The Decimation Squad. Heavy Intercessor leading.

Grey primer chosen deliberately over black. Grey is the most neutral starting point and won't shift the hue of Evil Sunz Scarlet the way a black primer would - red over black tends to pull darker and requires more coats to achieve the right saturation. Grey keeps the red vibrant.

Evil Sunz Scarlet applied over the whole model as the base coat. Highlighted with Vallejo Orange Fire - pushing the highlights toward orange rather than pink or white, which gives the armour warmth and prevents the red from looking washed out under bright light. Tamiya Black Panel Liner used on the panel lines for tighter, more controlled line work than a standard wash allows.

Black shoulder pads contrast sharply with the red armour. Khaki trim on the shoulder edges, with the chest symbol also in Khaki and washed with Agrax Earthshade for depth. Decals applied with Mark Fit Strong.

Imperial Blue with a small amount of Corax White mixed in for the eye lenses and weapon scopes. Vallejo Gloss Varnish applied over the lenses and scopes at the very end of the process - after the matt coat has been applied to the rest of the model - to give a wet, reflective finish that reads as genuinely lit.

Intercessor close-up - stalker bolter and eye lenses.

Black casing, Iron Warriors teeth, and Scrofulous Brown hazard stripes. The brown hazard stripes read as a more worn, campaign-hardened version of the classic black-and-yellow hazard pattern - fitting for a chapter with their own identity.

Assault Intercessor - chainsword and barrel detail.

Iron Warriors on all weapon metallics and backpack exhausts and intakes, washed with Nuln Oil. The same technique applies to the Heavy Intercessor's power cables.

Heavy Intercessor - chest, shoulder trim, weapon and cable detail.

Real sand collected from the beach, secured with PVA glue. As simple as basing gets - and it looks the part.

Vallejo Matt Coat applied over the whole model to keep the bright red armour looking controlled rather than toy-like. Vallejo Gloss Varnish then applied selectively to the eye lenses and weapon scopes only - after the matt coat is fully dry. The gloss-on-matt contrast is what makes the lenses read as genuinely reflective.

All paints used in this guide are in stock at Wheels and Wings Hobbies in Toronto, available online with Canada-wide shipping.