Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So I've started painting some ultra marines, and no matter what i do, I can't get the blue right. For some reason, mcragge blue which is the one the painting guide said to use, is WAAAAY too dark. What paint should I be using for a one- coat basecoat of that blue that is shown in the codex?

There are two colors used for the Ultras. The older, lighter color is Altdorff Guard Blue. The newer darker color is Macragge Blue. However, what you have to remember is when you use calgar blue highlights it will make the main blue look lighter to the eye.

 TheCustomLime wrote:
There are two colors used for the Ultras. The older, lighter color is Altdorff Guard Blue. The newer darker color is Macragge Blue. However, what you have to remember is when you use calgar blue highlights it will make the main blue look lighter to the eye.

i saw that in the painting guide, and i tried that. i also highlighted with fenrisian grey and ceramite white in places, it just seems that the base blue is too dark when compared to the photos in the codex.

You could go with Ultramarine from someone other than GW.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultramarine

I would say it is very likely GW picked blue, because Ultramarine was already a shade/hue of blue. There is an added layer of symbology in that Ultramarine comes from Latin for 'beyond the sea' and Ultra Marines are from 'beyond the stars/sea of space.

Altdorff Guard Blue if you want the more vibrant smurf color. Alternatively, you can try, as Maniac said, getting Ultramarine from any other vendor. Army Painter makes a color called Ultramarine that looks similar to the older shade. They also make a spray primer version of it. Pretty handy for painting an entire smurf village.

I would say it is very likely GW picked blue, because Ultramarine was already a shade/hue of blue. There is an added layer of symbology in that Ultramarine comes from Latin for 'beyond the sea' and Ultra Marines are from 'beyond the stars/sea of space.

This is most likely true. My wife is an artist and painter, and she can identify and mix colors like it's instinct to her. Without knowing a thing about Ultra Marines, I showed her a picture and asked her to mix up some blue to match. She just gave me a bottle of Ultramarine and told me to add a drop of white so it pops on the primer base. Perfect match.

Although, different paint manufacturers have different ideas of color, so the best way to get it is to mix it yourself until you're happy with it.

Ultramarines are ultramarine, it has been an in joke since the dawn of 40k in '86. Some chapters have changed shade or hue, Ultras have been precisely that colour throughout.

I had this same issue. I think it's because I'm priming in black.

In the future, I will prime in grey.

 Orlanth wrote:
Ultramarines are ultramarine, it has been an in joke since the dawn of 40k in '86. Some chapters have changed shade or hue, Ultras have been precisely that colour throughout.

Patently false. Their exact shade has been up and down like a yoyo with Ultramarine alternating between being the base colour or the edge highlight. When 4th edition dropped the purists were spitting bile over the darker shade of blue as much as they were the gold trim!