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Working on doing some ork dioramas and wondering what is the acceptable color for ork blood? Black? red?

Variable sources state that it is either green, red, or black. Depends on who's fluff you're reading.

Red. Red flows fasta!

Used to be green in older editions, but it's red now.

I believe its a very very deep red. A dark crimson

Dunwich wrote:Red. Red flows fasta!

/Thread

I'd go with a dark green, because it complements the usually-green skin of an Ork and emphasises the fact that they're physiologically different from almost every other species.

As stated, it depends who is writing. There is nothing official in the Ork codex that I can see, so go with what you think looks coolest!

The latest computer game, Spacemarine, shows it to be very very red, you end up swimming in it !

If it was green wouldn't that suggest it was copper-based?

Either that or Chlorophyll

Ignatius wrote:I believe its a very very deep red. A dark crimson

It's stated to be this in the most recent codex, apparently the skin colouration has nothing to do with their blood.
TBF, dark green blood wouldn't be so bad, but eh. I guess the Tau with their bright blue blood have got the unusual colours market cornered.

As with all colours, it will vary depending on the light-spectrum emitted by the nearerst star and the composition of the athmosphere of a given planet where the blood was spilled.

It was said in a white dwarf to be either black or red because ork blood contain nearly 100% more haemoglobin and chlorophyl. It also explains why an ork when he grows larger becomes darker in hue.

maybe it's also changed by the local radiation levels and whatever the local orks happen be eating the most.

Being that there is alot of iron/steel based things around from all the wars (or w/e plasteel or ceramite is made out of) it's probablly an iron base for the bulk of orks that the imperim sees (since they are most likely local or grew up on recent or semi-recent imperial war ravaged planets)

I suppose that it would be entirely possible for some copper heavy planet like Joey suggested to have greenish colored blood. Maybe bronze age orks?

The flows faster comment however does win the thread and 10,000 interets

I'd go for a deep, almost black red.

But you do see Ork blood in the DoW I trailer when the Sergeant eviscerates one.

Wasn't it mentioned that as their blood is part of their digestive system it can vary? Or was that some half-assed attempt to cover the inconsistency.

red

If ,as we are told, they are a fungus based life form, why do they have blood at all?

As they are in part plant based I always say Green. It being more a Chlorophyll like solution then blood.

Zakiriel wrote:If ,as we are told, they are a fungus based life form, why do they have blood at all?

They have noses, which implies lungs which implies an intake of an energy conversion reagent via a pumped circulation system as capillary action will only lift the nutrients so far.

Zakiriel wrote:If ,as we are told, they are a fungus based life form, why do they have blood at all?

Because fungi still have a circulatory system.
Circulatory system = blood
...sort of I would imagine it to not really be blood, but whatever nutriants are moving in their body.

There is also the fact that orks are fungal/animal hybrids.

rainbow

Given that they are plant / fungal based I am inclined to say green.

That of course is the scientific answer. I found that personally red blood looks better on them and is easier on anyone looking at the model to understand that said red spot is a wound or a scar. Red looks good on ork models in my opinion.

Some of the games and books try and go for a middle ground and go for a black ooze like blood. That is also a viable possibility even from a scientific point of view. it helps to make the blood seem 'other' and alien while not being too distant in understanding from red blood in us humans. We would mentally picture congealed blood when talking about an orks black blood.

SylvanaSekNadin wrote:Given that they are plant / fungal based I am inclined to say green.

That of course is the scientific answer. I found that personally red blood looks better on them and is easier on anyone looking at the model to understand that said red spot is a wound or a scar. Red looks good on ork models in my opinion.

Some of the games and books try and go for a middle ground and go for a black ooze like blood. That is also a viable possibility even from a scientific point of view. it helps to make the blood seem 'other' and alien while not being too distant in understanding from red blood in us humans. We would mentally picture congealed blood when talking about an orks black blood.

It's even been described as a deep purply-red, which helps to make it stand out on any models you paint whilst making it seem alien.

Orks are just too relatable to seem alien to me. The only real xenos in 40k are the 'nids. 'Crons, Orks, Tau 'n' Eldar are all humanoids with civilizations... the Orks being an actual parody. They resemble humanity in too many ways.

Green for me but Im kinda oldschool.

I believe its VERY dark red, almost black.

For painting it I would do a 1:2 mix of Blood Red(or whatever red you fancy) to Chaos black and give it a Baal Red wash

Red. Even the first time that Orks are described as having fungoid DNA (gorkamorka, I thnk), their blood still is Iron based and carries Hemoglobin like ours.

Dunwich wrote:Red. Red flows fasta!

FLAWLESS VICTORY!