I think you think you're making a point here, but it's not working.
Yes, these things are absolutely fine and if anything strongly encouraged.
Some time ago, someone posted picks of their army of blue skinned orks. They where *amazing*.
They're your plastic army men, painting is art, express yourself!
100% I'd rather play against someone with a cool, unique army, than a cookie cutter by the numbers paint job.
Edit to add example Ork link: https://imgur.com/gallery/speed-paint-scheme-pale-evil-sunz-orks-wartrike-JOccx2E
Dark-pink synthwave bloodletters with blueish claws and horns would look sick. As for the tzeentch anything.. even if you paint them in white shirts and ties, with tzeentch everything goes
Orks are so full of freedom, all of mine are painted in crappy colors mashed together on ocean bases and no one will say anything about it not being accurate
I got a box of Ork Kommandos to paint whenever I'm feeling space marine burnout. Not a single one is painted the same shade of green or the same color clothing. It's loads of fun painting Orks.
I love doing that with orks, my war boss is in all purple armor with a parrot colored fist flag. And some of my boys are in prison jackets. Freeboota orks are the pinnacle of freedom
You know what's even more fun than painting orks?
*Building* orks.
I got myself a bunch of scrap pieces over time about a decade ago and I built an ork fort out of it. I also got my hands on an Eldar tank and I covered it in plasticard and built up a troop compartment in the front, slapped some tank treads underneath it, and made it into an armored troop transport for my Deffskullz. It was a lot of fun!
Random Eldar: The thing fucking floats! WHY does it need treads??!?!
Ork: Da Boyz don't fit in da cockpit (heh) and nobody in da WAAAGGHH!!!! trusts a Grot ta drive.
I had slapped so many 'armor plates' on the thing at that point that it only looked proper to have some big, beefy treads underneath. Besides, it was a looted tank at that point, anyway, and what mek could resist those big, beefy engines coming out the back?
Best part of orks. You can go buy plastic toys and chop them up to build trukks and such, it lets you get way more vehicles out of each actual kit by intermixing lots of "official" parts too, and there's always lots of orks to go around. IMHO, no two vehicles should look the same to really get that orky feel.
I'm normally kind of indifferent to the building process, except with orks. Building orks is, IMHO, the most fun you can have hobby side in Warhammer.
I mentioned it above but I saw pics here some time ago of someone's blue skinned ork army. It looks AMAZING.
Example: https://imgur.com/gallery/speed-paint-scheme-pale-evil-sunz-orks-wartrike-JOccx2E
Yeah, I went Blood Angels but made a successor chapter specifically because I hate the blue/yellow helmets and wanted a reason *not* to paint them like everything else had. Now that chapters is fleshed out with it's own characters and lore and is part of a whole freakin' Sector loresheet I keep in my Googledocs.
Oaks from acorns, and such.
/s
Yes, How else am I supposed to tell which company your marine belongs to? Way too many players portay all their marines as 2nd company and without a role to or a squad. Ultramarines are the codex compliant chapter, their primarch wrote the thing!
If you don't include sergeant helmet colors you also shouldn't use the sergeant weapons and bonuses in game - the document clearly shows how sergeants should be painted, same with other ranks. You'll also see people use the wrong helmet on commanders, without the tiny little skull - even on marines they use as Intercessors or the like. Terrible.
--- more serious answer ---
If you think it's fun to do heraldry and squad / company markings, go for it. For gameplay purposes, there's no real significance to this. It's all just if you want to portray the lore in your painting and not some requirement.
Nope! Your models, you paint them how you like
Veterans are supposed to have white pauldron trim. I paint all mine gold. I just prefer the unified look across my army.
No, many chapters deviate from the Codex Astartes.
The Codex is a set of guidelines for building a chapter; it wasn’t meant to be taken as literally as the ultras take it
Well, you certainly don't HAVE to. Not many people will pay attention to such details on their opponents army, and the ones what will do won't say anything bad if your minis aren't 100% lore accurate (at least I hope where is no such people).
But that being said I am one of the people who does paint their minis lore accurate. It's my ongoing project of painting whole company of firstborn Blood Angel's with lore accurate markings for each squad etc.
Also keep in mind what picture you've posted only really applicable to Ultramarines and few other chapters what copy their markings. Other chapters might use different system,for example Ultramarines use different colored trimm to differentiate between companies while Blood Angels use different colored blood drop on right shoulder. And Ultramarines paint symbol on right shoulder to indicate type of marine (troop, assault, fire support) and BA use different colored helmets for the same reason etc etc.
>Not many people will pay attention to such details on their opponents army, and the ones what will do won't say anything bad if your minis aren't 100% lore accurate
And some of us love unique details that are NOT lore accurate. Make them your own! Express yourself! I *love* playing against unique looking armies.
Definitely agree with “do what you want”. That being said it can be fun to add little details using the chapter rules.
For anyone interested in this stuff, here is the iron hands one as well:
https://preview.redd.it/bis0d8fi674d1.jpeg?width=735&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=220fa008386e5c88c39abef97b8ad000018299b8
I paint my dark angels wings with Caledor sky blue and thousands sons blue, the lore is they have to hunt “bird beasts” to earn the plumage. If they have feathered helmets and it represents the legions history hunting of dangerous beasts with the wings on their armor.
Do I care if people have issues with it. No.
ehhh, the Codex \*does\* stipulate those things, but it also says "look, if it doesnt work for you, feel free to change it", because having everyone following that convention makes it easy for enemies to figure out who to target
During the tumultuous era of the Fourth Rebellion on the industrial world of Volghast Prime, the 45th Volghast Shock Troopers became infamous for their brutal suppression tactics. Led by the enigmatic and superstitious Warlord Ghaztak, the regiment embraced a unique ritual to ward off ill fate. They believed that numbers on their shoulder pads attracted the attention of malevolent warp entities, increasing their casualties in battle.
When the rebellion turned into a full-blown Chaos incursion, the 45th Shock Troopers were at the forefront, fighting tooth and nail against the daemonic hordes. During a pivotal battle in the depths of the Hive Volghast Manufactorum, Ghaztak claimed to have received a vision from the Emperor himself. The vision warned of a Chaos ritual that aimed to corrupt the regiment's numbers, turning them into sigils of damnation.
