The Miniature of the Month for July is one of the new Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine Infernus Squad models, and the new Warhammer 40,000 intro mini. I've already painted up one of the Intercessor and Assault Intercessor intro minis in the colours of the Blood Angels, so the new mini seemed like a great opportunity to carry on this 'tradition'.
Before we ignite our pilot lights and dive into the nightmare future of the 41st millennium 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 try and plan out painting projects in advance of picking up brushes, 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 guide. However, I will go through how everything on the miniature was painted in detail and all of the colours used throughout the guide 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.
attrib. Dante, Chapter Master of the Blood Angels and Lord Regent of the Imperium Nihilus
Originally the IXth of the Legiones Astartes, the Blood Angels were one of the twenty ‘First Founding legions’ before what became known as the ‘Second Founding’ would see the Legions broken down into chapters of no more than a thousand Space Marines each.
While all Space Marines are functionally immortal, the Blood Angels chapter is home to some of the longest lived Astartes with some of their number having served the Imperium of Mankind for more than a thousand Terran years.
They are known and feared across the breadth of the galaxy for both their ferocity in battle and the curse they each carry locked within their gene-seed. When their primogenitor Sanguinius was slain by the hand of the Warmaster in the dying days of the Horus Heresy, every single Blood Angel was forever doomed to share a portion of the pain he endured and is tormented by visions of Sanguinius' last living moments.
The longer a Space Marine of his lineage lives, the more frequent and debilitating these echoes of the past become until one day, should he not have fallen in battle first, he will be consumed by soul-shattering madness, witnessing the death of his Primarch again and again, ever unable to prevent Horus from striking the fatal blows. For such unfortunates, only the final honour of induction into the Death Company awaits.
Despite the inevitability of the curse that beats within their veins, the Blood Angels are no less noble and where lesser men might have surrendered willingly to the pull of the Red Thirst, they have remained true to their commitment to defend mankind for more than ten thousand years.
Assembly
Like the Rotmire Creed Mirefolk Outcast, Leagues of Votann Hearthkyn, Cadian Shock Trooper, Jade Obelisk Defacer, Adeptus Arbites Vigilant, Seraphon Saurus Warrior and Tyranid Termagant the miniature of the month available from Warhammer stores comes on a single sprue, though this one includes a 32mm base with sculpted details rather than the standard plain one.
Assembling the mini is simply case of assembling the parts in the numerical order that they're labelled on the sprue. This mini is push fit so it doesn't require glue to stay together, but you should still take the time
to dryfit parts before you fully assemble them so you can check how they go together.
It's worth noting that you get two head options for the mini, one helmeted and one bare head wearing a respirator mask (presumably even the formidable constitution of a Space Marine doesn't take well to prolonged exposure to clouds of burning prometheum!) so you'll need to choose which of the two to build your model with.
As this mini came with a fully textured base, I haven't added anything to it at this stage, so once it was fully assembled I primed it grey and then got painting.
Painting
I already knew I wanted to paint this Space Marine in the heraldry of the Blood Angels, but I went back and double checked the chapter's Codex for the markings that should appear on the Marine's armour so I could plan out how I'd recreate them on the miniature.
Infernus Squads are classed as 'Fire Support' which the Blood Angels denote with blue helmets, so that was one marking I definitely wanted to incorporate into the mini. Squad markings are shown using symbols on the right knee while company markings are displayed on the right pauldron. After a little thought, I finally settled on the symbols for the 13th Squad (single white blood drop on a black field) of the 2nd Company (single yellow blood drop on a red field) as this seemed about right for a fire support unit.
Although the miniature isn't all that complicated, I've divided the rest of this guide into four sections to so that it's a bit easier to follow along: Armour, Pyreblaster, Other Details and finally, the Base.
I've also included a shorter Battle Ready Painting Guide at the end, so if you're looking to get your sons of Sanguinius painted up and on the table as quickly as possible, then feel free to skip to the bottom of the page to check it out.
Armour
The Helmet
Blue
I started out with a basecoat of Macragge Blue which I shaded with Tyran Blue. Once the shade was dry, I went back and feathered on a layer of Macragge Blue to the areas of the helmet that naturally catch more light. From here, I highlighted all of the edges with Aldorf Guard Blue before using Calgar Blue to add a more refined, highlight. Once I was happy with how this was all looking, I used some thinned Fenrisian Grey to add an extreme highlight to the sharp corners of the vent on the top of the helm and the faceplate.
