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Hi everybody :>

I am about to start a necron army and i am thinking about 2 different schemes which i would like to hear your opinion on and get some tips on how to accomplish that.

I thought that some of the newer models look like the machines from Matrix, while warriors etc look like terminators. So the first scheme has to be a somewhat dark metal, kind of brown reddish metal, yet NOT rusty. Eyes and energy would be red, then. Looking at some images via google, i stumbled across this army, and wow, it is exactly as i imagined (except the light blue details liek the wires) :

http://studio.maybug-games.eu/2012/necrons-army/

This link leads to a site where you can see some images of them. The metal is best seen on the tomb stalker.

1) HOW DO I PAINT THIS METAL? Which colors would you suggest, which techniques, could it be a nonmetal? Is the edge highlight white or bright silver? Is the blending on the big plates with a golden color? And the head? its way darker, not so reddish but more black.... Give me your thoughts, please :>



Second scheme i have in mind resembles the Reapers, as seen in the Mass Effect series...big bad killer machines, coming to cleanse the galaxy. Fitting. They are somewhat dark blue metallic. So question 2: can i mix normal colors with a metal color? Yes of course i COULD, but does it look metallic then? Or is there another way to achieve such a look?

As for general questions to painting metal....i never did on a bigger scale. Just weapons or tank chains. I always did like, base silver, black ink, drybrush with lighter silver. Looks ok for a chain, but....flat areas tend to look ....dirty. So, how can i make metal colors look good, is there a secret?


I hope you have some good advice or tutorials for me. =)

Cyou soon and thank you in advance for your knowledge

First of all what does properly mean? that is quiet subjective to be honest. Any who, to be honest I cannot tell if that is a metalic or non metalic lool. I'd need a larger photo as I cannot see it to well. I think it's non metalic.

Most people I know, and including myself normally just do mid tone silver "with airbrush of course" mix with black put shadows in. Do highlights oil wash in crevices.

Now for the mixing of blues with metallics ect... I dunno I don't see why it wouldn't turn out. Since all boltgun metal and other paints like this are a metallic silver mixed with a black paint. Give it a go.

Properly, yes, what does that mean. I try to describe the problem i had. It looks like the color is too.....thick. While it is not, since i water it down. I need to apply several layers to cover the primer, but when it does, it is quite....well.
And i do not know, but it always look dirty. I dont know^^
So by properly i mean....clean. flat. defined.

I do not have any larger pics. Have you seen that, when you click one of the images you can zoom them? There is the resolution 1280x800 written in green letters above the pics, click it and they will be bigger


Concerning airbrushes.....i never worked with one. Recommendations?^^

 Tombard wrote:
Concerning airbrushes.....i never worked with one. Recommendations?^^

Airbrushes are easy to use if you just want to basecoat. More advanced techniques and finer details can get to be pretty hard - but it's very enjoyable pracitcing and learning ; )

I bought a cheap one of ebay to practice with for a while before getting a Badger Krome. I think it was a good idea as I mistreated it a little and learned a lot more about how to care for it in that time. Badger and Iwata both make great airbrushes, you won't go wrong with either brand and from personal experience I can say I really like using the Badger Krome - though I only have a cheap one to compare it to.

If your'e going to start airbrushing, you should check some youtube videos ont he subject, these ones are a great place to start:
WGConsortium
- Getting Started Using an Airbrush (Airbrushing Intermediate Part 1)
- The Airbrush and Complete Overhaul (Airbrushing Intermediate Part 2)
- Airbrush Color Changes and Cleaning (Airbrushing Intermetiate Part 3)
- A Look At Cheap Airbrushes

Awesomepaintjob / Les Bursley
- Airbrush Rant

Would highly recommend subscribing to these guys, and if you're interested I can link some more channels with good airbrushing vids. The airbrush rant by Les will give you a good overview of the different airbrushes and should help you decide what you want from yours.

