#DreadTober Adeptus Titanicus - Warlord Titan - Highlights and decals

Afternoon #Warhammer Community it's the fifth of #DreadTober2025 and I've continued to paint my Legio Gryphonicus Adeptus Titanicus Warlord Titan. Progress has been good. Originally the highlights were going to be part of the last post but these were the only pictures I got.

Here you can see how I added yellow and grey blobs to the armour panels to create the mottled effect. 

With that texture in place I was to add a fair bit of glazing layers toward the top of each panel. This would help merge the individual blobs in this area. It creates a highlighted look at the top with more definition in the pattern the darker it goes.

Then gloss varnish.

And decals next. Now this was a weird one as I have loads of cool decals now. The Warlord sheet itself comes with this quartered cog, meant to fit on the gun plates [just]. Now, I'd have preferred black on the yellow, but they didn't think to do that option instead giving us two white cogs! I mean when it's a two colour black and white sheet why would you just put two white cogs. It's not like the Mechanicum doesn't have half white half black anyway. It just makes no sense

Here is Iron Regent from the Adeptus Titanicus rulebook.

The axes on the left knee where nearly perfect - just black instead of blue. I considered painting over them but didn't see the benefit. You can also see the freehand chevron stripes. I was a fiend, refusing to pencil in the lines. I was sure I'd got them positioned right based on the illustration but seem to have done them at a steeper angle and thicker, so the bottom stripe is much lower.

The right knee. There were no head and wings in a size for the top left, so I chose a full griffon. There was no blue dagger symbol in that size, so I chose a blue Knight. A King or Queen might have been more appropriate for the Titan but wouldn't fit. No griffon head symbol with lightning for bottom right, so I just chose a Y symbol, that broke as the decal was applied. So, quite short. And the eagle was almost correct, except black with laurels. I also got creative, adding a large white griffon on the left and using the Armiger decal sheet to add the shoulder cog to the right thigh plate.

Anyway, the Cerastus kits come with Horus Heresy decals. Forgeworld decals are full colour prints and conveniently one knightly house - House Coldshroud, has exactly the same heraldry as Legio Gryphonicus. So the bottom right is one of the fancy decals that matched the Y on the knee plate. Where I could I tried to copy what was on the knee plate, with some added warning decals with text.

The left tilting plate has a Forgeworld decal that is the blue dagger, Titanicus symbol and griffon head. I added a couple of kill markings and House Raven lightning bolt for more heraldry. I'm not overly keen on the result but it'll do. A house Hawkshroud eagle is close enough to the Griffon symbol which only comes in white, but I wanted in black. The eagle on the head plate was supposed to be black on both sides but the left side shredded on application so I use the only alternative - a white one. Echoing the half white, half black cog. The full colour Coldshroud badge and the second tilting plate is a crossed axe and dagger

The back has it's number 69Δ from the Armiger decals and a titan eagle on the right.

So here we are - highlights and decals. I'm overjoyed at the progress but suddenly convinced it's too much bling. What have I done? Doubts start gnawing at my confidence

That all these extra details had overegged the pudding. Like the two blue cog/lightning badges on the back of the arm guards for the Volcano cannons. I knew I wanted to use them, I just never thought if I should - but that's making decisions right?

The white cog on the gun shield looked too bright, as did the cog on the thigh plate. At this stage I was properly considering if I needed to paint them over completely, or if I could tone them down with glazes.

And just to make matters worse, although not really evident in these pictures, a thinned coat of matt varnish over the decals looked like it had yellowed. All the whites and greys seemed to have been tinted. Suspiciously the same colour as my water pot, however I only used clean water thinning the varnish.

So, after all that progress and hard work applying the decals - I mean it was hours, they so fiddly and fussy! I'm having a crisis of confidence, what could I do bring it back on track...?

#DreadTober Adeptus Titanicus - Warlord Titan - Shades

Afternoon #Warhammer Community it's the fourth of #DreadTober2025 and I've continued to paint my Legio Gryphonicus Adeptus Titanicus Warlord Titan. This may look like a small update but I wanted a record as I seem to gloss over this step in previous Titan WiP posts.

The main thing being that I added a Sepia and Flesh Tone shade to all the metallics. Also, Citadel Iyanden Yellow Contrast paint was stippled/splodged on to give a bit more patination. This will make the next lot of mottled highlights stand out more.

