Painting

Aeldari Hornet — emerald and ivory

Deep emerald panels are lifted with turquoise beside warm ivory markings. Short forward-edge highlights, matched steel barrels and precise canopy and ruby accents keep the Hornet sleek and balanced.

◉BrushDojoOfficial guide

← Back to guides

Colours on the model

Letters identify paints. The same letter can appear in several places.

Painting stages

All stages

Stage 1 of 5

Prepare the model

Where to paintWhole model

For this stage

Blackvallejo · 70.602

Detailed instructions · 1

Prepare the Hornet hull
Degrease the smooth canopy and wing surfaces, clear the weapon barrels and dry the hull without touching it. Apply Black Surface Primer in long passes from nose to tail, then turn the skimmer over and cover the underside vanes separately.
Expected result
The black foundation is smooth across the curved hull and complete around both guns and every underside vane.
Points to watch
Do not leave fingerprints in the primer or build grain along the leading wing edges.

Read the complete guide · 5

1. Prepare the model

Prepare the Hornet hull
Where to paint: Whole model
Blackvallejo · 70.602
Degrease the smooth canopy and wing surfaces, clear the weapon barrels and dry the hull without touching it. Apply Black Surface Primer in long passes from nose to tail, then turn the skimmer over and cover the underside vanes separately.
Expected result
The black foundation is smooth across the curved hull and complete around both guns and every underside vane.
Points to watch
Do not leave fingerprints in the primer or build grain along the leading wing edges.

2. Apply the base colours

Deep emerald body
Where to paint: Dark-green hull and wing panels
Abaddon Blackcitadel · 21-25
Turquoise 70.966vallejo · 70.966
Mix Turquoise into Abaddon Black until the colour reads green only where light catches it. Paint one wing at a time and draw the brush away from each engraved seam so the dark line survives.
Expected result
The vehicle reads as one dark emerald shape, and every panel line remains visible without a black halo around the ivory inserts.
Points to watch
Do not fill the vents behind the cockpit or bridge the gaps under the swept wing tips.
Warm ivory blocks
Where to paint: Ivory nose and wing accents
Wraithbonecitadel · 21-53
Set Wraithbone inside each sculpted boundary with the point of the brush, then fill the centre. Turn the model and catch the visible lower lip of both front wing blades.
Expected result
Every ivory insert is opaque and sharply separated from the surrounding emerald shell.
Points to watch
Do not widen the pale areas beyond their moulded borders or cover the small red stones.
Dark mechanical skeleton
Where to paint: Pulsar guns, exposed mechanics and engines
Abaddon Blackcitadel · 21-25
Place Abaddon Black into the recesses with the side of the tip, working from the deepest openings outward. Leave the raised barrel ribs and mount corners ready for metal.
Expected result
The paired guns remain distinct from the green fairings and every vent reads as an opening.
Points to watch
Do not black out the full gun barrels or the small metallic collars at their tips.

3. Build the shadows

Warm separation
Where to paint: Ivory nose and wing accents
Agrax Earthshadecitadel · 24-15
Touch Agrax Earthshade into these joins with a nearly dry fine brush. Clean the brush and lift the wash immediately if it spreads across the tiny flat faces.
Expected result
The ivory pieces remain light, with a hairline of warm depth at their rear joins.
Points to watch
Do not wash the whole ivory panel; at 6 mm even a small pool will read as a brown patch.

4. Build the highlights

Readable upper planes
Where to paint: Dark-green hull and wing panels
Turquoise 70.966vallejo · 70.966
Thin Turquoise to a translucent layer and pull a short stroke toward the front of each named plane. At this 6 mm scale, stop after one clean value change instead of trying to blend a long gradient.
Expected result
The nose, cockpit and paired pods separate at gaming distance while the lower hull stays visibly darker.
Points to watch
Do not repeat the turquoise stroke on every tiny edge; a bright outline would make the craft look larger and flatter.
Tiny directional lights
Where to paint: Dark-green hull and wing panels
Turquoise 70.966vallejo · 70.966
Screaming Skullcitadel · 22-33
Add a pinhead of Screaming Skull to Turquoise. Place separate dashes on the listed corners, keeping each mark shorter than the adjacent panel line.
Expected result
Five or six pale sparks define the flight direction; no continuous pale border is visible.
Points to watch
Do not paint scratches, faux text or extra panel markings that are not present on this sculpt.
Forward ivory light
Where to paint: Ivory nose and wing accents
Screaming Skullcitadel · 22-33
Ushabti Bonecitadel · 22-32
Restore the raised faces with Ushabti Bone. Put Screaming Skull only on the two fork tips and the nearest wing corner, using dots rather than lines.
Expected result
The nose is the brightest ivory area and the wing inserts step back cleanly behind it.
Points to watch
Do not outline the rear fins in white or place pale dots on unsculpted green areas.
Defined muzzles
Where to paint: Pulsar guns, exposed mechanics and engines
Agrax Earthshadecitadel · 24-15
Stormhost Silvercitadel · 22-75
Touch Agrax Earthshade beneath each mount and around the barrel roots. After it dries, place Stormhost Silver on the two muzzle tips and one corner of the nearest thruster.
Expected result
The weapons have dark roots and two precise silver endpoints that remain visible at arm's length.
Points to watch
Do not streak silver down the full barrels or add heat colours that are absent from the accepted image.
Ruby navigation points
Where to paint: Canopy and red spirit stones
Screaming Skullcitadel · 22-33
Mephiston Redcitadel · 21-03
Fill each oval with Mephiston Red without widening its rim. When dry, add a single Screaming Skull speck to the upper-left edge of the larger stones; leave the smallest ones plain red.
Expected result
Every sculpted stone is visible as a separate red point and none has grown beyond its moulded rim.
Points to watch
Do not invent extra lights on blank wing panels or place a white dot larger than the stone itself.