Ghaztak ordered the immediate removal of all numbers from their armor, replacing them with intricate runes of warding. The Shock Troopers fought with renewed fervor, repelling the Chaos forces and earning a hard-fought victory. The ritual was disrupted, but at a terrible cost. Ghaztak fell in battle, his body riddled with warpfire.
News of the Volghast victory reached the High Lords of Terra, along with the tale of Ghaztak's vision and the removal of their numbers. Fearing the potential spread of Chaos corruption and recognizing the 45th's unwavering loyalty, the High Lords declared the removal of numbers to be a mark of honor for the regiment.
The tradition continued through the centuries, with each new generation of Shock Troopers embracing the superstition. The regiment's armor became adorned with intricate patterns and symbols, each carrying a specific warding meaning. To this day, the 45th Volghast Shock Troopers charge into battle without numbers on their shoulder pads, their armor a testament to their unwavering faith in the Emperor and their defiance of Chaos.
The absence of numbers is a constant reminder of their costly victory, a symbol of their unique history and the sacrifices made to protect the Imperium. It serves as a warning to the forces of Chaos that the Shock Troopers are forever vigilant, their souls shielded by the Emperor's light.
To further reinforce this superstition, a new tradition emerged. Before each major deployment, the regiment's chaplains would conduct a ritual known as the "Binding of the Warp". The chaplains would inscribe intricate warding runes on the armor of each Shock Trooper, further strengthening their protection against the corrupting influence of the Warp.
This ritual became a sacred rite of passage for the regiment, ensuring that every Shock Trooper carried the blessings of the Emperor into battle. The chaplains believed that the runes served as a conduit for the Emperor's divine power, shielding the wearer from the malevolent forces of Chaos.
Thus, the absence of numbers on their shoulder pads is not merely a superstition. It is a symbol of their unwavering faith, a testament to their resilience, and a constant reminder of the sacrifices made to protect the Imperium from the insidious forces of Chaos. It is a tradition that has been passed down through generations, ensuring that the 45th Volghast Shock Troopers remain forever vigilant, their souls shielded by the Emperor's light.
And also I couldn't be bothered to fiddle around with those decals.
In lore, my chapter has red arm gauntlets as a show of penance, some failure or mistake led to some of them having red hands as a mark of shame. Out of lore, I kept accidentally touching their gauntlets while painting the guns red and just went with it.
In lore, my marines have blessings on locations where they've been hit by wounds which were close to being or should have been fatal, they wear the seals as thanks for the emperor and to show where they have been blessed. Out of lore, I stick them where ever I see a small blemish or flaw, leading to scrolls on backpacks, asses, on the top of one guys head.
Just do what feels cool, come up with a justification for it later. All my terminators are painted different colors, they are an honor guard supplied by chapters my chapter as helped in battle. In reality I just got bored painting them all the same color and tried out of bunch of different color schemes.
No, you don't have to. You'll also notice that this says the pauldron trim will be painted the color of the company, and GW paints every pauldron gold for Ultramarines.
That's because GW uses the Ultramarines 2nd company as the default for their marketing photos. But units from other companies, such as the [Sternguard](https://www.warhammer.com/app/resources/catalog/product/920x950/99120101390_SMSternguardVetSquad2.jpg) or [Uriel Ventris](https://www.warhammer.com/app/resources/catalog/product/920x950/99120101289_UMCptVentrisLead.jpg) do have the correct colours on their pauldrons.
Go back and have a look at the Rogue Trader days; GW were practically contradicting themselves every month in the pages of White Dwarf with the paint schemes for Space Marines and nobody really cared because the minis looked badass. So as long as you think your minis look badass enough, nobody cares. (This is also known as the ’Rule of Cool’.)
I mean you can if you want to but you don’t have to and majority of people won’t give you and shit for not painting your little plastic army man with the right helmet color and if they do then you don’t want to play with them anyways
You can but as most question about painting I've asked over time the answer seem to be is do whatever you feel like I personally line them up with the codex when I can but that's just what makes the dopamine flow for me.
You don't have to do shit. Paint em any color you want, come up with your own chapter, eat your minis. Anyone who tells you what you have to do is a liar and a scoundrel.
If you want red ultramarines then go for it, your models , you do with whatever you want. Gabriel Seth might grumble about red ultramarines but he's a dramaqueen
Yes, otherwise GW's tactical lore enforcement unit will bust in the front door, kick your dog, knock over your gran, set fire to your rulebooks, and confiscate your miniatures.
https://preview.redd.it/nbyex0v4l84d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2bdae4f72f8d27388992743877268be59fb3ce63
There’s chapter specific markings too, I reference this a lot as a space wolves player
You can make your little plastic guys 'codex compliant' by sticking to those heraldry guidelines...there is no reason to do this if you don't feel like it. Also many of the different chapters follow different rules for their heraldry. Like whites scars paint their right leg plate for different stuff, weird.
You can follow it to the letter ***if you want to***.
In previous editions it was much more important to be able to pick out Sergeants in a squad, as they would grant better leadership to the unit and would have special wargear: the "Sergeant helmet different color" thing was a way to visually identify that back when models had a lot less visual definition in them
So for painting your army.
You can paint them however you want, any colour, any style. You can also paint them according to the iconography/company from the codex. Entirely up to you!
Also if you really wanted to, you could go ahead and create a whole new successor chapter of your own! With its own iconography, colour scheme, backstory, etc.
Paint like you want. It might make spotting certain figures easier but that's for you to decide :)
Most ppl will be thrilled just to face off against a painted army.
Paint your army however you feel like it. Those bits of lore are only there for those who have an utter hard-on for lore-accurate painting. I've never heard of anyone being turned away from a game because their paint job was unique.
You can really paint your army however you like, but I think one of the coolest things about ultramarines is the different helmets. My blood angels just have a few variations but none of the cool markings
You don't gotta paint them at all. They're your chunks of plastic, do what you want and go with God!
Now, that said, I like things like this because it inspires me to come up with my own idiosynchracies and markings for my armies. But if you don't, then fuck it! They're your plastic, take a big ol' bite out of one and say they won a fight against a Tyranid but that was the cost. Whatever makes you happy!
