Painting

Black Templars — ivory prow and charcoal armour

Charcoal armour surrounds the Impulsor's warm ivory prow. Steel mechanisms, crimson fittings and carefully defined repulsor coils break up the large panels without losing the Black Templars' dark character.

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Colours on the model

Black Templars — ivory prow and charcoal armour

Painting stages

All stages

Stage 1 of 7

Prepare the model

Where to paintWhole model

For this stage

Blackvallejo · 70.602

Detailed instructions · 1

Prepare and prime the hull
Remove seams, support marks and dust, especially between repulsor ribs. Clean off grease as appropriate for the printed material, dry fully, then apply Black Surface Primer in thin coats around the roof fittings and underneath.
Expected result
Primer covers the vehicle evenly while vents, rivets and panel seams remain clear.
Points to watch
Do not prime over dust or let wet primer fill the repulsor ribs.

Read the complete guide · 7

1. Prepare the model

Prepare and prime the hull
Where to paint: Whole model
Blackvallejo · 70.602
Remove seams, support marks and dust, especially between repulsor ribs. Clean off grease as appropriate for the printed material, dry fully, then apply Black Surface Primer in thin coats around the roof fittings and underneath.
Expected result
Primer covers the vehicle evenly while vents, rivets and panel seams remain clear.
Points to watch
Do not prime over dust or let wet primer fill the repulsor ribs.

2. Apply the base colours

Establish the charcoal armour
Where to paint: Charcoal armour
Corvus Blackcitadel · 21-44
Brush thin Corvus Black across the broad plates, following each panel rather than scrubbing across its seams. Continue onto the roof dome and troop-bay walls; leave the ivory panels and exposed mechanisms for their own colours.
Expected result
The black armour is even, with no patchy primer or thick ridges around fittings.
Points to watch
Do not bury the shallow hatch engravings under thick paint.
Give the pale panels an opaque base
Where to paint: Ivory panels and crosses
Rakarth Fleshcitadel · 21-27
Build Rakarth Flesh over the pale areas in thin coats. Use the side of the brush on the long borders and the tip around bolt heads, stopping at the black armour strips and gun mounts.
Expected result
The pale areas are opaque, with crisp borders against the surrounding black.
Points to watch
Do not try to cover black primer with one thick pale coat.
Separate exposed metal from painted armour
Where to paint: Steel mechanisms
Leadbelchercitadel · 21-28
Apply Leadbelcher along the pipes and bumper, turning the hull to reach their undersides. Pick out barrel exteriors, repulsor frames and grille ribs; keep muzzle holes and the narrow coil recesses dark.
Expected result
Metal fittings read as steel without silver spilling onto the armour or into gun bores.
Points to watch
The red gun casings and blue coils are not steel surfaces.
Add muted crimson fittings
Where to paint: Red weapon casings and lenses
Khorne Redcitadel · 21-04
Paint Khorne Red inside the gun-casing borders and the recessed vision windows. Use short strokes around the paired barrels and keep the thin black surrounds of the lenses visible.
Expected result
Crimson details are distinct and neatly enclosed by metal or black borders.
Points to watch
Do not fill the space between the two gun barrels with red.
Colour the repulsor coils
Where to paint: Blue repulsor coils
Thousand Sons Bluecitadel · 21-36
Work Thousand Sons Blue down the ribbed inserts between the metal brackets. Rotate the hull to reach the front and rear banks, keeping the outer frames and bolt heads steel.
Expected result
Blue stays inside the repulsor housings and the rib pattern remains visible.
Points to watch
Do not turn the entire lower hull blue.

3. Build the shadows

Deepen the armour joints
Where to paint: Charcoal armour
Abaddon Blackcitadel · 21-25
Thin Abaddon Black until it flows from the tip, then trace the joins around the hatches and hull plates. Darken the underside of each overhang without washing the broad charcoal surfaces.
Expected result
Panel joins are darker than their faces, with no black tide marks on the plates.
Points to watch
Do not flood the circular hatch rims; paint can creep onto their tops.
Warm shadows on the pale panels
Where to paint: Ivory panels and crosses
Seraphim Sepiacitadel · 24-23
Touch Seraphim Sepia into the pale panel seams and around the bolt bases. Draw surplus shade toward the lower edge, then lift it with a clean brush before it stains the centre of the prow.
Expected result
Warm shadows separate the fittings without turning the ivory area brown.
Points to watch
Do not spread sepia evenly over the whole front plate.
Separate the mechanical fittings
Where to paint: Steel mechanisms
Nuln Oilcitadel · 24-14
Run Nuln Oil into the pipe collars, around the barrel mounts and between grille ribs. On round pipes, keep most shade on the underside and remove pools from the upper arc.
Expected result
The steel has dark joints and a lighter upper surface, not a patchy all-over wash.
Points to watch
Keep black wash out of the already blue coil faces.

