With the new edition of Horus Heresy on the horizon and all of us frothing at the mouth over the return of Big Pauldrons, I wanted to tackle the big problem: what if your favourite 40k chapter flat-out doesn’t exist in 30k? In this video I walk you through my little 40k-to-30k checklist—how to make your beloved weird little guys fit the era without just ignoring the setting. We talk lore first (because it informs everything), then a heresy-appropriate design plan, optional artwork mockups, and finally a paint scheme that’s fast enough to actually finish an army. To prove the method works, I send my favourite chapter—the Rainbow Warriors—back to the 31st millennium by making them Blackshields. That gives you a lore-respectful framework to keep the mystery, shame, and “are they loyal… are they not?” vibes, while still looking like they belong in Heresy. I also show my super simple metallic black recipe (dark silver base, then a 60/40 Wildwood + Black Templar contrast wash, then bright silver edge highlights and chipping), plus sponge weathering to reveal the bright blue beneath. Then I dirty them up with that classic Heresy/Forge World grime so they feel properly grimdark on the tabletop.