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When the Necron codex dropped 4th quarter last year, I drooled over the new rules and models, but couldn’t dedicate any real time to them as I had 2 commissions to grind through before I could allow any goodies for myself. With my commissions done (on the most part), it’s time to break ground and paint myself a 40K army!

I found a paint scheme in the new codex that I thought was pretty damn smexy. I broke it down to its component colors and drafted a scheme that was easy to replicate:





Since then, I’ve tested the scheme on some different/larger kits with impressive results:



Now it’s time to draft an army!

Some of you may be familiar with my Army of Arkhan the Black project for Tomb Kings last year, so you should find my methodology recognizable. If you are not, I’ll make it simple: I’m quite compulsive…

Army List:
Details below.

Color Scheme:
Body Primary – Flat Black highlighted with VMC Basalt Grey (70869) and VMC Sky Grey (70989).
Body Secondary – GW Foundation Dheneb Stone highlighted with VMC Ivory (70918).
Glowing Bits – VGC Magic Blue (72021) highlighted with white.

Notes – Notice there are no metals in this scheme. Why would a culture as old as the Necrotyr rely on metallic compounds instead of synthesized alloys? GW’s metal scheme is completely uninspired! Is my nerd side showing?

Current Model Range Concerns
Warriors – Not a fan of these guys. Won’t be using too many.
Spiders – I have a conversion idea for these. Give me a few days…
Scarabs – I’m not a fan of warriors so I’ll be getting these elsewhere.
Crypteks – Converted from the Praetorian kit.

Notes – Other then waiting on the remaining kits to be released (Night Scythes), I’ll have plenty to work on till GW decides my money is worth taking.


Army List
Normally I build an army out of the stuff I thought was cool to paint. This ‘technique’ has gotten me in trouble more then once so this time I’m doing it right!

My last commission was a FW Librarian for resident gaming guru Tony Kopach. My payment was for him to craft me an army list and kick my ass until I learned to use it correctly. Fair trade in my eyes.

Until the Night Scythe is released I’ll be building a modified “Death by Scarab” list with the Traveler, foot-slogging Immortals with Crypteks, and one metric arse-load of spiders & scarabs.

I’ll also be adding in some fun stuff along the way.

Shawn G. (SoI)

Thanks!

I've been picking a this scheme slightly for about a month now, I'm just making it a official army project.

Here's what's been done so far:

Crypteks


C'Tan


Group Shot


Shawn G.

@ Brotheralexos - Thank you. I wanted it to look beautiful yet cold and soulless.

@ Medabee - Glad you like! Wait till you see the Ark I'm working on...

@ Kenshin620 - The C'Tan is my favorite model so far, but I'm not worried by the ravings of TFG. He will only be pulled out for friendly games.

@ Swordwind - Thank you. Glad you like.

@ sparkywtf - Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed my other plogs. Send me some picks of your TK stuff. I'd love to see what you did. That's my favorite WHF army and likely my huge draw to this army.

@ Nrljm - Thanks. Most of the matte look comes from the primer I use. The flat VMC Black I have is actually 'darker' if that's possible.

@ Jimsolo - The cyan glow was what drew me to this scheme. It's beautiful, but sterile. The C'Tan is a Bow Ushabti (Bo'Shabti) from the Tomb King line.

@ Shredsmore - Glad you like. Adventure TIme owns BTW.

Shawn G. (SoI)


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I've been pretty damn busy these last few days with little time for this project. Here's some WiP's of what I have been working on.



Here's a template for a Deathmark unit. Looks pretty good!



I really liked the nmm Brass I did for the C'Tan, and I wanted to bring that into my cadre for this army. The brass adds a little royalty to the big wigs without taking too much from the cold sterile look I like in this scheme.



I'll say this now, the Necron Ark kit is the most diabolical kit I have ever had to do. This scheme forces me to paint then assemble so the more parts, the longer it takes to finish. The D-Ark has 35 pieces to paint prior to assembly (painting my way). The G-Ark would have another 20+ pieces to do. Needless to say, I'll probably won't be doing many of these kits...

Shawn G. (SoI)

Thanks all!

Goresaw wrote:I love the color scheme and the very crisp paint job.

HOWEVER, I don't so much like the layout of the colors on the doomsday ark pilot. The white crest makes it the focus of the driver instead of the face. So it makes him look like the has a funny haircut or a bonnet. (or he's an old lady with rollers in her hair pointing at those young whippersnapper marines on his tombworld lawn).