Eye Lenses
I actually painted these twice – for some reason I did them green the first time, though I can’t for the life of me think why! There just wasn’t enough contrast between the green lenses and the blue helmet though, so I went back and redid them in red.
I began by painting the lenses with Khorne Red before shading them with Carroberg Crimson. Once this was dry, I went back with some thinned Khorne Red, applying a small highlight to the lenses to ease the transition to the next highlight of Wazzdakka Red. I then repeated the process with Squig Orange, painting ‘inside’ the previous layer each time. Once this was done, I added a wee dot of Pallid Wych Flesh in the opposite corner of the lens to the highlights. To tie all of these layers of colour together, I thinned some Carroberg Crimson with water and used it to glaze the lenses. Once this had fully dried, I thinned some Nuln Oil with water and used it to glaze the darker areas of the lenses down a little to help increase the contrast with the highlights.
Red Armour Plate
Red armour is probably the single most defining characteristic of the Blood Angels Chapter and I’ve painted it more than a few times now, refining the approach a little each time. For this marine, I started out by applying a basecoat of Mephiston Red to all of the areas that were going to be red, using about 3-4 thin layers to get a nice smooth and consistent basecoat. I then painted Flesh Tearers Red Contrast straight from the into all of the panel lines, recesses of the armour and back pack as well as around the rivets on the backpack – if you make any mistakes with this, you can tidy up with some Mephiston Red.Once I was happy with this, I used Carroberg Crimson to paint a controlled shade over each of the red areas of the armour, taking my time to try and ensure even coverage before setting the miniature aside for a while to let the shade completely dry.
From here, I began working the armour back up again, beginning by picking out all of the edges of the armour with Mephiston Red to help define them ready for the next steps. I then feathered a layer of Mephiston Red onto the upper areas of the armour that naturally catch more light.
With the base tones for the red now set, I used Evil Sunz Scarlet to highlight all of the edges of the armour plates, the backpack and all of the vents and ports as well. I also carefully added highlights to the outer edge of each pauldron. All of these were then refined using a more sparingly applied highlight of Wild Rider Red. I also used this to add some wee scrapes and scratches to some of the edges of the armour.
As a final touch, I used some thinned Cadian Fleshtone to add some small dots to the sharp corners of the armour plates as well as picking out the rivets on the backpack and refining some of the scuffs.
As a final touch, I used some thinned Cadian Fleshtone to add some small dots to the sharp corners of the armour plates as well as picking out the rivets on the backpack and refining some of the scuffs.
Silver Metallic Areas
The vents and reactor casing on the backpack along with the cable ports on the the left thigh and helmet were all basecoated with Iron Warriors before being shaded with Nuln Oil. Once the shade was dry, I picked out all of the hard edges of these metallic areas with Ironbreaker.
Soft Armour And Cabling
I've always envisaged the flexible 'soft armour' of suits of power armour as being akin to vulcanised rubber, so I usually paint them to look like a slightly glossy black or dark grey. To achieve this look, I started with a basecoat of Corax Black, before picking out the ridges of the soft armour with Dark Reaper. The ridges are then highlighted with Thunderhawk Blue and then to help tie everything together, a controlled shade of Nuln Oil is applied over the whole area.
I used the same process for the pipes on the Marine's helmet, though in this case the colours were applied more like highlights than layers.
Pectoral Imperialis, Right Kneepad and Pauldron Trim
The winged skull known as the Imperialis decorates the plastron of many Space Marines - a fitting marking for those known to many as the Angels of Death. The icon was first painted Abaddon Black, before all of the edges of the feathers and the skull were picked out with Dark Reaper. I refined these highlights using Thunderhawk Blue before using Fenrisian Grey to define the tips of the feathers and the brow, nasal bone and teeth of the skull. To finish the Imperialis off, I thinned down some Doombull Brown to about the consistency of milk and carefully painted this into the recesses between the feathers to help add a little more contrast and definition to them.
I’m not entirely sure whether black trim on the shoulder pads is canonically correct on Blood Angels anymore, but I think it’s worth doing as it helps to break up the ‘wall of red’ that the model would otherwise be. Again, these started out with a basecoat of Abaddon Black. Once this was in place, I highlighted all of the edges of the trim with Dark Reaper and then used Thunderhawk Blue on the uppermost edges that would catch the most light.
