Word Bearers color changes?

[Brother Clavero]

 I would like to paint up a small foce of 30K Word Bearers but keep finding differing descriptions concerning their colors. One place says grey (which i like), another red (current), then yet another red with black shoulder pads! My question is, which is correct and when did it change?!

[The_son_of_Dorn]

I think using red with the grey/black shoulder pads would be best, but keep variation in you forces Have some with just red shoulders and some with black and some with half and half, there were multiple variants oF indindividual astarte shoulder plating colors to help display the individual and pass down heraldry through the Legion.

[Slips]

Theyre all correct.

 

Grey was Unification Era when they were still the Imperial Heralds.

 

Red was shortly after Lorgar was found or thereabouts.

 

Red & Black was when they went full chaos.

[Memento Of Prospero]

Theyre all correct.

 

Grey was Unification Era when they were still the Imperial Heralds.

 

Red was shortly after Lorgar was found or thereabouts.

 

Red & Black was when they went full chaos.

 

They went red at Isstvan, not when Lorgar was found.

[The Nookie]

Gray was unification war and great crusade

 

The red started with the Gal Vorbak, which was formed after Argal Tal's chapter came out of the eye of terror and have been dwindled down to 30 men after they ate each other in order to survive (From the first heretic). They changed their color to honor the men who made the first pilgrimage and came back with demons in their bodies 

 

The final color change came after Istvaan when they fully revealed their change to chaos and the warmaster

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

 

Theyre all correct.

 

Grey was Unification Era when they were still the Imperial Heralds.

 

Red was shortly after Lorgar was found or thereabouts.

 

Red & Black was when they went full chaos.

 

They went red at Isstvan, not when Lorgar was found.

 

 

This - before the Heresy, only the Gal Vorbak had red armour, but after Isstvan, the Legion gradually changed to red

 

I imagine different formations did so at differing rates - for example, fleets out of contact with the bulk of the Legion may have remained grey for a substantial time, whilst crops of new recruits taken by the main Legion force to fight in the Heresy likely never had grey plate

 

Edit:....Ninja'd

[OrangeBob]

I painted a few squads of Word Bearers in the Crusade era granite gray. This is what is portrayed in the Horus Heresy: Collected Visions book. I agree with everyone else, that the legion switched to dark red slowly during and after Isstvan. The red screams chaos to me. Red Word Bearers follow chaos. Gray Word Bearers are either still with the emperor or haven't had time to repaint yet.

[Daemon2027]

You could argue that some Word Bearers stay grey for longer. They are a spiritual legion, maybe some chapters saw grey as more traditional so held out for longer. I would use a mix of colours of you like the grey. Grey for troops, red for elite, maybe use black marking to signify a closeness to the chaplaincy?

[Icarus1138]

To the best of my knowledge, the change went thusly:

 

During the Great Crusade the entire Legion wore grey. The first to wear red were the Gal Vorbak, this would have been a couple decades before the Heresy but would have been limited to just the GV, which was a few dozen strong I believe? The Gal Vorbak were part of the Serrated Sun chapter, which went to all red around the time of the Heresy (anyone have the exact timing on that?). After that, the rest of the Legion gradually shifted red, with a unit's connection to Chaos seeming to have an effect on how quickly they changed colors. This means the core chapters commanded by the Primarch, with his most loyal troops and officers, would have been the second to go red (first being the Serrated Sun). More distant units would have changed later.

 

As for the actual armor, the latest FW books show red armor with black shoulder pads, with astrological and occult symbols added on. The old-school Heresy artwork has them in all red (no black) with silver trim on everything, a paint scheme still seen on official 40k Word Bearer models. Either one could be used, it just comes down to taste.

 

P.S.

 

I should add that the FW write-up has the predecessors to the Chaplains wearing black with white skulls, it can be assumed they kept that up when they officially became Chaplains since other legions took that look as well once the Chaplaincy spread. As far as I know whether that practice continued into the Heresy could be debated, which is good since it leaves you an opening to have Chaplains (and Diabolists?) wear either grey (if the force is grey), red, or black. My personal vote is for black, since I'm entertained by the more visible links of brotherhood between traitors and loyalists that 30k makes possible.

[Daemon2027]

Well Erebus is described in black armour in one of the novels, so I would go black for chaplains. It is possible certain high members of a legion has more then one suit of armour of though.

[Brother Kirus]

According to the BL book “The First Heretic” Chaplains changed the color of their armor from grey to black after destruction on Monarchia (might have misspelled the name). It was done in order to remember the ashes of the perfect city.   

