Welcome to 1987, Warhammer hobbyists! Your copy of Rogue Trader has just arrived and your Imperial Space Marines are preparing to fight the Battle at the Farm, but aren’t you forgetting something? You still have to paint them, and there’s really only one colour scheme worthy of the original box art stars.
Miniature painting has been a cornerstone of the hobby since the beginning, and thanks to modern advances in paint science like Citadel Colour Shade and Contrast paint, it’s quicker and easier than ever to achieve a result that would blow your 80s self away. You wouldn’t have got video painting guides like these back then, that’s for sure.*
Crimson Fists
The Crimsons Fists were many Warhammer fans’ first encounter with Space Marines, and their iconic armour has remained largely unchanged since then. Their deep blue and bright red livery is unmistakable – a perfect contrast to the more subdued tones of their greenskin nemeses.
Down at the farm, the vicious Space Ork Raiders have come to ruin their day, and it wouldn’t do to have your immaculately painted Crimson Fists face off against angry hordes of grey plastic.
Ork Boyz
Orks are mean and green – that much hasn’t changed since their first appearance. Our Ork Boy has opted for a camouflage shirt, as many of his comrades did in the Rogue Trader years.
Harlequins
Aeldari Harlequins joined the roster of Rogue Trader factions in 1988, with issue 105 of White Dwarf magazine, laying out the background and early rules for the masques. They’ve lost none of their colourful ways in the intervening years – retro Players fit in smoothly alongside their modern contemporaries.
And on the subject of moving into more recent eras…
Hold up, it’s 1993 now and Warhammer 40,000 as a battle game has properly landed with a massive second edition boxed set, this time pitting the Orks against Blood Angels. Bright reds were a hallmark of this era, and nobody wears them better than the sons of Sanguinius.
Blood Angels
There’s much more to a Blood Angels paint scheme than a splash of red Contrast paint – their retro stylings incorporate bright yellow details matching the cover of the original Codex Imperialis.
Tyranids
Tyranids agree – bright red is the best colour for a child of the 90s, as long as it's paired with pinks, purples, and other lurid hues.
If you set aside some time this weekend to immerse yourself in a retro painting experience, don’t forget to tune into the Warhammer Day Preview Online this Saturday, the 8th of October. We’ve got many exciting Warhammer 40,000 releases to unveil, and you can even win one of everything revealed during the show by entering our email competition.**
* Well perhaps on VHS!