When did the Traitor Legions change colour?

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**JohnnoM**

When did the Traitor Legions change the colour of their armour? During the heresy? Afterward, or both?

How gradual of a change was it, like, did it happen slowly or did the entire legion ( e.g. the Thousand Sons) change the colour of their armour at the same time?

Also, would it be correct to the fluff to have a traitor army with either a) Armour with different coloured parts ( E.g. Thousand Sons with red helmet, blue torso etc) or b) Have an army with units composed of marines with both the old and new colours?

**GimbleMuggernaught**

THe only one I know about is the Black Legion. They painted their armour back under Abbadon's guidance shortly after either the siege of Terra or losing Horus' body (can't remember), as a mark of their shame.

I've also wondered about this. I always assumed the World Eaters never actually painted their armour. It just became stained red from all the blood they spill.

**Sir Samuel Buca**

I know the Word Bearers changed theirs just before the battle of Calth if that helps.

**PredaKhaine**

I believe the word bearers changed theirs when they turned (Possibly starting with the Gal Vorbak IIRC)

And I'm sure Gimblemuggernought is right on the World Eaters - they were white and blue. They just never washed the armour...

**usedboltershell**

The word bearers changed sometime between get told off by by the big E and battle of calth.

death guard arent really a colour change its more of a rot stain to there armour.

emperoers childern just paint there armour to what ever colour they fancy as in the BB books some have had black and other rainbow colours that move and change shade with armour.

iron warriors and alpha legion have just kept the same colours

**Jimsolo**

Night Lords also kept the same color they had always used (since the they became the Night Lords, anyhow) didn't they?

**PredaKhaine**

Jimsolo wrote:
Night Lords also kept the same color they had always used (since the they became the Night Lords, anyhow) didn't they?

Thats a good point - we know some legions had different names before they found their primarch (ie the dusk raiders became the death guard) So what about the rest? has it just not been covered yet or is there something I've missed in a book somewhere?

**usedboltershell**

yeah some of the legions had different names re primarch, warhounds became world eaters and as predakhaine dusk raiders became death guard.

i think the FW heresy books will cover this more as they have provided a good history for the istvaan 3 legions including there pre primarch names and colour schemes, though in most its just one image.

**xSPYXEx**

GimbleMuggernaught wrote:
THe only one I know about is the Black Legion. They painted their armour back under Abbadon's guidance shortly after either the siege of Terra or losing Horus' body (can't remember), as a mark of their shame.

I think the Sons of Horus changed to the Black Legion almost immediately after disposing of Horus' body, which was about as soon as they hid in the Eye of Terror. And IIRC, the black paint of shame was because of how Horus royally screwed them over.

Night Lords and Iron Warriors never really changed their colors either. The Alpha Legion did slightly, but that was probably more from just ten thousand years of trickerydickery than them sitting down and discussing what their new colors should be. Death Guard just got stained by decay, and the Emperor's Children just became more extravagent as Slaanesh corrupted them. Not sure about the other legions, though.

**ThatEdGuy**

I didn't realize that DG never actually changed their colors, but this makes me really happy because my DG army is painted in their original colors, but really dirty.

**shimraa**

The black leggion changed twice. First they went from a cream white to green once they became the sons of horus when Horus was named Warmaster. Then after Abbadon took control after Horus died, they went black.

General rule of thumb for the other legions is they changed the colros when they converted to chaos. I know it holds for Words bearers, Thousand Sons. The world eaters more or less changed once they turned on their own the cleanse their legion and the rest of the Istavan campaign. I think GW went for the theatrical image of shedding their legion colors as they shed their loyalty. Don the new colors as they don new masters.

**Weltenwolf**

shimraa wrote:General rule of thumb for the other legions is they changed the colros when they converted to chaos. I know it holds for Words bearers, Thousand Sons.

Ahriman: Exile points at a different cause.

Spoiler:

**Wyrmalla**

Ahriman and his covenant are even shown to have painted over their armour in one image (with the original red showing through where its been worn). Note the backpack banners with the original legion symbols being changed into chaotic ones.

**Che-Vito**

< Taken by the void dragon. >

**More Dakka**

Luna Wolves changed from grey to green when they became the Sons of Horus, and then went black after the battle of terra (they never went back)

Emperor's Children didn't change their colours so much as added more and more vibrant/hideous/disgusting/delicious colours as time went on.