Plague marines colour schemes.

[GrandMagnus]

Hi guys, yesterday I preordered Dark Imperium (which will actually be my first starter box, so... that's gonna be fun). I've always liked plague marines and the death guard because Nurgle is by far the most awesome of the dark gods. So I have a few thoughts of the colour scheme and would like to hear your thoughts:

 

- First idea: I don't like the fact that the death guard changed their colour scheme to green post heresy, I think it's a bit ridiculous that the armour would change to green. So instead I would paint their armour in the same way as it was during the heresy, ergo, pale white and green (or perhabs red instead of green). Metals would obviously just be rusted metal.

 

- Second idea: Go for a warband who has joined the black legion, so black armour and rusted metal. 

 

Any ideas or suggestions?

[MoGuy]

Quick question: Did they actively repaint their armour or did it turn green because they are so diseased? I mean color changes aren't that ridiculous. Ahriman turned his Thousand Sons from red to blue so...

 

For ideas it depends on how heavy you want to lean on the infected look. Maybe paint them green and white/bone color but make the white/bone color parts really grimey with yellows and greens etc. to simulate the look of bursting pimples etc.

[DeadFingers]

I'm a big fan of Maxime Pastourel's colour scheme for his Plaguebones army. It's just a very simple creamy off-white with red and black details and lots of rusty metal and violet-ish rotten flesh, but damn it looks good. He's got various tutorials for different things on Blog de Kouzes, but this one and this one are the most relevant.

 

 

 

I also really like the way tharunningdead painted the new Plague Marines, as shown in this post on r/Warhammer40k. It's a really simple paintjob, but with a rather striking result, and very open to modifications. The step by step process can be found in the comments of that very post.

 

http://i.imgur.com/cBjiX0p.jpg

Edited June 9, 2017 by DeadFingers

[GrandMagnus]

On the first question, as far as I know the change in the DG power armour is because of the rot, not a recolour.

 

Deadfingers OK, those look super cool in that colour scheme, red and white.  I mean... damn, that looks good.

[Zhiv]

Might want to take a look at this.  Lots of non-green yet GW stamped schemes for you. 

[GrandMagnus]

The weeping Legion, now that's a colour scheme I like. Thanks for sharing, I think I will be doing that warband. It's colours are very reminescent of the legion of old.

[Evil Eye]

I'm planning on doing some Nurgle forces for my Chaos horde, in the form of the Congregation of Filth. They'll have rust-red armour with corroded brass or copper trim, and their emblem will be a stylized set of teeth in very pale green. I know a lot of Chaos armies use red, but not many Nurgle forces do, and hoepfully the verdigris will offset that.

[Knight of the Raven]

It's not Death Guard, but Andrew King painted his human and daemonic Nurgle forces blue in the new White Dwarf's Tale of Four Gamers. They somehow looked even more disgusting than in 'natural' colors.

[hushrong]

I'm getting two sets of Nurgle. Like you one I want to do one as black legion. The other force I am debating on classic green or using their legion colors but filthy.

 

Would love to see more of the actual minis painted up. The one DeadFingers posted looks really eye catching.

[Atia]

I'm gonna to them in their heresy era scheme (Siege of Terra!) :)

[GrandMagnus]

Hmmm painting decitions, my bain in the hobby world. Although I think black armour could look really cool. The problem I see with pale white armour is that it would be very similar to the pale colour of the dead/rotting skin.

[hushrong]

Do the skin pale purple? That's what I thinking about. Not dead flesh entirely but there is surely something unhealthy going on.

[Marshal Loss]

If the lore matters to you, perhaps avoid the BL scheme if you're going to want to field Mortarion, Typhus etc:? I can't imagine Mortarion would be too happy with those of his sons who abandoned the Legion, given the high degree of unity among the remaining DG.

 

Out of the two options I'd go the heresy scheme. The pale armour just suits the weathering and corruption perfectly.

[hushrong]

I don't think BL would be too much of an issue. Not all plague marines are from the Death Guard Legion I'm sure.

[DuskRaider]

Dead flesh usually turns yellowish and then goes to brown, FYI.

[Sception]

I like your second idea, op.  I always though plague marines would look good in black.  Get a strong Grim Reaper / Black Death sort of theme going.  maybe a dark brown or low saturation drab green for the soft armor & cables.  And bright gold trim with some blueish/greenish corrosion would add a nice bit of color to the scheme - alternatively bone trim could work well with black.  Finish it off with bright, pale, almost ectoplasmic glowing green eyes, plasma coils, power weapons, etc.

[DuskRaider]

Warplock Bronze would look great with some verdigris in the recesses as well for trim. As far as armour, I'll most likely go with a white base and use washes / inks. I may actually skip any green trim this time around, I haven't decided yet.

[GrandMagnus]

Nice you've all given me some good things to think about.

[GrandMagnus]

How about the bringers of Decay: http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Bringers_of_Decay

 

I mean, a group of sons of horus who turned to Nurgle and became plague marines.

[slitth]

I think that white is a good base colour for plague marines.

Combine with the right colours it can give off a theme of disease conquering healthcare.

As the white is often used with apothecaries.

 

Despite hating Nurgle in all his forms, the thought of a group of plague marines how only goal is to capturing and corruption apothecaries and other healthcare staff, it is deliciously evil.

[El_Dicko]

I thought about Bringers of decay too, you could always build up a small force of those and then fold them into a larger black legion force if you expanded your collection. And everyone looks good in black, though modelwise ive just seen Thousand Sons and Berzerkers painted up as Black legion...

[GrandMagnus]

I thought about Bringers of decay too, you could always build up a small force of those and then fold them into a larger black legion force if you expanded your collection. And everyone looks good in black, though modelwise ive just seen Thousand Sons and Berzerkers painted up as Black legion...

Not a bad idea. I sure hope chaos marines will get some new minis in the same size as the plague marines and it could look really great. I might actually consider this.

[K0rtmer]

Actually the Death Guard used to be black back in the days ... 

[Bloody Legionnaire]

I was wondering what they would look like in their heresy era scheme with some thinned nurgles rot airbrushed in a few layers over top. I think it'd look really cool. 

[GrandMagnus]

OK; I've finally decided to go for a black legion warband of plague marines, considering in the fluff Abaddon has a lot of nurgle sorcerers working for him. I will be posting them on the forum of course ;) But I have been thinking about how to paint the black armour and I'd love to her your thoughts on the way to paint black I've thought of (I can paint any test models, I'm working abroad and won't come home until next week).

 

- Basecoat: 1:1 Eshin grey and abaddon black.

- First highlight of eshin grey.

- Final edge highlight with eshin grey and some pale green colour.

And NOW, the washes.

- Wash 1: Agrellan earthshade, I've seen brown being a good shade for black power armour and it adds a dirty tone to the black.

- Wash 2 and 3: Black wash, to darken the whole armour down.

 

I've used that kind of washing techniques before on leather and it looks good, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on the brown wash on black armour. And other suggestions for painting the power armour.