Manda’s (Amachan) Adeptus Mechanicus

The vehicles will be primed with Vallejo Surface Primer Black (74.602) and panels will be highlighted with Vallejo Model Air White (71.001) to create a modulation effect. Then the base coat will be Vallejo Model Air Insignia White (71.279) over the armour. Vallejo Model Color Flat Red (70.957) will be used for details, like stripes etc.

The trim bits on separate armour plates or other decorative bits of trim will be painted in Vallejo Game Color Bright Bronze (72.057).

For chipping I will be using two colours. First a heavier layer of chipping using Vallejo Model Color White (70.951) and then a lighter coat of chipping with Vallejo Game Color Charred Brown (72.045).

Washing the white I will be first applying a layer or two of gloss varnish and then fill in the panel lines and crevices or any place where I want it to be a bit darker with AK Interactive Paneliner for White and Winter Camouflage (AK 2074).

The mechanical bits will be painted with Vallejo Metal Color Burnt Iron (77.721) and then a drybrush of Vallejo Model Air Steel (71.065). The more painted looking mechanical bits, like the legs etc. on the Dunecrawler above will be painted with Vallejo Model Air USN Sea Blue (71.295). These will be getting a coat or 2 of gloss varnish and then a coat of AK Interactive Landing Gear Wash (AK 2029). When this last coat is dry I will be rubbing most of it off, so it will remain in the crevices etc.

Pistons and the like will be painted Vallejo Metal Color Pale Burnt Iron (77.704) before the varnishes of the other mechanical bits go on. And then after the varnishes it will receive a coat of AK Interactive Wash for Shafts and Bearings (AK 2032) where I will rub some of it off when dry.

The weapons will use the same painting scheme as the infantry does, except that the base colour for the weapons will be Vallejo Model Color Black Grey (70.862).

I do want a nice rusty worn look for exhausts. They will get a light and mostly uneven coat of Vallejo Game Color Charred Brown (72.045) over the black primer. Then I want to apply a mix of Vallejo Pigments Old Rust (73.120) & Vallejo Pigments New Rust (73.118) while using Vallejo Model Wash Rust (76.506) as an extra tone and a binding agent.

So my Mechanicus force is coming from the forge world of Metalica, which means I’m going to have to paint white…….. ? A lot of white.

Let’s start of with the difficult bit. In order to get the white shaded on the cloaks I’m going to use a pre-shading technique using Vallejo Surface Primer Black (74.602) as base and Vallejo Model Air White (71.001) on the parts I want highlighted. I then want to apply a thin coat of Vallejo Model Air Aged White (71.132)) hoping that the pre-shading will do all the shading work for me. This will be done with the airbrush.

For the inside of the cloaks I will be using Vallejo Model Color Flat Red (70.957) shaded with Citadel Shade Carroburg Crimson (99189953016).

For the rest of the cloth like on the legs and such I will be using Vallejo Model Color Pale Blue (70.906) and some Citadel Shade Drakenhof Nightshade (99189953020) to shade it.

For the metals I will use a colour combo I have been using for a while and it turns out really well. So all the bionic implants and the armour on the Skitarii will be base coated with Vallejo Metal Color Burnt Iron (77.721) followed by a drybrush of Vallejo Model Air Steel (71.065) and a wash of Citadel Shade Nuln Oil (99189953017).

The trim bits and decorative bits will be painted with Vallejo Game Color Bright Bronze (72.057) before the shading in the previous step occurs.

The armour on the Sicarians will be different as the lore states they are supposed to be white for Forge World Metalica. So the armour will use a modulation technique where it will be basecoated with Vallejo Surface Primer Black (74.602) and the centre of the armour plates will be highlighted using Vallejo Model Air White (71.001) and then covering that will be a thin coat of Vallejo Model Air Insignia White (71.279). This will be done with the airbrush.

For the base colour of the weapons I will use Vallejo Model Air USN Sea Blue (71.295), the exposed metal bits will be painted with Vallejo Metal Color Dull Aluminium (77.717) and the trim with or decorative bits with Vallejo Game Color Bright Bronze (72.057).

