Picking a side in the Horus Heresy is half the fun of the setting. Are you backing the Emperor or secretly eyeing up the Warmaster.
The Grotmas Calendar leans very clearly toward the loyal side with this one. Today’s reveal is a free painting guide that covers the classic Loyalist Legions for Warhammer The Horus Heresy. It is all about getting your armour schemes right so your Marines look worthy of the Great Crusade. Additionally, it drops a few nice bits of lore flavour along the way.
A Loyalist Legion Colour Parade
The guide is framed as Da Red Gobbo grudgingly helping the Loyalists, which fits the festive silliness. However, the actual content is a serious breakdown of nine Loyalist Legions and their plate.
It starts with the Dark Angels, whose armour is primarily black with heraldic white and red details. Bone white plates show a warrior that took a mortal wound meant for another. Additionally, dark green panels reference the haunted forests of Caliban. No two Dark Angels are supposed to share exactly the same heraldry, which gives you lots of hobby freedom.
White Scars come next with ivory white armour, often broken up with red chevrons. The amount and placement of this patterning is very individual. Banding is usually gold or bronze, sometimes enamelled red, and they often use copper or bronze plates. Additionally, many warriors paint personal battle honours in Chogorian script, which is considered a noble art in itself. So you get strong visual identity plus a lore excuse for freehand.
Space Wolves wear a dark grey that evokes Fenrisian seas and stormy skies. They add dark gold or bronze banding and use bone white, blood red, black or gold for insignia. The overall effect is deliberately barbaric, and they lean into that image to wrong foot and intimidate foes.
Meanwhile, the Imperial Fists go almost the opposite way, wearing bold orpiment yellow with black banding and small red or white elements. Their elite First Company inverts this by going mostly black with yellow helms and pauldrons, which gives an instant tabletop cue.
The Blood Angels are exactly as extra as you would expect. They fight in rich vermilion red with gleaming gold details and plenty of black cloth or armour segments. Even when weathered and battle stained they are described as spectacular to behold. Additionally, the guide cheekily notes that only the Emperor’s Children might rival their finery.
Iron Hands then swing hard back toward minimalism. Their suits are functional, maintained like machines, and usually scarred by shells, blades and flame. The text calls out the Shattered Legions era especially, where battered plate becomes almost part of their identity.
Ultramarines, Salamanders And Raven Guard Style
The Ultramarines are classic blue and gold, but the guide gives some nice nuance. Their plate is azurite blue, with gold banding and insignia in white or black. Veterans often pick out individual panels in white and use special striated finishes for ceremony. Additionally, cloth elements tend to be white, black or leather brown. The sons of Guilliman try to keep everything neat even in campaign conditions, taking pride in clean heraldry.
Salamanders are a strong green with volcanic accents. Their armour is chromium oxide green with flame orange and black to echo Nocturne’s volcanoes. Banding is bronze or gold, often sculpted heavily, and symbols are picked out in white or black. The guide reminds you that they were mauled at Isstvan V, so pristine plate is rare. However, every Salamander is a skilled metalworker, so even their most battered suits are kept running. That gives painters permission to mix heavy damage with careful detail.
Finally, the Raven Guard bring the stealth. They are described as wearing umbral black with very minimal markings. When present, those markings are white, grey or sometimes gloss black. Banding is dulled steel or bronze rather than bright trim. Additionally, some warriors go for ultra matte black that drinks in light, making the Legionary vanish into the shadows. It is a great excuse to experiment with different black finishes on the same army.
Extra Help And Where To Grab The Guide
The painting guide itself can be downloaded through the Warhammer The Horus Heresy downloads pages. So you are not stuck squinting at a tiny preview image. Additionally, the article points you toward general painting support. New painters can hit the official Warhammer YouTube channel for step by steps. More advanced hobbyists can dive into Citadel Colour Masterclass on Warhammer TV for deeper techniques.
Tomorrow’s Grotmas reveal is teased as something spooky, so the festive run clearly is not done yet. For now, this Loyalist Legions painting guide is a nice all in one reference if you are starting a Heresy force or refreshing an old one. It gives clear lore backed colour notes, leaves plenty of room for personalisation, and nudges you toward useful painting resources. So whether you are team Emperor or just like pretty power armour, it is well worth downloading and keeping in your hobby folder.
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