My Warhammer 40k Blood Angels army

I assembled my first Blood Angel, Sergeant Karios, on March 10, 2020 (8th Edition), and after a few months of painting — when I decided to update my army for 9th Edition — I realized that I needed a permanent place here on Yore to record my force organization, character names, wargear, and other details. Since I write up a color guide for every unit type I paint, and reference them often, it seemed like a good idea to include links to those here as well — and heck, why not link to all my posts showcasing finished minis, too?

Since this page is essentially an omnibus compiling months of miniature painting, it’s pretty long. Here are quick links to my current army, my overall force, the color guides, and my unassembled kits.

If you enjoy this page, you might also like my other 40k pages: my Deathskulls Ork army, Moonkrumpa’s Megalootas; my Adeptus Custodes army; and my 40k terrain.

This is my first proper Warhammer 40k army — something I’ve wanted to own since I was around 10 years old. My choices are guided by the Rule of Cool (if I think it’s cool, I use it) and some sound advice from an issue of White Dwarf: Pick an army you love, and love to paint, and don’t worry about its effectiveness as 40k changes and new editions emerge.

If you have any questions about my Blood Angels army, feel free to drop me a line.

Space fascism vs. actual fascism

I love the Blood Angels because they’re so over the top: space vampires doomed to be consumed by their own bloodlust, fighting to do what they think is right despite — like all Space Marines — clearly being the bad guys.

But I love these evil little bastards because they’re a hoot, not because I agree with their values or their religious zealotry, nor with the equally evil feudal theocracy that is the Imperium of Man. Fictional villains are fun — one reason why I love horror movies so much! — and so is the gonzo, grimdark 40k universe.

I don’t take anything about the Warhammer universe seriously. But in real life? Fuck Nazis, fuck fascists, fuck bigots, fuck racists, fuck sexists, fuck misogynists, and fuck hatemongers of all stripes. 40k should be an inclusive hobby, diverse and welcoming for all — except for bigots and other hateful fuckwits. And as Games Workshop says, if you disagree you will not be missed.

First battle

Three years after I started painting them, my Blood Angels have now seen combat! On June 10, 2023, my friend Shay and I played a 9th Edition Combat Patrol that pitted my Blood Angels against his Dark Angels.

I wrote up a battle report with photos and some related noodling. This was my first game of 40k in 30 years.

Current 2,000-point army list

I started my army in March 2020 based on 8th Edition point values, and revised it for 9th Edition in August 2020. From the day I assembled my first Blood Angel, March 10, to the day I finished varnishing my final squad (November 20), it took me 255 days to complete my army. (Links go to blog posts for the finished minis.)

July 5, 2023: This list has now been updated for 10th Edition, at 1,945 points (with 55 points available for enhancements). It includes every Blood Angel I’ve painted to date except for Chaplain Arrius.

• Characters
  • Chapter Master Commander Dante (warlord), Master of the Blood Angels, Lord of the Angelic Host (Perdition and the Axe Mortalis)
• Battleline
  • Tactical Squad, Squad Karios – 2nd Company, 1st Squad – 10 Space Marines (1x heavy bolter, 1x plasma gun, 7x bolter) led by Sergeant Karios (chain sword and hand flamer)
• Dedicated Transport
  • Rhino Relentless – 2nd Company, Rhino #3 – Dedicated transport for Squad Karios (storm bolter)
    • It’s worth painting up and attaching a hunter-killer missile, since they’re free now and they look cool.
• Other datasheets
  • Assault Squad with Jump Packs, Squad Adamo – 2nd Company, 9th Squad – 4 Assault Marines with Jump Packs (4x chain sword and bolt pistol) led by Sergeant Adamo (eviscerator)
  • Death Company Marines with Jump Packs, Squad Zahariel – 5 Space Marines; named for Sergeant Zahariel, who fell to the Black Rage and is part of this squad (5x bolt pistol and chainsword)
  • Furioso Dreadnought Turiel – 2nd Company, Dreadnought #1 (heavy frag cannon, Furioso fist, storm bolter)
  • Infiltrator Squad, Squad Dolos – 2nd Company, 3rd Squad – 4 Space Marines led by Sergeant Dolos (5x marksman bolt carbine), helix gauntlet, comms array
  • Land Raider Crusader Judgment – 1st Company, Land Raider #7 – Dedicated transport for Squad Adamo (2x hurricane bolters, assault cannon, multi-melta)
    • As with my Rhino, it might be worth going back and painting the freebies: hunter-killer missile, storm bolter).
  • Librarian Dreadnought Narses (Blood Lance, storm bolter, Furioso fist, Furioso force halberd)
  • Scout Sniper Squad, Squad Cain – 10th Company – 4 Scouts led by Sergeant Cain (5x sniper rifle)
  • Sternguard Veterans, Squad Amedeo – 1st Company, 2rd Squad – 5 Sternguard (3x Sternguard bolt rifle, 1x combi-flamer) led by Sergeant Amedeo (Sternguard bolt rifle)
    • Sgt. Amadeo is modeled with a power sword because I built him when that was an option; now it’s just a generic close combat weapon.
  • Terminator Assault Squad, Squad Barakiel – 1st Company, 1st Squad – 4 Terminators led by Sergeant Barakiel (5x thunder hammer and storm shield), 1 teleport homer
  • Terminator Squad, Squad Ultio – 1st Company, 2nd Squad – 4 Terminators (1x assault cannon and power fist, 2x storm bolter and chainfist, 1x storm bolter and power fist) led by Sergeant Ultio (storm bolter and power weapon), 1 teleport homer

