then view them on a mobile phone, tablet or desktop screen – whichever is easiest alongside your hobby area.
How you (the Warhammer Community) can help to grow BuildInstructions.com
The Build Instructions library is largely crowdsourced. It has been built up over time through a mix of years of collecting, finding existing digital copies on hobby sites, threads and forums around the web, and from requests submitted to the GW customer service team.
We don’t have everything covered though, and we are missing PDFs of some model sets.
If you have a copy of the instructions for a model set and can see that it isn’t yet included or available within the BuildInstructions.com library – then please feel free to send it across to us, and we will be very happy to add it!

If you have a digital copy, then just send it across via email once you’ve contacted us, or if you just have a paper copy – then we’d appreciate photos of each page. Just take clear and straight (square-on) pictures of each page and send them across. We’ll do any cropping and tidy-up and will then compile them into a PDF for others to download.
Use the Contact Us form on our website to get in touch.
Who owns the rights to the instruction booklets hosted on BuildInstructions.com?
In short – Games Workshop do.
In many cases, the digitised instructions booklets found on BuildInstructions.com already exist elsewhere online, and continue to be shared across various forums, reddit threads, and on hobby sites.
This practice of sharing PDF copies of the build instructions online is done in the spirit of benefitting the Warhammer community and promoting the hobby.
The Build Instructions team acknowledges that all artwork and publications are the intellectual property and copyright of Games Workshop and their affiliates. We have a page on our website here which outlines the Copyright and Legal Information.
Indeed, we do not sell or offer these digital downloads for profit. And we believe that by taking this approach, we do not erode or take away from any Games Workshop core product offering or income stream.
Games Workshop do a very good job of developing and producing a high-quality product range for the Warhammer Community to continue to enjoy, and our intention is to support and complement that work, not compete with or detract from it.