I also remember being wowed by the first plastic Shock Troops kits in the mid 2000s and I think the new range do a brilliant job of capturing the aesthetics that have been present since the Cadians were first introduced while taking advantage of new technology to refresh the miniatures whilw retaining the key characteristics of Cadian uniforms and wargear.
Before we don our flak armour and fix bayonets though, I'll just mention that as with my other Miniature of the Month Masterclasses, this isn't a step by step tutorial. Rather than having photos of each and every stage of the process, there are only pictures of the finished miniature.
Although I do try and plan out painting projects in advance, there can be quite a lot of jumping between the various elements of the miniature to build things up so it's a bit tricky doing a full step by step, but I will go through how everything was painted and all of the colours used in painting the miniature are highlighted in bold.
To get best use out of this guide, you'll need to have a little bit of painting knowledge already as it makes use of a couple of more advanced techniques, but as a quick note; glazing is using a diluted paint to apply a tint to an existing colour. Stippling is using the brush to apply paint in a 'stabbing' motion so as to create or accentuate texture and feathering is using the same brush as you've just applied paint to the miniature with—without reloading paint—to drag the paint out and over the existing colour. This spreads the new paint, thinning it and blending it in with the rest of the area.
Consisting of billions of men and women drawn from millions of populated worlds across the galaxy, over the centuries since its creation innumerable regiments of the Astra Militarum have been formed, equipped and dispatched to more warzones than even the scribes of the Administratum could accurately count. Some planets, such as Catachan, Krieg, Mordia, Tallarn and Valhalla, have become so adept at raising and training warriors that the founding of regiments has become their primary contribution to the Imperium at large.
So it was with the former Fortress World of Cadia, which once stood as one of the preeminent bastions of the Imperium in holding back the tide of madness and corruption which spewed from the Eye of Terror for it stood within a narrow corridor of navigable space into the Eye known as the Cadian Gate. For 10,000 years, Cadia produced highly disciplined and incredibly capable Shock Troops who fought on countless battlefields across the length and breadth of the galaxy. All the while, the planet endured all that the dread forces of Chaos could throw at it until the Warmaster Abaddon unleashed his 13th Black Crusade upon the galaxy, destroying Cadia by hurling the crippled Blackstone Fortress Pillars of Eternity into the planet.
Such is the fortitude of the Cadian people though that even though their homeworld was utterly sundered as the planet burned, their resolve remains unbroken. Veterans who survived the fateful last battle for Cadia, along with regiments of their kin scattered throughout numerous war zones throughout the galaxy now fight with all the more determination against the enemies of mankind.
Generations of Shock Troopers are now born, raised and trained en route to battlefronts where they are desperately needed to hold back the encroaching darkness, while men and women from other worlds with the mettle to withstand the punishing training regimes are inducted into their ranks and as long as a single Cadian soldier continues to fight, Cadia will endure.
Defenders of the Imperium of Mankinde vol.VI
'The Glorious Regiments of the Astra Militarum'
Assembly
The miniature of the month available from Warhammer stores comes on a single sprue and you have the option of building it either with, or without the backpack. Aside from that, it's just case of assembling the parts in the numerical order that they're labeled on the sprue.
If you’re using one of the miniatures from the Cadian Shock Troops kit like I have though, you'll find that most have two build options, so you'll need to choose which one you want to assemble. In many cases, these options are purely cosmetic, but some have special weapons or wargear like voxcasters. I went for the running and holding helmet in place option as I think it's very reminiscent of vintage combat photos in creating the impression of capturing a trooper dashing across the battlefield in freeze frame.
Assembly itself is very easy, and while I could understand there might be some folks who dislike the more fixed poses of the new miniatures, to be honest, I much prefer the dynamism and detail that this brings to them compared to the older sculpts.
Once the Shock Trooper was build I added skull/rock/texture paste to the base and primed him/her grey.
Painting
Despite being a relatively simple miniature, there are quite a lot of details, so to try and break things down a bit so it's easier to follow, I've divided the rest of this tutorial into four sections: Battledress, Wargear, Small Details and finally, The Base.
I've also included a short Battle Ready Painting Guide at the end, so if you're looking to get your Shock Troops painted up and on the table as quickly as possible, then feel free to skip to the bottom of the page and check it out.