I use a Veda 180 WD


http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/VEDA-Simple-Airbrush-Set-Double-action-Trigger-Air-paint-Control-WD-180S-9cc-/330619045504?pt=AU_Toys_Hobbies_Model_Kits&hash=item4cfa6e4680&_uhb=1#ht_4988wt_1397

This brush is apparently a iwata clone. I must say and its a fine one at that. I do all my air brushing with this thing, and its awesome. I do a bit of commission work with it aswell check out my gallarys. Had it for about 3 months not 1 problem. I have spare needles, hose, ect for 50 bucks! anyways hope this helps friend.

Thanks for the info on the airbrushes =) It looks like a great tool, worth to be tried out. I will dig into this in the future


GW has some sort of airbrush....it is surprisingly cheap and does not use a compressor, but a can of gas... am i mislead thinking it has to be crap?
If i would start using an airbrush for basecoating though, and not for details, would it be sufficient for that? Or would you still recommend a "good" one. Since i am starting those necrons and they will be 90% metal, it would be quite the time consumer painting all those basecoats with a brush...

And btt.....any suggestions for the colors of the linked necron pics? This metal is so sexy <3

I'd suggest staying away from the GW one. You can get identical things cheaper on ebay if that's how you want to go, but a proper dual action gravity fed airbrush will make your hobby much more fun. One up front fee for the brush and compressor and you won't need to keep paying for cans of air.

As for the colours, pics are pretty small, hard to tell.

To keep it simple you could use something like vallejo metallic medium and mix it with the colour you want

pics are too small?







better?^^


Hmm, i cant get a hand on vallejo colors where i live. I will just try that with the GW colors. Has to be possible i think

I can't see the pics at work, the host you are using is blocked.

My friend has drybrushed every single one of his necron warriors and they look awesome. Dry brushing to make metal look like metal is VERY easy. Prime them black, dip a medium size brush into the pot of Leadbelcher, take about 90% of your paint off with tissue (or whatever you have nearby, not your face though, don't use your face, or a child's face because apparently that's cruel.) And paint over the warrior, leaving black in the recesses, add green to the eyes and ribs, brush more metal over it. You can highlight it with a lighter colour, Then wash it with a darker colour. It all depends on your preferance.

It's about the only thing I can do properly

 Tombard wrote:
The metal is best seen on the tomb stalker... HOW DO I PAINT THIS METAL? Which colors would you suggest, which techniques, could it be a nonmetal? Is the edge highlight white or bright silver? Is the blending on the big plates with a golden color? And the head? its way darker, not so reddish but more black.... Give me your thoughts, please

Looks like airbrushed NMM (non-metallic metal), to me. At least on the larger plates - the limbs look drybrushed, instead, lacking the smooth gradients and thick, stark edging of the body plates. The way the light plays off of the edging suggests white, to my eye, instead of silver (especially when looking at the head). As for colors, it's hard to give names, as I'm not familiar with the current GW range which has become the standard "language" for this sort of thing. Yellow ochre, umber, and white (potentially with a very pale, grayish tan - raw umber lightened with white would work nicely) would do the trick, obviously staying darker on the head. In model paint terms, the best I can translate is Snakebite Leather, Scorched Brown, Graveyard Earth, and Skull White. The warriors look hand-painted, instead of airbrushed, and again stay in the darker end of the spectrum. You don't see any of the more golden-brown highlights (same as with the head), and could likely achieve the same effect just using mixes of umber/Scorched Brown and grey-tan/Graveyard Earth, with Graveyard+white edgelining (doesn't appear as crisp a white as on the Tombstalker). That's my take, at least.

Yeah its def NMM.. I have no clue how to do them :( have to get around to that.

@oadie

That sounds rather complicated. I tried non-metals with the sanguinor once, and well, it did not look right. I think this would be the lack of practice *g*


But i thank you for your shot at it. I will try some things out and maybe i find a tone that looks alike. Brownish colors, yes? Strange. I would have thought it is a sort of Brass color...But i will see what happens =)

Pretty sure you just schlop on some wash...

Okay, maybe you add a little boltgun I mean Leadbelcher Metal.