GWs NL Paint scheme not matching the lore? Too cartoony?

[Noctem Cultor]

Greetings Brothers,

 

As I return in midnight clad (Kill Team inbound to start me off again), I decided to look at the updated paint schemes and models both FW/GW.

 

To my shock not only do we seem stuck adding very little to the look of the Night Lords (I was hoping for more terror icons or even rune meanings) with the last Praetor being very bland but the GW bunch seem to be more Saturday cartoon bright trim with lighter blue than id expect of shadow lurking killers.

 

The silver trim in the Heresy is better than their brass effect in my opinion but am I the only one feeling like the fans seem to be the only ones following the lore?

 

Rant over but I wanted to see how you guys feel about the state of the Legions reputation?

 

-Noctem

[Imren]

I agree that the old FW-style of painting with duller colours, gradient over the panels instead of edge highlighting, and realistic military-modelling-style weathering using oils, enamels and pigment powders looks way more cooler/grimdark and in lieu with the 30k theme.

 

If I painted a 40k army today I'd do it military modelling style with lots of weathering.

[MegaVolt87]

HH has switched over to GW main Heavy Metal style 40k painting. Nothing is stopping you from doing the old FW style painting. A funny side effect of it is now everyone says "is this plastic?" on new reveals/ releases when legion uniques will stay resin, due to the same design process now used for plastics + the GW main painting style. Welcome back, also. 

[Noctem Cultor]

Glad it's not just me, I hadn't thought about the new FW minis looking more plastic as a consequence but your right.

 

Thanks!

 

-Noctem

[Lucien Eilam]

Night Lords were painted in the ’Eavy Metal style for years before Forge World released a single model, so you might as well ask why Forge World were ignoring the lore.

 

Fundamentally, a dude wearing bat wings on his head is always going to be cartoonish. Your scary hat makes you look like a doofus mate, sorry.

[Imren]

Night Lords were painted in the ’Eavy Metal style for years before Forge World released a single model, so you might as well ask why Forge World were ignoring the lore.

 

Fundamentally, a dude wearing bat wings on his head is always going to be cartoonish. Your scary hat makes you look like a doofus mate, sorry.

The question is not wether the model design is goofy/cartoony in regards of having bat wings on head. The question is the paint job style of present day GW vs FW a few years ago.

 

'Eavy metal team painted nightlords long before FW, sure, but still the FW historical-military-model style looks better and more grimdark, and therefore fits better to the 40k/30k grimsdark theme compared to the Eavy metal bright coloured, extreme edge highligthed style.

 

I (or some of us) don't argue that the Eavy metal team style of painting is bad per see, it is just less suitable for 30k/40k models in regards of fitting in a grimdark narrative.

[Noctem Cultor]

ADB fixed the helmet thing by making it into a ceremonial helmet.

 

Yeah just an observation we build on lore but the models paint scheme isn't matching up.

 

Maybe I just need to play with the lights off as they are intended and the colours dim down enough?

 

-Noctem

[MegaVolt87]

ADB fixed the helmet thing by making it into a ceremonial helmet.

 

Yeah just an observation we build on lore but the models paint scheme isn't matching up.

 

Maybe I just need to play with the lights off as they are intended and the colours dim down enough?

 

-Noctem

 

Nope, you need a reference point.  I suggest our own Hungry Nostramon Lizard's NL army project. Looks plenty FW style/ grim dark to me. Don't listen to people who say its too late to do painting like that. 

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/334676-night-lords-42nd-heavy-armor-company/page-11?hl=+nightlords 

Edited August 26, 2021 by MegaVolt87

[Noctem Cultor]

Oh I agree HNL's Night Lords are a perfect example of Fans doing it better than GW.

As I said I was wondering if GW gave us anything new to add to what I did last time (plus new techniques picked up since then) when my eyes were assaulted  .

 

This time they will be darker with weathering and most importantly thin layered coats.

 

-Noctem

Edited August 27, 2021 by Noctem Cultor

[Closet Skeleton]

 

I (or some of us) don't argue that the Eavy metal team style of painting is bad per see, it is just less suitable for 30k/40k models in regards of fitting in a grimdark narrative.

 

 

'Grim dark of the far future' is a tagline from the extremely colourful 2nd ed box set. Its a term of cartoony excess not grittiness.