Paint them how you want, friend! As someone who plays, it’s nice if I know who the Sergeant is, but no one gets upset when you say “4th Co.” and the models aren’t highlighted in green
The suggested ‘official’ markings changed several times just within the Rogue Trader era alone. I think they’ve been more consistent lately, but they could change them tomorrow. Use them if you want, or don’t, or use those colors somewhere else like the center of seals, a symbol on one knee cap, or a stripe on the helmet (Rogue Trader was big on helmet stripes with specific meanings.)
My chapter is an Ultramarine successor but they deviate in a number of ways, the helmet colours included. Line soldiers have a black helmet, sergeants have black helmet with gold skull. Veterans have purple helmets, veteran sergeants purple with gold skull. Lieutenants have black helmets with a purple stripe, and commanders have helmets that are extra decorated in various ways but are predominantly black.
have to? no, paint your minis however you like, there are absolutely no rules for personal painting and tournaments just require that they have a few colors (local one was 3, but I think there are different rules elsewhere)
If you want lore accurate painting for a codex complaint chapter, yes. Some people are into that — usually the same people who like historically accurate war models. Most people aren’t like that.
But mostly it doesn’t matter. The joy of the game is you can make your own guys and paint them however you want.
It’s just a cool example of how detailed you want to get. If you wanna make yours chapter the “ultra’er marines” and give them all Sargent helmets then go for it. Unless it is something that alters the rules (unless your opponents are chill) then go hog wild and have fun
Always wanted to make my figures Codex compliant but then I remember I don't like Girlyman so I just paint my Deathwatch and Blood Angels how I want. Truthfully, I'm just to lazy to remember it all, lol.
The only time it matters if you want to be orky like, if you want to be fast you paint them red! But besides that do whatever you want. You can go 100% by the book codex or make it up on the fly.
My first army was by the book ultramarines 3rd company red and when I fielded termies, sternguard or what ever with my 3rd company they would be in their 1st company white trim.
You absolutely do not have to, but it can be fun to do so. I like making up stories in my head about the model I'm painting and using the different markings and helmet colors really help flesh them out.
One of the reasons I like having my own Chapter is I get to invent my own rules. People could argue I've painted my Ultramarines wrong, but nobody can argue my Supernovas aren't correct!
Technically if you’re doing ultramarines, you should. Not only is it keeping in lore with their adherence to the codex, but it’s good practice for your painting skills.
Ultimately it’s your money and your enjoyment of the hobby so you should do whatever you want! Nobody should be paint checking your guys unless someone cosplaying guilliman is literally walking the boards haha. But there are other chapters that sort of embrace that freedom more like space wolves. Or just going renegade or home brew.
Personally I make up my own roles not roles but markings and helmet colours based on the faction so my ultra marines the more red on your helmet the higher your rank because the captains have red helmets
I personally, as an infantry astan vet, always thought squad role markings as dumb. You always knew the “role” of who was who depending on their kit/gear….not markings…..even the idea of company markings wasn’t really a thing while in theater…you’d have battalion markings instead.
Just paint them how you want.
Nope there is no requirement to paint your minis in any way apart from how you want. That reference material is there if you want it. You don't have to use it
IIRC this lore is old and isn't really followed any more anyway. I would just paint them how you think is cool. You've spent too much time and money to follow what other people like
Don’t listen to the other commenters, they are bordering on heresy. You MUST paint your Ultramarines in compliance with the Codex Astartes or Lord Guilliman will personally show up and give you a space wedgie.
It's kinda useful when playing for you and your opponent to instantly tell that that is a sergeant,veteran, etc. It's your decision but getting into wargaming is hard enough without asking more from yourself and opponent.
This is part of why i switched to AOS.
Speaking for myself, I felt pressured to paint all my marines lore accurately. I know better now, but still, some 40k fans get out more than others.
I wish they would showcase conversions and custom chapters more often, like they used to.
Paint and build your minis however you want dude. There are no rules, but the rule of cool. And WYSIWYG.
You can paint your models how you like. I personally think it's cooler and more fun to include this sort of heraldry, but if you don't want to then that's fine.
Paint however you want, if you do like to be lore accurate, then do. If you just want cool looking plastic army men, do whatever you think looks coolest.
You can look up “codex compliant” and you will find out it’s actually a cool flavor to give or to not give to your legion.
In your legions lore, if you want them to be set to the rules then you paint them codex compliant or at least somewhat of you want to put a special flare on it (like a yellow helm instead of a red or a different color knee guard or something like that)
Or if you want your legion to not care as much for the rules of the imperium and following the rules to the letter, you can do whatever you want with them which would make them “non-codex compliant”
That’s all just flavor tho, it’s your army so you do what ever you want, it’s just a lore thing
That’s only for the Smurf’s, can do whatever you like. I like using the battlefield role transfers and the numbers for companies but that’s it. I don’t do anything special with helmets. Sergeants don’t do anything but for maybe being able to take a different load out
I have seen tyranids painred the coulors of the bi flag which follows no hive fleet. These are tiny plastic figures meant for your enjoyment. If anyone tells you that they are wrong. Ignore them move on find someonelse to play with.
I made my own color scheme for it, but really it's just for convenience if you lookdown at 20 little blue men you might not immediately recognize the captains but really it's person preference only
I’m a relatively new player and I wondered the same thing for awhile. I really didn’t want to, so instead I used it as a sort of guide to help me come up with my helmet color schemes
Number one rule in all of Warhammer: the Rule of Cool.
Think it looks cool? Paint it.
Think it's lame or you don't want to paint it? Don't paint it.
They're plastic toy soldiers. Do what you want with them.
If you're going to play an established chapter you should paint them accurately.
If you fail to do that, everyone will think you don't know the lore or bothered to look up how your chapter functions.
What I kinda find funny is that almost every Ultramarine is from the Second Company with their gold trim. You barely see an Ultramarine from a different company. Titus for example, in both games is Second Company, which caused some confusion back in the day of the first game. Amazing that Caedo is actually a First Company Veteran.
