Horus Heresy (30K) · Traitor Legions

Thousand Sons (XV) (Traitor Legions) Paint List for Horus Heresy (30K)

intermediate Traitor Legions

Iridescent metallic red armour with rich gold and white panels. The XV Legion covers its legionaries in the symbols and hieroglyphs of the Prosperine cults.

This scheme ideally needs an airbrush for the red filter over metal. The armour starts from an Ironbreaker metallic base covered with Clear Red for the translucent red finish, which behaves differently from a classic opaque red.

Recommended undercoat black — Several priority paints in this army converge on black.

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Paint list

Sorted by priority

🔴 Must-Have

Bases — the fundamental colours without which the scheme is impossible

Ironbreaker (Citadel) — Armour (metal base) · Basecoat
Evil Sunz Scarlet (Citadel) — Armour · Airbrush layering (Contrast)
Kabalite Green (Citadel) — Helmet lenses · Base
Corax White (Citadel) — White / white panels, weapon casing · Base
Retributor Armour (Citadel) — Gold / Trim · Base
Leadbelcher (Citadel) — Metal · Base
Abaddon Black (Citadel) — Black undersuit · Base

🟠 Core

Main shades and highlights — the official Simplified Scheme

Wyldwood (Citadel) — Armour · Recess shade (Contrast)
Screaming Bell (Citadel) — Armour · Edge highlight (1:1 mix with Auric Armour Gold)
Auric Armour Gold (Citadel) — Armour · Edge highlight (1:1 mix with Screaming Bell)
Stormhost Silver (Citadel) — Armour (sharp highlight) / gold / metal (highlight) · Sharp highlight / Highlight
Sybarite Green (Citadel) — Helmet lenses · Highlight
Dark Reaper (Citadel) — White / white panels · Deep shade
White Scar (Citadel) — White / white panels (highlight / chips) / helmet lenses (dot) · Highlight / Dot
Baneblade Brown (Citadel) — White / white panels · Chipping (inside the White Scar chips)
Gore-Grunta Fur (Citadel) — Gold / Trim · Shade
Nuln Oil (Citadel) — Metal · Shade
Dawnstone (Citadel) — Black undersuit · Highlight

🟡 Recommended

Soft shading and extra highlights

Flesh Tearers Red (Citadel) — Armour · Shade (1:1 mix with Wyldwood)
Gauss Blaster Green (Citadel) — Helmet lenses · Secondary highlight
Thunderhawk Blue (Citadel) — White / white panels · Soft shade
Incubi Darkness (Citadel) — Helmet lenses · Shade
Eshin Grey (Citadel) — Black undersuit · Chunky highlight

Painting order

Recommended steps

1 Grey, silver or Leadbelcher spray primer

2 Basecoat Ironbreaker over the whole armour for the metal base

3 Airbrush Clear Red for the translucent red veil

4 Shade the recesses with Flesh Tearers Red 1:1 Wyldwood

5 Recess shade Wyldwood into deep recesses

6 Edge highlight the edges with Screaming Bell 1:1 Auric Armour Gold

7 Sharp highlight the highest points with Stormhost Silver

8 Lenses: base Kabalite Green, shade Incubi Darkness, highlights Sybarite Green then Gauss Blaster Green, dot White Scar

9 White panels: base Corax White, soft shade Thunderhawk Blue, deep shade Dark Reaper, highlight White Scar, chipping Baneblade Brown

10 Base Retributor Armour, shade Gore-Grunta Fur, highlight Stormhost Silver

11 Base Leadbelcher, shade Nuln Oil, highlight Stormhost Silver

12 Undersuit: base Abaddon Black, chunky highlight Eshin Grey, highlight Dawnstone

Tips

Hints for this army

1 Clear Red over Ironbreaker is the signature step of the scheme. Without an airbrush, thin it down and apply several light coats with a soft large brush.

2 Mixing Screaming Bell 1:1 with Auric Armour Gold for the edge highlight gives a warm gold that sits well with the metallic red.

3 Every legionary carries his own Prosperine symbols, so take the time to draw them in Corax White before you shade over them.

4 The white panels (gun casing) cut sharply against the metallic red. Careful chipping keeps the look esoteric but battle-worn.