Finally the black field for the white squad marking on the right kneepad was painted with a basecoat of Abaddon Black. The recesses around the kneepad were then shaded using thinned Doombull Brown before a little Dark Reaper was feathered onto the upper quarter of the surface. From here, I used Thunderhawk Blue to highlight the top edge of the plate and then added an extreme highlight of Fenrisian Grey to finish it off. The white blood drop was added at the same time as the other decals as described below.
The Pyreblaster
Muzzle Shroud
To create the impression that the pyreblaster has seen some use, I started off by basecoating the whole heat shield with a couple of thin layers of Balthasar Gold before shading it with Agrax Earthshade. Once the shade had dried, I feathered a Hashut Copper onto the area of the heat shield closest to the casing before stippling Abbadon Black over the portion closest to the flame projector. This was built up over a few layers with each one being more heavily applied nearer the flame projector. It's very easy to accidentally lift the paint back up if you don't wait long enough for it to dry while doing this, so take your time and remember that 'less is more' when applying weathering effects like this.
To finish the heat shield off, I roughly picked out the edges using Ironbreaker which helps create a striking highlight but also helps create the impression that the carbon build up has been scratched and scuffed away in some places.
Fuel Tank
To contrast the metals used for the other areas of the Pyreblaster, I decided to go with a darker brassy colour for the prometheum tank.
I began by applying a basecoat of Warplock Bronze, this took about 3 thin layers to get good coverage as the paint doesnt seem to have the best opacity. Once I had a nice smooth finish established, I then shaded it with Agrax Earthshade and set it aside to dry. From here I applied a layer of Castellax Bronze, feathering it around the underside of the tank to leave a little of the previous layers showing.
Finally, I moved on to highlights, starting by picking out all of the edges of the fuel tank with Runelord Brass before finishing up with an extreme highlight of Stormhost Silver on the uppermost edges.
Casing
The casing of the Pyreblaster started with a basecoat of Abaddon Black. Once this was blocked in, I painted thinned Doombull Brown around the various panels and gubbins that make up the casing to help add a little more definition to them. After tidying up any mistakes with the shading using some Abaddon Black, I highlighted all of the hard edges of the casing with Dark Reaper. These initial highlights were then refined these by applying Thunderhawk Blue to all of the uppermost edges before I finished things off used some dots of Fenrisian Grey to pick out the corners of each of the casing and it's components.
Working Parts
The working parts of the Pyreblaster as well as the pistol grip, trigger guard, fuel tank bracket and pilot light were all painted in the same way as the silver metallic areas of the marine's armour.
Other Details
Leather Belt and Pouches
The last step on the pouches was to pick out the popstuds with Ironbreaker and then shade them with a drop of Nuln Oil.
Bracer Sensors
While you could paint the buttons on the left bracer in any colour that contrasts the armour, I decided to go for a soft blue-grey colour for the lenses to contrast with the red armour plate. This was started with a basecoat of Russ Grey which was shaded with Coelia Greenshade. Once the shade had dried, the lower portions of the lenses and buttons were layered with Russ Grey before being highlighted with Fenrisian Grey and then Pallid Wych Flesh.
To create the impression that light was being reflected from a shiny surface, I then added a wee dot of Pallid Wych Flesh to the top corner of each of the lenses and buttons. To tie everything together a little more I then glazed the buttons with Coelia Greenshade.
Heraldry
The chapter symbol on the left shoulder, company markings on the right and the squad marking on the right knee are all decals taken from the Space Marine transfer sheet.
After applying gloss varnish to the shoulder pads, I carefully cut the decals from the sheet and applied them using tweezers and a small paintbrush to slide them into place before dabbing them dry with a clean cotton bud.
A useful trick to bear in mind for helping larger and/or more complex shaped decals sit better upon curved surfaces like shoulder pads is to cut the backing film around the decal so that the design can conform to the shape beneath it more easily. Taking the winged blood drop of marine's chapter marking as an example, I cut the film between each of the feathers of the wings as well as above the point of the blood drop and between the bottom of the wings and blood drop.
