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Blue-black plates meet muted oxblood panels on the XV15 stealth suit. Warm dark joints, exposed steel and small red lenses keep the equipment readable while selective cool edges preserve the armour's shadowy character.
T'au XV15 — Burst Cannon, Braced→
Stage 1 of 6
Remove seams and dust without damaging the thin vent edges. Wash off grease, rinse and dry completely; brush on thin Black Surface Primer, reaching behind the weapon and backpack.
The dry primer covers the suit without closing vents or joint ribs.
Do not leave primer pooled under the gun.
Where to paint: Whole model
Remove seams and dust without damaging the thin vent edges. Wash off grease, rinse and dry completely; brush on thin Black Surface Primer, reaching behind the weapon and backpack.
The dry primer covers the suit without closing vents or joint ribs.
Do not leave primer pooled under the gun.
Where to paint: Dark armour
Tint Abaddon Black with Dark Reaper until the mix is a very dark blue-grey. Cover the hard plates with smooth thin coats, stopping at the flexible joints and oxblood panels.
The armour is evenly blue-black, with no exposed primer patches.
Keep this colour off the helmet dome.
Where to paint: Helmet and weapon casing
Add Khorne Red to Rhinox Hide until the brown has a subdued red cast. Paint the helmet shell and gun casing with this mix; leave vents and metal collars dark.
Both panels share a solid red-brown colour.
Do not fill the slots in the weapon casing.
Where to paint: Flexible joints and fingers
Work Dryad Bark into the exposed flexible sections with the brush tip. Follow each rib rather than bridging the grooves; stop against the hard blue-black plates.
Warm brown separates the flexible sections from the armour.
Leave the armour on the backs of the hands blue-black.
Where to paint: Steel mechanisms
Paint the four barrels, their collar, the chest screws and backpack vents Leadbelcher. Keep the muzzle holes black. Stop before the red-brown casing and the fingers supporting it.
Four steel barrels remain distinct in front of the coloured housing.
Do not coat the supporting hand or coloured cylinder in silver.
Where to paint: Warm metal fittings
Use Retributor Armour inside the small circular fittings. Turn the model to reach their sidewalls, keeping the surrounding armour and central grooves clean.
The small discs have a continuous warm metallic coat.
Do not spread gold onto nearby hoses.
Where to paint: Dark armour
Feed Nuln Oil into the seams beneath the shoulders and between the leg plates. Remove any wash from the broad panels before it dries; their blue-grey base should stay clean.
Dark seams separate the plates without dirty rings.
Do not wash the chest emblem area all over.
Where to paint: Helmet and weapon casing
Guide Agrax Earthshade along the lower helmet rim and the recessed borders of the gun casing. Wick it away from the dome and broad side panels while wet.
Warm shadows frame the red-brown surfaces without dulling their centres.
Keep the optical lens free of brown wash.
Where to paint: Flexible joints and fingers
Run Nuln Oil between the flexible ribs and around the fingers. Let each groove draw in a small amount, then remove droplets from the lowest folds.
The folds are dark inside but their brown ridges remain visible.
Do not fill the spaces between fingers.
Where to paint: Steel mechanisms
Draw Nuln Oil into joins and slots in the steel. Keep the upper arcs of the barrel rings clear so the metal retains a readable light side.
Dark grooves and bright steel planes remain distinct.
Remove any drop hanging beneath the muzzle.
Where to paint: Warm metal fittings
Touch Reikland Fleshshade into the recessed circles and lower rims. Keep the centre of each gold disc free of puddles to preserve its metallic reflection.
The gold has a warm shaded border and a clean centre.
Avoid a brown stain on the adjacent weapon panel.
Where to paint: Dark armour
Use the saved Abaddon Black–Dark Reaper base mix to cover wash marks on the broad plates. Stop short of each seam, leaving the dark separating line visible.
The large panels are smooth again while their seams stay dark.
Do not paint across the joint ribs.
Where to paint: Helmet and weapon casing
Reapply the saved Rhinox Hide–Khorne Red base mix over the helmet crown and broad gun panels. Leave the shaded lower rim and recessed borders untouched.
The red-brown centres look clean above the darker borders.
Do not erase the dark line around the optics.
Where to paint: Dark armour
Thin Dark Reaper with Lahmian Medium until a test stroke is translucent. Build colour towards the upper-front light on the curved plates, reducing each pass before the lit crown.
Blue-grey light fades gradually into the dark sides.
Do not make the undersides as bright as the upper plates.
Where to paint: Helmet and weapon casing
Dilute Doombull Brown with Lahmian Medium to a transparent warm glaze. Sweep towards the helmet crown and the top of the casing, allowing the red-brown base to show through.
The lit areas are warmer without turning the panels orange.
Keep the glaze out of the black weapon slots.
Where to paint: Dark armour
Run the side of the brush along the exposed edges with Dark Reaper. Keep the lower leg rims quieter than the shoulder and wrist edges; leave dark gaps at the joints.
The armour silhouette is readable without a continuous bright outline.
