I feel like an old beaky Rogue Trader marine who's been in stasis too long and is having issues coming to terms with modern times. Ol' Beaky sounds like a character that may epitomise my efforts to understand modern 40k. Prepare for comments like: "Back in my day, a marine was content with a jetbike if he wanted to go flying about." and "When I were a lad all we had was mark 6 armour, and we were happy."
I have a vague idea of the first squad I want to do, a unit of ten hybrids with special and heavy weapon. The fellow below will be the leader, hence the plasma pistol. This isn't any old genestealer cult, but a corrupted adeptus mechanicus cult, there have to be a fair few bio-mechanical elements in there. Robes will be common, as well as pipes, servos and other Giger inspired monstrosities. This particular fellow has an altered third arm, which will function as a power weapon of some ilk.
He still needs a little filing to smooth the green stuff, and I need to get the solder pen out and distress his robes a little, but apart from that, he's ready for paint. On that note, I've been looking at some potential colour schemes for the cult. As they are mechanicus, I'll probably stick to red for the robes and bronze for masks. That will be enough to identify them with the mechanicus, colour wise.
Flesh will be pale, with some purple and red glazes where appropriate. Where implants meet flesh and so on. These are wayward mechanicus, and not as exacting as their more fastidious forebears. The thing that's giving me the most trouble is the carapace colour. You can see on the colour test, the third arm is still jarring. I may need to look at some natural reference for chitin and shell colours. The spot colour was going to be a cream, but I'm leaning more toward a medium flesh tone now, if the skin colour stays pale. I'd be interested in what way folks lean regarding their opinions on the schemes on our three friends below.
Chitin is basically colourless itself, modified by whatever pigment-bearing proteins are found inside it. So you can take your pick! I like the palest flesh the most, no. 2 on your scheme. Maybe keep the chitin pretty much the same colour but add streaks or patterns like you might find on a lobster?
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of using something like that, perhaps edge highlighting to mimic what you might see on a lobster shell.
DeleteI favour scheme 1.
ReplyDeleteA purple cast to the skin with a stronger version of the colour or maybe patterned like Kraken Wakes mentioned on the claws and exoskeletal areas will work with red if you do it a certain way. No matter what happens with Mechanicum colour schemes they tend to demand a green spot colour (lenses and tech usually) and the addition of purple doesnt do anything to change that. The large expanses of red force a path I think.
Being metallic, the gold mask doesnt really change anything in the rest of the palette, although as a yellow/brown in the sketches it can appear to have more effect than it will on a finished piece. You have a far better handle on schemes with lots of neutral tans and browns than I do though, so you may have something up your sleeve that I dont.
I have always struggled to find an original take on Ad Mech schemes that didnt simply look like it was trying to be different for the sake of being different and ultimately worse than the red robes, black/gunmetal/silver tech with brass/gold trim and green spot colours though. Its a conundrum.
The large areas of red to frogmarch one down a certain road. There isn't much wiggle room. I'll probably add green to pouches, packs and such. Natural lobster shell with bleary streaks and spots, blending up to almost a bone colour on edges and raised areas might be the thing. I have to bear in mind this will be the scheme on the purestrains too.
DeleteIt's a pickle alright. I think if I get the carapace right it could be the thing to lift the whole scheme.
A test plastic Space Hulk purestrain might be in order.
DeleteReckon so.
DeleteNice conversion, really characterful (as one would expect from you!)
ReplyDeleteCheers Davey!
ReplyDelete