Gold armour at army scale — the sternest test of a studio's metalwork.
Stormcast are Age of Sigmar's flagship army, and the scheme decision is really a metals decision: true metallic gold, non-metallic-metal painted entirely with brush-blended lights and shadows, or something between. Each route photographs differently and prices differently.
Beneath the gold, the Stormhosts bring strong secondary colours — royal blue, black, turquoise, white — so the army reads clearly at arm's length even before the detail work shows.
Hammers of Sigmar
Burnished gold with royal blue shoulders and white detail. The definitive Stormhost. The gold is everything: look for depth in the shadows and a warm, believable shine rather than a single flat metallic coat.
The recipe
- BaseCitadel Retributor Armour, two thin coats
- ShadeCitadel Agrax Earthshade in the recesses
- LayerCitadel Retributor Armour, leaving shade in the cracks
- HighlightCitadel Liberator Gold, then a Stormhost Silver edge
- AccentCitadel Macragge Blue shoulders and cloth, highlighted Alaitoc Blue
Anvils of the Heldenhammer
Black armour with gold trim — sombre, funereal, striking. The reversed palette makes edge highlighting the star of the show, and suits a grimdark treatment unusually well for Stormcast.
The recipe
- BaseCitadel Abaddon Black
- EdgeCitadel Dark Reaper, a slightly chunky edge highlight
- HighlightCitadel Fenrisian Grey, a finer edge on the sharpest points
- DetailCitadel Blue Horror specular dots on the armour corners
- TrimCitadel Retributor Armour gold, shaded Agrax, highlighted Liberator Gold
Celestial Vindicators
Bright turquoise with gold accents — vengeance in a colour you can see from across the room. A favourite for players who want the Stormcast silhouette without the default palette.
The recipe
- BaseCitadel Stegadon Scale Green on the armour
- ShadeCitadel Coelia Greenshade in the recesses
- LayerCitadel Sotek Green, then Temple Guard Blue on raised panels
- HighlightCitadel Baharroth Blue on the sharpest edges
- TrimCitadel Retributor Armour gold to warm against the turquoise
Knights Excelsior
White armour, blue detailing. White at army scale is as demanding as yellow — it needs cool shadow tones and perfect surface prep, and a studio that pulls it off has nothing left to prove.
The recipe
- BaseCitadel Grey Seer primer — never start white armour from black
- BaseCitadel White Scar, built up in thin coats
- ShadeCitadel Apothecary White (Contrast) carefully in the recesses
- LayerCitadel White Scar to clean up and brighten the flats
- AccentRetributor Armour trim; Mephiston Red gems, edged Evil Sunz Scarlet