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I have been working on a space marine chapter of my own for a while and every time I think up a colour scheme I remember a chapter that already has it. The previous colours were red with white, I like white as a trim but I can't think of a good primary colour to go with it that hasn't been taken. please help me

Many Space Marine chapters will have similar colour schemes, even exactly the same, the way to define them as different would be to design a different army badge, maybe different unit markings, identifying characters in different ways. Those are just a few examples anyway, hope it helps.

Depends if you have some fluff ideas for them. That could help with the colours. Who is the founding chapter?

There's a thousand chapters of Space Marines, almost every color scheme is used at least once. Some are also based on existing colors, like Ultramarines successors and whatnot. Don't be discouraged from using a color scheme that you like. Just try to make it look different than existing colors, like have different shoulder pads or have different accents.

Since codex chapters have different colour trim for their companies, in addition to their armoru colour you will be hard pressed to get a truly original scheme (unless you go for the outlandish)..

I can't think of any chapters off the top of my head which have orange as a base colour. i can only think of the Soul Drinkers who have purple as a base colour - so that could be an option.

Hawk Lords are also base-purple, as well as pre-Heresy Emperor's Children and my own, yet unnamed, half painted army. As it happens, all three of those are trimmed in gold.

Ok...so orange then.

 xSPYXEx wrote:
There's a thousand chapters of Space Marines, almost every color scheme is used at least once. Some are also based on existing colors, like Ultramarines successors and whatnot. Don't be discouraged from using a color scheme that you like. Just try to make it look different than existing colors, like have different shoulder pads or have different accents.

This is the right proper answer. A different army marking and maybe a special paint scheme thing (like salamanders flames) You can incorperate something from fantacy or another miniature game such as a symbol to set them apart without having to be crafty.

I too am feeling the desire to come up with an original color scheme that isn't insane looking for my eldar. After research I don't see it as possible for a full scheme. What i'm going to to do is make the accents and details different to make my army stand out. Like xSPYXEx said, that's probably the best way to go about it.

One thing to consider is to stay away from the popular chapters main colours.

E.g if you paint all your power armor ultramarine blue, everyone will just assume they are ultramarines.

 Lord Arturius wrote:
I too am feeling the desire to come up with an original color scheme that isn't insane looking for my eldar. After research I don't see it as possible for a full scheme. What i'm going to to do is make the accents and details different to make my army stand out. Like xSPYXEx said, that's probably the best way to go about it.

My personal custom color scheme for my Marines and Eldar is based off the color of the sky at dawn. So orangish and redish colors as well as some purples.