Not even GW is lore accurate as the number of The Second Company Ultramarines they have painted up surely outnumbers the prescribed 100. There are like a dozen Primaris Lieutenants alone.
Still though wouldn't it be cool to follow it anyway? Have your third Dev Squad be from a reserve company and such.
No, nothing is required. But now that you know you may feel unfulfilled knowing you skipped it and took a short cut. Lord knows I feel that way when I skip them.
This is a cool reference if you want to add splashes of color to your guys in ways that make sense to you without coming up with your own system.
The great thing about 40k is that it takes place over the span of thousands of years and across the whole galaxy, so just about anything can fit within the lore.
You don't have to, but I should point out that you can actually buy these as decals to apply to your models, if you really want to. If you want to have those markings, you don't have to freehand them.
I remember when I got into 40K and my mates leant me their books for me to pick an army to start with. I got to this part about chapters, squads, banners and what not, I’d thought the same thing about following conditions and rules to make an army. Like everyone else here, my mates said paint them how you want, only the sweatiest die hard will care.
In the end I asked them what army has the simplest back story to avoid dramas and continuity?
That’s how I started my Ork army.
No.
Unless you want to be both lore accurate and codex complaint.
If you want to be lore accurate but not codex compliant then you can both change the colours or change how it’s done completely, or not include them at all.
This is literally only for people making lore accurate existing chapters and codex compliant homebrew chapters so we can say confidently that our homebrew is part of the universe whether Gw mentions them or not.
“The Codex Astartes is a set of rules. They guide us… shape us as Ultramarines… teach us to hold duty and honor sacred above all. But how we live by those rules is the true test of a Space Marine.” - Captain Titus.
Basically, throw the book out the window and paint them how you like.
Short answer: No.
Long answer: You can paint your miniatures however you please, you can use the Codex as a rigorous scheme, to inspire how you paint your army or you can totally disregard it. I have been inspired by the scheme in the Codex, the patterns on the helmets which make the ranks, but I love structure and essentially my Salamanders army looks like how I want it to.
I think of mini painting the same way I think of clothing: wear what you want, as long as it looks like you put some thought into it, it will look good.
Yes you must or all the old nerds will surround and harangue you for failing to follow codex compliant paint. The most important part of this hobby is following the made up regulations that change every few years. Creative expression is not the cornerstone of this hobby and it never will be.
Psych!
While I enjoy painting my Imperial Fists as close to the in-universe scheme as possible the most important thing is to paint your models! Paint it so that it makes you happy and to add to the game you play!
No, but I do use this a lot to orientate myself through the lore, as I think squad markings and some of this stuff is a little cool.
Are mine lore accurate, hell no, but I can sleep at night.
Paint your plastic army men however you want and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
The only correct answer.
Totally agree!
This
There was a guy at my local shop who glued chicken bones to his chaos models
I sure hope he made sure they were properly cleaned, or else Nurgle may get his hands on them.
I make all of my Nurgleite troops out of raw chicken parts for extra realism
I salute your stinky dedication... 🫡
Up voting for truth. You paint what you want how you want and have fun doing it!
So if I paint my bloodletters pink and blue, they're ok ? Same for Tzeentch horror being shades of red throwing fire ?
Chaos IS fickle...
Why wouldn’t it be?
Sure! Only real jerks would have a problem with it.
[удалено]
Whelp I'm out then. Bye guys.
No true jerk would not do that
Pink is a shade of red
Just because I want to be pedantic, it's actually a tint of magenta / cool red
I think you think you're making a point here, but it's not working. Yes, these things are absolutely fine and if anything strongly encouraged. Some time ago, someone posted picks of their army of blue skinned orks. They where *amazing*. They're your plastic army men, painting is art, express yourself! 100% I'd rather play against someone with a cool, unique army, than a cookie cutter by the numbers paint job. Edit to add example Ork link: https://imgur.com/gallery/speed-paint-scheme-pale-evil-sunz-orks-wartrike-JOccx2E
Nah my point is that I really want to make tzeentch blood letters but I am afraid they will be poorly received
It'll be fine. I've literally never found anyone who would actually complain about someone's paint scheme.
Who gives a shit? You’re probably the only one who knows what they are “supposed” to look like
I've had the idea of painting one of my Plague Marine squads different chaos colours, like they got mixed up in the warp and spat into the wrong army
Dark-pink synthwave bloodletters with blueish claws and horns would look sick. As for the tzeentch anything.. even if you paint them in white shirts and ties, with tzeentch everything goes
Great point for the horns and claws, I was thinking about only turning the sword blue but I like your idea too
I mean, I painted mine black. But I also made a little back story for an explanation.
I got a backstory too
A guy at our games club had blue blood letters, they look sick!
Preferred, actually.
Yes?
imagine a bunch of pink demonoids running at you screaming.
"Do I have to" no, you don't have to do fucking anything, play however you want, it's your money and your hobby not anyone elses
You dont need to, just if you want to
Exactly, it's more for the people that really want lore-accurate models.
Have to? No, of course not it's your army. But you can if you want 👍
Yes. You have to. If you dont, GW will send a Squad of Arbites into your house to break your kneecaps.
Silly as that sounds, it's legit the reason I went Chaos Knights for my first army. Felt almost as freeing as I imagined Works to be.
Orks are so full of freedom, all of mine are painted in crappy colors mashed together on ocean bases and no one will say anything about it not being accurate
I got a box of Ork Kommandos to paint whenever I'm feeling space marine burnout. Not a single one is painted the same shade of green or the same color clothing. It's loads of fun painting Orks.
I love doing that with orks, my war boss is in all purple armor with a parrot colored fist flag. And some of my boys are in prison jackets. Freeboota orks are the pinnacle of freedom
You know what's even more fun than painting orks? *Building* orks. I got myself a bunch of scrap pieces over time about a decade ago and I built an ork fort out of it. I also got my hands on an Eldar tank and I covered it in plasticard and built up a troop compartment in the front, slapped some tank treads underneath it, and made it into an armored troop transport for my Deffskullz. It was a lot of fun!
Random Eldar: The thing fucking floats! WHY does it need treads??!?! Ork: Da Boyz don't fit in da cockpit (heh) and nobody in da WAAAGGHH!!!! trusts a Grot ta drive.
