Legiones Astartes · 32 models · 4 kits
20× MkIV Tactical Legionaries · 10× MkIV Assault Legionaries · 1× Sicaran Battle Tank · 1× Contemptor Dreadnought
Word Bearers Paint Scheme
XVII Legion · The Bearers of the Word · Lorgar ·Traitor
A full Horus Heresy Word Bearers paint scheme, generated and ready to test: the armour ramp from basecoat to edge highlight plus trim metals, accents, lenses and basing — every step matched to real paints from Citadel, Vallejo, Army Painter and 35+ more ranges, with live prices. The Legion's own painting guides name Citadel pots and stop there; every row below carries the nearest pot from the other ranges too.
Your scheme
Only paints we can link you to a shop for. Pick a brand to build the whole recipe from one range.
Word Bearers (Horus Heresy) boxes to start with
Compare Legiones Astartes boxesThe Word Bearers (Horus Heresy) boxes we can price in your market, cheapest first.
Paint sets that cover this scheme
All paint setsOne box of paints instead of 14 pots. Each card says how many of this scheme's colours it holds.
50 paints
Covers 10 of 14 colours in this scheme
16 paints
Covers 7 of 14 colours in this scheme
16 paints
Covers 6 of 14 colours in this scheme
8 paints
Covers 5 of 14 colours in this scheme
16 paints
Covers 5 of 14 colours in this scheme
10 paints
Covers 4 of 14 colours in this scheme
Or cover 86% of this scheme with 2 paint sets, A$409.98 together: Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Mega Paint Set + Vallejo Game Color - Advanced Set
How the scheme reads on a model
Armour — base to highlight
Tap a colour to change its paint.
- Base coatWord Bearers RedCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951387View paint
- ShadeFlesh Tearers RedCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Contrast 99189960207View paint
- LayerGory RedVallejo · Game Color 72.011View paint
- HighlightExpert Acrylics Alizarin Crimson HueMonument · Monument Expert AcrylicsView paint
- Edge highlightGerman OrangeVallejo · Model Color 70.805View paint
Additional details
- TrimBright GoldArmy Painter · WarpaintsView paint
- WeaponsJohn Blanche Masterclass: Heavy MetalArmy Painter · Warpaints FanaticView paint
- LeatherBeasty BrownVallejo · Game Color 72.043View paint
- SkinBestigor FleshCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951243View paint
- LensesTurquoiseMonument · Monument Pro Acrylic Paints MPA054≈ Closest paint we sellView paint
- BasingEnglish UniformVallejo · Model Color 70.921View paint
- Cuneiform scriptAncient StoneArmy Painter · Warpaints Fanatic WP3088PView paint
- Black secondaryCoal BlackMonument · Monument Pro Acrylic Paints MPA002View paint
- Imperial Heralds greyStormvermin FurCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951353View paint
1
Base coat
Lay the foundation colour down over primer, slightly darker than the final tone.
Suggested
Word Bearers Red
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951387
fromA$5.10· compare 3 shops· priced 5 Jul
★ Our pick for base coat
Very Close
CloseDiscontinued
2
Shade
Wash the recesses to add depth and separate the details.
Suggested
Flesh Tearers Red
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Contrast 99189960207
fromA$10.26· compare 3 shops· priced 5 Jul
★ Our pick for shade
Very Close
Close
Approximate
3
Layer
Rebuild the main colour on the raised areas, leaving the shade in the cracks.
Suggested
★ Our pick for layer
Very Close
Khorne Red
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Base 99189950268
Very Close
4
Highlight
Pick out the upper edges and surfaces that catch the light.
Suggested
★ Our pick for highlight
Very Close
Very CloseDiscontinued
Close
5
Edge highlight
Sharpen only the sharpest edges for a crisp, finished look.
Suggested
★ Our pick for edge highlight
Very Close
Deathclaw Brown
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951339
fromA$6.50· compare 2 shops· priced 5 Jul
Very Close
Close
Details & accent colours
Change scheme ↑Everything else on the model - metals, skin, leather, lenses, basing and this faction's signature accents.
Metal — trim
Aquilas, rims and ornament. Basecoat gold, wash with a brown shade, then edge a brighter gold.
Suggested
Bright Gold
Army Painter · Warpaints
No shop price tracked yet — the paint’s page has every seller we find.
★ Our pick for metal — trim
Very Close
Close
Balthasar Gold
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Base 99189950310
Metal — weapons
Bolters, blades and casings. Dark gunmetal, washed black, edged with bright steel.
Suggested
★ Our pick for metal — weapons
Very Close
Close
Close
Similar
Leather & pouches
Straps, holsters and bare wood. Mid brown, shaded, then drybrushed a lighter tan.
