The Neverness Hobby Chronicle: Chaos Android Redux

Here's a break from the norm, and a bit of an experiment on my part: Necrons. Or... Chaos Androids?

Space Crusade Chaos Android.

The Chaos Androids first appeared in Space Crusade, a joint MB and GW game that came out approximately 30 years ago in the early 1990s. Although I don't recall them receiving proper 40k stats, they were very much a canonized element of the Chaos forces at the time as they found their way over into the Epic Space Marine game. But with the Epic game changing editions they disappeared and weren't seen again.

Backside of Chaos Android.

Along came the early Necrons in the very final days of Warhammer 2nd edition. These things were clunky and bulky compared to the sleeker design of the Space Crusade plastic miniatures. At Games Day 1999 we got to speak with Rick Priestley and asked him if there was any correlation between the two and he agreed that there was. The design team liked the design of the Chaos Androids but they didn't really fit in with the direction that Chaos was going in. Since most of the classic factions in 40k were essentially ported over themes from Warhammer Fantasy Battle, the Necrons basically assumed the role of the Undead. Thus, they became their own thing.

Detail of crude chaos icon on it's head.

Despite getting a pre-metal* Necron Warrior and a Scarab from GW U.S.A. Mail Order, I just wasn't overwhelmed by them and decided not to go forward with collecting them. The plastics that followed didn't really grab me either, maybe it was the green rods? I didn't hate those things, but... I dunno? Just no Necrons for me.

Now in these current times, with Necrons being one of the featured starter armies in this edition I have aquired a few of them. And I have to admit that their more rag-tag look appeals to me more. So I figured I would try to paint one like the Chaos Android I painted almost 30 years ago. That paint scheme was based on the examples found on the Space Crusade box and in White Dwarf Magazines at the time. I like that scheme and I think my nearly three decade (the model above was painted in the Summer of '93) old paint job still holds up for the most part. Yeah, the red on the gun probably won't work but, well, it was the '90s and the 'Red Phase' was just starting.

The Indomitus era Necron.

Design wise, these latest models aren't too dissimilar from the Space Crusade Chaos Android. Sure they're taller, but check out the way they designed their backs and the way their plate cover the internal skeleton. They have a very similar design gestalt, and their profiles are very close. The newer ones are bit more skinny and they're taller, but a close silhouette regardless. Their weapon is the biggest change. I always thought the original model had a gun that was more a suggestion of a weapon as opposed to being a true design of one.

Backside of current Necron warrior.

I primed the Necron Warrior with Greyseer. The first paint I added was Tesseract Glow on the glowy part of the gun and the warrior's eyes. I then cover the model using Black Templar Contrast Paint, being careful not to get in on the Tesseract Glow bits. Runelord Brass was added to the gun after ultimately deciding that red really was going to look stupid.

Basecoats.

I then sought out a gray color that wasn't too dark or too bright. I ended up using Apple Barrel County Grey for this. I then picked out all of the exposed 'skeleton' parts of the Necron by using Hashut Copper. Coincidentally there is a sigil on the Warrior's chest in the same area on the Chaos Android that I also painted copper. I just thought that was amusing.

Midcoats.

Next I painted White Scar on the majority of the model. I got a bit careless and had to touch up his eyes. I added a bit of glow effect on his left leg using Tesseract Glow.

White Scar layer.

But I wasn't done yet. After a few touch-ups, I applied a layer of 'ard Coat varnish to the white areas. The effect doesn't photograph too well, but it gives it sheen that looks interesting in person. It kind of looks like a busted white iPhone.

'Ard Coat on the white.

Also the base was finished off to look a bit more desert-like than my typical bases. I chose a more dried looking piece of brush to go on there also but only used one to sort of imply a sense of a sparse barren landscape. Clearly I think too much about these things.