Horus Heresy (30K) · Loyalist Legions
Iron Hands (X) (Loyalist Legions) Paint List for Horus Heresy (30K)
Dark, worn metallic armour with no ornamentation. The Iron Hands keep it running like a machine: functional above all, marked by the scars of war.
Iron Hands armour is its own thing: bare metal darkened with Contrast. Start with a silver primer to get the most out of the metallic effect.
Recommended undercoat
black
— Several priority paints in this army converge on black.
Paint list
Sorted by priority🔴 Must-Have
Bases — the fundamental colours without which the scheme is impossible
- Leadbelcher (Citadel) — Armour / metal · Base
- Caledor Sky (Citadel) — Helmet lenses · Base
- Abaddon Black (Citadel) — Black undersuit (base) / helmet lenses (shade, corners) / armour (deep shade) · Base / Shade / Deep shade
🟠 Core
Main shades and highlights — the official Simplified Scheme
- Black Legion (Citadel) — Armour · Shade (Contrast)
- Ironbreaker (Citadel) — Armour · Highlight / Chips
- Teclis Blue (Citadel) — Helmet lenses · Highlight
- Dawnstone (Citadel) — Black undersuit · Highlight
- Nuln Oil (Citadel) — Metal · Shade
- Stormhost Silver (Citadel) — Metal (highlight) / armour (highlight, secondary chips) · Highlight
- Dark Reaper (Citadel) — White · Deep shade
- White Scar (Citadel) — White (highlight) / helmet lenses (dot) · Highlight / Dot
- Baneblade Brown (Citadel) — White · Chipping inside the White Scar chips
🟡 Recommended
Extra highlights and details that add depth
- Lothern Blue (Citadel) — Helmet lenses · Edge highlight
- Thunderhawk Blue (Citadel) — White · Soft shade
- Corax White (Citadel) — White · Base
- Eshin Grey (Citadel) — Black undersuit · Chunky highlight
🟢 Optional
Dot highlights and advanced finishes for a showcase result
- Blue Horror (Citadel) — Helmet lenses · Sharp highlight
Painting order
Recommended steps
1
Stormhost Silver or Leadbelcher primer to get the most out of the metallic effect
2
Base Leadbelcher over the full armour
3
Shade with Black Legion (Contrast) to darken it evenly
4
Deep shade Abaddon Black into deep recesses
5
Highlight/chips: Ironbreaker on the edges and impact points
6
Secondary highlight/chips: Stormhost Silver on the high points
7
Lenses: base Caledor Sky, shade Abaddon Black in the corners
8
Highlight Teclis Blue, edge highlight Lothern Blue
9
Base Corax White, soft shade Thunderhawk Blue, deep shade Dark Reaper, highlight White Scar
10
Basecoat Leadbelcher, shade Nuln Oil, highlight Stormhost Silver on the detailed metals
11
Dot Blue Horror on the lenses
Tips
Hints for this army
1
Black Legion Contrast is the key to the scheme: it mimics the patina of corroded metal in one pass.
2
The Iron Hands are part of the 'Shattered Legions' after Isstvan V — heavy weathering is lore-accurate
3
Chipping on metallic armour comes from painting small Ironbreaker marks, then Stormhost Silver on the edges.
4
The blue lenses cut hard against the dark metal — take care with them for maximum visual impact.
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