Kyle's completed Blood Angels Heavy Intercessor.

The essential paints for this project.

Black primer throughout. this allows the saturation of the brown and red paints to read darker than using a white or grey color primer instead. A great start for the iconic grim dark look we all know.

The core technique of this entire build. Charred Brown is applied as the base across the armour panels. Gory Red is then painted by hand, concentrating it toward the centres of each panel and deliberately avoiding the edges - the dark Charred Brown, and the black primer beneath it, are left to define the panel boundaries naturally. No wash, no edge highlighting. The result is a deep, heavy grim dark tone where the colour transitions are entirely under the painter's control.

Panel transitions visible - dark edges, lighter centres

The grim dark finish - no wash, no edge highlights

Ultramarine Blue applied over the charred brown base color with the same approach as the armour - concentrated toward the panel centres, leaving the dark edges untouched, although to a lesser degree compared to the red armor.

A line of Corax White painted down the centre of each lens, then Green Ink glazed over to tint the whole lens green. The white line reads through the ink as a reflection, giving a lit, glassy look without any complex OSL work.

Green lenses - Corax White line under Green Ink.

The chapter symbols were painted crudely by hand from memory. Yriel Yellow as the base, then glazed with Yellow Ink to deepen and saturate the colour. As Kyle notes - freehand comes with freedom, but is limited by your own consistency. The imperfection here is part of the grim dark aesthetic.

Freehand right arm symbol

Left shoulder pad freehand - crude but characterful

Leadbelcher with Nuln Oil - the same reliable dark steel combination that appears across most of Kyle's Warhammer builds. Consistent, quick, and it works. Used on all metallic parts throughout.

Weapon casing and chest Aquila both use the same recipe: Abaddon Black base, highlighted with Heavy Charcoal, with a slight drybrush of Leadbelcher over the casing. Ammo shells in Sycorax Bronze washed with Nuln Oil.

Charred Brown base highlighted with a mix of Khaki Grey and Charred Brown - a desaturated, dusty leather tone that keeps the belt reading dark without going black.

AK Desert Soil mixed with Woodland Scenics Medium Ballast for some terrain variation in the surface texture. Finished with Vallejo Matt Varnish spray to kill any unwanted shine and lock in the grim dark look across the whole model and base.

The Heavy Intercessors kit and all paints used in this guide are in stock at Wheels & Wings Hobbies in Toronto, available online with Canada-wide shipping.