I'd swap the face and the crest colors to improve the overall look. Just my 2cents.

But again, absolutely fantastic models and paint scheme.

Hmmm. You make a darned good point. Although grandma necron on her high tech super scooter does make me laugh. I'll look into it.

Shawn G.

Some may be familiar with this design from my Tomb Kings army. I picked up another Hirst mold (#91) and I’m considering using this make-up for my spiders. While I like the look, I’m not quite sold on the idea. The base turned out awesome though!





I call them menhir and my design concept is they are conduit points where scarabs can be teleported in from some pocket dimension or buried tomb world. I’m still knocking around the idea of using scarabs or a mass of some other geo-shape to represent them. Not quite sure.



I have to resend my previous statement about the Ghost/Doomsday Ark being the most diabolical kit I ever had to build. This bastard takes the cake…







So much design thinking had to go into building this thing. I first had to build the base keeping how the stalker was going to snake through it in mind. I then had to build the stalker section-by-section, then leg-by-leg, constantly repositioning it on the base to make sure it looked right.

It’s awesome, but hateful. So. Very. Hateful.

Do you want to know what the really sad part is? I have another one to build...



Shawn G. (SoI)

Thanks.

I'll be adding some scarabs to the base to bring it closer to the model line. I'm also going to work on building some true scarab swarm bases today.

Shawn G. (SoI)

I'll be back on this project shortly. I've spent the last week saving the galaxy from the Reapers...

Shawn G. (SoI)

So the 2 weeks last week were consumed with me saving the galaxy from the Reapers. Damn it I love ME…

With that out of my system, I’ve knuckled down and built all my troops (for the most part) so I can start to crank out my infantry. I also want to actually try the army out and let my friend Dave destroy me with his GK. It’s a damn strange thing to watch your army fight another of your armies…

Here’s what I’ve been busy with:



While I'm not a big fan of the warrior kit, I did pick up a few boxes to get some scarabs. May as well paint a squad.



A gambl'in mans gun for a gambl'n mans game. Tesla Immortals. F-Yeah!



The Overlord kit is nice, but I really wish they made this out of plastic. It screams “I’m going to break and piss you off nicely in the not so distant future.”





I’m also trying out a new design for my Crypteks. Slightly larger, but it looks really good.


I’ll have some paint work to post shortly as well.

Stay tuned!

Shawn G. (SoI)

Kevin949 wrote:The overlords ARE plastic in the CCB kit.

I know and do have one partially painted in this very thread. But the pose is very static and uninteresting. I'll likely be kit-bashing to build some custom lords in the future.

Greetifications!

Sorry for my silence lately. A combination of work and school over the last few weeks has cut into my hobby time. Here’s what I’ve been picking busy with.







First, I finally finished my Doomsday Ark. I really like this kit. I thing it’s the largest 40k model I’ve ever worked on and next to the Tomb Stalker the most complex. That said, this will likely be the last Ark I work on for a LONG while.



Next, I’ve been replicating my Tomb Spider replacements. They look good as a collective. I will probably end up keeping them unless GW releases a multiple model PLASTIC kit. A nice multi-model plastic kit that makes Spiders or Wraiths would be damn sweet. Screw Finecast. Seriously…





Finally I’ve been cranking out scarabs like mad. The initial batch looks good painted. 5 down, 35 to go...

I’ll be focusing on my troops for a while. It’s best to get the irritating repetitive stuff out of the way so you can enjoy the single sexy units.

I’ll post more as I progress.
Shawn G. (SoI)

The rider's hat does look like a bonnet.

I left it cause there would have been real trouble repainting as everything glued together.

Shawn G. (SoI)

Thanks all!

Here’s some more Thokt goodies I’ve finished this week. I have to say I grow fonder of this paint scheme with each mini finished.



First up, I’ve finished 8 more immortals. That’s 12 done out of the 32 I have built. Not bad, but still quite a bit to do.



Next up I finished the Deathmark unit I started a while back. They not only look good finished, but these bastards really can pack a punch on the tabletop. That is before they are blasted off of the table by returning fire…





Next the Overlord I was picking at. After several weeks looking at him I thing I’ll be leaving the rusted color on him to add a serious distinction between him and the standard foot troops. The warm colors of the rust really stand out as a nice contrast.





