True Colors
I spent a couple of days working out what I wanted for a color scheme for my Chaos Space Marine army. That's actually kind of a funny process - you start to realize just how big of a time investment you are going to put into paining an entire army, and you find yourself almost paralyzed trying to get it right. I'll also admit that I'm not the most creative when it comes to choosing color schemes, and I spend a lot of time looking for a pattern to emulate. Yes, emulate is a nice way of saying "steal."
I ended up with a couple of options that I really liked. The first was a scheme of dark green, black and brass, with hints of bone that would look really striking for chaos marines. I know it would look striking because it's basically the same scheme I used on the handful of Cryx figures I painted for Warmachine. It would be a great scheme for a Nurgle army, but because I decided to go with a blood-lusting horde of Khorne reavers, I needed something a little more agressive.
I settled on wanting red as a base color, with black for trim and hints of gold as highlights. Hints of gold... these are after all Chaos Marines, and I didn't want them looking too ornate. They have spent the last 10,000 years tear-assing across the galaxy raising hell - they should look like it. After a little digging around, I found the perfect pattern for what I was looking for in GW's Red Corsairs. These guys look great, and I liked the fact that they weren't a bright fire-engine red, but rather a more subdued, iron-oxide color. That is what I want.
Unfortunately, finding that shade of red proved more challenging than I expected. Most color ranges stick with either bright reds, or darker blood colors that lean toward burgundy. GW has a terracotta, but that comes off more brown than red. I finally found exactly what I was looking for in Privateer Presses P3 line - Skorne Red, which strikes the balance perfectly. (Yes, I could mix a color, but with a whole army to paint, constant mixing doesn't sound fun.)
After a quick coat of primer, I painted up a prototype, and here's what I came up with:
This was my first real experience with the P3 paints, which are a little different than what I'm used to from the GW line. P3 paints have liquid pigment (most use a powder), and are supposed to have superior coverage, etc. A few things I noticed working with them: I had to thin with water more than I was used to to get smooth overage with no brush lines; the paint seemed to dry slower, which can be both a blessing and a curse (blending was easier), and coverage wasn't as great as avertised - it still took several coats to cover black primer. I'm not a great painter, and I'm far from a conessuer, but they definately feel different coming off the brush - it will take some getting used to.
In other news, Privateer Press announced that they are getting into the collectable miniatures (CMG) space with an upcoming game called "Monsterpocalypse." While moving into CMGs is going to annoy the living hell out of their current player base, I'm pretty sure it's not really a game aimed at their current player base. Me, I like CMGs, and I'm excited to see what they come up with. The PP guys are great game designers and great sculptors, and they have some of the best production values and customer service in the business. Plus, what's not to like about a game of giant, 1950s0-style smashy monsters.
I ended up with a couple of options that I really liked. The first was a scheme of dark green, black and brass, with hints of bone that would look really striking for chaos marines. I know it would look striking because it's basically the same scheme I used on the handful of Cryx figures I painted for Warmachine. It would be a great scheme for a Nurgle army, but because I decided to go with a blood-lusting horde of Khorne reavers, I needed something a little more agressive.
I settled on wanting red as a base color, with black for trim and hints of gold as highlights. Hints of gold... these are after all Chaos Marines, and I didn't want them looking too ornate. They have spent the last 10,000 years tear-assing across the galaxy raising hell - they should look like it. After a little digging around, I found the perfect pattern for what I was looking for in GW's Red Corsairs. These guys look great, and I liked the fact that they weren't a bright fire-engine red, but rather a more subdued, iron-oxide color. That is what I want.
Unfortunately, finding that shade of red proved more challenging than I expected. Most color ranges stick with either bright reds, or darker blood colors that lean toward burgundy. GW has a terracotta, but that comes off more brown than red. I finally found exactly what I was looking for in Privateer Presses P3 line - Skorne Red, which strikes the balance perfectly. (Yes, I could mix a color, but with a whole army to paint, constant mixing doesn't sound fun.)
After a quick coat of primer, I painted up a prototype, and here's what I came up with:
This was my first real experience with the P3 paints, which are a little different than what I'm used to from the GW line. P3 paints have liquid pigment (most use a powder), and are supposed to have superior coverage, etc. A few things I noticed working with them: I had to thin with water more than I was used to to get smooth overage with no brush lines; the paint seemed to dry slower, which can be both a blessing and a curse (blending was easier), and coverage wasn't as great as avertised - it still took several coats to cover black primer. I'm not a great painter, and I'm far from a conessuer, but they definately feel different coming off the brush - it will take some getting used to.* * * * *
In other news, Privateer Press announced that they are getting into the collectable miniatures (CMG) space with an upcoming game called "Monsterpocalypse." While moving into CMGs is going to annoy the living hell out of their current player base, I'm pretty sure it's not really a game aimed at their current player base. Me, I like CMGs, and I'm excited to see what they come up with. The PP guys are great game designers and great sculptors, and they have some of the best production values and customer service in the business. Plus, what's not to like about a game of giant, 1950s0-style smashy monsters.
Labels: miniatures, wargaming, Warhammer 40K