Plasma coils on plasma weapons will be basecoated with Vallejo Model Air Silver RLM01 (71.063) and then receive a coat of Vallejo Model Color Transparent Blue (70.938). To finish of after all the varnishes are applied I will apply a coat of gloss varnish over these bits, just to make them stand out a bit more.

Coils on Radium weapons will have the same as the plasma coils in the recesses and the outer bits of the coils will be painted with Vallejo Metal Color Dull Aluminium (77.717).

A similar thing I have planned for arc weaponry except that the coil block on the outside will be painted with Vallejo Model Color Copper (70.999).

Bladed parts on power weapons will be painted with Vallejo Metal Color Burnt Iron (77.721) and then receive a drybrush of Vallejo Model Air Steel (71.065).

Leather grips on weapons will be painted with Vallejo Model Color Cavalry Brown (70.982) and rubbery grips with Vallejo Panzer Aces Dark Rubber (70.306)

Everything will be shaded using Citadel Shade Nuln Oil (99189953017) apart from the plasma coils and inner coil things, which will be painted after the shading as it will look better without.

The Mechanicus cog will be painted with Vallejo Model Air White Grey (71.119) & Vallejo Model Color Black Grey (70.862) and then shaded with Citadel Shade Nuln Oil (99189953017).

Lenses and light will be done in the same way as the plasma coils, a basecoat of Vallejo Model Air Silver RLM01 (71.063), then a layer of Vallejo Model Color Transparent Blue (70.938) and a gloss coat in the end.

For all the gribbly bits and other bits that I find and cannot define right now I have no plan at all and will paint them with whatever I feel will look good on them.

To start off with I have ordered a 1000 point list of Adeptus Mechanicus and I’m aiming to build the following list.

• 1 Tech-Priest Dominus with an Eradication Beamer and a Phosphor Serpenta.
• 1 Tech-Priest Enginseer, just the standard loadout.
• 2 squads of 6 Skitarii Rangers where 2 rangers are armed with an Arc Rifle per squad, the alpha’s are equipped with a Galvanic Rifle and an Arc Maul.
• 2 squads of 5 Skitarii Rangers where 2 rangers are armed with a Transuranic Arquebus and 1 is equipped with an Omnispex per squad, the alpha’s just have a Galvanic Rifle.
• 2 squads of 8 Skitarii Vanguard where 2 vanguard are armed with a Plasma Caliver and 1 equipped with an Enhanced Data-Tether per squad, the alpha’s are armed with a Radium Carbine and a Taser Goad.
• 1 squad of Sicarian Infiltrators armed with Flechette Blasters & Taser Goads.
• 3 Onager Dunecrawlers, 1 armed with an Icarus Array, 1 with a Neutron Laser & Cognis Heavy Stubber, 1 with a Twin Heavy Phosphor Blasters, all of them also get the additional Cognis Heavy Stubber and a Broad Spectrum Data-Tether.

This list is by no means the best list to start with, or the best list you can make in a 1000 points, but it will be a fun start. I will be adding what I feel necessary.

I definitely want to add some Sydonian Dragoons and Ironstrider Ballistarii, I’m also definitely thinking about getting a squad of Secutarii Peltasts from Forge World, but these is just ideas for the future.

Images belong to Games Workshop.

To build this list I have ordered (ordered 14th of January) the following:

• 1 Start Collecting Skitarii
• 4 boxes of Skitarii
• 2 Onager Duncrawlers
• 1 box of Sicarians
• 1 Tech-Priest Enginseer
• Plus the codex and some extras

Anyone who knows basic maths (and knows what is in a box of Skitarii) will notice that I bought a box of Skitarii too many. This is on purpose, just to get some extra bits so that I can model the models the way I want.

Why did I not buy a battleforce box? Well, they are sold out everywhere even on Games Workshop’s own webstore.

Why did I not buy multiple start collecting sets since they include the equivalent to a box of Skitarii and an Onager Dunecrawler plus another Dominus for less then buying it separate? Again, sold out everywhere and only available on the Games Workshop webstore as 1 per order and I didn’t want to go and make multiple orders.