[Rage of Khorne]

If I recall correctly, there is a Word bearer in the book "Unremembered Empire" who comes to Macragge in grey armour accompanied by two red armoured Gal'Vorbak and seems to be more on the traditional side. He doesn't seem to respond well to the changes his legion is undergoing and his armour scheme remaining grey is in line with that mind set.

[darkseren1ty]

Sorry about reviving this ancient thread, but I have some questions relating to this topic.

 

So, I recently purchased FWs Lorgar (first primarch model, much excite ^^), and before I start painting the hell out of this thing, I need to know:

A: is this model set before or after the color change of the word bearers?

B: what were the exact colors of the word bearers armor? I see granite grey, red and black, and the current red and silver (which I'm not a fan of tbh). The red n black though. Is the trim black, or is the trim red?

C: Lorgar is known as the golden primarch, but is that in reference to the color of his skin or something else (lots of gold on his armor, for example)?

 

Please help

[Slips]

Well, to answer you on what to paint him is to ask another question:

 

At which point in his life is your Lorgar set? Before or After Monarchia and/or before or after Calth?

 

If its before Monarchia, they'd be in Granite.

 

If its after Monarchia but before their fall/chaosification, they'd be in Red and Silver, imo.

 

If theyre off the Chaotic Deep End, then red with black trim.

[darkseren1ty]

Tbh, the red and black sounds awesome, and that's the scheme I'd go for. I'd like paint the heraldry and crozius dark gold and the energy effects bright, glowing turquoise/blue for contrast.

 

But by the point that they've adopted the red and black scheme, he'd be all daemonic, wouldn't he? I don't want to convert such an awesome model, but i really want him to look impressive (and Grey just seems a bit bland for my taste, and red and silver clashes WAAAY too much).

[Slips]

Tbh, the red and black sounds awesome, and that's the scheme I'd go for. I'd like paint the heraldry and crozius dark gold and the energy effects bright, glowing turquoise/blue for contrast.

 

But by the point that they've adopted the red and black scheme, he'd be all daemonic, wouldn't he? I don't want to convert such an awesome model, but i really want him to look impressive (and Grey just seems a bit bland for my taste, and red and silver clashes WAAAY too much).

Not Necessarily. 

 

He only ascended to Daemonhood Post-Heresy.

[DuskRaider]

You also have the Unspeaking, which even Post Calth still sporting grey armour to an extension.

[Kol Saresk]

Well, to answer you on what to paint him is to ask another question:

 

At which point in his life is your Lorgar set? Before or After Monarchia and/or before or after Calth?

 

If its before Monarchia, they'd be in Granite.

 

If its after Monarchia but before their fall/chaosification, they'd be in Red and Silver, imo.

 

If theyre off the Chaotic Deep End, then red with black trim.

The red and black is actually the Gal Vorbak scheme, which was then adopted by the rest of the Legion in growths and spurts from ~Istvaan to Calth. The Gal Vorbak would have been wearing it since the Pilgrimage.

 

The red and silver is their current 40K scheme, which hasn't yet been seen in the Heresy, although there is the possibility it already exists. Also, IIRC we have started to see some red and metallic schemes popping up in Book VI(or was it V? The one with Zardu Layak), which DuskRaider was referring to. There was also an awesome Ashen Circle with had a metallic grey scheme with orange lenses and runes that were made to look as though there was fire inside the armor.

 

As for what pieces should be definitively black, which pieces should be definitively red, and etc, it's mostly personal preference. BnC should still have a painter somewhere, so you can play with it, or just look up pictures of the Word Bearer Marines in the Big Black Books and go with one of the schemes presented there.

[Memento Of Prospero]

Again, Red was instated at Isstvan V. The trim has little impact as a myriad of chapters exists, and assuredly some of them chose freedom of choice for it either as part of their chapter tradition or to make some sort of statement, as written.

[Nemac Vradon]

Red and black looks best in my opinion. I did my WB's with red armour, black shoulders and silver trim on the shoulders. I also randomly painted the knee pads in the three colours and the face plates on the helm I did either silver or red. It is personal preference however I feel that the black shoulder with silver trim seems to fit them better.

 

Nemac

[DuskRaider]

Most of mine are red with black pauldrons and knee guards and silver trim. Their helm grill is silver. Tacticals get red helms, Specialist squads (Tactical and Heavy Support) get silver helms. Sergeants and characters get black helms, Specialist Sergeants have a silver stripe down the middle to differentiate. I have a varying number of Marines in grey armour with red pauldrons and the occasional red knee guard, but I may change these over to red like the rest of the force.