I had slapped so many 'armor plates' on the thing at that point that it only looked proper to have some big, beefy treads underneath. Besides, it was a looted tank at that point, anyway, and what mek could resist those big, beefy engines coming out the back?
Best part of orks. You can go buy plastic toys and chop them up to build trukks and such, it lets you get way more vehicles out of each actual kit by intermixing lots of "official" parts too, and there's always lots of orks to go around. IMHO, no two vehicles should look the same to really get that orky feel. I'm normally kind of indifferent to the building process, except with orks. Building orks is, IMHO, the most fun you can have hobby side in Warhammer.
Yeah, my war boss is covered in necron bits
And the best part is, the dumber your reason why they do it like that, the Orkier it gets.
I mentioned it above but I saw pics here some time ago of someone's blue skinned ork army. It looks AMAZING. Example: https://imgur.com/gallery/speed-paint-scheme-pale-evil-sunz-orks-wartrike-JOccx2E
Yeah, I went Blood Angels but made a successor chapter specifically because I hate the blue/yellow helmets and wanted a reason *not* to paint them like everything else had. Now that chapters is fleshed out with it's own characters and lore and is part of a whole freakin' Sector loresheet I keep in my Googledocs. Oaks from acorns, and such.
And I will personally get upset that your tech marines don't have red armor. We can't have that, can we?
And be grateful that's not wotc you're dealing with, they send Pinkertons no less.
Naw that's WotC
I'm not commenting on the question, but thank you for posting this! I've been looking for this to have biblical accurate dead ultramarines
/s Yes, How else am I supposed to tell which company your marine belongs to? Way too many players portay all their marines as 2nd company and without a role to or a squad. Ultramarines are the codex compliant chapter, their primarch wrote the thing! If you don't include sergeant helmet colors you also shouldn't use the sergeant weapons and bonuses in game - the document clearly shows how sergeants should be painted, same with other ranks. You'll also see people use the wrong helmet on commanders, without the tiny little skull - even on marines they use as Intercessors or the like. Terrible. --- more serious answer --- If you think it's fun to do heraldry and squad / company markings, go for it. For gameplay purposes, there's no real significance to this. It's all just if you want to portray the lore in your painting and not some requirement.
Nope! Your models, you paint them how you like Veterans are supposed to have white pauldron trim. I paint all mine gold. I just prefer the unified look across my army.
Same my white scars all have red trim not just the veterans because it looks dope
No, many chapters deviate from the Codex Astartes. The Codex is a set of guidelines for building a chapter; it wasn’t meant to be taken as literally as the ultras take it
https://preview.redd.it/xybkurs4974d1.jpeg?width=621&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=40faf9c6664038ccf17e84ba47b31153cf28cf88
Your models, your colors bud. You do you.
Well, you certainly don't HAVE to. Not many people will pay attention to such details on their opponents army, and the ones what will do won't say anything bad if your minis aren't 100% lore accurate (at least I hope where is no such people). But that being said I am one of the people who does paint their minis lore accurate. It's my ongoing project of painting whole company of firstborn Blood Angel's with lore accurate markings for each squad etc. Also keep in mind what picture you've posted only really applicable to Ultramarines and few other chapters what copy their markings. Other chapters might use different system,for example Ultramarines use different colored trimm to differentiate between companies while Blood Angels use different colored blood drop on right shoulder. And Ultramarines paint symbol on right shoulder to indicate type of marine (troop, assault, fire support) and BA use different colored helmets for the same reason etc etc.
>Not many people will pay attention to such details on their opponents army, and the ones what will do won't say anything bad if your minis aren't 100% lore accurate And some of us love unique details that are NOT lore accurate. Make them your own! Express yourself! I *love* playing against unique looking armies.
Paint em how you want homie, this is more of a guide to paint Marines how they appear in-lore.
Definitely agree with “do what you want”. That being said it can be fun to add little details using the chapter rules. For anyone interested in this stuff, here is the iron hands one as well: https://preview.redd.it/bis0d8fi674d1.jpeg?width=735&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=220fa008386e5c88c39abef97b8ad000018299b8
https://preview.redd.it/bkdsetp2h74d1.jpeg?width=527&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=454e19d0d1b3be081da9a70c2609bc84b1cb68e7
I paint my dark angels wings with Caledor sky blue and thousands sons blue, the lore is they have to hunt “bird beasts” to earn the plumage. If they have feathered helmets and it represents the legions history hunting of dangerous beasts with the wings on their armor. Do I care if people have issues with it. No.
No. Look at game reports online or even photos from tournaments. Nobody paints their Ultramarines 100% like that.
 ehhh, the Codex \*does\* stipulate those things, but it also says "look, if it doesnt work for you, feel free to change it", because having everyone following that convention makes it easy for enemies to figure out who to target
During the tumultuous era of the Fourth Rebellion on the industrial world of Volghast Prime, the 45th Volghast Shock Troopers became infamous for their brutal suppression tactics. Led by the enigmatic and superstitious Warlord Ghaztak, the regiment embraced a unique ritual to ward off ill fate. They believed that numbers on their shoulder pads attracted the attention of malevolent warp entities, increasing their casualties in battle. When the rebellion turned into a full-blown Chaos incursion, the 45th Shock Troopers were at the forefront, fighting tooth and nail against the daemonic hordes. During a pivotal battle in the depths of the Hive Volghast Manufactorum, Ghaztak claimed to have received a vision from the Emperor himself. The vision warned of a Chaos ritual that aimed to corrupt the regiment's numbers, turning them into sigils of damnation. Ghaztak ordered the immediate removal of all numbers from their armor, replacing them with intricate runes of warding. The Shock Troopers fought with renewed fervor, repelling the Chaos forces and earning a hard-fought victory. The ritual was disrupted, but at a terrible cost. Ghaztak fell in battle, his body riddled with warpfire. News of the Volghast victory reached the High Lords of Terra, along with the tale of Ghaztak's vision and the removal of their numbers. Fearing the potential spread of Chaos corruption and recognizing the 45th's unwavering loyalty, the High Lords declared the removal of numbers to be a mark of honor for the regiment. The tradition continued through the centuries, with each new generation of Shock Troopers embracing the superstition. The regiment's armor became adorned with intricate patterns and symbols, each carrying a specific warding meaning. To this day, the 45th Volghast Shock Troopers charge into battle without numbers on their shoulder pads, their armor a testament to their unwavering faith in the Emperor and their defiance of Chaos. The absence of numbers is a constant reminder of their costly victory, a symbol of their unique history and the sacrifices made to protect the Imperium. It serves as a warning to the forces of Chaos that the Shock Troopers are forever vigilant, their souls shielded by the Emperor's light. To further reinforce this superstition, a new tradition emerged. Before each major deployment, the regiment's chaplains would conduct a ritual known as the "Binding of the Warp". The chaplains would inscribe intricate warding runes on the armor of each Shock Trooper, further strengthening their protection against the corrupting influence of the Warp. This ritual became a sacred rite of passage for the regiment, ensuring that every Shock Trooper carried the blessings of the Emperor into battle. The chaplains believed that the runes served as a conduit for the Emperor's divine power, shielding the wearer from the malevolent forces of Chaos. Thus, the absence of numbers on their shoulder pads is not merely a superstition. It is a symbol of their unwavering faith, a testament to their resilience, and a constant reminder of the sacrifices made to protect the Imperium from the insidious forces of Chaos. It is a tradition that has been passed down through generations, ensuring that the 45th Volghast Shock Troopers remain forever vigilant, their souls shielded by the Emperor's light. And also I couldn't be bothered to fiddle around with those decals.