4. Build the highlights

Restore clean charcoal planes
Where to paint: Charcoal armour
Corvus Blackcitadel · 21-44
Return to Corvus Black wherever the shadow pass left stains. Work outward across each plate but stop short of the black seams; keep the lower dome rim and the gaps beneath the hatches dark.
Expected result
Clean charcoal faces meet narrow dark seams without fuzzy borders.
Points to watch
Do not erase the shadow line beneath the roof fittings.
Build warm ivory colour
Where to paint: Ivory panels and crosses
Ushabti Bonecitadel · 22-32
Layer thin Ushabti Bone over the prow and pale side panels, leaving Rakarth Flesh near the lower borders. Soften the transition with lighter brush pressure rather than drawing a sharp cream band.
Expected result
Ivory brightens toward the upper panel while the warm seams remain visible.
Points to watch
Do not cover the sepia recesses while correcting the large panel.
Shape the black armour with soft light
Where to paint: Charcoal armour
Dark Reapercitadel · 22-52
Thin Dark Reaper to a translucent glaze. Pull small passes toward the upper surfaces lit in the reference, reducing their area as the colour builds; leave broad sections of Corvus Black between these soft blue-grey lights.
Expected result
The roof and dome have soft volume but the vehicle still reads as black.
Points to watch
Do not glaze every panel to the same blue-grey brightness.
Pick out the lit armour edges
Where to paint: Charcoal armour
Thunderhawk Bluecitadel · 22-53
Draw thin Thunderhawk Blue lines along the upper corners of the prow, hatch rims and dome ribs. Break the line where an edge turns downward or passes beneath another fitting, following the light in the image.
Expected result
The vehicle's upper outline is readable without every armour plate being outlined equally.
Points to watch
Keep these lines much narrower than the soft Dark Reaper transitions.
Lighten the upper ivory panels
Where to paint: Ivory panels and crosses
Screaming Skullcitadel · 22-33
Glaze thin Screaming Skull toward the top of the broad ivory prow. Keep the brightest colour near its upper edge, then repeat more sparingly on the side panels so the front remains the focal area.
Expected result
Warm ivory graduates smoothly into a pale upper light without chalky streaks.
Points to watch
Do not cover the entire panel with bright cream or lose its lower shadow.
Catch light on exposed steel
Where to paint: Steel mechanisms
Ironbreakercitadel · 22-59
Run Ironbreaker along the top arc of the bumper and exposed pipes. Add shorter accents to muzzle lips, grille tips and repulsor brackets, leaving their undersides and the spaces between ribs dark.
Expected result
Steel has bright upper edges and dark recesses without a dusty silver coating.
Points to watch
Do not drybrush silver across the adjacent black armour or blue coils.
Brighten the red fittings
Where to paint: Red weapon casings and lenses
Mephiston Redcitadel · 21-03
Add Mephiston Red to the forward edges of the Storm Bolter casings, keeping Khorne Red near the barrels. Inside each lens, paint a small crescent along its lower edge and leave the upper half dark.
Expected result
The casings have red depth, while the lenses look curved rather than flat red dots.
Points to watch
Keep the red highlight off the silver barrel rings.
Place the brightest armour accents
Where to paint: Charcoal armour
Fenrisian Greycitadel · 22-68
Touch Fenrisian Grey onto a few corners inside the existing blue-grey edge lines. Keep the brightest accents near the prow and hatches; use fewer on the rear dome so they do not compete for attention.
Expected result
A few small pale accents sharpen the focal edges while most of the armour remains dark.
Points to watch
Do not extend the pale points into continuous white-looking stripes.

5. Paint the details

Paint the Templar crosses
Where to paint: Ivory panels and crosses
Abaddon Blackcitadel · 21-25
With thin Abaddon Black, mark a small central square and four equal arms that widen toward their ends. Refine the pointed cut-ins on the dry shape; keep the crosses flat and clear of bolt heads and panel borders.
Expected result
The crosses have balanced arms and clean edges, with ivory visible around them.
Points to watch
Do not stretch the cross arms to the panel borders or paint over the bolt heads.
Finish the glass reflections
Where to paint: Red weapon casings and lenses
White Scarcitadel · 22-57
Place a tiny White Scar dot in the dark upper corner of each lens, opposite the red crescent. Use only a short dash on the longer vision windows; the red area should remain much larger than the reflection.
Expected result
Each lens has one crisp reflection, not a white centre that hides its red colour.
Points to watch
Do not put white reflections on the red gun casings.

