These were the super important aspects I wanted to make sure I hit in order to make the project seem genuine but also not too restrictive so that each mini was interesting in their own right.

So once I'd got a general idea of how I wanted the squad to look I started browsing Games Workshop for kits that contained the elements I really wanted, but also had enough range that I could use the kits for other projects in the future. So here's what I settled on -

Here's a quick general breakdown of what kits were used for what elements (I'll be going into more detail later especially for the heads) - 

This was probably the most difficult stage of the assembly (bar the green stuff work) and to me, it was one of the most important. Without the helmets, I don't feel they come across as Thunder Warriors.

While the concept is pretty simple it was very fiddly and took a lot of patience (for me anyway). Luckily I have a miniature saw that helps a lot when cutting clean lines though plastic without warping or bending.

So the steps are as follows -

You should end up with something like this -

With that done you can now add some extra details if you like, but it depends on what look you're going for. Adding a plume really makes a difference, but you can also go all the way and go for a green stuff visor if you like. The visor was very difficult for me as my green stuff skills aren't great, but thankfully after it was painted it hid a lot of the mistakes I'd made. I ended up only making one and now I wish I'd made more.

The plume is made of two pieces (you can use whatever you want). I used the hair from the Custodes set and the wrapping is from a Ork topknot. It's that simple.

Here's one of the helmets along with the reference image I used -

Finishing touches (assembly) - 

So with all the main bits complied all that was left to do is embellish and add in some final details. As is said before I wanted to make sure each miniature was interesting in their own right. I chose a mix of poses and gear to help add some definition, but also kept enough continuity to ensure they still worked as a squad. 

I also paid close attention to the Captain. I've always been a massive fan of John Blanche and it only made sense to make a mini that emulated the famous concept art he produced years ago. This was the first mini I made for the squad and all the elements I ended up deciding on were derived from this initial concept piece. The helmet, arms and shoulder pads were all decided upon when piecing the Captain together.

I hope I did the original artwork justice.

For the remaining members of the squad I wanted to work off the basis that each member worked as a specialist at a particular skill. So kind of following the basic Kill Team rules of battlefield roles and specialisations. It was tricky as I didn't have a great deal of options, but I feel there's enough variation in there. I added lots of stuff from my bits box and used pelts and fur made from green stuff to add some extra texture (also more fur meant less armour to paint haha!)

If you'd like to learn how to recreate the fur I've used here - then please check out the Games Workshop tutorial on the Warhammer TV YouTube channel - How to make fur - WHTV

The specialists concepts I wanted were -

Painting -

Apologies, but I don't have many progress pictures of the painting stages, but i'll share what I can.

Now I have to say I'm certainly no expert painter and I regard my crafting and modelling skills to be much better than that of my painting, but with that said I was really happy with how the final project came out and I certainly surprised myself and the result was much better than I'd originally thought.

A bit of history for you - 

Those who know me from socials will understand that I spent a long time out of the hobby (over 15 years) and last year slowly worked my way back into it. As it turns out this was really the first proper project I'd done for a very long time. I'd never painted or even tried NMM previously, so not only was I trying something new, I was also very rusty so it's fair to say this was a learning experience all round.

My painting got better with time, and my NMM has definitely improved. For context here's a comparison - 

The left image is literally my first attempt at painting NMM gold and the right is several months down the line after many, many practice sessions. The image on the right isn't even the final result, but I hope the comparison shows the progress I made, and I really hope it inspires someone to keep trying.

If I were to make more Thunder Warriors in the future I think I'd like to try and paint them using true metallic instead and try and get them to a 'Eavy Metal standard... if possible.

Paints - 

Just so you know all the minis were based in black after brush priming in white (as that's all I had) and I used a basic plastic palette and cheap brushes from Amazon with only water as a medium - and blood sweat and tears too.

Here's a list of the main paints I used, but you can use whatever you like.