Complete army (everything I’ve painted)

This is a simple record of every painted Blood Angel I own. My army is WYSIWYG to a reasonable standard (i.e. my Furioso Dreadnought has a decorative light mounted where his smoke launcher would go, but the unit has a smoke launcher by default; he’s got one, it’s just not visible — just like Space Marine Bolt Pistols), so I’ve noted their wargear choices where applicable. Links to go blog posts for finished minis.

In terms of lore and related guiding principles:

• My army is post-Devastation of Baal, so Primaris units have joined the chapter and wargear is freshly repaired, painted, etc.
• Their bases represent the plains of Armageddon
• Every base includes at least one scenic element (usually several)
• Everyone wears a helmet
• No two figures are exact duplicates (even with identical poses, at least one thing is different)
• All “special” figures and squad leaders are named
• I follow the rule of thumb that 90%+ of the mini is GW parts

My names are generally a mix of Latin words, angel names, Italian words, and names from Renaissance Italy, and I bounce them off a list of Blood Angels names to make sure I’m not using a well-known character. I try to follow the canon force organization as much as possible.

A unit with a bold name is one I’ve finished painting; the link goes to their page of lightbox photos. Units in italics are placeholders, and they fall into two general categories: named characters/squads I’m planning to paint, and reminders of the force organization (for example, I’ve decided that the 9th and 10th Squads are close support).

Chapter Command

• Chapter Master, Commander Dante, Master of the Blood Angels, Lord of the Angelic Host
• Librarian Dreadnought Narses
• Chaplain Arrius
• Chaplain Calabrath (Chaplain with Jump Pack model)
• Sanguinary Guard, Squad Remiel

Death Company

• Death Company Marines with Jump Packs, Squad Zahariel

1st Company, “Archangels”

• Captain Arenos Karlaen, Shield of Baal
• 1st Lieutenant – TBD
• 2nd Lieutenant – TBD
• Unnamed Terminator Ancient (combining the banner and other bits from my Terminator kits with spare Termie bits, notably Captain Karlaen’s torso, that I bought on Ebay)
• 1st Squad, veterans – Terminator Assault Squad, Squad Barakiel
• 2nd Squad, veterans – Terminator Squad, Squad Ultio
• 3rd Squad, veterans – Sternguard Veterans, Squad Amedeo
• 4th Squad, veterans
• 5th Squad, veterans
• 6th Squad, veterans
• 7th Squad, veterans
• 8th Squad, veterans
• 9th Squad, veterans
• 10th Squad, veterans
• Contemptor Dreadnought Duro – Dreadnought #TBD
• Land Raider Crusader Judgment – Land Raider #7 – Dedicated transport for Squad Amadeo

2nd Company, “The Blooded”

• Captain Donatos Aphael, Master of the Watch (kitbash of elements from the Blood Angels Tactical Squad box and the standalone Space Marine Commander kit)
• 1st Lieutenant – TBD
• 2nd Lieutenant – TBD
• 1st Squad, battleline – Tactical Squad, Squad Karios
• 2nd Squad, battleline – Tactical Squad, Squad Caedes
  • Under 10th Edition rules, this squad needs another 5 Marines (which I haven’t painted yet).
• 3rd Squad, battleline – Infiltrators, Squad Dolos
  • This squad is currently 7 strong; I have the remaining 3 to make a 10-man squad an option.
• 4th Squad, battleline – TDB, Squad Parato
• 5th Squad, battleline – TBD
• 6th Squad, battleline – TBD
• 7th Squad, fire support – Eradicator Squad, Squad Abaoz – 2 Eradicators (2x melta rifle) led by Sergeant Kinmar Abaoz (melta rifle)
• 8th Squad, fire support – TBD
• 9th Squad, close support – Assault Marines, Squad Adamo – 5 Assault Marines with Jump Packs led by Sergeant Adamo (Eviscerator; 4x Chain Sword and Bolt Pistol)
• 10th Squad, close support – TBD
• Furioso Dreadnought Turiel – Dreadnought #1
  • Alternate arm with Furioso fist/heavy flamer also painted.
• Redemptor Dreadnought Feo – Dreadnought #TBD
• Rhino Relentless – Rhino #3 – Dedicated transport for Squad Karios

3rd Company, “Ironhelms”

• 10th Squad, close support – Space Marine Bikers, Squad Ariete – 3 Space Marines on Assault Bikes led by Sergeant Ariete (chain sword, 2x bolt pistols)

10th Company, “Redeemers”

• Scout Sniper Squad, Squad Cain

The canon force organization calls for 10-person squads, with 100 battle-brothers per company, but I’m filling out my companies as I go so some squads have fewer than 10 members.

