The Lion's Little Legion

After the command units and Rhinos, the real work began — the Tactical and Devastator squads that make up the backbone of the 3rd Company.

Painting Approach

For weapons, I went with Pro Acryl Burgundy as a base, followed by a layer of Pro Acryl Burnt Red, then Scale 75 Trash Metal for the metalwork. A Vallejo Black Wash tied it all together, muting the shine and giving them the battle-worn edge I wanted.

Chest aquilas were done with Pro Acryl Khaki, washed with Army Painter Strong Tone, which helps them stand out against the dark armor without being overly bright.

I debated skipping the eyes at this scale, but I couldn’t resist — they add too much life to leave blank. Each marine also received the 3rd Company kneepad stripe, a nice unifying touch that the 4th Company won’t share (their checkerboard motif seems too much for the scale).

Each squad sergeant got a banner marked with their squad number and some freehand embellishment — some came out better than others, but the variation feels authentic for a company of veterans and battle-brothers.

I knew painting this many marines would be repetitive, but the weapons nearly broke me. Eighty guns, one after another — prime, base, wash, touch-up, repeat. It became a kind of endurance test more than a creative act. 

so I guess I have that to look forward to in each other company…

My own clumsy hands claimed a few casualties: two squads had upright-held bolters snap off, and one of the Devastator squads suffered multiple weapon breaks. The bolters were unrecoverable, but at this scale you’d barely notice unless you’re inspecting the base up close. The Devastators were easier to fix — a little glue and they were battle-ready again. Thankfully, nothing needed reprinting or replacement.

The hardest part wasn’t the painting itself — it was fighting my instinct to over-detail. I had to remind myself constantly that this project is about speed and cohesion, not individual display pieces. That, and the sheer repetition of it all. Keeping focus across dozens of nearly identical models is its own challenge.

Progress has been slower than hoped; real life has stolen more hobby time than I’d like. Still, with the 3rd Company almost finished — just two Dreadnoughts, two Predator tanks, and two Assault Marine squads left to complete — I’m getting close to the finish line before moving on to the 4th Company.

The Payoff

The cohesion across the force at this stage looks fantastic.

Despite the grind, I’m proud of the progress. My ADHD hasn’t derailed me, which honestly feels like an achievement in itself. Momentum’s still there, and seeing the company arrayed in full has reignited the motivation for the next stages.

It’s time to be realistic about the likely timelines and this is probably going to go on well past my birthday, but a reduced goal of painting two full companies by December seems achievable with the full chapter still being the aim.