Games Workshop

Model/ Game Colour 

• Japanese Uniform ww2
• Dead White
• Fiery Orange
• Stonewall grey
• Blue wash
• Dark green
• Goblin Green

Essentially there aren't many elements to the paint scheme. I knew I wanted to showcase the armour most of all and keep everything else super simple.

Again here's a couple of pics of the finished project - 

Technique (painting) - 

Now if you want a fully comprehensive NMM tutorial look no further than Darren Latham - his work is amazing and he has all the expertise you need on his website or on his YouTube channel. I'm just going to go through the basic ideas and tricks tips I learned from doing this myself. 

Hopefully it'll help in some way. Sometimes it's hard to look at someone elses work (especially if it's to an amazing standard) and figure out how they did it. I know - I've often been completely over-faced and demotivated because I felt that there was no point in trying. I like to think that my painting is good, and that it provides a nice middle ground for people who are learning. 

It certainly isn't flawless, but i'm very happy with it and you guys should be happy with your work too. Someone's always going to paint better than you - but there's a lot of people out there who DON'T paint, so by simply trying, your already better than most.

My philosophy is 'If it looks good at arms length - then I'm happy' haha!

Gold (armour) - 

So for me the basic idea for NMM is having a distinct contrast and transition between shadow and light. For this armour I went from almost full black all the way up to pure white. Depending on the look you want you don't have to go to the same extremes but I found that this works well for me.

Here are the steps broken down for you to try, in all cases keep your paints thin and use multiple layers (with the exception of the final dots of white which I kept a little thicker and only layered once) -

Optional steps/tips - 

• You can add very thin glazes of Jap Uni across the whole armour before the final stage. This will make the tone much more yellow and lift up the shadow if you don't want it too dark.
• You can also increase the amount of white added to the Jap Uni mix if you want a shinier look.
• If you'd like to add battle damage - simple mix black and XV-88 together and add in scratches or dot across the areas you want to be damaged. Then simply add your highlight colour around the lower edge of the dark marks you've added. This really helps make boring flat areas more interesting and also can hide mistakes too (shhhh).
• I've also found that as long as the highlights are clean and look OK - the dark areas can be as messy as you like, because the eye is naturally drawn to the bright points.
• Don't be afraid to leave hard to reach areas dark, that's perfectly natural.

Red (clothing, hair etc) - 

The red areas where super simple, here are the steps - 

It's that easy!

Optional steps/tips -

• I used a gradient similar to the technique used for the NMM but in red on the bolter casings. I wanted the colour to be the same, but I wanted to set it apart from the cloths so that the material looked different.
• For the hair I just dry brushed as it adds plenty of detail and saves loads of time.
• I actually used multiple layers of red and black wash to try and add texture to the pants. Not overly necessary, but adds a little more detail.

Steel (weapons) -

Very similar technique used here are with the NMM gold - 

Optional steps/tips -

• Add as many washes of blue as you need to get the colour you want. I added several layers as the blue makes a nice contrast to the yellow armour.
• After the blue wash - go back in with the white and pick up the edges again as a final... final highlight if you like.
• When painting the blades always make sure the highlights are staggered and pointing in the same direction.

Terminus - 

That's everything guys! Wow that was longer than I expected, but I do hope you found that helpful and insightful. If you feel I've missed anything or you want to know more - please get in touch via my socials.

I'd really love you guys to make your own Thunder Warriors at home - if you do please tag me, I want to see them!

Again thank you all for your continued support - please leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of this post and don't forget to share with your friends!

Remember to keep an eye out for my next post about the diorama base.

Much love - Andy!

Sources -

• Codex: Adeptus Custodes (8th Edition), pg. 9
• The Horus Heresy - Book One: Betrayal (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 26-27, 85
• The Outcast Dead (Novel) by Graham McNeill
• https://www.reddit.com/r/Warhammer/comments/9n2c6e/a_custodian_a_thunder_warrior_a_space_marine_and/
• https://forum.eternalcrusade.com/threads/formative-armour-a-history-of-space-marine-power-armour.21501/