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Cottonjaw wrote:Troncrons. Love it!

Either NecTrons or NeTrons, surely...

Soul of Iron wrote:
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.

Hey! Hey Shawn!
*frantic waving*
Any chance we can get a break down of how exactly you painted these guys?
(or better yet, a step by step photo chroniclization of your painting process, if you've got any figures yet to paint?)

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)

Absolutely love this, I've been searching for a color scheme for my necrons (they were my first army and got a wildly unexciting rusted metal look). I will definitely be borrowing/stealing/drawing inspiration (one and the same in my book) from your work. Eagerly awaiting the tutorial, curious to see how you handle the guns on the warriors, paint over the green rod, or replace it with a blue one from the internet?

Thanks so much for posting your fantastic work

These are rediculous Shawn. Seriously.

Some of my favourite crons yet.

Absolutely love these models and your paint skill Shawn. Looking forward to more.

Can you give the formula for doing the white part on your model?

That looks like some off-white colour with skull white highlight.

I just might be stealing your H. Destroyer Idea!

I also agree this theme is one of the better ones in the codex. Loving what you are doing with them so far.

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)

Holy gak thats awesome. So menacing!

Wow. Great scheme and great looking army!

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.

Looking good Sean, btw, sorry we didn't get to speak more at Adepticon!

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.

That stalker looks amazing. The giant glowing rock helps a lot too.

GREAT OOGLY BOOGLY, that is one sexy Stalker!
("sexy stalker" ... not words I'd ever thought I'd say)

Man, I can't wait to see what you do to those Wraiths and Spyders... though, if the Doom Scythe turns out to be awesome too, you may end up being very poor next month...

@ 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)

In my opinion, as long as the base fits them it is fine. and I would keep to your crystal style.

Hi

Any chance of that tutorial for painting your amazing NecTrons for us lesser beings?!!!

Andy

Sorry to jump on the request train. :3
What Citadel paint would you suggest as a substitute for the blue?

Fantastic job by the way

Great work!. My friend has just started up a Necron army and I'll send him this way for some inspiration!

Soul of Iron wrote:I need your opinions!...

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?

I like this concept the best. Coupled with some small prisms around the fissure, I think it would look really great!

Soul of Iron wrote:

i personally think these 2 are best!
i love that dark rock with energy emitting from it! lovely idea!!!!

Soul, that Stalker is BEAUTIFUL! I love it so much more now!
And as for your base, I think I like the more cubic style of rocks for the base as well as the one with the veined ground. In the meantime, keep up the great work!

Good work man, I too, would like a step by step show of how you did this

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)

Wow, just found this plog... mind blown

Doing the commission for Tony Kopach in exchange for list / playing help was pure genius!

The tutorial above- Wow, very detailed, and now you can just direct folks to it who are asking how you did this, which will be handy . I was reading through the thread and planning to ask about the black. The advice about the particular primer and paint you use is very helpful, but I was just curious about this:

Soul of Iron wrote: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.

Are you saying that you're able to clean up your black with the VMC Black, without having to repaint all of it to match?

That would be extremely helpful... I was painting black recently, and used Army Painter primer and chaos black... the two do not match at all with chaos black being I think the shinier of the two. So I had to repaint ALL the black with chaos black. Wish I'd read this first!!

Will be following this closely and hopefully will find you to gawk over this army in-person at Nova . Was awesome seeing you at Adepticon, too- even though we're in the same state, the Beltway pretty much means I'll probably only ever see your stuff at big events. But I'll definitely be seeking you out to look at these!

@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...