5. Paint the details

Cold weapon metal
Where to paint: Pulsar guns, exposed mechanics and engines
Leadbelchercitadel · 21-28
Draw Leadbelcher along the length of each barrel and turn the model before painting the far sides. On the tiny vents, touch only the raised lip and leave the black slot intact.
Expected result
Both guns are metallic on every visible side, with black joints and open vents separating their sections.
Points to watch
Do not leave the underside of the nearer barrel in primer or bridge metal across a vent opening.
Dark canopy glass
Where to paint: Canopy and red spirit stones
Abaddon Blackcitadel · 21-25
Turquoise 70.966vallejo · 70.966
Re-establish the canopy in Abaddon Black, then pull one narrow Turquoise reflection along its upper-left curve. Taper both ends before they reach the frame.
Expected result
The glazing remains mostly black but reads as a curved transparent surface rather than a hole.
Points to watch
Do not fill the canopy with bright turquoise or run the reflection onto the green frame.

All paints and materials (10)

Blackvallejo · 70.602

Abaddon Blackcitadel · 21-25

Turquoise 70.966vallejo · 70.966

Screaming Skullcitadel · 22-33

Wraithbonecitadel · 21-53

Agrax Earthshadecitadel · 24-15

Ushabti Bonecitadel · 22-32

Leadbelchercitadel · 21-28

Stormhost Silvercitadel · 22-75

Mephiston Redcitadel · 21-03

Community

Comments …

Loading comments…

Painting stages

All stages

Stage 1 of 5

Prepare the model

Where to paintWhole model

For this stage

Blackvallejo · 70.602

Detailed instructions · 1

Prepare the Hornet hull
Degrease the smooth canopy and wing surfaces, clear the weapon barrels and dry the hull without touching it. Apply Black Surface Primer in long passes from nose to tail, then turn the skimmer over and cover the underside vanes separately.
Expected result
The black foundation is smooth across the curved hull and complete around both guns and every underside vane.
Points to watch
Do not leave fingerprints in the primer or build grain along the leading wing edges.

Aeldari Hornet — emerald and ivory

Colours on the model

Painting stages

Prepare the model

For this stage

Prepare the Hornet hull

Expected result

Points to watch

1. Prepare the model

Prepare the Hornet hull

Expected result

Points to watch

2. Apply the base colours

Deep emerald body

Expected result

Points to watch

Warm ivory blocks

Expected result

Points to watch

Dark mechanical skeleton

Expected result

Points to watch

3. Build the shadows

Warm separation

Expected result

Points to watch

4. Build the highlights

Readable upper planes

Expected result

Points to watch

Tiny directional lights

Expected result

Points to watch

Forward ivory light

Expected result

Points to watch

Defined muzzles

Expected result

Points to watch

Ruby navigation points

Expected result

Points to watch

5. Paint the details

Cold weapon metal

Expected result

Points to watch

Dark canopy glass

Expected result

Points to watch

Comments …

Aeldari Hornet — emerald and ivory

Colours on the model

Painting stages

Prepare the model

For this stage

Prepare the Hornet hull

Expected result

Points to watch

1. Prepare the model

Prepare the Hornet hull

Expected result

Points to watch

2. Apply the base colours

Deep emerald body

Expected result

Points to watch

Warm ivory blocks

Expected result

Points to watch

Dark mechanical skeleton

Expected result

Points to watch

3. Build the shadows

Warm separation

Expected result

Points to watch

4. Build the highlights

Readable upper planes

Expected result

Points to watch