Finally here’s a Heavy Destroyer conversion I’ve had sitting around for the about a month. I really was not to fond of how the tesla cannon (A. Barge kit) looked attached to the destroyer chassis. Friends at the store I frequent liked it and told me it would come together after it was painted, and I’d be damned if they weren’t right! I love the look of this thing!

That’s all for now. I need to build some more Crypteks. Can’t have enough of those! I’ll also fashion a new Overlord from the A-Barge/Praetorian kits. The Finecast one I had broke last weekend. I won’t be making anymore Finecast purchases.

More to come as I progress.

Shawn G. (SoI)

Dr. Temujin wrote:Great job on the Overlord! Will we see a group photo of the entire army so far?

Glad you like. I'll take a group shot and post it today.

Shawn G. (SoI)

I had a build-a-thon with some friends this weekend and here's what I made:





I'm really fond of this Cryptek design, I can't wait to see them painted.



I also hammered out a new Overlord to replace the resin one that broke. I like this style even more then the first. While I enjoy painting Res Orbs, the concept of physically carrying them around on the battlefield did not work for me. I spotted this design on CMoN (Cool Mini or Not) last week and had to steal it. A wrist mounted Res Orb, made from a whittled down voidblade, is much more functional for swinging around a Warscythe.

I'm going to start on the Stalker this week. Shouldn't be hard to finish.

Shawn G. (SoI)

Not at all. I need to find where I stole it from on CMoN. Give it's creator his proper due.

@Moltar - Hey there! I've been picking at this army for a few months. Just started paying some real attention to it. It's coming along well.

@Breazer - Glad you like! Necrons are a fun game. I've had terrible luck with 40K armies (Tyranids & Daemons). The 'Crons have done well by me.

Shawn G. (SoI)

NecTrons. I like that!

I've been working on my final paper for school and preping for Adepticon so my painting time has suffered somewhat. I'm road-trippin' with some friends to Chicago and we leave Wednesday morning. I'll have my 'Crons with me for some open gaming. Can't wait!

@Skoffs - I can try to make a tutorial on my process when I get back. The troops are easy, the vehicles are another matter entirely (assembly after painting).

Shawn G. (SoI)

Thanks all!

I got back from Adepticon Sunday. I haven't had much in the way of time to get any hobby work done. I've a huge essay to complete for next week that's been eating up my time. I'll have more to post as soon as things settle down a bit.

Shawn G. (SoI)

I’ve been working on this project, but lax in my content posting. Sorry about that people!

So the new kits have been out for 2 weeks now and man are they awesome! I’ve been having a blast with these new models while I try to pin down what I want to bring to NOVA (That’s right, I’m going this year!)

Here’s part 1 of the new stuff!



The new wraith kit is amazing. Not only do these new models look good, they aren’t that hard to build. My only complaint is they kind of look like giant robotic prawn. They will be a joy to paint when I complete the unit.









And then we have this beauty. The Stalker is hands down my favorite kit out of the necron line so far. Mike suggested I mount it on a 150mm round base from Dragon Forge, and it was a brilliant suggestion. I added a resin fluorite mound from Armorcast and painted it in my army colors.

I’ll likely be getting another of these this weekend…

That’s all I have for now. The WIPs of the Spiders and Tomb Blades will be posted shortly.

Shawn G. (SoI)

Thanks all.

I really liked the way this turned out. The base and the glowing fluorite add so much dimension to the piece. My only hangup is I didn’t take extra time to add more detail to the base. Once I glued the fluorite down, I got excited, added the ballast, and ran upstairs to prime it.

I’ve ordered 2 more 150mm rounds from Dragon Forge that I will use to make some really detailed bases for additional stalkers.

Thanks dude!

I was a pleasure to meet you and Alpharius (or one of his clones). I plan on going to NOVA this year and I will be back at Adepticon next year. I hope you had as much fun as I did at the tourney.

Shawn G.

@ Skoffs - Yeah... I'll be very broke when they drop.

Though to think of it, I'm really not a fan of spam lists. I'll likely buy 2 tops.

Shawn G.

I need your opinions!

So I’ve been trying to conceptualize my display tray for this Thokt project. After finishing that badass crystal formation on the Triarch Stalker base, I’ve had a mind to make it flat yet rocky.

Here are my questions

1. Should I stick to this crystal style?



Or should I branch out to other crystal formations? I’m thinking no as it would make the terrain around the army look too chaotic. The geometric fluorite crystals and the spire-like quartz crystals don’t match in my mind.


