Massive Adeptus Custodes Army – Everything painted in NMM – Part 1 of 3

After over a year of dedication, countless hours, and more painted Non-Metallic Metal gold than I ever want to see again, I finally get to show off one of our most ambitious commissions to date: a complete Adeptus Custodes army painted to our highest Level 5 quality standard.

The Golden Challenge

When this commission first landed on my painting table, I knew it would be something special. The Adeptus Custodes, the Emperor’s personal guardians, are known for their iconic golden armor and this client wanted the entire army rendered in Non-Metallic Metal (NMM) gold with metallic accents. Each miniature became a labour of love, with individual models taking anywhere from several days to weeks to complete depending on their complexity.

What’s Coming in This Series

This army is far too impressive to squeeze into a single post, so I’m breaking the showcase into three parts:

Part 1 (This Post): The Infantry: The golden backbone of the army Part 2 (Coming Soon): The Elite Units: Dreadnoughts and terminators Part 3 (Coming Soon): The Vehicles: Grav-tanks and the centerpiece Valdor display

The Complete Army Roster

Here’s what the commission consisted of:

HQ & Characters:

• Plastic Valdor
• Forgeworld Valdor on Display Base
• Shield Captain on Gyrfalcon Pattern Jetbike
• Blade Champion

Troops & Elites:

• 25 Custodian Guard
• 10 Custodian Wardens
• 8 Allarus Custodians Terminators
• 12 Legio Custodes Aquilon Terminators

Fast Attack:

• 6 Legio Custodes Custodian Venatari
• 6 Custodes Vertus Praetors on Jetbikes

Heavy Support:

• 4 Legio Custodes Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnoughts
• 1 Legio Custodes Telemon Heavy Dreadnought

Vehicles:

• 2 Pallas Grav-attack Vehicles
• Caladius Grav-tank Annihilator
• Caladius Grav-tank
• Coronus Grav-carrier

The Infantry: The golden backbone of the army

Shield Captain on Gyrfalcon Pattern Jetbike

Blade Champion

6 Legio Custodes Custodian Venatari

25 Custodian Guard

10 Custodian Wardens

The Technical Approach

Every model in this army received the same careful attention to detail:

Basing: Consistent dirt and grass bases throughout, creating a unified battlefield aesthetic while keeping the focus on the golden warriors themselves.

Weathering: The vehicles received subtle soot and engine wear but were to be kept clean and no battle damage, carefully applied to enhance realism without compromising the NMM effects I worked so hard to achieve.

Special Effects: Key characters, particularly the Forgeworld Valdor on his display base, feature Object Source Lighting (OSL) from base-mounted flames, placing these heroes in the heat of battle and giving some interesting lighting to the miniature.

A Golden Reflection

I’ll be honest, I’m incredibly proud of how this army turned out, but I’m also relieved to finally paint something that isn’t gold! After a year of perfecting NMM techniques on nearly 100 miniatures, I’m ready to explore other colours again. That said, the skills developed during this commission have elevated my painting to new heights.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where we’ll dive into the massive Dreadnoughts and the intimidating Aquilon Terminators that form the army’s heavy-hitting core.

Have questions about NMM techniques or commission work? Drop them in the comments below!