Legiones Astartes · 50 models · 5 kits
1× Saturnine Praetor · 1× Centurion in MKII power armour · 1× Saturnine Dreadnought · 1× Araknae Quad Accelerator Platform · 6× Saturnine Terminators · 40× Legionaries in MKII power armour
Emperor's Children Paint Scheme
III Legion · The Palatine Legion · Fulgrim ·Traitor
A full Horus Heresy Emperor's Children 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.
Emperor's Children (Horus Heresy) boxes to start with
Compare Legiones Astartes boxesThe Emperor's Children (Horus Heresy) boxes we can price in your market, cheapest first.
Legiones Astartes · 32 models · 4 kits
20× MkIV Tactical Legionaries · 10× MkIV Assault Legionaries · 1× Sicaran Battle Tank · 1× Contemptor Dreadnought
Paint sets that cover this scheme
All paint setsOne box of paints instead of 13 pots. Each card says how many of this scheme's colours it holds.
50 paints
Covers 9 of 13 colours in this scheme
16 paints
Covers 4 of 13 colours in this scheme
10 paints
Covers 2 of 13 colours in this scheme
16 paints
Covers 2 of 13 colours in this scheme
6 paints
Covers 2 of 13 colours in this scheme
How the scheme reads on a model
Armour — base to highlight
Tap a colour to change its paint.
- Base coatAlien PurpleVallejo · Game Color 72.076View paint
- ShadeLuxion PurpleCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Contrast 99189960255View paint
- LayerMagecast MagentaArmy Painter · Warpaints Fanatic WP3134PView paint
- HighlightKakophoni PurpleCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951382View paint
- Edge highlightDechala LilacCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951378View 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
- LensesRainforestArmy Painter · Warpaints Fanatic WP3057PView paint
- BasingEnglish UniformVallejo · Model Color 70.921View paint
- White enamel panelsStencilVallejo · Panzer AcesView paint
- Palatine AquilaZamesi DesertCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951342View paint
1
Base coat
Lay the foundation colour down over primer, slightly darker than the final tone.
Suggested
★ Our pick for base coat
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2
Shade
Wash the recesses to add depth and separate the details.
Suggested
Luxion Purple
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Contrast 99189960255
fromC$8.00· compare 2 shops· priced 5 Jul
★ Our pick for shade
Close
Similar
Similar
3
Layer
Rebuild the main colour on the raised areas, leaving the shade in the cracks.
Suggested
★ Our pick for layer
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Genestealer Purple
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951308
fromC$5.40· compare 3 shops· priced 15 Sep
4
Highlight
Pick out the upper edges and surfaces that catch the light.
Suggested
Kakophoni Purple
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951382
★ Our pick for highlight
Close
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5
Edge highlight
Sharpen only the sharpest edges for a crisp, finished look.
Suggested
Dechala Lilac
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951378
fromC$5.40· compare 3 shops· priced 15 Sep
★ Our pick for edge highlight
Very Close
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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
Very Close
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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
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Similar
Iron Warriors
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Base 99189950311
fromC$5.40· compare 3 shops· priced 15 Sep
Leather & pouches
Straps, holsters and bare wood. Mid brown, shaded, then drybrushed a lighter tan.
Suggested
★ Our pick for leather & pouches
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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
fromC$5.40· compare 3 shops· priced 15 Sep
★ 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.
Suggested
★ Our pick for eyes & lenses
Very CloseDiscontinued
Basing — earth
Groundwork. Earth basecoat, drybrushed bone, finished with your choice of grass, sand or snow.
Suggested
★ Our pick for basing — earth
Very Close
White enamel panels
Pauldron fields and greaves in flawless white enamel - the III Legion tolerates no chip or streak.
Suggested
Exact Match
Very Close
Palatine Aquila
The gold aquila on the breastplate, borne by right alone. Keep it immaculate and slightly brighter than the trim.
Suggested
Zamesi Desert
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951342
★ Our pick for palatine aquila
Very Close
Daemonic Yellow
Army Painter · Warpaints
No shop price tracked yet — the paint’s page has every seller we find.
Very CloseDiscontinued
Close
Your paints
Tick off what's already on your shelf — whatever's left is your shopping list.
13 paints in this scheme
Price this recipe
13 paintsfree CA-wide delivery over C$149 (C$13.50 Ontario / C$18.50 rest of Canada below that), Canada Post Expedited 1-6 days Ontario / 2-9 days elsewhere
- not stocked: John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Stencil, Zamesi Desert
postage per seller
- not stocked: Kakophoni Purple, Dechala Lilac, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Bestigor Flesh, Stencil, Zamesi Desert
prices shown on Amazon at checkout
- not stocked: Luxion Purple, Magecast Magenta, Kakophoni Purple, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, English Uniform, Stencil
- not stocked: Alien Purple, Luxion Purple, Magecast Magenta, Bright Gold, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Beasty Brown, Bestigor Flesh, Rainforest, English Uniform, Stencil
totals excl. delivery · affiliate links
Luxion Purple
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Contrast 99189960255
fromC$8.00· compare 2 shops· priced 5 Jul
Kakophoni Purple
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951382
Dechala Lilac
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951378
fromC$5.40· compare 3 shops· priced 15 Sep
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
fromC$5.40· compare 3 shops· priced 15 Sep
Zamesi Desert
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951342
Painting the III 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 mid violet-purple, chosen a shade lighter than the darkest Heresy art so the gold trim and the white enamel both read against it. Purple is the hue most affected by your primer - test it over black and over grey before committing a squad. 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 Iron Warriors White Scars Space Wolves Imperial Fists Night Lords Blood Angels Iron Hands World Eaters Ultramarines Death Guard Thousand Sons Sons of Horus Word Bearers Salamanders Raven Guard Alpha Legion
Want the recipes written out, with the pots priced? Painting the Heresy Legions.
Is Emperor's Children 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 Emperor's Children paint schemes?
This page has the generated recipe for the classic Emperor's Children 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.