Battledress
Uniform Tunic and Trousers
For the khaki of the Trooper's uniform, I began with a basecoat of a few thin layers of Zandri Dust, once I was happy I had a nice smooth and consistent basecoat, I applied a shade of Agrax Earthshade all over the jacket and trousers. Once the shade was dry, I thinned some Zandri Dust with a little water and being careful to leave the shaded colour showing in the recesses and shadows, applied a few thinned layers to reestablish a khaki midtone.
With some initial definition now established on the fabric of the battledress, I used Ushabti Bone to begin creating some highlights - focusing upon the folds and creases of the cloth as well as on areas like the edges of the uniform's accordion pockets and the cuffs of the jacket sleeves. Screaming Skull was then sparingly applied as an extreme highlight on the areas of the battledress that would catch the most light, such as the corners of the pockets and the sharpest folds and creases of the other areas of the uniform.
The undersuit that the Trooper is wearing beneath their tunic (which is only visible at the neck) was carefully picked out with Abaddon Black and then highlighted first with Skavenblight Dinge and then with Stormvermin Fur. To help soften the transition between these layers a little, I thinned some Nuln Oil with water and used it apply a couple of glazes to the undersuit.
Flak Armour
For the deep green of the flak armour vest, pauldrons, kneepads and tri-dome helmet, I started out with Castellan Green - although this green is a base paint, it's a opacity is a little low, so you'll definitely need a couple of thin layers for even coverage. Once this was in place, it was shaded with Agrax Earthshade. I then feathered Castellan Green back onto the all of the areas concentrating it so that the top areas of the green areas were brighter than the lower ones. I then took some Straken Green and applied an initial highlight to the edges of all of the armour as well as creating the first layer of scratches and chips by variously painting or stippling dots on until I was happy with how it looked - as with any weathering and battle damage on a miniature, less is more and while I wanted the Trooper's armour to look well worn as though they've seen some action I didn't want it to look too worn out. To finish things off, I thinned a little Nurgling Green and used it to apply highlights to some of the chips and scratches as well as the sharp corners and uppermost edges of the armour panels.
For the yellow stripe on the Trooper's helmet I began by using thinned down Averland Sunset to carefully paint in two parallel lines across the top of the helmet using the crest on the brow and the small box at the back as a reference to keep them straight. Once I was happy that the edges were straight, I carefully applied a few thin layers of Averland Sunset to fill in the line and to bring it to a consistent finish. The recesses where the line meets the crest and where it crosses the box at the back received a light shade of Seraphim Sepia which was painted directly into place rather than being washed over the whole area. To add a little tonal variation I then very sparingly stippled a little Yriel Yellow on the stripe before using some thinned Castellan Green to create some chips and scratches which were highlighted the same way as the rest of the armour as described above.
Boots
The leather of the boots was nice and quick to do and started out with a basecoat of Abaddon Black. I then highlighted the edges of the soles, treads and uppers, first using Eshin Grey and then more sparingly with Dawnstone. A wee tip for doing leather like this is that if you find any of your highlights looking too thick, you can easily tidy them up using some thinned Abaddon Black.
Wargear
Lasrifle and Grenades
The metallic parts of the Lasrifle were basecoated with Iron Warriors before being shaded with Nuln Oil and then highlighted with thinned Ironbreaker. The composite plastek casing was first painted with a few thinned layers of Abaddon Black to get a nice smooth base. I then used Dark Reaper to highlight all of the hard edges before going back with some thinned Thunderhawk Blue to highlight all of the uppermost edges that would naturally catch more light as well as to add a few scrapes to the casing and stock - though I kept the weathering very light on the rifle as Astra Militarum Troopers are taught that they must keep their weapons well looked after and maintained at all times. To finish things off, I used Fenrisian Grey to pick out the rivets and the corners of the lasrifle's casing.
The casings of the frag grenades that the Trooper is carrying were painted in exactly the same way as the Lasrifles, although they were glazed with Nuln Oil to help tie the highlights together as there are a lot concentrated together in a very small area.
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Webbing, Gators and Backpack
The boiled leather look of the backpack, webbing harness and gators on the Trooper's boots started with a basecoat of Rhinox Hide which was shaded with Agrax Earthshade and then once this had thoroughly dried, I applied a second shade using Nuln Oil to darken the basecoat even further. Rhinox Hide was then layered onto all of the leather areas before they were highlighted with Gorthor Brown. I also used some thin streaks and stippling of Gorthor Brown to create some scuffs and scratches, concentrating them on areas that would naturally attract wear and tear. Once I was happy with thes initial highlights, I used Baneblade Brown to refine them, picking out areas like the corners of the pouches and gators as well as adding definition to the scuffs and some of the more prominent parts of the webbing straps.