2. Since there are only two fluorite crystal formations available from Armorcast, the largest of the pair was used for the stalker; I can’t spam the same pair of rocks all over my display. I’ve been trying to find a viable alternative ‘stone’ to fill in the space. That said, what is your opinion on this base?





Here it is again next to the fluorite structure. I’m thinking this could work but additional eyes are always helpful.

3. I was brainstorming on additional detail I could add to the display and came up with this:



This is just a small fissure to see how the colors would interact. I would be scaling this up for the display. While it’s not bad, I don’t think it works. What do you guys/gals think?

4. Lastly, I’ve built the three Spiders I intend to include in my display. I made a trio of 60mm bases to mount them on, but there’s a problem;

http://www.glaven.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Nec_Spider_WiP_01.jpg

Their Canoptek asses hang off the back! Unacceptable!

I’ve been debating on basing them on a 60x100mm round. Since the spiders are packaged with flying bases (not a fan), I figure I can base them on anything I want as long as it’s not smaller.





I think it looks good! Since the spiders are oblong, this base style fits them perfectly. What’s the consensus?

Let me know what you all think! Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated!

Shawn G. (SoI)

Thanks for the feedback people! It is greatly appreciated!

Here are the decisions I made:

1. I'll be keeping to the cubic stones of the fluorite for my large rock formations and going with the slate I made from sculpey to fill in the terrain detail gaps.

2. I opted to go with the 60x100mm base for my spiders. I just like the look better and it satisfies my compulsive nature.

Lastly, I'm working on a tutorial on how I did this scheme. I'm using one of my spiders as it has wide areas of detail to see each step clearly.

I should be finished with the spider today and I'll have the tutorial edited and posted tomorrow (hopefully).

Shawn G. (SoI)

I have heard the masses crying out for a tutorial on how I painted my Necrons. Ask and ye shall receive! I just hope this makes sense…





First let’s talk primer. I started miniature painting about 14 years ago, and most of that time was using GW’s primer. At first GW’s line of primer and paints were varied and reasonably priced, but somewhere along the line they got this wild notion that they could charge whatever they wanted. So over the years I’ve watched their primer creep from $5 to $15.75 a can. What the hell is in it? Magic? My favorite part is how they claim their primer has been engineered to work with their line of paints. WTF?

I was brought to the light from a friend in a local Hobby Shop of the existence of an alternative and I’ve never looked back. Enter Krylon spray paints.

This stuff is amazing. Not only does it bind to both plastic and metal, but also it goes on flat. This is the most matte paint I have ever used, and it works perfectly for all my projects. It’s also $4 a can.

Here we have a spray paint that is both reasonably priced, durable as hell, and can be found almost EVERYWHERE. Did I mention it comes in 6 colors? And this is just scratching the surface of the products that Krylon produces. My Dark Eldar scheme uses their Fusion line.

Get this stuff.

Now that I’m done ranting let’s get down to business! I decided to use a Canoptek Spider for this tutorial so you can see the techniques I used on a larger canvas.



Here’s what I use:
VMC Black (70950)
VMC White (70951)
VMC Sky Grey (70989)
VMC Ivory (70918)
VGC Magic Blue (72021)
Citadel Scorched Brown (Rhinox Hide)
Citadel Calthan Brown (Mournfang Brown)
Citadel Dheneb Stone (Rakarth Flesh)





Step Zero – A nice even coat of primer. Make sure it’s not too humid outside so you don’t get that powered sand effect on your minis. I haven’t had that problem with the Krylon spray paints very often, but it can happen. Be carefull.







Step I – I targeted all the glowing bits; cables, eyes, orbs, and leg joints with VGC Magic Blue. You can also use Citadel Enchanted Blue (Caledor Sky) as alternative. Don’t’ worry about staying within the lines. We’ll clean up later.

Step II – 1/1 mix of VMC White and VGC Magic Blue. Don’t completely cover up the previous shade. Leave a little behind for depth.

Step III – 10/1 mix of VMC White and VGC Magic Blue. I’m guesstimating here on the ratio as I normally just eyeball it. Just put some white down on your palate and add a slight tip-full of the blue. The aim is for a very pale white-blue. Mostly white.





Step IV – Dheneb Stone for contrast. I use this color sparingly to break up the scheme. It usually takes 2-3 coats for full coverage over black. Make sure your paints are well diluted so you don’t lose detail.