 

The Horus Heresy is a twisted family drama of larger than life Shakespearian characters as much as its about military matters.

 

To my shock not only do we seem stuck adding very little to the look of the Night Lords (I was hoping for more terror icons or even rune meanings) with the last Praetor being very bland but the GW bunch seem to be more Saturday cartoon bright trim with lighter blue than id expect of shadow lurking killers.

 

 

They're not shadow lurking killers, they're 8" tall shock troops who favour motorised hit and run terror attacks. Raven Guard and Alpha Legion are the sneaky legions and even they've been over pidgeon holled and flattened in thier characterisation. Just because your Primarch has a little Batman going on doesn't make you an army of Batman.

 

Night Lords don't hide to be stealthy, they hide so you can never be sure that they've gone.

 

Nope, you need a reference point.  I suggest our own Hungry Nostramon Lizard's NL army project. Looks plenty FW style/ grim dark to me. Don't listen to people who say its too late to do painting like that. 

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/334676-night-lords-42nd-heavy-armor-company/page-11?hl=+nightlords 

 

 

That looks like a pretty bright blue to me. I've seen 'eavy metal Night Lords that were closer to an inky off-black shade of blue.

Edited August 27, 2021 by Closet Skeleton

[Noctem Cultor]

But we like to jump out and go BOO! At guardsmen.... not anything that could fight back of course.

 

-Noctem

[Marshal Loss]

Always wanted to translate my 30k NL scheme into 40k; if they ever get around to doing a NL upgrade kit, I might do so.

 

 

Might not be everybody's cup of tea, it certainly doesn't convey grimdark as well as some of the above does. Sort of my attempt at a happy medium.

 

Doing a scheme like NL justice is trickier on 40k plastics than on 30k plastics, in my opinion, just due to the sheer amount of trim floating around. Particularly since the 2019 revamp (see e.g. the helmets).

[Gederas]

Regarding colours:

Night Lords Blue (who would have thought) shaded with Nuln Oil is suitably dark:

 

[Noctem Cultor]

Regarding colours:

Night Lords Blue (who would have thought) shaded with Nuln Oil is suitably dark

Awesome example that level of blue and trim is fine, I plan on a Leadbelcher basecoat blue areas outlined with nlb then leviadon blue until im happy with it then highlight with nlb.

 

-Noctem

[Gederas]

Regarding colours:

Night Lords Blue (who would have thought) shaded with Nuln Oil is suitably dark

Awesome example that level of blue and trim is fine, I plan on a Leadbelcher basecoat blue areas outlined with nlb then leviadon blue until im happy with it then highlight with nlb.

 

-Noctem

 

Yeah, I went with the following for the trim: Warplock Bronze as a base, complete layer of Sycorax Bronze over it, Nuln Oil, highlight with Sycorax Bronze again.

 

That results in a muted bronze as opposed to the brighter one on the 'Eavy Metal 40k models, but when under bright light actually pops pretty nicely against the dark blue armour

[MrBear]

Late to the discussion (and someone who haven't painted a single Night Lord in a couple of years for that matter...), but I agree with recent official Night Lords being rather... 'bright' in regards to colours.

 

Personally, I've always wanted my guys to be somewhat darker:

 

 

 

 

Hmmm... might have to return to the VIIIth after painting some more Sons of Horus, starting to become a bit nostalgic I think.

[Tallarn Commander]

Yes, with my latest Night Lords project I avoided high-lighting the blue and used a chipping solution to ensure the armor was heavily weathered.

Although my other 11 squads of Night Lords all have a pretty bright/heavily high-lighted blue armor with bone trim appearance.

I guess the Warp Talons' darker and grittier armor reflects the time they spend in the warp.

Ave Dominus Nox!

Edited October 17, 2021 by Tallarn Commander

[GreaterChickenofTzeentch]

I tend to favor the late Heresy paint schemes from the old color plates, where it was as much about fear as stealth, so I kind of "split the difference" by going dark, but with lots of metallics and lots of white "war paint" on the faces.....

 

[Vesalius]

That disco lord looks amazing! And I love those raptors.

 

I’ve been kinda mixing up how I do my NL, since I don’t feel like they need too much consistency, so some units are metallics an others just dark blues.