I applied some Microsol to the decals to soften them and help them sit more naturally and left everything to settle and cure overnight. The following day, I applied a layer of gloss varnish over the decals to seal them and help hide the gloss of the backing film before using matt varnish to dull them down again.
Base
Soil/Sand
To tie the miniature in with the other two Blood Angels 'starter miniatures' I've painted and provide a nice contrast to the shattered rockrete the Marine is standing on, I went for a 'warmer' tone for soil than I usually do on bases. I started out by basecoating the area with Mournfang Brown. Once I had a nice consistent base layer, I drybrushed the soil/sand with some Zamesi Desert to pick up the sculpted grains.
Rebar
I carefully picked out the sections of rebar protruding from the rockrete with Iron Warriors before shading them first with Nuln Oil, followed by Agrax Earthshade to get a nice, dark metallic tone. From here I sparingly added some highlights of Ironbreaker to the damaged ends of the rebar as well as some of the raised texture on where the protective coating has been scuffed back to bare metal.
Rockrete
I began with a basecoat of Dawnstone which was shaded with Agrax Earthshade. I then highlighted all of the edges with some Dawnstone thinned to about the consistency of milk, before thinning it further until it was almost a glaze and painting it onto the upper surfaces of the stone.
Once this was completely dry, I applied some edge highlights of Administratum Grey and then used Grey Seer to pick out areas like the corners and add some light scratches and scuffs in a few places as well. Finally, I thinned some Mournfang Brown and used it to glaze the edges of the rockrete to help bed it into the soil.
Once this was completely dry, I applied some edge highlights of Administratum Grey and then used Grey Seer to pick out areas like the corners and add some light scratches and scuffs in a few places as well. Finally, I thinned some Mournfang Brown and used it to glaze the edges of the rockrete to help bed it into the soil.
Tyranid 'Goo'
I'm not sure if it's ichor from a wounded Tyranid bioform, or an indication that the planet the marine is fighting on is beginning to be subsumed by xenos spores due to the Tyranid invasion, but either way, I figured that the 'goo' at the back of the base was organic in nature. To contrast with the red armour of the Space Marine and the grey of the rockrete base I thought I'd go with a soft purple tone for the organic matter so I started out with a basecoat of Warpfiend Grey which I then shaded with Berserker Bloodshade. Once the shade was dry, I feathered on a layer of Warpfiend Grey, before repeating this step using Slaanesh Grey as a midtone. Once I was happy with this, I made a 50/50 mix of Slaanesh Grey and Rakarth Flesh and used it to paint highlights on the raised ridges and edges of the 'goo'. With these in place, I picked out the sharpest points of the organic matter using pure Rakarth Flesh before thinning down some Berserker Bloodshade with water and using it as a glaze to tie all of the layers together.
To finish the base off, I painted the rim with a few thinned layers of Abaddon Black and with that the Infernus Marine was complete.
Battle Ready Guide
If you're looking to get your Infernus Marine battle ready and on the table as quickly as possible, then you can follow these quick steps:
- Paint the armour Mephiston Red
- Paint the helmet Macragge Blue
- Paint the soft armour at all the joints and the pipes on the helmet Corax Black
- Paint the belt and any pouches Dryad Bark
- Paint the vents on the back pack, ear pieces on the helmet and working parts of the pyreblaster Leadbelcher
- Paint the muzzle shroud of the pyreblaster Balthasar Gold
- Paint the helmet eye lenses Khorne Red
- Paint the weapon casing and chest eagle Abaddon Black
- Apply a texture paint like Stirland Mud, Astrogranite Debris or Agrellan Badlands to the base
- Shade the whole model, including the base with Nuln Oil.
- Paint the base rim with either Abaddon Black or Steel Legion Drab
- (Optional) Carefully apply chapter and squad markings transfers to the shoulder pads
If you're assembling a full squad of Infernus Marines, then you can map the above colours across the whole unit fairly easily, perfect for if you want to get them painted up to a good basic standard quite quickly and then you can always go back and add extra details and highlights to the miniatures at a later date if you want to. You could also use these same colours to paint other Space Marines in the colours of the Blood Angels or other Chapters that use similar colour schemes,
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, whether its painting your own Space Marines, or adapting the scheme to other miniatures, I'd love to hear how you get on. Until next time though, thanks for reading and happy hobbying.
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