[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"faction-/factions/trench-crusade-heretic-legion":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"date":137,"description":138,"extension":139,"faction":140,"heroImage":141,"hex":142,"intro":143,"lastUpdated":137,"meta":144,"navigation":145,"path":146,"seo":147,"stem":148,"system":149,"__hash__":150},"factions/factions/trench-crusade-heretic-legion.md","How to Paint the Heretic Legion (Trench Crusade)",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":128},"minimark",[9,13,18,21,25,47,51,73,77,90,94,120],[10,11,12],"p",{},"Trench Crusade is a grimdark alternate-history skirmish game set in an endless war of faith fought from the trenches, and the Heretic Legion are its damned infantry - soldiers who have given themselves over to the enemy of mankind. On the table they read as a mass of scorched black and grey-brown, broken up by corroded metal, tarnished brass icons and the occasional wet flash of gore. If you enjoy painting mud, rust and misery, this is the warband for you.",[14,15,17],"h2",{"id":16},"the-signature-look","The signature look",[10,19,20],{},"The core of the scheme is a charcoal near-black - not a pure black, but a warm, ashen dark that lets the weathering read against it. Everything on top of that base should look neglected: iron gone orange at the edges, brass shaded to almost nothing, cloth faded and stained. The recipe above gives you the armour ramp; the character comes from the layers of decay you add afterwards.",[14,22,24],{"id":23},"painting-the-uniforms-and-armour","Painting the uniforms and armour",[26,27,28,32,41,44],"ol",{},[29,30,31],"li",{},"Basecoat the cloth and plates with the dark charcoal ramp, keeping highlights restrained - a cold grey edge here and there is enough.",[29,33,34,35,40],{},"Wash the whole model with a dark brown or black shade to pull the recesses together. Read our ",[36,37,39],"a",{"href":38},"/guides/washes-and-shades","washes and shades guide"," if this step is new to you.",[29,42,43],{},"Pick out leather straps, gas-mask hoses and webbing in dark browns so the model does not become one flat silhouette.",[29,45,46],{},"Fade the cloth by drybrushing a lighter grey-brown over raised folds - these uniforms have been in the line for years.",[14,48,50],{"id":49},"rust-brass-and-gore","Rust, brass and gore",[52,53,54,61,67],"ul",{},[29,55,56,60],{},[57,58,59],"strong",{},"Rust and corrosion:"," stipple orange-brown around rivets, blade edges and the lower halves of armour plates. Vary the tone between orange, brown and dark red so it reads as real decay rather than a flat colour.",[29,62,63,66],{},[57,64,65],{},"Heretic brass:"," icons, mask fittings and trench-club furniture in a tarnished brass - basecoat a dull gold-brown, wash heavily with brown or black, and only glint the very highest edges. Never let it look polished.",[29,68,69,72],{},[57,70,71],{},"Gore:"," a glossy deep red on blades, wounds and mouths. A dedicated blood technical paint or gloss varnish over dark red gives the wet-against-matt contrast that makes the whole model feel grim.",[14,74,76],{"id":75},"weathering-is-the-point","Weathering is the point",[10,78,79,80,84,85,89],{},"Trench Crusade models reward filth more than any clean technique. Drag thinned earth-brown up from the boots and leg wraps, stipple mud onto shins and coat hems, and streak rust downward from chips with a fine brush. ",[36,81,83],{"href":82},"/guides/drybrushing","Drybrushing"," is your best friend here - a dusty drybrush over the lower third of the model ties it into the base. Speaking of which, a churned-earth base with wire, splintered wood or standing water sells the setting; see ",[36,86,88],{"href":87},"/guides/basing-miniatures","basing miniatures"," for the techniques.",[14,91,93],{"id":92},"tips-and-common-mistakes","Tips and common mistakes",[52,95,96,102,108,114],{},[29,97,98,101],{},[57,99,100],{},"Warm the black."," Pure black with white highlights looks clean and modern; a brown-black shaded and dusted with earth tones looks like the Great War gone wrong.",[29,103,104,107],{},[57,105,106],{},"Keep metal dark."," Bright silver edges break the mood - a dark gunmetal with rust does the work.",[29,109,110,113],{},[57,111,112],{},"Gloss the gore only."," One or two wet, glossy points of red against an otherwise matt model is far more effective than blood everywhere.",[29,115,116,119],{},[57,117,118],{},"Batch the grunts."," The rank-and-file are quick with washes and drybrushing - save the careful work for your leaders.",[10,121,122,123,127],{},"When you are happy with the palette, ",[36,124,126],{"href":125},"/tools/scheme-generator?color=3a3230","open this scheme in the generator"," to swap paints between brands, nudge the mood or add a secondary colour.",{"title":129,"searchDepth":130,"depth":130,"links":131},"",2,[132,133,134,135,136],{"id":16,"depth":130,"text":17},{"id":23,"depth":130,"text":24},{"id":49,"depth":130,"text":50},{"id":75,"depth":130,"text":76},{"id":92,"depth":130,"text":93},"2026-07-04","A guide to painting the Heretic Legion for Trench Crusade - scorched near-black uniforms, rust, tarnished brass and gore, built with washes and heavy weathering.","md","Heretic Legion",null,"#3a3230","Scorched black cloth, rusted iron and tarnished brass, drowned in filth",{},true,"/factions/trench-crusade-heretic-legion",{"title":5,"description":138},"factions/trench-crusade-heretic-legion","trench-crusade","oZHRzF78NwNoQPQ3hWG4k-sV_6Edzx7i789f2a8S9MI"]