Avoid thick lines around every panel.
Where to paint: Helmet and weapon casing
Draw narrow Doombull Brown accents along the brow and upper gun-casing edges. Shorten the lines as they turn beneath the weapon or around the helmet sides.
Warm edges define the helmet and weapon while the lower borders remain dark.
Do not trace every vent with the same brightness.
Where to paint: Dark armour
Add short Thunderhawk Blue lines inside the earlier Dark Reaper highlights. Concentrate on the shoulders, armoured knuckles and front knee; keep each line visibly narrower.
A second, smaller band of light sharpens the main armour shapes.
Do not replace the whole first highlight.
Where to paint: Flexible joints and fingers
Lighten Dryad Bark with a little Baneblade Brown to a muted warm grey-brown. Stroke the tops of exposed folds and finger ridges, leaving the grooves and undersides dark.
The joint material has soft relief and stays darker than the armour edges.
Do not draw a bright stripe on every rib.
Where to paint: Steel mechanisms
Use Ironbreaker for short reflections along the upper metal rims and screw edges. On round parts, end the stroke before it reaches the shaded underside.
The hardware reflects light in a few clean arcs.
Keep the holes in the muzzle black.
Where to paint: Warm metal fittings
Touch Liberator Gold to the upper arc of each disc and its raised inner mark. Leave the lower rim copper-brown so the fittings still look round.
The small gold parts have a clear light side and a darker underside.
Do not cover the entire circular face with the highlight.
Where to paint: Dark armour
Place tiny Fenrisian Grey touches inside the blue highlights at the top shoulder corners and raised knuckles. Leave most previous edge lines unaltered.
The brightest points draw the eye to the upper body and hands.
Do not scatter pale dots across the broad plates.
Where to paint: Helmet and weapon casing
Lighten Doombull Brown with Pallid Wych Flesh to a pale warm pink-brown. Add only small dashes at the brow corner and front upper casing corners, within the earlier warm highlights.
A few tiny warm accents sharpen the helmet and gun without bleaching them.
Do not extend this pale mix around the whole helmet.
Where to paint: Steel mechanisms
With a nearly unloaded tip, put Stormhost Silver on the top muzzle corner and the upper edges of the chest fasteners. Keep these touches smaller than the Ironbreaker reflections.
Only the closest metal corners catch a bright flash.
Do not turn the barrel rings into solid white bands.
Where to paint: Red optics
Fill the optical glass with Mephiston Red, drawing the colour towards its lower half. Keep a narrow dark crescent at the top and a clean metal rim.
The red is contained within each lens with a darker upper edge.
Do not enlarge a lens by painting beyond its rim.
Where to paint: Red optics
Add a short Wild Rider Red crescent along the lower lens edge, inside the red base. Keep the middle red and the top shadow intact.
A small orange-red crescent gives the glass depth.
Do not make the whole lens orange.
Where to paint: Red optics
Touch White Scar to one upper corner of each red lens. Use a single small dot; keep the reflected light within the glass, with no glow painted on the helmet.
Each lens has one distinct white reflection.
Do not add several competing white dots.
Where to paint: Chest emblem
Trace the simple chest emblem with Ulthuan Grey using short joined strokes. Keep the circle and central bar thin; correct their outer edges with the saved armour mix after drying.
The emblem is pale and clear, with an open dark centre.
Do not add raised ornament or extra lettering.
Where to paint: Earth and rocks
Brush Steel Legion Drab into the gravel, working around the boots and larger rocks. Reach the gaps beside the feet but keep the black rim clean.
The ground has an even earthy coat with no pale gaps.
Do not cover the toes with the ground colour.
Where to paint: Earth and rocks
Cover the larger rocks with Eshin Grey using the brush point near the earth boundary. Carry the grey onto their visible sides, not onto the surrounding gravel.
The larger rocks are distinct grey shapes within the brown ground.
Do not paint isolated grains grey at random.
Where to paint: Earth and rocks
Let Agrax Earthshade flow between the gravel and beneath the rocks. Use a damp clean tip to remove pools beside the boots and base rim.
The stones sit in dark earth gaps without glossy puddles.
Keep the suit's feet free of brown tide marks.
Where to paint: Earth and rocks
Unload Ushabti Bone until the brush leaves only a faint mark, then skim the highest grains and dry tuft tips. Keep the recesses brown and avoid the armour.
Small pale grains break up the earth without a chalky blanket.
Stop before all the soil becomes cream-coloured.
Where to paint: Earth and rocks
With nearly dry Dawnstone, brush across the rock ridges rather than into the cracks. Keep the upward faces lighter and the shaded rock sides dark.
The grey stones show clear ridges and dark cracks.
Keep these grey highlights off the surrounding brown soil.
Where to paint: Dark armour
Neaten the rim with Abaddon Black, then inspect the dry suit from the front, rear and below the weapon. Check fingers, vents and foot contacts; return to the relevant colour step for any missed area.
The rim is clean and no unpainted surface or stray metallic mark remains.
Do not hide a missed area with an extra heavy wash.
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