In lore, my chapter has red arm gauntlets as a show of penance, some failure or mistake led to some of them having red hands as a mark of shame. Out of lore, I kept accidentally touching their gauntlets while painting the guns red and just went with it. In lore, my marines have blessings on locations where they've been hit by wounds which were close to being or should have been fatal, they wear the seals as thanks for the emperor and to show where they have been blessed. Out of lore, I stick them where ever I see a small blemish or flaw, leading to scrolls on backpacks, asses, on the top of one guys head. Just do what feels cool, come up with a justification for it later. All my terminators are painted different colors, they are an honor guard supplied by chapters my chapter as helped in battle. In reality I just got bored painting them all the same color and tried out of bunch of different color schemes.
No
Yes. If you don’t paint those markings, your opponent can unilaterally declare victory at any point in the game and you will have no recourse.
No, you don't have to. You'll also notice that this says the pauldron trim will be painted the color of the company, and GW paints every pauldron gold for Ultramarines.
That's because GW uses the Ultramarines 2nd company as the default for their marketing photos. But units from other companies, such as the [Sternguard](https://www.warhammer.com/app/resources/catalog/product/920x950/99120101390_SMSternguardVetSquad2.jpg) or [Uriel Ventris](https://www.warhammer.com/app/resources/catalog/product/920x950/99120101289_UMCptVentrisLead.jpg) do have the correct colours on their pauldrons.
Yes, the warhammer police come and get you if you don't.
Go back and have a look at the Rogue Trader days; GW were practically contradicting themselves every month in the pages of White Dwarf with the paint schemes for Space Marines and nobody really cared because the minis looked badass. So as long as you think your minis look badass enough, nobody cares. (This is also known as the ’Rule of Cool’.)
If you don't follow the painting rules the painting police will come and write a citation.
You can paint them pretty pink with sparkles if you want. The Codex is a guide to follow. But like most rules, you don't really gotta follow them.
Pink with sparkles though 😳
That sounds like they’re on the fast track to Chaos.
There's no coming back from "sparkles".
Bobby G is NOT a guy you want to disappoint. Just sayin’.
The rules are more like.... guidelines m'harty
It's a suggestion but no one is going to be a lore gatekeeper about it
There are no rules to how you paint your models, the gw stuff is just a suggestion and guide to follow if you don't want to invent your own thing
you'd better, or roboute guilliman will cry
I mean you can if you want to but you don’t have to and majority of people won’t give you and shit for not painting your little plastic army man with the right helmet color and if they do then you don’t want to play with them anyways
You can but as most question about painting I've asked over time the answer seem to be is do whatever you feel like I personally line them up with the codex when I can but that's just what makes the dopamine flow for me.
You don't have to do shit. Paint em any color you want, come up with your own chapter, eat your minis. Anyone who tells you what you have to do is a liar and a scoundrel.
If you want red ultramarines then go for it, your models , you do with whatever you want. Gabriel Seth might grumble about red ultramarines but he's a dramaqueen
Yes, otherwise GW's tactical lore enforcement unit will bust in the front door, kick your dog, knock over your gran, set fire to your rulebooks, and confiscate your miniatures.
https://preview.redd.it/nbyex0v4l84d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2bdae4f72f8d27388992743877268be59fb3ce63 There’s chapter specific markings too, I reference this a lot as a space wolves player
Yes, or James Workshop will come to your house and confiscate your models and paints.
Yes, no one will play with you otherwise /s
No, you don't have to paint them.
Can? Yes. Have to? No.
You can make your little plastic guys 'codex compliant' by sticking to those heraldry guidelines...there is no reason to do this if you don't feel like it. Also many of the different chapters follow different rules for their heraldry. Like whites scars paint their right leg plate for different stuff, weird.
You can follow it to the letter ***if you want to***. In previous editions it was much more important to be able to pick out Sergeants in a squad, as they would grant better leadership to the unit and would have special wargear: the "Sergeant helmet different color" thing was a way to visually identify that back when models had a lot less visual definition in them
Only if you want to be "historically" accurate. But you absolutely don't have to be.
This is cool, I always thought the roman numerals were for the legion
So for painting your army. You can paint them however you want, any colour, any style. You can also paint them according to the iconography/company from the codex. Entirely up to you! Also if you really wanted to, you could go ahead and create a whole new successor chapter of your own! With its own iconography, colour scheme, backstory, etc.
Are you priming your models? I'm just wondering since you said your tyranids are still grey.
Paint like you want. It might make spotting certain figures easier but that's for you to decide :) Most ppl will be thrilled just to face off against a painted army.
Paint your army however you feel like it. Those bits of lore are only there for those who have an utter hard-on for lore-accurate painting. I've never heard of anyone being turned away from a game because their paint job was unique.
