Blood Angel Dreadnought for Warhammer 40k

Following a successful painting year last year where I completed a Horus Heresy force (Blood Angels) and a Legions Imperialis horde (Solar Auxilia) this year I have challenged myself to get a 2,000 point army of Blood Angels for Warhammer 40k.

Blood Angels

I have always collected Blood Angels. However as I don’t play 40k very often I only had one completed army… And it is all firstborn. So 2026 is the year I finish a more up-to-date Blood Angel Army.

This also forms part of the Woehammer Slow Grow challenge and the Woepoints challenge which is great for keeping me motivated.

So, in January I have finished… 2 Brutalis Dreadnoughts

Pictures

How do they play?

Blood Angels are traditionally a ‘ABC’ (Always Be Charging) Legion. But in 10th Edition they can struggling to destroy vehicles in close assault. And so the Brutalis is a great addition to the legion to fill this gap.

Two of them may be a little excessive for a small force and I would intend to use 1 at 1,000 points and only add the second later to keep the balance of assault versus shooting right in a Blood Angel army.

However, I haven’t played Blood Angels for so long that this is all theory hammer and the wise words of ‘BA Commander’ who knows a lot more than me on the subject.

Paints Used

Blood Angels are red! And so I picked up lots of Colour Forge Sanguine Red for the undercoating and gave both models an even undercoat (on top of Black). I then kept the rest of the model simple with Black Weapons, some gold items picked out and of course transfers… lots of transfers.

I use the Micro Sol & Micro Set for mine and it makes it so much easier.

However, I have been unable to give the models a full Matt Varnish coat due to the cold English weather so there are still a few streaks of varnish showing around the transfers. These will disappear with a coat of varnish in good weather… so roll on July!

The basisng is something I’ve been torn on for a while. Ideally I wanted a Baal red desert base but… it just doesn’t work well on the tabletop for red models. So I’ve stolen borrowed an idea from YouTube!

This takes some more time than I would usually spend on bases, but the contrast to the red is very nice. So that’s Vallejo Rough White Pumice, Zandri Dust, Ushabti Bone, Seraphim Sepia and a Screaming Skull very light highlight. Check out the video for a great explanation of the process.

So that’s How to Paint Blood Angels Brutalis Dreadnoughts — graphic below.

Buying a Box?

These were in the Leviathan box (which is why I have 2), so you may find them cheaper second hand or on Ebay. However the kit is also a permanent fixture in the Games Workshop catalogue. That all means – ask at your local FLGS or use our affiliate link with Element Games. They are £52.00 RRP.

— Declan and Eeyore