Warhammer 40,000 · Astra Militarum
Cadians (Astra Militarum) Paint List for Warhammer 40,000
Classic military green with khaki webbing and metal, the fastest way to field a big infantry army. Flak armour and lasguns are quick with a wash and a single highlight.
Cadians are painted in bulk — streamline your process to paint 10-20 soldiers in one go. Basecoat → wash → a few highlights, done.
Recommended undercoat
black
— Several priority paints in this army converge on black.
Paint list
Sorted by priority🔴 Must-Have
Standard military uniform
- Castellan Green (Citadel) — Jacket and trousers · 2 opaque coats
- Zandri Dust (Citadel) — Armour and helmet · 2 opaque coats
- Abaddon Black (Citadel) — Boots and straps · 1–2 coats
- Leadbelcher (Citadel) — Lasgun and metal · 1–2 coats
- Agrax Earthshade (Citadel) — Whole miniature · General wash
🟠 Core
Skin and highlights
- Bugman's Glow (Citadel) — Face skin · 2 coats
- Ushabti Bone (Citadel) — Khaki armour (layer) · Light drybrush on khaki
- Elysian Green (Citadel) — Uniform (layer) · Over raised areas of the green
- Nuln Oil (Citadel) — Lasgun and metal · Wash on the metal
🟡 Recommended
Finishing skin and accessories
- Kislev Flesh (Citadel) — Skin (layer) · Raised areas of face
- Steel Legion Drab (Citadel) — Assorted gear · 2 coats
- Rhinox Hide (Citadel) — Leather pouches · 1–2 coats
🟢 Optional
Camouflage and insignia
- Deathworld Forest (Citadel) — Camouflage (patch) · Irregular marks over Castellan Green
- Retributor Armour (Citadel) — Insignia Cadian · Brush fine
Painting order
Recommended steps
1
Step 1: grey primer or green
2
Step 2: Castellan Green on all the uniforms
3
Step 3: Zandri Dust over the whole armour and the helmet
4
Step 4: Abaddon Black on the boots, belt and grips
5
Step 5: Leadbelcher on the lasgun and metal
6
Step 6: Bugman's Glow on all the faces
7
Step 7: Agrax Earthshade general wash over the whole miniature
8
Step 8: Ushabti Bone drybrush on the khaki armour
9
Step 9: Elysian Green as a layer over the uniform, Kislev Flesh on the skin
Tips
Hints for this army
1
To paint 20 Cadians efficiently: do each step across every model before moving on to the next.
2
Agrax Earthshade is your best friend with Guard — a generous wash over everything does 70% of the work in 5 minutes.
3
The face is the focal point — spend more time on faces than on the rest, that is where the eye lands first.
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