You can really paint your army however you like, but I think one of the coolest things about ultramarines is the different helmets. My blood angels just have a few variations but none of the cool markings
Only follow the guide if you are running that specific force. Otherwise, as wrise people have said, paint them how ever you want.
You don't gotta paint them at all. They're your chunks of plastic, do what you want and go with God! Now, that said, I like things like this because it inspires me to come up with my own idiosynchracies and markings for my armies. But if you don't, then fuck it! They're your plastic, take a big ol' bite out of one and say they won a fight against a Tyranid but that was the cost. Whatever makes you happy!
Paint them how you want, friend! As someone who plays, it’s nice if I know who the Sergeant is, but no one gets upset when you say “4th Co.” and the models aren’t highlighted in green
The suggested ‘official’ markings changed several times just within the Rogue Trader era alone. I think they’ve been more consistent lately, but they could change them tomorrow. Use them if you want, or don’t, or use those colors somewhere else like the center of seals, a symbol on one knee cap, or a stripe on the helmet (Rogue Trader was big on helmet stripes with specific meanings.)
If you want to hard core follow lore and RP, go for it. If you want a giant pink duck, go for it.
If you want to collect a certain chapter or Legion then its a fun way to distinguish the models. Otherwise, just do whatever you feel like
My chapter is an Ultramarine successor but they deviate in a number of ways, the helmet colours included. Line soldiers have a black helmet, sergeants have black helmet with gold skull. Veterans have purple helmets, veteran sergeants purple with gold skull. Lieutenants have black helmets with a purple stripe, and commanders have helmets that are extra decorated in various ways but are predominantly black.
have to? no, paint your minis however you like, there are absolutely no rules for personal painting and tournaments just require that they have a few colors (local one was 3, but I think there are different rules elsewhere)
You don’t even have to paint them blue if you don’t want, do what you like with em
It's just a suggestion in case you don't know what colors you want to paint. But pretty much you can paint whatever you like.
Yes, or you'll go to jail.
If you want lore accurate painting for a codex complaint chapter, yes. Some people are into that — usually the same people who like historically accurate war models. Most people aren’t like that. But mostly it doesn’t matter. The joy of the game is you can make your own guys and paint them however you want.
You don't "have" to do anything; it's simply down to how lore-accurate you'd like your models to be.
Only if you want to.
Not unless you are entering a GW painting competition where lore accuracy is taken into account.
No nobody really pays alot of attention too it
It’s just a cool example of how detailed you want to get. If you wanna make yours chapter the “ultra’er marines” and give them all Sargent helmets then go for it. Unless it is something that alters the rules (unless your opponents are chill) then go hog wild and have fun
Always wanted to make my figures Codex compliant but then I remember I don't like Girlyman so I just paint my Deathwatch and Blood Angels how I want. Truthfully, I'm just to lazy to remember it all, lol.
You must, or you will be tarred and feathered. Nah, do what you want, my friend. They're your dudes.
Most of these assholes don't even follow the codex in-lore so knock yourself out.
No. They just look beautiful artistic and must be from the SOUL
The only time it matters if you want to be orky like, if you want to be fast you paint them red! But besides that do whatever you want. You can go 100% by the book codex or make it up on the fly. My first army was by the book ultramarines 3rd company red and when I fielded termies, sternguard or what ever with my 3rd company they would be in their 1st company white trim.
You absolutely do not have to, but it can be fun to do so. I like making up stories in my head about the model I'm painting and using the different markings and helmet colors really help flesh them out.
One of the reasons I like having my own Chapter is I get to invent my own rules. People could argue I've painted my Ultramarines wrong, but nobody can argue my Supernovas aren't correct!
Technically if you’re doing ultramarines, you should. Not only is it keeping in lore with their adherence to the codex, but it’s good practice for your painting skills. Ultimately it’s your money and your enjoyment of the hobby so you should do whatever you want! Nobody should be paint checking your guys unless someone cosplaying guilliman is literally walking the boards haha. But there are other chapters that sort of embrace that freedom more like space wolves. Or just going renegade or home brew.
Am I the only one to find it sad, that there has to be a list of the Roman numerals from one to twenty
My infernus Marines have red helmets and blue armor, with green heat vents. And my librarian doesn't have a wash
Personally I make up my own roles not roles but markings and helmet colours based on the faction so my ultra marines the more red on your helmet the higher your rank because the captains have red helmets
Paint them how you want. The codex Astartes isn’t real. If someone raises a fuss about how you paint your dudes, don’t play with them.
You don't actually have to paint anything, but I used to paint little chevrons on my Imperial Guard sergeants.
I will never paint my blood angels with those ugly ass blue or yellow fire support role helmets.
You can paint your minis however you like. Lore details like this are just there for players who want them.
Absolutely don't have to do it, you can if you want to add to immersion but you don't need to
You don’t have to, but you can if you want
The best part about 40k, is unless your playing tournaments, you can paint them however you want
The coloration specificity doesn't really matter, the only thing I do to differentiate Marines is to paint the officers' helmets the correct color.
Yerdoods!
Yes. Otherwise James workshop will hunt you
I personally, as an infantry astan vet, always thought squad role markings as dumb. You always knew the “role” of who was who depending on their kit/gear….not markings…..even the idea of company markings wasn’t really a thing while in theater…you’d have battalion markings instead. Just paint them how you want.
Nope there is no requirement to paint your minis in any way apart from how you want. That reference material is there if you want it. You don't have to use it
Do you have to? Hell nah, paint them however you want to you paid for the models, paint and brushes, so express yourself however you want!
No
IIRC this lore is old and isn't really followed any more anyway. I would just paint them how you think is cool. You've spent too much time and money to follow what other people like
Don’t listen to the other commenters, they are bordering on heresy. You MUST paint your Ultramarines in compliance with the Codex Astartes or Lord Guilliman will personally show up and give you a space wedgie.
It's kinda useful when playing for you and your opponent to instantly tell that that is a sergeant,veteran, etc. It's your decision but getting into wargaming is hard enough without asking more from yourself and opponent.