6. Add effects and weathering

Bring the repulsor coils to life
Where to paint: Blue repulsor coils
Baharroth Bluecitadel · 22-79
Build thin Baharroth Blue over the centre of each ribbed insert, leaving Thousand Sons Blue at its ends. Keep the colour inside the metal frame; a bright coil with a dark surround is enough without lighting the entire hull.
Expected result
The coils are brightest at their centres and stay separate from the surrounding steel.
Points to watch
Do not cover the rib pattern with a broad opaque cyan blob.
Add restrained contact wear
Where to paint: Ivory panels and crosses
Rhinox Hidecitadel · 21-22
Use the tip to add a few small Rhinox Hide chips near the bumper and exposed panel corners. Vary their spacing and stop well before they form an even speckled texture; leave the crosses and broad upper panels mostly clean.
Expected result
Wear suggests contact near exposed edges without making the ivory dirty or noisy.
Points to watch
Do not copy enlarged scratches literally onto a small printed vehicle.

7. Finish the model

Clean the final material boundaries
Where to paint: Charcoal armour
Corvus Blackcitadel · 21-44
Ushabti Bonecitadel · 22-32
Leadbelchercitadel · 21-28
Turn the vehicle under a soft lamp. Repair stray marks with Corvus Black on dark armour, Ushabti Bone on ivory or Leadbelcher on steel, using each colour separately. Check the open troop bay and the hidden edges beneath both guns before stopping.
Expected result
No primer or misplaced colour remains; both sides share the same materials and lighting scheme.
Points to watch
Do not widen the edge highlights during cleanup; too much pale paint will turn the black armour grey.

All paints and materials (19)

Blackvallejo · 70.602

Corvus Blackcitadel · 21-44

Abaddon Blackcitadel · 21-25

Dark Reapercitadel · 22-52

Thunderhawk Bluecitadel · 22-53

Fenrisian Greycitadel · 22-68

Ushabti Bonecitadel · 22-32

Leadbelchercitadel · 21-28

Rakarth Fleshcitadel · 21-27

Seraphim Sepiacitadel · 24-23

Screaming Skullcitadel · 22-33

Rhinox Hidecitadel · 21-22

Nuln Oilcitadel · 24-14

Ironbreakercitadel · 22-59

Khorne Redcitadel · 21-04

Mephiston Redcitadel · 21-03

White Scarcitadel · 22-57

Thousand Sons Bluecitadel · 21-36

Baharroth Bluecitadel · 22-79

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Black Templars — ivory prow and charcoal armour

◉BrushDojoOfficial guide

Painting stages

All stages

Stage 1 of 7

Prepare the model

Where to paintWhole model

For this stage

Blackvallejo · 70.602

Detailed instructions · 1

Prepare and prime the hull
Remove seams, support marks and dust, especially between repulsor ribs. Clean off grease as appropriate for the printed material, dry fully, then apply Black Surface Primer in thin coats around the roof fittings and underneath.
Expected result
Primer covers the vehicle evenly while vents, rivets and panel seams remain clear.
Points to watch
Do not prime over dust or let wet primer fill the repulsor ribs.

Black Templars — ivory prow and charcoal armour

Colours on the model

Painting stages

Prepare the model

For this stage

Prepare and prime the hull

Expected result

Points to watch

1. Prepare the model

Prepare and prime the hull

Expected result

Points to watch

2. Apply the base colours

Establish the charcoal armour

Expected result

Points to watch

Give the pale panels an opaque base

Expected result

Points to watch

Separate exposed metal from painted armour

Expected result

Points to watch

Add muted crimson fittings

Expected result

Points to watch

Colour the repulsor coils

Expected result

Points to watch

3. Build the shadows

Deepen the armour joints

Expected result

Points to watch

Warm shadows on the pale panels

Expected result

Points to watch

Separate the mechanical fittings

Expected result

Points to watch

4. Build the highlights

Restore clean charcoal planes

Expected result

Points to watch

Build warm ivory colour

Expected result

Points to watch

Shape the black armour with soft light

Expected result

Points to watch

Pick out the lit armour edges

Expected result

Points to watch

Lighten the upper ivory panels

Expected result

Points to watch

Catch light on exposed steel

Expected result

Points to watch

Brighten the red fittings

Expected result

Points to watch

Place the brightest armour accents

Expected result

Points to watch

5. Paint the details

Paint the Templar crosses

Expected result

Points to watch

Finish the glass reflections

Expected result

Points to watch

6. Add effects and weathering

Bring the repulsor coils to life

Expected result

Points to watch

Add restrained contact wear

Expected result

Points to watch

7. Finish the model

Clean the final material boundaries

Expected result