You can see I also added a bit of Leadbelcher to the Volcano Cannon barrels, this helps to match up with my Reaver Titan weapons.

I also picked out the black and grey for the Machine Cogs on the carapace and added the white on the weapon armour and heraldry tilting shield. All ready to attempt the mottled highlights on the grey and yellow areas next.

#DreadTober Adeptus Titanicus - Warlord Titan - Basecoat armour plates

Afternoon #WarhammerCommunity it's the third of #DreadTober2025 and I've continued to add metallics to my Adeptus Titanicus Warlord Titan. As XarfaiEngel and Dam predicted a bit of colour, however poorly applied to the armour plates, does wonders to move this on. 

GVC Stonewall Grey for the grey and Instar IV-17 for the Orange. But why orange when the panels need to be yellow? Well it's a better base than what was previously there and when I apply the yellow there will be flashes of orange I don't catch or cover.

This will blend with the sepia wash to make a decent shade at the edges. Some warm orange and sepia brown works really well.

Meanwhile the grey is also patchy because after shading the grey is a mottled effect. So any dapples now just add to the texture I need to create. It's quite forgiving, although I somehow do not look forward to it.

Instar Vinatage IV-16 for the yellow. It is insane how yellow this looks, when the paint itself looks just like a sand colour. Maybe that's thanks to the orange base...?

The Stonewall Grey has been washed with a thinned Basilcanum Grey Contrast and it's add yet more texture and mottling. Hopefully, that will help with when I do the highlights. Although I am really pleased with the progress I'm already apprehensive about the highlights. I don't know why I just have doubts about their execution.

The blue areas had Bahama Blue added and some basecoats on Stonewall Grey where white areas of the livery will be. I still need to basecoat the machine cogs on the carapace black and white.

I know it's early day but I keep thinking the pattern of the colours is a bit basic. That I could have played around with the choices a little more. However, I am basing the scheme on the Iron Regent, a Legio Gryphonicus titan in the Adeptus Titanicus rule book. I will be adding a lot more decals and heraldry on the gun plates. So there will be a more going on, as well as battle damage. 

But also, there will be white chevrons on the outside of the legs, which will be a new feature in my livery. I just need to get to that point so I feel it's interesting. But before that I need to push forward with the mottling.

#DreadTober Adeptus Titanicus - Warlord Titan - Brassy/Bronze

Afternoon #WarhammerCommunity it's the second of #DreadTober2025 and I've continued to add metallics to my Adeptus Titanicus Warlord Titan. VGC Hammered Copper is next. Drybrushed and stippled on for the trim.

I got to use big fat ugly old brushes to do this. Although I like the results of true metallics I hate cleaning the brushes afterwards. The separate water pot to keep the metal flakes separated from the normal water pot. The fact when you thin the paints the suspension of the metal flakes almost completely breaks down.

So you don't thin them and the paint slowly dries in the bristles of the brush, making them so much harder to clean afterward. Metallics are just so unpleasant to clean up after.

But I was much happier with the results than I had been with the silver. It's familiar, quick and comforting because the results are what I expected.

And that meant I was still motivated enough to do the next step - Retributor Armour drybrush and stipple. Again, it's an unholy mess but I know that this will come right in the end.

That familiarity is priceless. Decades of painting may not have afforded me the increase in painting ability I hoped for and see others surpass with ease. However, it has given me that confidence in particular things. Whether it's my Tyranid scheme, glow effects, brassy/bronze or weathering.

They may not be perfect, but the results are good enough and having that confidence means I don't have to waste any mental load on if it will work, or what I'm going to do next. That means progress is smoother. And those little stumbles, like the Gunmetal, can be overcome relatively easily by switching to what I know I can do. 

It is SO ugly right now. But I am so pleased with the results. The wellspring of emotions this is bringing forth is wholly unexpected, but such a blessing. I often see people say 'its a hobby - when it's not fun, stop', and I think to myself sometimes that's rubbish. Because, sometimes you have to push through that chore-like feeling to get to the bit you enjoy [or are familiar/confident with].

So I don't always enjoy when I'm painting. I had that zen moment doing the Termagants last season and this feels similar. But it's beyond the painting session. This may well be an entire project that gives me so much satisfaction I'll be able to taste the serotonin! Anyway, basecoats next to try and bring some order to this filth!