Color guide links

One thing I’ve learned from the ebb and flow of my interest in painting miniatures over the years is that it’s good to plan for periods of dormancy and renewal. To that end, I write a color guide for every unit type I paint.

These are based on Citadel’s Parade Ready color guides on the GW website, sometimes tweaked by me, generally in the format [base coat] > [shade/wash] > [layer] > [layer]. I don’t drybrush much on my Angels, so if I’ve used that technique it’s noted in the guide.

July 2023: New baseline color guide

• General Blood Angels color guide for all units

Older color guides

My plan is to update the guide above rather than making a fresh one for every type of unit, but these older ones are still useful. My current painting style differentiates between all-over and pin washes, among other things, so the guides below don’t entirely reflect how I paint these days.

• Assault Squad (and bases)
• Bases (“plains of Armageddon”)
• Chaplain with jump pack
• Chaplain with skull helmet
• Commander Dante
• Death Company (and bases)
• Furioso Dreadnought (and base)
• Hazard stripes step by step and notes about vehicle hazard stripes and washing/highlighting them
• Land Raider Crusader (also assembly order), and see the retouch post for examples of why a light touch on the orange is good
• Librarian Dreadnought (also has one just for his base)
• Primaris Infiltrators
• Redemptor Dreadnought and his base
• Rhino
• Scouts
• Tactical Squad (also my guide for “general Blood Angels”)
• Terminator Assault Squad

Unassembled kits

It’s fun to have plans, so this list catalogs the Space Marine kits I own but haven’t built yet (what some folks call their “pile of shame,” which has never made much sense to me).

Preordering a second-wave Indomitus box is what made me realize that I needed this list. It’s a simple way to keep track of what I might want to work on next, figure out what I’m missing, and avoid accidentally picking up duplicate models.

Classic Marines

• Assault Squad: 5x Assault Marines
• Attack Bike: 1x Attack Bike
• Chaplain: Terminator Chaplain Tarentus
• Death Company: 5x Death Company Marines
• Devastator Squad: 5x Devastators
• Furioso Dreadnought: 1x of Librarian, Furioso, or Death Company Dread
• Kitbashes/loose figures:
  • 1x Terminator Ancient
  • 1x Captain Aphael
• Razorback: 1x Razorback or Rhino
• Start Collecting: Blood Angels:
  • 1x Baal Predator
  • 1x Captain Karlaen
  • 10x Blood Angels Space Marines
• Sternguard Veteran Squad: 5x Sternguard
• Stormhawk Interceptor: 1x Stormhawk or Stormtalon
• Tactical Squad: 5x vanilla Space Marines (the back half of Squad Caedes)
• Terminator Assault Squad: 5x BA-specific close-combat Termies
• Terminator Assault Squad: 5x BA-specific close-combat Termies
• Terminator Assault Squad: 5x vanilla close-combat Termies
• Vanguard Veteran Squad: 5x veteran Assault Marines
• Vindicator: 1x Vindicator

Primaris Marines

• Blood Angels Combat Patrol:
  • 1x Librarian
  • 5x Intercessors
  • 5x Incursors (or Infiltrators)
    • I’ve built 2 of these 5 to round out Squad Dolos, but have 2 bodies courtesy of Ebay to bring the CP box back up to the full 5. Probably Incursors, since I have 10 Infiltrators.
  • 3x Aggressors
  • 1x Impulsor
• Hellblasters: 10x Blood Angels-specific Hellblasters
• Indomitus:
  • 1x Captain
  • 1x Lieutenant
  • 1x Chaplain
  • 1x Judiciar
  • 3x Bladeguard Veterans
  • 1x Bladeguard Ancient
  • 3x Eradicators
    • Being assembled as of July 2023
  • 10x Assault Intercessors
  • 3x Outriders
• Invictor Tactical Warsuit: 1x Invictor
• Invictor Tactical Warsuit: 1x Invictor
• Primaris Infiltrators: 4x primed and partially based, of which I only need 3 to bring Squad Dolos up from 7 to 10
• Redemptor Dreadnought: 1x Redemptor
• Repulsor: 1x Repulsor