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Is there much opinion for or against this? I've been stumped for months on how to paint my tyranid swarm. I finally decided on an Alienids scheme, but as I'm "too cool for drybrushing" as someone at my FLGS once said, I've been layering the colours. I've painted up one gaunt squad but I'm about ready to call it quits on that. So then, I thought about going back to my old scheme, red gore/blood red with green detail and carapaces painted bone. Which got me to my current point. What would people think if I simply up and swiped the "hive fleet moloch" colour scheme? (for reference: )


I know people frequently copy GW paint schemes (it's what they're there for) but what's the stance on copying other gamers, especially ones whose armies are so well known?

Discuss.

They're your models, and yours to paint anyway you like. I can't imagine anyone giving you grief about your models looking like anyone elses' since 1/2 of all SM chapters look alike. =p

As long as you don't know them personnally it's all good is what I think.

Although I made my own paintscheme with my main army

Thanks for the swift replies guys. I'm not planning on stealing the whole shebang, just the basic premise of red skin, black armour, green slimy bits. Moloch has quite a technique to his models, and I won't be copying/imitating that if I go through with this colour scheme. But it seems like people are fairly indifferent towards the idea, which, I suppose, is what I wanted.

I would only be frustrated if it was someone i regularly gamed with, but thats because i like to have my army stand out. If someone copied my scheme as they saw it on the net, i'd be chuffed to know someone thought it was cool enough to put on there models.

Ktulhut wrote: just the basic premise of red skin, black armour, green slimy bits.

Isn't that the whole shebang?

I don't really care if someone copy pastes someone elses sceme and if it's cool on his minis it's cool on your minis too (unless it's blue, blue is no longer cool).

illuknisaa wrote:

Ktulhut wrote: just the basic premise of red skin, black armour, green slimy bits.

Isn't that the whole shebang?

I don't really care if someone copy pastes someone elses sceme and if it's cool on his minis it's cool on your minis too (unless it's blue, blue is no longer cool).

I'd say no, because Moloch paints stripes and pigments onto his, and uses quite specific shades of red and green. I'd say that I'm paraphrasing rather than quoting his work, if you follow.

In my opinion there are roughly 10 colours/shades

Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Purple
Pink
Brown
Dark
Light

While there is some leeway, most colours will fall into one of these general categories. If we were to say that a colour scheme has 3 of those colours, then we have 10^3 possible schemes which is 1000.

It's actually not that many, and you can bet at least half of them are ugly.

So all the good colour schemes have almost certainly been used before somewhere. Any scheme you can come up with will probably turn out to already be a national flag, or a football team, or a school uniform.

It's unfair for anyone to claim you copied a scheme, because there are so few possible schemes, that you are bound to end up close to something just by chance.

I think you should go with whatever colours work for you. Don't let the fact that someone else has done something similar already stifle your creativity... Most things have been done before.

Good post SmackCakes. Makes me feel a lot better about the entire enterprise.

That's a cool theme, so I think it'd be pretty cool for someone to copy it

Imitation is the highest form of flattery, if someone thought an idea of mine was good enough to copy I'd be pretty flattered...provided they didn't take credit for it

I have to agree with every1 else, go for it!

It might be "copying" but thats coz it works.

I know the colour scheme iv came up with for my Tau army isnt unique but im gonna go ahead with it anyway

Go for it. Be open about where you got the idea, and no one can accuse you of being a weasel. And besides, I'll bet yours don't end up looking quite the same as Moloch anyway, regardless of your painting skills.

Hell, I am stealling the entire paint scheme from Aduro's Skink army. It's that good. (Please don't hurt me)

Go for it, why not? They're yours and as long as they're a bit different to your regular opponents armies then it shouldn't matter.

BrotherOmas wrote:Imitation is the highest form of flattery, if someone thought an idea of mine was good enough to copy I'd be pretty flattered

This. I think it would be awesome if someone stole my color scheme. As long as they didn't paint theirs better than mine.

Seems like most posters are in the same boat. If it's someone yo game with often, a bit irritating I would think. Otherwise it's generally accepted as OK.

When you start to think about colors, primary, secondary and tertiary you get a look at the pallet. Pretty sure many people here dabble in art of some sort, I am sure you all have seen a color wheel now and again. When you choose a main color, you have complimentary colors on the color wheel that are located opposite of it. So if your army is to be eye catching, and you chose the same base color as another, chances are your other colors will follow as well. I would hardly say it is copying someones scheme, unless you use the same details, highlights, and poses. I would say it's just using whats visually pleasing.

