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Anyone who's interested in 40k has almost certainly seen the leaks for the new Necrons. While I can't say for certain if I'll get them (I'm a gamer more than a hobbyist, so if the rules suck, I'll be unlikely to purchase them) I'm strongly considering it right now, and I was wondering what'd be some good paint schemes for them.

I'm thinking I want the Gauss parts (like on the Gauss Flayers, Blasters, and Cannons) to be red or orange-something warm and vivid.

 JNAProductions wrote:
I'm thinking I want the Gauss parts (like on the Gauss Flayers, Blasters, and Cannons) to be red or orange-something warm and vivid.

Orange would be the Mephrit Dynasty...

I’m not worried about official schemes.

But thank you for the reference!

 JNAProductions wrote:
I’m not worried about official schemes.

But thank you for the reference!

It's more that GW has already worked out a paint scheme that works (some fan schemes tend to ignore color theory and look... not so good) and is a good starting point to make adjustments from and not because it's an 'official' scheme. Personally I use the Novokh scheme on my Necrons.

That's why I turn to those with more artistic vision than myself.

 JNAProductions wrote:
Anyone who's interested in 40k has almost certainly seen the leaks for the new Necrons. While I can't say for certain if I'll get them (I'm a gamer more than a hobbyist, so if the rules suck, I'll be unlikely to purchase them) I'm strongly considering it right now, and I was wondering what'd be some good paint schemes for them.

I'm thinking I want the Gauss parts (like on the Gauss Flayers, Blasters, and Cannons) to be red or orange-something warm and vivid.

Well, here is an example of my scheme in progress:


Honestly, if I hadn't come up with these scheme over ten years ago, I might well pick something with orange rather than green.

If I were to, I'd probably replace the green with orange. Replace the purple with a nice contrasting blue. Depending on how that looks, I would probably go with more of a steel/gunmetal color for what I did in metallics, but it would depend on how the orange looks. I think I'd shy away from the brownish bronze though, since orange is already a pretty warm color, to me.

On a whim and a $2 Play Store credit, here is what I came up with in the moment in Impcat:


Honestly, I think the app can do even better, but I literally just loaded it and I don't really know exactly what I am doing. But, I think it is a reasonable looking test case.


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Actually, I take that other one back, that blue is too close to purple.

Here is another I cooked up, having learned a bit more:


I think this blue might be a bit too light, but it is more what I was thinking in the first place.

First off, awesome job on your paint scheme! Love the look!

And second off, thank you for the inspiration! I too am more partial to the second example. What app did you use to do this?

 JNAProductions wrote:
First off, awesome job on your paint scheme! Love the look!

And second off, thank you for the inspiration! I too am more partial to the second example. What app did you use to do this?

Impcat, it is only an app for iOS or Android (but there might be a way to emulate it on a desktop PC, I am not sure).

I really like the contrast between a cool blue and a hot orange. For the second one, that is Vallejo Magic Blue with an Electric Blue layer. The orange is Scale 75's Tiamat Orange with a Sol Yellow layer and shaded with Mars Orange. There is also a couple spots shaded Aldebaren Red. The metal is Vallejo Metal Color Exhaust Manifold, layered with Dull Aluminum and shaded with Gunmetal Grey (and a white edge highlight). The skull and chest piece is Scale 75 Mistatonic Grey.

It is a fun little program, but takes some setting up. I don't own many GW paints, so that is why I messed with Vallejo and Scale 75. I also don't mess with metallics that aren't Vallejo Metal Color anymore, since VMC is just superior in many ways to me. Still, I think it is a neat proof of concept, at least, that a high contrast orange and blue scheme could work.

The blue model looks like it would be at home in the Nihilakh Dynasty...

 H wrote:

 JNAProductions wrote:
First off, awesome job on your paint scheme! Love the look!

And second off, thank you for the inspiration! I too am more partial to the second example. What app did you use to do this?

Impcat, it is only an app for iOS or Android (but there might be a way to emulate it on a desktop PC, I am not sure).

I really like the contrast between a cool blue and a hot orange. For the second one, that is Vallejo Magic Blue with an Electric Blue layer. The orange is Scale 75's Tiamat Orange with a Sol Yellow layer and shaded with Mars Orange. There is also a couple spots shaded Aldebaren Red. The metal is Vallejo Metal Color Exhaust Manifold, layered with Dull Aluminum and shaded with Gunmetal Grey (and a white edge highlight). The skull and chest piece is Scale 75 Mistatonic Grey.

It is a fun little program, but takes some setting up. I don't own many GW paints, so that is why I messed with Vallejo and Scale 75. I also don't mess with metallics that aren't Vallejo Metal Color anymore, since VMC is just superior in many ways to me. Still, I think it is a neat proof of concept, at least, that a high contrast orange and blue scheme could work.

May I request some more schemes? I'd rather not buy the app if it's difficult to set up, just cause I don't want to drop money on something I can't use properly.

