Horus Heresy (30K) · Loyalist Legions
Imperial Fists (VII) (Loyalist Legions) Paint List for Horus Heresy (30K)
Distinctive orpiment yellow armour with black bands and red or white detail. The elite 1st Company flips the colours to all black, leaving only the helmets and shoulder pads yellow.
Yellow is difficult over a dark base — start with a white or light grey primer to get a luminous yellow in fewer coats.
Recommended undercoat
white
— Several priority paints in this army converge on white.
Paint list
Sorted by priority🔴 Must-Have
Bases — the fundamental colours without which the scheme is impossible
- Averland Sunset (Citadel) — Armour · Base
- Mephiston Red (Citadel) — Red markings / helmet lenses · Base
- Abaddon Black (Citadel) — Black undersuit and weapon casing (base) / red markings, helmet lenses (deep shade) · Base / Deep shade
- Retributor Armour (Citadel) — Gold / Trim · Base
- Leadbelcher (Citadel) — Metal · Base
🟠 Core
Main shades and highlights — the official Simplified Scheme
- Yriel Yellow (Citadel) — Armour · Chunky highlight
- Flash Gitz Yellow (Citadel) — Armour · Highlight
- Evil Sunz Scarlet (Citadel) — Red markings / helmet lenses · Chunky highlight
- Nuln Oil (Citadel) — Metal · Shade
- Stormhost Silver (Citadel) — Metal / Gold, trim · Highlight
- Dawnstone (Citadel) — Black undersuit / Weapon casing · Highlight
- Gore-Grunta Fur (Citadel) — Gold / Trim · Shade
🟡 Recommended
Extra highlights and details that add depth
- Skrag Brown (Citadel) — Armour · Soft shade
- Doombull Brown (Citadel) — Armour · Deep shade
- Khorne Red (Citadel) — Red markings / helmet lenses · Soft shade
- Fire Dragon Bright (Citadel) — Red markings / helmet lenses · Highlight fine
- Eshin Grey (Citadel) — Black undersuit / Weapon casing · Chunky highlight
🟢 Optional
Dot highlights and advanced finishes for a showcase result
- Ushabti Bone (Citadel) — Armour · Dot highlights
- Ungor Flesh (Citadel) — Red markings / helmet lenses · Dot highlights
Painting order
Recommended steps
1
White primer or grey light mandatory for the yellow
2
Base Averland Sunset over the full armour (2 coats if necessary)
3
Soft shade Skrag Brown in the recesses
4
Deep shade Doombull Brown into deep recesses
5
Chunky highlight Yriel Yellow on the wide edges
6
Highlight Flash Gitz Yellow on the fine edges
7
Basecoat Mephiston Red on the markings, shade Khorne Red, deep shade Abaddon Black
8
Chunky highlight Evil Sunz Scarlet then Fire Dragon Bright
9
Base Retributor Armour, shade Gore-Grunta Fur, highlight Stormhost Silver
10
Base Leadbelcher, shade Nuln Oil, highlight Stormhost Silver
11
Dot highlights Ushabti Bone and Ungor Flesh
Tips
Hints for this army
1
The elite 1st Company wears almost entirely black armour, with only the helmet and shoulder pads yellow — a spectacular inverted scheme.
2
Yellow needs a white or light grey primer and thin coats to avoid lumps.
3
The black trim splitting the segments gives a very clean, structured look — keep it as neat as you can.
4
Skrag Brown then Doombull Brown in the recesses gives a warm depth that plays well against the yellow.
Your collection, at your fingertips
Find the paints you already own, track your stock and build your shopping list.
What do you want to do?
Why ChromaStack
✓ Free
✓ No mandatory account
✓ No intrusive advertising