You can Google complimentary colors and get the color wheel or chart.

I've got a UE certificate in art actually.

If it was my scheme you started using I'd be really happy, it would mean that my army gets bigger!

I "stole" Sebastian Stuart's (Shas'el Tael) urban scheme for his Tau. I don't see what the big deal is, do people copyright their schemes or something? Do people have to be unique that badly?

No. For some reason there's a sentiment that you should either invent a "unique" colour scheme or copy a GW one, around here. I was mostly curious as to weather this was local meta-game BS or a wider opinion. Thankfully I got the answer I wanted, and have basecoated and washed my first 20 gaunts and a carnifex, with 20 more gaunts and 5 warriors on the way.

Actually I've seen people get a lot of crap for using GW schemes, too. You have to be unique, that's what the hobby is all about!!!11

Is that online, or IRL? Or both? I've only really seen people cop grief for using GW schemes when it's ultramarines.

Red body and black carapace? That can't really be considered "copying" at all, "red and black" is one of the most common color scheme for something that's supposed to be intimidating.

Green slimy bits? That's a little more imitative, but slimy and green just work well together.

Honestly, I don't see how this could be construed as some sort of cop out, or lack of creativity. It's much too broad.

Honestly, I don't see how this could be construed as some sort of cop out, or lack of creativity. It's much too broad.

Yeah but you know the type of people who hang out at GW stores (the only place I can game much other than my garage). "Oh, I saw that scheme on dakka/in the apoc book/on google, you stole it. Blah, blah blah" <-- while their army is either not painted or painted like a piece of sh*t in horrid "original" colours.

SmackCakes wrote:In my opinion there are roughly 10 colours/shades

Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Purple
Pink
Brown
Dark
Light

While there is some leeway, most colours will fall into one of these general categories. If we were to say that a colour scheme has 3 of those colours, then we have 10^3 possible schemes which is 1000.

It's actually not that many, and you can bet at least half of them are ugly.

So all the good colour schemes have almost certainly been used before somewhere. Any scheme you can come up with will probably turn out to already be a national flag, or a football team, or a school uniform.

It's unfair for anyone to claim you copied a scheme, because there are so few possible schemes, that you are bound to end up close to something just by chance.

I think you should go with whatever colours work for you. Don't let the fact that someone else has done something similar already stifle your creativity... Most things have been done before.

Btzzz math fail.

10 Choose 3 regardless of order is (10!)/(7!/3!) or (10x9x8)/(3x2x1) which is 720/6 or 120 possible schemes.

Ktulhut wrote:Is that online, or IRL? Or both? I've only really seen people cop grief for using GW schemes when it's ultramarines.

Online. Don't really play enough 40k to get grief from people IRL.

Whether 10 different primary colors leads to 120 schemes or 1000 color schemes, assuming half are ugly (which is a fair assumption) in either event, by the time we have either 61st (or 501st) gamer they have someone else's scheme. In any event, red & black is not exactly a rare pattern. If I sound defensive, it's because all of my video game characters in MMOG's have generally worn black armor with red highlights since 1999. Nothing new under the sun, so do what you like.

ChrisCP wrote:Btzzz math fail.

10 Choose 3 regardless of order is (10!)/(7!/3!) or (10x9x8)/(3x2x1) which is 720/6 or 120 possible schemes.

But it isn't really Regardless of order, because most schemes have a dominant colour. You can't really say a Black Marine with Red trim is the Same as a Red Marine with Black trim.

And it's probably going to be more than 1000 because Gold isn't really Yellow, and Cream isn't really White etc... Depending on how you divide colours up the exact number of schemes could be anywhere between 2 and Infinite. But 1000 Seemed like a good ball park figure before you start seeing 'generally' similar schemes.

in either event, by the time we have either 61st (or 501st) gamer they have someone else's scheme

Indeed, you just have to look at Space Marines, which are traditionally all one colour. GW pretty much used all the colour schemes up with the first 18, never mind 501st. I know people have tried to be more original and use half and half schemes, and different coloured bits of armour and even camo... But it doesn't surprise me that many people just opt to go with a GW scheme. If you like red... Might as well be Blood Angels.

There is no problem with it what so ever, I copy styles and techniques all the time, its what dakka is for, sharing ideas. I don't know about you but the whole reason I come to the forums is to see things that I think that I'd like to have a go at.