The belt buckle, metal clips on the webbing and backpack and the studs on the pouches and and gators were painted with Iron Warriors, shaded with Nuln Oil and then highlighted with Ironbreaker.
Small Details
Flesh
For the pale flesh tone, I painted the face and hands with Rakarth Flesh which I shaded with a roughly 50:50 mix of Guilliman Flesh Contrast and Contrast Medium. Over this I applied a couple of thinned layers of Flayed One Flesh, focusing on areas like the extensor tendons and knuckles on the hands and the nose, cheek bones, chin and lips of the face. Once I was happy with how these were looking, I picked out the eyes and teeth with Ulthuan Grey before glazing the lower lip with a 50:50 mix of Beserker Bloodshade and Flayed One Flesh and under the eyes with a 50:50 mix of Drakenhof Nightshade and Flayed One Flesh.
Astra Militarum Crest
For the dirty white of the crest of the Astra Militarum on the Trooper's helmet, I started out with a basecoat of Celestra Grey which was shaded with some Nuln Oil. I then carefully stippled Celestra Grey back onto the raised areas of the crest, before then stippling a little Ulthuan Grey on as an initial highlight and then adding some wee dots of White Scar on the corners of the wings, ends of the feathers and the very top of the skull.
Bedroll
I wanted the bedroll to tie in with the overall scheme of the miniature, while still being a distinct feature of the Trooper's kit, so I decided to go with a pale green. I started out with Death Guard Green, which I shaded with Agrax Earthshade. I then highlighted all of the edges using some Death Guard Green before feathering on a couple of thinned layers of the same colour on to the 'flat' areas of the bed roll - it took a couple of applications to get this looking how I wanted, but thinning the paint down gives you more control if you want to feather any of the highlights into the shaded basecoat. Once I was happy with this, I picked out the edges with Elysian Green before stippling a little onto some areas of the 'flat' parts of the bed roll to add some texture to the fabric. To finish things off, I applied a final extreme highlight to the very sharpest edges and some of the stippling using Ogryn Camo.
Tin Mug
I debated painting the cup to look like it was enamelled, but I wasn't sure that it really tied in with the rest of the colour scheme, so opted instead to paint it as bare metal. To get the darkened tin look, I started out with a basecoat of Iron Warriors which was shaded first with Agrax Earthshade and then Nuln Oil. Once the shading was completely dry, I picked out the edges with some Ironbreaker, before using the same colour to add some scuffs and scratches to help create the impression that the Trooper has made good use of it.
Keepsake Ribbon
Below the mug hanging from the backpack is what could well be a leather strap, but I got to thinking that it would be a nice way of adding a wee narrative touch to the miniature. So instead of painting it to match the other leather, I decided I'd treat it as a keepsake ribbon - perhaps it was given to the trooper by their sweetheart before they shipped out, or maybe they keep it as a memento of a fallen comrade, or simply as a good luck charm. So that it stood out a little from the plainer materials of the Trooper's kit, I decided to paint it a dark blue. I started out by picking the ribbon out with Abaddon Black before applying a chunky highlight of Kantor Blue to the edges. From here, I applied progressively finer highlights, first with Alaitoc Blue, then with Hoeth Blue and then finally very sparingly with Fenrisian Grey.
Rope
Whether for climbing over things, rappelling down things, or dragging things along, rope is always useful on the battlefield and this Trooper has a buntline coil stowed on their backpack for ease of access. As with the other details, I wanted the rope to be a distinct detail while tying in with the rest of the model, so went with a beige/off-white colour which was super quick to paint. I started with a basecoat of Rakarth Flesh which was shaded with Agrax Earthshade. I then layered the rope strands with Rakarth Flesh before applying a highlight of Pallid Wych Flesh.
Decals
Before I added markings to the Trooper's armour, I made a quick check of some reference materials in the form of an old copy of Codex: Imperial Guard to refresh my memory around how numeric designations are applied to Cadian infantry squads. Traditionally, command units receive a two digit number with a central skull motif, while veteran and Kasrkin squad numbers are usually a three digit number beginning with one or two zeroes. As I wanted this Trooper to be from a Line Infantry squad, this gave me some clear guidance when it came to decal selection.
