Warhammer 40,000 · Space Marines
Imperial Fists (Space Marines) Paint List for Warhammer 40,000
Bright Imperial yellow laid over white, one of the hardest schemes to get right. Yellow needs a white undercoat and several thin coats before it stops looking patchy.
A white primer is mandatory for the yellow. Start with Averland Sunset to block it in, then Yriel Yellow to brighten it. Avoid a black primer — yellow never covers black cleanly.
Recommended undercoat
white
— Several priority paints in this army converge on white.
Paint list
Sorted by priority🔴 Must-Have
Yellow needs its own preparation
- Corax White (Citadel) — Primer · Spray or brush all over
- Averland Sunset (Citadel) — Main armour · 2–3 thinned coats
- Abaddon Black (Citadel) — Joints and recesses · 1 thin coat
- Retributor Armour (Citadel) — Gold trim · 2 coats
- Leadbelcher (Citadel) — Weapons and metal · 1–2 coats
🟠 Core
Brighten and shade the yellow
- Casandora Yellow (Citadel) — Armour (shade) · Wash into the recesses only
- Yriel Yellow (Citadel) — Armour (layer) · Over raised areas after shade
- Agrax Earthshade (Citadel) — Gold trim · Localised wash
- Nuln Oil (Citadel) — Weapons and metal · Wash
🟡 Recommended
Highlights and finish
- Flash Gitz Yellow (Citadel) — Armour (highlight) · Edges only
- Liberator Gold (Citadel) — Gold (highlight) · Light drybrush
- Rhinox Hide (Citadel) — Red fists · 2 coats
Painting order
Recommended steps
1
Step 1: white primer (Corax White or Wraithbone spray)
2
Step 2: Averland Sunset over the whole armour (2–3 thin coats)
3
Step 3: Abaddon Black on the joints
4
Step 4: Retributor Armour on the ornaments
5
Step 5: Leadbelcher on the metal
6
Step 6: Casandora Yellow localised wash into the recesses
7
Step 7: Yriel Yellow over raised areas
8
Step 8: Flash Gitz Yellow on the edges
9
Step 9: metal highlights and gold
Tips
Hints for this army
1
Never prime black under yellow — you must use a white primer or Wraithbone (GW spray).
2
Apply Casandora Yellow only into the recesses, not as an overall wash the way you would for other colours.
3
Several thin coats of Averland Sunset beat one thick coat — yellow is fussy.
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