Step V – Clean up phase. VMC Black was used to clean up my lines. I chose this black specifically because it is has a very matte finish, which syncs well with the flatness of the Krylon primer. You don’t have to use VMC paint here, but you will loose the effect if your paint is of a gloss or even satin finish.

Now for the step I assume everyone is looking for:





Step IV & VII – Edge highlights. VMC Sky Grey was painted onto all the hard edges of the model using the side, not the tip, of my brush. You’ll need a light touch to keep the line uniform but that’s it. Again, make sure your paints are well diluted so it goes on smoothly. You may need to apply two coats incase the line is not sharp. This technique is so easy you’ll kick yourself when you try it.







Step VIII – Highlight all the hard edges of the mini. The mandibles were a little finicky, but just focus on the edges. Clean up with black as needed. The inner ring under the back plate was highlighted using the brush tip. That’s a tricky spot so use a light hand and again, clean up with black as needed.

Step IX – Adding detail. I went back and added some more glowing blue effects on the spots I felt could use some detail. Just reapply steps I-III as needed.

Step X – Edge highlight using VMC Ivory on Dheneb plates. Line highlight were added to the edges of the detail on the abdomen as needed.

And there you have it! My Tkokt paint scheme.



I'll try to create a video for this scheme. I will try to emulate Les Bursley’s brilliant tutorial style if I can. I’ve never made a video tutorial before so give me a little time to make sure I get it right.

I hope you found this helpful. Please leave me feedback so I can polish this tutorial for when I move to video.

Shawn G. (SoI)

@RiTides - The VMC Black is very close to the flatness of the primer so it can be used to clean up without marring the surrounding color. The problem with chaos black you described is exactly what I was describing. I'm sorry you had to deal with it.

I've found that flat paints work better for me in the long run and avoid the glossy/satin paints if possible. Vallejo Model Colors are my favorite line.

It was good seeing you at Adepticon! How did you do? I'm looking forward to NOVA as it will be my first major tourney competition. We need to grab a beer at NOVA!

If you drink that is...

Hmm. The tropics can be a bit of a problem.

I have found that you can still prime even on humid days as long as you choose the least humid points in the day. I've no experience with dealing with tropical weather, but I've been able to get away with priming before the sun comes up or after it goes down. The sun can really add to a days humidity so you may be able to prevent some primer shenanigans if you avoid the sun entirely.

I wish I could be more helpful but that's all I can suggest.


Shawn G.

@Skoffs - You should be able to do this scheme with GW paints. You'll just have to mix your paints some.

VMC Sky Grey - 2/1 mix of Fortress Grey (Administratum Grey) and white
VMC Ivory - 4/1 Bleached (Ushabti Bone) and white
VGC Magic Blue - Enchanted Blue (Caledor Sky)

These are just my estimations. You'll have to experiment to find a mix you like. The only color you may have trouble locating is the black. You may have to order that online. That is unless you find another black to match your prime.

@Vitruvian XVII - Thanks dude!

I've some more pics of the Canoptic Spider, and some other mini's that I forgot to post the other day!











I really like the way this turned out. I'll be starting the other 2 here soon.








First, the Tomb Blade kit is a bit of a pain to put together. The crescent body requires 3 clamps to hold it together while gluing as the frames have warped somewhat on the sprue. This equates to about one body every hour, as I only own 3 clamps. I’ll pick up some extra clamps and finish building the unit this week.

Assembly aside, I like the way it turned out. When my thin acrylic rod arrives from Amazon, I’ll make some custom bases for the unit.











A Destroyer Lord. I have no idea when I’ll use this guy as I’ve come to love Crypteks way too much in game, but it just didn’t feel right not having one in a Necron army.

He’s a kit-bash from the Command Barge, Triarch Praetorian, and Destroyer kits. I used the wrist mounted Res-Orb design again and mounted him on one of my 40x60mm bases.

I’ll tell you what, I am so damn happy I made those bases for myself. Having a wide variety of base designs has really improved the look of this army.

That's all for now.

Shawn G.

Thanks all.

@RiTides - I'm not too sure how many points I have painted so far. Just over 1k if I could fair a guess. And I havn't shared this list with Tony. I'm not going to NOVA for gold, just for fun. I will run it past him to see what he thinks.

Shawn G.

I'll just paint the warrior's rods blue to keep with scheme. I honestly don't know when I'll work on those warriors as I've grown so very fond of Telsa carbines.

Shawn G.