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Hey guys, I had an idea for painting an army, and I just want to know what you guys think. (Now I don't plan on doing this but it's just a thought) So say you have a space marine army, and you want it more colorful, so you paint different units based on a chapters sign i ture unit in the fluff. So you paint your flamer marines in salamanders colors, and your assault marines in blood angel colors, etc. Do you guys think this we be a good idea to add more color to an army. And you could do this with any army. Tell me what you think

I could never do that. I have to have everything the same color and done the same way. If I want to try a different color scheme I'd rather start a completely new army.

 ae1989 wrote:
I could never do that. I have to have everything the same color and done the same way. If I want to try a different color scheme I'd rather start a completely new army.

Yeah I can see that. I think it'd be cool for chaos and painting each unit to the corresponding traitor legion, for example paint raptors as night lords, and vindicators as iron legion

This is perfect for Daemon armies.

It's harder to do with Space Marines, in terms of both fluff (multiple chapters fighting together isn't exactly commonplace - I would think intermixed squads would be rare, indeed) and visual cohesion (mixed colors within individual squads, as some specialists are interspersed, while others are distinct units). The closest you can come, canonically (at least, as far as I know - I'm far from a fluff expert), is Deathwatch, where each marine retains some markings from his former chapter, despite adopting a new, unified color scheme on the whole.

It does, however, work wonderfully with other armies. Aside from the aforementioned Daemons/Chaos, there are Orks. In fact, that's how I'm painting mine. Well, sort of. Since whole units tend to specialize, instead of individual models within units, each is easily linked with a clan and, thereby, color scheme. Different mobs uniting under a warboss is common in the fluff and a visual hodgepodge is part of the Ork aesthetic. As an added bonus, it makes distinguishing squads on the tabletop easier, if you're also a player.

There is certainly precedent for it in crusade armies where multiple chapters contribute smaller forces to the cause. It would make sense that they would follow the most common role from the chapter unless some specific specialism was required.

I think its a great idea. I wouldn't go too overboard though, so Id say probably stick to like 3 chapters, and keep each squad the same color. I personally cant do armies that are completely uniformly the same color, cause its boring, so I understand where youre coming from too. Personally I just change up helmet colors and what not one in a while.
As said before this would work especially well with alot of other armies too (CSM, daemons, etc).

Paint units in the same scheme, butinclude units from a variety of chapters as a Crusade force. That'd work.

Jollydevil wrote:
I think its a great idea. I wouldn't go too overboard though, so Id say probably stick to like 3 chapters, and keep each squad the same color. I personally cant do armies that are completely uniformly the same color, cause its boring, so I understand where youre coming from too. Personally I just change up helmet colors and what not one in a while.
As said before this would work especially well with alot of other armies too (CSM, daemons, etc).

Yeah that's my biggest problem with SM is that they are like 3 colors

If you want a colorful army like that I'd suggest going with eldar. The various aspect warriors are literally the only lore-like thing that has a massive diversity of colors and the only thing close to what my ocd would allow me to multi-color.

I suffer unitoy syndrome, an army doesn't look like an army without a constant uniformity of color so even with eldar I can't bring myself to do it.

But if you were thinking of it I would point you toward eldar~

Banshees are bone/white
Scorpians are green
firedragons are red
dire avengers are blue
swooping hawks are lighter blue
Harlequins are every color under the sun.