For the other shoulder, I went with a winged skull motif - while the stylised gate icon is synonymous with Cadian regiments, I found I preferred how the winged skull looked once it was in place.
Before applying the decals, I painted the areas where I would be adding them with gloss varnish as this helps protect the paint where you’re working as well as to conceal the glossy backing of the designs and minimise the risk of the decal ‘frosting’. With the areas prepped, I applied the decals I’d selected, taking time to ensure I was happy with the positioning of them before dabbing any residual water from them with a cotton bud. Once they were secured, I used a little Microsol to soften them so they would sit smoothly on the curved surface of the shoulder armour. After this had cured, I sealed them with gloss varnish before using matt varnish to remove the shine from the gloss and finish them off.
Once the matt varnish had dried, I used Castellan Green, Straken Green and Ogryn Camo to scuff and scratch up the markings in the same way as I did with the yellow stripe on the Trooper's helmet.
The Base
Earth
I wanted the Trooper's base to look a fairly generic muddy brown, so began with a basecoat of Dryad Bark to get a nice flat earthen colour. I applied this using a couple of layers both of which were thinned with a little water so they would flow in around the texture and details on the base more evenly.
Once the basecoat was completely dry, I then lightly drybrushed the earth first with Baneblade Brown and then with Karak Stone.
Stones/rocks
The stones on the base were basecoated with Dawnstone before being shaded with Agrax Earth. Once this was dry, I used Dawnstone to pick out the edges of the stones. Once this was done I used thinned a little Dawnstone to about the consistency of milk and then over the course of a few layers built up a grey tone I was happy with. Once this was done I used Administrum Grey to highlight the edges of the stones as well as stippling a little onto some of the flat areas of the stone to add a bit more variation to the tone. I then added a finer, final highlight of Grey Seer to the edges as well as painting a few thin streaks on the flatter areas to add some texture.
To finish the stones off , I thinned a little Mortarion Grime with some water and used it to apply a glaze to a few areas of their surfaces to look like algae or grime.
Skull
The half buried skull of the T'au on the base was started with a basecoat of Morghast Bone. Once this was in place, Agrax Earthshade was painted directly into the eye sockets and nasal cavity and once that had dried, the whole skull was shaded with Seraphim Sepia. I thinned some Morghast Bone and layered it onto the skull before adding highlights using Ushabti Bone followed by Screaming Skull.
To help tie the skull into the earth of the base, I applied a glaze of Dryad Bark to the areas of the skull nearest the ground. I also added a little of the same glaze to the tread of the Trooper's boot to help create the impression that dirt has built up on the sole as they've been fighting.
To finish the base off, I added a few grass tufts, before painting the rim with a few thinned layers of Abaddon Black and with that the Cadian Shock Trooper was complete.
Although I've painted up a basic Shock Trooper, the colour scheme and markings I've used would easily translate to Command and Heavy Weapon squads as well as Field Ordnance battery crew and even vehicles like Sentinels with a little adaptation, and if you were looking to paint up a Cadian army I think you could get a really characterful and cohesive looking force this way.
Battle Ready Guide
If you're looking to get your Cadian Shock Troops battle ready and on the table as quickly as possible, then you can follow these quick steps:
- Paint the uniform Zandri Dust
- Paint the body armour Castellan Green
- Paint the webbing, pouches, gators and backpack Rhinox Hide
- Paint the crest on the helmet Celestra Grey
- Paint the boots Abaddon Black
- Paint the Lasrifle and any grenades Iron Warriors or Leadbelcher
- Paint the face and hands with either Rakarth Flesh, Bloodreaver Flesh or Cadian Fleshtone
- Apply a texture paint like Stirland Mud, Astrogranite Debris or Agrellan Badlands to the base
- Shade the whole model with Agrax Earthshade
- Paint the base rim with either Abaddon Black or Steel Legion
This method is particularly suited for batch painting so would be perfect if you wanted to get a squad quickly painted up to a good basic standard and of course you could always go back and add some highlights to the models at a later date if you wanted to.
Whether you take inspiration from the Masterclass or the Battle Ready Guide, I hope you find them useful and if you give either of them a try, I'd love to hear how you get on. Until next time though, thanks for reading and happy hobbying.
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