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
Sons of Horus Paint Scheme
XVI Legion · The Warmaster’s Own · Horus Lupercal ·Traitor
A full Horus Heresy Sons of Horus 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.
Sons of Horus (Horus Heresy) boxes to start with
Compare Legiones Astartes boxesThe Sons of Horus (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 7 of 13 colours in this scheme
10 paints
Covers 5 of 13 colours in this scheme
6 paints
Covers 4 of 13 colours in this scheme
14 paints
Covers 4 of 13 colours in this scheme
16 paints
Covers 3 of 13 colours in this scheme
Or cover 85% of this scheme with 2 paint sets, C$259.99 together: Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Mega Paint Set + AK Interactive 3rd Gen Acrylic Blue Essential Colors Set (AK11618)
How the scheme reads on a model
Armour — base to highlight
Tap a colour to change its paint.
- Base coatTurquoiseVallejo · Arte DecoView paint
- ShadeDark Angels GreenCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Contrast 99189960106View paint
- LayerSons of Horus GreenCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951383View paint
- HighlightBlue GreenVallejo · Model Color 70.808≈ Closest paint we sellView paint
- Edge highlightPale BlueVallejo · Model Color 70.906View 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
- LensesAmaranth RedVallejo · Model Color 70.829View paint
- BasingEnglish UniformVallejo · Model Color 70.921View paint
- Justaerin blackCoal BlackMonument · Monument Pro Acrylic Paints MPA002View paint
- Eye of Horus redDragon RedArmy Painter · WarpaintsView paint
1
Base coat
Lay the foundation colour down over primer, slightly darker than the final tone.
Suggested
★ Our pick for base coat
Very Close
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2
Shade
Wash the recesses to add depth and separate the details.
Suggested
Dark Angels Green
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Contrast 99189960106
fromC$9.40· compare 3 shops· priced 15 Sep
★ Our pick for shade
Close
Approximate
Dark Blue Tone
Army Painter · Warpaints Fanatic Wash WP3211P
C$5.49at Fenris Workshop · eBay· priced 5 Jul
3
Layer
Rebuild the main colour on the raised areas, leaving the shade in the cracks.
Suggested
Sons of Horus Green
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951383
★ Our pick for layer
Very CloseDiscontinued
4
Highlight
Pick out the upper edges and surfaces that catch the light.
Closest paint we sell — not an exact match for this colour
Suggested
Very Close
Close
Ahriman Blue
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951372
fromC$5.40· compare 3 shops· priced 15 Sep
5
Edge highlight
Sharpen only the sharpest edges for a crisp, finished look.
Suggested
★ Our pick for edge highlight
Very CloseDiscontinued
Close
Celestra Grey
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Base 99189950290
fromC$5.40· compare 2 shops· priced 15 Sep
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
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
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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
Very Close
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
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 Close
Jokaero Orange
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Base 99189950266
fromC$5.40· compare 3 shops· priced 15 Sep
Close
Basing — earth
Groundwork. Earth basecoat, drybrushed bone, finished with your choice of grass, sand or snow.
Suggested
★ Our pick for basing — earth
Very Close
Justaerin black
The First Company wears black in place of the sea green - Terminator plate, edged in gold.
Suggested
★ Our pick for justaerin black
Very Close
Very Close
Eye of Horus red
The Legion badge and helm flashes - deep red against the sea green.
Suggested
Dragon Red
Army Painter · Warpaints
No shop price tracked yet — the paint’s page has every seller we find.
★ Our pick for eye of horus red
Exact Match
Very 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: Blue Green, Pale Blue, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Amaranth Red, Coal Black
prices shown on Amazon at checkout
- not stocked: Turquoise, Blue Green, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, English Uniform, Coal Black
postage per seller
- not stocked: Dark Angels Green, Sons of Horus Green, Blue Green, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Bestigor Flesh, Coal Black
- not stocked: Turquoise, Dark Angels Green, Blue Green, Pale Blue, Bright Gold, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Beasty Brown, Bestigor Flesh, Amaranth Red, English Uniform, Coal Black, Dragon Red
totals excl. delivery · affiliate links
Dark Angels Green
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Contrast 99189960106
fromC$9.40· compare 3 shops· priced 15 Sep
Sons of Horus Green
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951383
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
Dragon Red
Army Painter · Warpaints
No shop price tracked yet — the paint’s page has every seller we find.
Painting the XVI 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: The single most-searched Heresy colour on this site, and the one where a wrong hex is most obvious: a dark, muted blue-green, closer to a slate teal than to any bright sea colour. Read it as the shaded basecoat - the finished armour is lighter, and the ramp below is what gets you there. 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 Word Bearers Salamanders Raven Guard Alpha Legion
Want the recipes written out, with the pots priced? Painting the Heresy Legions.
Is Sons of Horus 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 Sons of Horus paint schemes?
This page has the generated recipe for the classic Sons of Horus 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.