Suggested
★ Our pick for leather & pouches
Very Close
Very CloseDiscontinued
CloseDiscontinued
Skin & flesh
Faces and hands. Basecoat, a flesh wash into the recesses, then build the highlights back up.
Suggested
Bestigor Flesh
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951243
fromA$5.45· compare 2 shops· priced 5 Jul
★ Our pick for skin & flesh
Very Close
Barbarian Flesh
Army Painter · Warpaints
No shop price tracked yet — the paint’s page has every seller we find.
Very Close
Very Close
CloseDiscontinued
Eyes & lenses
Lenses, eyes and energy. A bright spot colour that pops against the armour - dot it on and add a white glint.
Closest paint we sell — not an exact match for this colour
Suggested
Similar
Similar
Basing — earth
Groundwork. Earth basecoat, drybrushed bone, finished with your choice of grass, sand or snow.
Suggested
★ Our pick for basing — earth
Very Close
XV-88
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Base 99189950285
Cuneiform script
Bone-and-gold verses inscribed over every panel. Fine, dense freehand - the XVII Legion writes on itself.
Suggested
★ Our pick for cuneiform script
Very Close
Terminatus Stone
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Dry 99189952046
fromA$5.40· compare 3 shops· priced 5 Jul
Very CloseDiscontinued
Close
Black secondary
Inner plates, cabling and tabards in black, so the crimson has something cold to sit against and the gold script stays the brightest thing on the model.
Suggested
★ Our pick for black secondary
Very Close
Corvus Black
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Base 99189950306
Very Close
Imperial Heralds grey
The granite grey the Legion wore before Monarchia. Optional, and a Great Crusade scheme rather than a Heresy one - but a squad of it among the crimson tells the story.
Suggested
Stormvermin Fur
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951353
fromA$5.50· compare 2 shops· priced 5 Jul
★ Our pick for imperial heralds grey
Exact Match
Very CloseDiscontinued
Your paints
Tick off what's already on your shelf — whatever's left is your shopping list.
14 paints in this scheme
Price this recipe
14 paintspostage per seller
- not stocked: Expert Acrylics Alizarin Crimson Hue, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Turquoise, Coal Black
prices shown on Amazon at checkout
- not stocked: Gory Red, Expert Acrylics Alizarin Crimson Hue, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Turquoise, English Uniform, Ancient Stone, Stormvermin Fur
- not stocked: Flesh Tearers Red, Gory Red, Expert Acrylics Alizarin Crimson Hue, German Orange, Bright Gold, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Beasty Brown, Bestigor Flesh, Turquoise, English Uniform, Ancient Stone, Coal Black
totals excl. delivery · affiliate links
Word Bearers Red
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951387
fromA$5.10· compare 3 shops· priced 5 Jul
Flesh Tearers Red
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Contrast 99189960207
fromA$10.26· compare 3 shops· priced 5 Jul
Bright Gold
Army Painter · Warpaints
No shop price tracked yet — the paint’s page has every seller we find.
Bestigor Flesh
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951243
fromA$5.45· compare 2 shops· priced 5 Jul
Stormvermin Fur
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951353
fromA$5.50· compare 2 shops· priced 5 Jul
Painting the XVII Legion
The armour method is shared across all eighteen Legions — how to paint MkII to MkVI plate — and the rest of the game, from army lists to what a Legion costs to field, sits on the Horus Heresy hub.
On the colour: A very dark, slightly brown-shifted crimson - the value the preset already held for the Legion’s markings, promoted to the armour where it belongs. Keep the highlights restrained: the freehand script is meant to be the thing you notice. This scheme is our reading of the Legion's Heresy livery, not an authorised palette — and the recipe above is matched by colour distance, so treat it as a strong starting point and test in person where it matters.
More The Horus Heresy schemes
Dark Angels Emperor's Children Iron Warriors White Scars Space Wolves Imperial Fists Night Lords Blood Angels Iron Hands World Eaters Ultramarines Death Guard Thousand Sons Sons of Horus Salamanders Raven Guard Alpha Legion
Want the recipes written out, with the pots priced? Painting the Heresy Legions.
Is Word Bearers a big job? See how every faction rates for difficulty — model size, detail and what the scheme demands — or work out what an army costs per point.
Common questions
Is there a full list of Word Bearers paint schemes?
This page has the generated recipe for the classic Word Bearers scheme — armour ramp, metals, skin and basing, matched across 35+ paint ranges — plus every other The Horus Heresy faction's paint schemes below, or set your own colour in the full generator.