Sons of Horus - Quick and easy paint scheme?

[m_r_parker]

With the release of Maloghurst just around the corner, and a potential large Heresy box-set coming out with plenty of Mk VI and Cataphractii, part of me is looking to re-starting a XVIth Legion force.

The main thing for me is getting a paint scheme that is easy, looks solid, and doesn't require experimenting too far with paints from different manufacturers or airbrushing. With that, how are people's XVIth Legion looking these days? Anybody have any quick and easy paint schemes they'd like to share? How have people found the new(er) Lupercal Green and Sons of Horus Green from the Citadel range?

 

I might find a couple of spare Mk IV marines from a backlog somewhere and give them a spray of Grey Seer and start experimenting with some colour to see how they go - but would really appreciate feedback from the Frater regarding their experiences.

 

Cheers

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

With the release of Maloghurst just around the corner, and a potential large Heresy box-set coming out with plenty of Mk VI and Cataphractii, part of me is looking to re-starting a XVIth Legion force.

The main thing for me is getting a paint scheme that is easy, looks solid, and doesn't require experimenting too far with paints from different manufacturers or airbrushing. With that, how are people's XVIth Legion looking these days? Anybody have any quick and easy paint schemes they'd like to share? How have people found the new(er) Lupercal Green and Sons of Horus Green from the Citadel range?

 

I might find a couple of spare Mk IV marines from a backlog somewhere and give them a spray of Grey Seer and start experimenting with some colour to see how they go - but would really appreciate feedback from the Frater regarding their experiences.

 

Cheers

 

This isn't Sons of Horus specific, but I too have been looking for quick & effective schemes to churn out my various shattered legion contingents, and the method I've settled on is using a spray paint to add a quick zenithal highlight over a base primer (I don't have an airbrush), followed by contrast and drybrushing

 

This is the video I originally got the idea from, and while I haven't tried it out myself, a friend used a variation on the Imperial Fist version for their 30k primaris marines below:

 

https://twitter.com/TheManufactorum/status/1407397421135581188

 

For sons of horus, you could try a death guard green prime, grey seer zenithal and then maybe terradon turquoise contrast?

[Qkhitai]

Are the Lupercal/Sons of Horus Greens the same as the old FW ones? Those with a Coelia Greenshade wash looked pretty spot on before, and easy to replicate. Haven't tested the newer ones myself though.

[jaxom]

For the contrast paint portion: Terradon Turquoise and something to darken it. I'm thinking maybe a 70/30 mix with Dark Angels green contrast paint or maybe a wash of Coelia Greenshade or Biel-Tan Green shade over Terradon Turquoise.

[Cris R]

Brofist's zenithal tutorial has some good ideas for getting through larger number of models, especially when it comes to using the final color for the model as the finishing touch on the zenithal priming process. Anuj also did this tutorial on using Contrast paints to produce the different schemes for the traitor Legions that can offer the foundation for a SoH quick paint scheme.

[Imren]

Here you will find a bunch of different schemes:

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1erow-eNeZCq7N7y_PIUyvpb-SSmtFcfP/view

[Ranulf]

I'd second Christoffer's (DornsArrow) SoH guides, it's what I used on my SoH.

 

The paints I used are in my blog entry below, the technique was just following the steps from the guide above.

 

[30K] Sons of Horus: Legion Tactical Squad

 

 

-Ran

[Marshal Vespasian]

Man seeing that pdf I wanna do SoH again

[jaxom]

Huh, those examples are all a lot lighter than what usually pops into my head when I think of the SoH. They all look great, through.

[Chaeron]

Huh, those examples are all a lot lighter than what usually pops into my head when I think of the SoH. They all look great, through.

 

It's definitely something where there's a good range of variation in terms of shades, which works in the favour of anyone painting them! My test paint job that I'll be rolling out across the Legion is more metallic, but different enough to any Alpha Legion rendering to avoid confusion. (Unless that's deliberate... )

 

There's been plenty of great examples given already - but the work of Vykes on the forum has been really inspiring personally, and you might find Vykes' weathering tutorial helpful too, in a thread jam-packed with a superbly-painted legion! I use a slightly different technique, but you might take some useful strategies or techniques from there.

[sarabando]

I use kabalite to sybarite to Gauss blaster but I use an airbrush and then use oils to full it back down.

[depthcharge12]

You can look at the link in my sig, I had good results with black primer, SoH green, and Lupercal green.

 

I’ve seen a mix of dead air flesh mixed with Lupercal green as a final highlight doing really well too.

 

When in doubt, +1 to the Dorn’s arrow methods

[Brother Pheidias]

I prime mine with black, grey and white from progressively steeper angles, wash with Armypainter Strong Tone, wash with thinned Coelia Greenshade and do some light sponge-chipping to end up with this:

[TheFirstKnight]

Here's what I've plumped for; it's using Sons of Horus green, no airbrush, and some oils after to give it a little grit and grime (apologies for the not-so-amazing photo). The highlights are merely Sons of Horus green 50/50 with Dawnstone, and some edge highlights/chipping with Administratum Grey.

 

Edited July 21, 2021 by TheFirstKnight

[Marshal Vespasian]

I was wondering about how the new citadel colours look.

I think I am very much partial to the scale75 scheme dorns arrow did.

[DornsArrow]

Huh, those examples are all a lot lighter than what usually pops into my head when I think of the SoH. They all look great, through.

 

First of all many thanks :)

 

I think the primary reason they look fairly light is because the way I decided to highlight them. Doing a kind of Colour Modulation style instead of zenithal highlights.

But really if you would want them darker, just do more narrow highlights and do zenithal'ish style instead, that way you would end up with a overall darker model.

 

Over the years I'd say more green has gotten slightly darker, but honestly it varies from unit to unit.

 

I really want to expand on my old guide at some point, try to do one with contrast and maybe Army Painter colours.

 

Some day maybe.

[Valkyrion]

Quick and easy - black spray > mechanicum over brush (will probably work with pure mechanicum spray but I haven't tried it) - kabalite green, nuln oil all over, light drybrush with sybarite green gives you a emeraldy green with a turqouisey tint

 

 

[Varyn]

Lots of good suggestions in the comments above. I am a basic painter (at best) and my technique is as follows:

 

 

• prime grey
• airbrush sons of horus green
• wash with a 1:1:1 mix of nuln oil, aggrax and lahmian medium
• tidy up the green 
• sponge on rhinox hide
• sponge/pencil leadbelcher

 

 

best images for websites

Edited July 29, 2021 by Varyn