I have a problem that most hobbyists don’t have. I realised I had an issue when I raided my bits box for a Chaos Space Marine model to test paint a few ideas. I just needed to paint a single leg, maybe a little trim, to dial in the paint scheme for my Horus Heresy Iron Warriors. Well, it didn’t go to plan, and I’ll explain why in today’s blog post. I’ll also share my complete painting guide on how to paint an Iron Warriors Chaos Space Marine Sorcerer.


What’s my problem?
The trouble I have is that I finish models. This is quite rare among the pile of shame connoisseurs and wargamers who play with the “grey tide”. I only wanted to test some colours out, maybe spend an hour playing around with it, and then put it back in the bits box. Oh no, not me! I have to spend a week painting the entire model. I don’t even collect 40k Iron Warriors! I’m a Black Legion collector.


To be honest, it’s a pretty good problem to have. Look how cool the model turned out! I’m really happy I spent the extra time to finish it. Annoyingly, though, since it was a bitz box spare parts miniature, it was damaged. The ornate top of the staff had some spikes missing. I considered cutting all the spikes off, but Dunk suggested some horns growing out of the side. I loved the idea – it felt chaotic in its asymmetrical nature.
How to Paint an Iron Warriors Chaos Space Marine Sorcerer


This Chaos Sorcerer is absolutely covered in details. There aren’t any real time saving tricks for this one such as sub assemblies or base coating the whole thing gold. You just have to grind it out, carefully painting the detail a bit at a time. It’s quite enjoyable though.
Little #wipwednesday. This is a test mini to try and dial in an Iron Warriors colour scheme. #warhammer40k pic.twitter.com/j2bzpqMc5W
— Garfy (@Garfytwit) June 25, 2025
I did use one trick with this model though, instead of gluing him to his base, I mounted him on a cork with elongated paperclips sticking out of his feet. This enabled me to reach areas the base would have blocked access to like the underside of his cape.
Am I starting a 40k Iron Warriors army then?
Short answer is no, long answer is yes, but not now. I’d love to paint some Chaos Space Marines, I think it would be cool if Games Workshop released a new Chaos Dreadnought, something the size of a Redemptor Dreadnought. It would look awesome in Iron Warrior colours.
Do you have to paint a model to completion if you start it, or is your painting area littered with incomplete projects? Let me know in the comments.







