He’s awake! The First Primarch, Lion El’Jonson of the Dark Angels, is back after 10,000 years out for the count, and he returns with an all-time classic model. Such a fabulous miniature requires an equally exceptional paint job, so we got in touch with Max from the ‘Eavy Metal team to find out what went into this exquisite piece of work.
Max: Plucking one of the most legendary characters from the origins of Warhammer 40,000 and bringing him into the 41st millennium for the first time is a big deal. I think most people would agree that this is not a task to approach lightly.
I remember speaking with Seb
early on in the process, discussing what we wanted him to look like, bouncing painting ideas back and forth. Seb did such an amazing job on the miniature that I felt even more pressure to do it justice with the painting.
I went back through the archives to study every past version of a Dark Angel that we’d ever made, all the way back to the first renditions in the late 80s. Hoping to add a sense of history and gravitas to the model, I decided to choose colours that linked him not just to Dark Angels from today, but throughout history as well. I think it gives him a timeless quality and helps set him apart from the rest of the Chapter, hinting at a time before the Legiones Astartes were broken down into Chapters.
One of the main ways to visually link the model back through decades of Dark Angels imagery was the colour of the armour itself. I knew early on that I wanted to paint the armour black with a cold green tint in the reflections. It’s something that not only makes sense since the Dark Angels Legion were clad in black power armour during the Great Crusade, but because it links together all main colours of today’s Chapter heraldry as well – the main green of the Chapter echoed in his robes, the bone of the Deathwing for the inside of his cloak, and the black of the Ravenwing reflected in his armour.
The recipe I developed for the armour starts with pure Abaddon Black and continues up through cold, grey-green tones in the highlights with mixes of Corvus Black and Caliban Green, then Sons of Horus Green mixed with increasing amounts of Krieg Khaki, Rakarth Flesh, and White Scar. Each highlight stage was softened with several layers of thin glazes, blending the stages together into smooth reflections.
Lion El'Jonson carries his father’s shield into battle. The red field colour helps set it apart from the rest of his armour, but everything – even down to the gold trim – is actually painted using slightly different colours from the armour, to make the shield read as part of a different set of wargear entirely.
Another thing at the forefront of my mind was the dichotomy between the Lion and Roboute Guilliman. I brought the studio version of Roboute down and had him on my desk throughout the painting process. One bright, bold, and regal – the other dark, stern, and resilient. This carried through to other aspects of the model, like how the cold crystal-look of the blade Fealty sits in contrast to the Sword of the Emperor that Guilliman wields, wreathed in flame – another visual representation of the two brothers’ differences.
There are few models that offer multiple head options where I struggle to pick a favourite out of the choices provided, but this is definitely one of those cases. All four options look great, and I really wouldn’t be able to tell you which one I like the best. I really enjoyed painting the helmet and bare head, though the two hooded heads add to the mysterious nature of the character.
Overall it’s easily one of the most enjoyable painting projects I’ve been lucky enough to have been a part of and I can’t wait to see what people do with their own versions!
Thanks Max, it’s an incredible job of work. You’ll be able to paint your own version Lion El’Jonson very soon – he goes up for pre-order on Saturday, and we can’t wait to see your work shared on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.