But what about a scheme with the Gauss red, and perhaps a darker green general coloration? Since those are complementary colors, I think.

Edit: Oh, and of course, a thousand thank yous! I really appreciate the help!

 Ghaz wrote:
The blue model looks like it would be at home in the Nihilakh Dynasty...

Yeah, I guess that maybe "inspired" me?

Not sure. I don't much like many of the "default" Dynasty schemes, personally. Blue with orange appeals far more to me than blue with green, not to mention there is just way too much silver on that model for me. But as you can see from my own model, I don't really do the sort of "by-the-book" manner for Necrons. I really don't mean that in any sense of me being some creative genius or anything, just my personal taste.

 H wrote:

 Ghaz wrote:
The blue model looks like it would be at home in the Nihilakh Dynasty...

Yeah, I guess that maybe "inspired" me?

Not sure. I don't much like many of the "default" Dynasty schemes, personally. Blue with orange appeals far more to me than blue with green, not to mention there is just way too much silver on that model for me. But as you can see from my own model, I don't really do the sort of "by-the-book" manner for Necrons. I really don't mean that in any sense of me being some creative genius or anything, just my personal taste.

Plus, if you paint them your own way, you're not locked into a dynasty for all six people who know the official schemes.

 JNAProductions wrote:
May I request some more schemes? I'd rather not buy the app if it's difficult to set up, just cause I don't want to drop money on something I can't use properly.

But what about a scheme with the Gauss red, and perhaps a darker green general coloration? Since those are complementary colors, I think.

Edit: Oh, and of course, a thousand thank yous! I really appreciate the help!

Sure, so Red gauss with something like the Mephrit green above? Or a darker green?

I will cook something up at lunchtime for you.


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 JNAProductions wrote:
Plus, if you paint them your own way, you're not locked into a dynasty for all six people who know the official schemes.

Exactly, icing on the cake!

A darker and more green green, if that makes sense.

Plus I want less metallic coloration.

H, you're the best! Thank you!

 JNAProductions wrote:
A darker and more green green, if that makes sense.

Plus I want less metallic coloration.

H, you're the best! Thank you!

What do you mean by "less metallic colorization?" Just more of a flat silver (or Leadbelcher) color then?

Also you want, link me a green from GW or Vallejo (or whoever) and I'll use that.

 H wrote:

 JNAProductions wrote:
A darker and more green green, if that makes sense.

Plus I want less metallic coloration.

H, you're the best! Thank you!

What do you mean by "less metallic colorization?" Just more of a flat silver (or Leadbelcher) color then?

Also you want, link me a green from GW or Vallejo (or whoever) and I'll use that.

As-in, less of the metallic colors PERIOD. More green overall.

That being said, for $3, I might just get Impcat myself. Does it work on iPhone well?

 JNAProductions wrote:
As-in, less of the metallic colors PERIOD. More green overall.

That being said, for $3, I might just get Impcat myself. Does it work on iPhone well?

Oh, OK, I see what you mean.

The app works well on my junky $100 Android phone, I'd imagine it works well on an iPhone. The set up isn't bad, just get the files from the Reddit page that adds in the Necron one and the paint company files.[/url].

I am not fan of how studio scheme of Newcrons looks in the pictures. I would prefer a stronger contrast between the two metallic colours.

I think I am going to try something super fast and start with Leadbelcher undercoat and pick another metallic colour with Snakebite Leather contrast. I can live with green gauss but I am tempted to try blue.

Certainly not my best work here. Honestly I am a little lost on the scheme, personally, everything just looks like Christmas to me.

jullevi wrote:
I am not fan of how studio scheme of Newcrons looks in the pictures. I would prefer a stronger contrast between the two metallic colours.

I think I am going to try something super fast and start with Leadbelcher undercoat and pick another metallic colour with Snakebite Leather contrast. I can live with green gauss but I am tempted to try blue.

I really like the idea of blue gauss, but what to pair with it? Have to play around and see maybe.


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I both like and hate this one at the same time:


I find the blue very tricky to balance out. I don't think I'd want red/blue, or green/blue. Maybe blue would work with a dark orange though. The above test one is too much metallics for my taste, I think.

I downloaded Impcat (boy HOWDY was it a mess to set up!) but I got something that I think looks cool. Very stylish, very bright. Any thoughts on it?

Necrons are the plainest 40k models GW make IMO, plainer than Tau maybe? Very little colour variation and detail across the models. If you can do some nice freehand on them then they look pretty good. The best looking colour scheme i've seen involves painting the armour bone colour.

 JNAProductions wrote:
I downloaded Impcat (boy HOWDY was it a mess to set up!) but I got something that I think looks cool. Very stylish, very bright. Any thoughts on it?

I think maybe I'd like to see the arm joints the same gold as the shoulder pads. Also, maybe the ribcage part the same white as the arm parts? The the "tubes" below that in the gold?