Kyle's Grey Knights Paint Guide - Garro Bladeguard Conversion Build Feature
Kyle's Grey Knights - Garro Build Feature
Warhammer 40,000 - Grey Knights - Bladeguard Conversion - Paint Guide
Inspired by Garro: Weapon of Fate by James Swallow - a Horus Heresy novel that gives the Grey Knights some much deserved attention, and a personal favourite of Kyle's. This build is his answer to a gap that Games Workshop has yet to fill: there are no dedicated Primaris-scale Grey Knight models. So Kyle made his own.
The concept was to visualise the Grey Knights as close to what a Bladeguard Veteran looks like - but in their characteristic bare metallic grey. The result is a Primaris-scaled Grey Knight that holds up on the table alongside any current Space Marine kit.
Kit: Games Workshop Bladeguard Veterans - converted and painted as Grey Knights.
Kyle's Primaris-scale Grey Knight - Bladeguard conversion inspired by Garro: Weapon of Fate.
Front - facing camera
Three-quarter front left - shield detail
Right side - sword detail
Left side - sheath and pauldron
How Kyle Painted It
Full step-by-step breakdown. All products in stock at Wheels and Wings.
Black Base
Aluminium with Blue Ink Tint - The Grey Knight Bare Metal
Vallejo Model Air Aluminium as the base coat, with a few drops of Vallejo Blue Ink mixed in before application. The blue tint is subtle but important - it shifts the aluminium away from a neutral silver and toward the cool, slightly blue-grey bare metal that Grey Knights are known for. Nuln Oil worked into targeted recesses rather than applied as a full wash, to preserve the metallic quality of the armour surface.
White First, Bloody Red Over Top
Corax White applied first, then Bloody Red over the top. Going white first gives the red far better coverage and vibrancy than painting directly onto the grey armour or the black primer. The tilt shield follows the same process, with a hand-painted Bloody Red stripe over the Corax White base.
White Base, Blue Ink Glaze, Specular Highlight
Corax White base on the lens. Blue Ink glazed over. A small specular highlight of white placed off-centre to convey a reflection - a simple step that makes the lens read as a genuinely lit, glass surface.
Blue Ink Energy Blade - Built Up in Passes
Blue Ink glazed onto the blade in quadrants, fading toward the middle. The key is patience: start from the middle of the blade and work toward the edges. The first few passes should show almost no colour at all - build it up gradually across several passes until the intensity is where you want it. This technique is significantly easier with an airbrush but achievable with careful brush work. The sword handle is Warlord Purple.
Sword - Blue Ink energy blade built up in gradual passes.
Aluminium Face, Bloody Red Interior, Bronze Gold
Shield face follows the same Aluminium base as the overall armour. Interior painted Bloody Red. Gold sections in Vallejo Bronze washed with Agrax Earthshade.
Shield - Aluminium face, Bloody Red interior, Bronze gold trim.
Nocturnal Red, Agrax Wash, Bloody Red Highlight
Purple Wax, Khaki Parchment, Agrax Wash
Heavy Charcoal
Dark Fleshtone, Agrax Wash, Tan Highlight
Rear - leather detail and Iron Halo backpack.
Iron Halo in Glorious Gold
Construction Site Sand and Rock
The Finished Model
A Primaris-scale Grey Knight. For Garro. For the Emperor.
Top-down hero
Front
Left side
Rear
All paints used in this guide are in stock at Wheels and Wings Hobbies in Toronto, available online with Canada-wide shipping.
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