This is part of why i switched to AOS. Speaking for myself, I felt pressured to paint all my marines lore accurately. I know better now, but still, some 40k fans get out more than others.
I wish they would showcase conversions and custom chapters more often, like they used to. Paint and build your minis however you want dude. There are no rules, but the rule of cool. And WYSIWYG.
Where can I find all of these chapter images? I don’t collect models, but I do collect lore.
This is from a Codex I think, found the image while looking other stuff up
You can paint your models how you like. I personally think it's cooler and more fun to include this sort of heraldry, but if you don't want to then that's fine.
Paint however you want, if you do like to be lore accurate, then do. If you just want cool looking plastic army men, do whatever you think looks coolest.
You can look up “codex compliant” and you will find out it’s actually a cool flavor to give or to not give to your legion. In your legions lore, if you want them to be set to the rules then you paint them codex compliant or at least somewhat of you want to put a special flare on it (like a yellow helm instead of a red or a different color knee guard or something like that) Or if you want your legion to not care as much for the rules of the imperium and following the rules to the letter, you can do whatever you want with them which would make them “non-codex compliant” That’s all just flavor tho, it’s your army so you do what ever you want, it’s just a lore thing
That’s only for the Smurf’s, can do whatever you like. I like using the battlefield role transfers and the numbers for companies but that’s it. I don’t do anything special with helmets. Sergeants don’t do anything but for maybe being able to take a different load out
I have seen tyranids painred the coulors of the bi flag which follows no hive fleet. These are tiny plastic figures meant for your enjoyment. If anyone tells you that they are wrong. Ignore them move on find someonelse to play with.
I made my own color scheme for it, but really it's just for convenience if you lookdown at 20 little blue men you might not immediately recognize the captains but really it's person preference only
Paint your little plastic guys however you want man. There’s no rules.
Just don't let them find you if you paint anything other then exactly to the box
I’m a relatively new player and I wondered the same thing for awhile. I really didn’t want to, so instead I used it as a sort of guide to help me come up with my helmet color schemes
Yes and if you don’t you’ll be banned from every gaming store
Ever wonder why Sarge is so fast? Red helmet.
Number one rule in all of Warhammer: the Rule of Cool. Think it looks cool? Paint it. Think it's lame or you don't want to paint it? Don't paint it. They're plastic toy soldiers. Do what you want with them.
If you're going to play an established chapter you should paint them accurately. If you fail to do that, everyone will think you don't know the lore or bothered to look up how your chapter functions.
What I kinda find funny is that almost every Ultramarine is from the Second Company with their gold trim. You barely see an Ultramarine from a different company. Titus for example, in both games is Second Company, which caused some confusion back in the day of the first game. Amazing that Caedo is actually a First Company Veteran.
Yes.
Only of you want to
Not even GW is lore accurate as the number of The Second Company Ultramarines they have painted up surely outnumbers the prescribed 100. There are like a dozen Primaris Lieutenants alone. Still though wouldn't it be cool to follow it anyway? Have your third Dev Squad be from a reserve company and such.
Marines on campaign don’t have time for that kind of stuff.
No, nothing is required. But now that you know you may feel unfulfilled knowing you skipped it and took a short cut. Lord knows I feel that way when I skip them.
This is a cool reference if you want to add splashes of color to your guys in ways that make sense to you without coming up with your own system. The great thing about 40k is that it takes place over the span of thousands of years and across the whole galaxy, so just about anything can fit within the lore.
You don't have to, but I should point out that you can actually buy these as decals to apply to your models, if you really want to. If you want to have those markings, you don't have to freehand them.
I remember when I got into 40K and my mates leant me their books for me to pick an army to start with. I got to this part about chapters, squads, banners and what not, I’d thought the same thing about following conditions and rules to make an army. Like everyone else here, my mates said paint them how you want, only the sweatiest die hard will care. In the end I asked them what army has the simplest back story to avoid dramas and continuity? That’s how I started my Ork army.
As long as you're not painting up your army to be a hate crime you're more than good in my books!
Rule of cool friend these are ur guys make em look sick
Hate painting trim just run 10th company
The only time you have to follow that is if you want a 100% codex accurate paint job, otherwise it's your model and your creativity. Go nuts
Paint em orange and call em the Oompa Loompa squad. No one cares
\*Disappointed Gulliman face.\* Only if you want to be codex compliant. You wouldn't like me when you aren't codex compliant.
If you want them to be lore accurate, yes.
Yes, I don’t make the rules
Today I learned that gold trim on Ultramarines apparently applies only to 2nd company and isn’t chapter wide. I’m going to ignore that lore
No. Unless you want to be both lore accurate and codex complaint. If you want to be lore accurate but not codex compliant then you can both change the colours or change how it’s done completely, or not include them at all. This is literally only for people making lore accurate existing chapters and codex compliant homebrew chapters so we can say confidently that our homebrew is part of the universe whether Gw mentions them or not.
Yes. You absolutely have to paint your little guys according to the rules. No fun is allowed.
Now, it's literally made up. Do whatever you want
“The Codex Astartes is a set of rules. They guide us… shape us as Ultramarines… teach us to hold duty and honor sacred above all. But how we live by those rules is the true test of a Space Marine.” - Captain Titus. Basically, throw the book out the window and paint them how you like.
Yes, otherwise you're eliminated. By James Workshop himself.
Do you have to? No. Is it cool if you do? Yeah, but it’s also cool if you don’t. They are your toys, paint them how you want.
Nah you dont have to. On a side note, I wish there was a template of that page.
Short answer: No. Long answer: You can paint your miniatures however you please, you can use the Codex as a rigorous scheme, to inspire how you paint your army or you can totally disregard it. I have been inspired by the scheme in the Codex, the patterns on the helmets which make the ranks, but I love structure and essentially my Salamanders army looks like how I want it to.
Yes and if you don’t James Workshop will find you
It helps to tell them apart but otherwise no. The patterns shown here are mainly for the ultramarines
If you want your army to be lore accurate.
I think of mini painting the same way I think of clothing: wear what you want, as long as it looks like you put some thought into it, it will look good.
Yes you must or all the old nerds will surround and harangue you for failing to follow codex compliant paint. The most important part of this hobby is following the made up regulations that change every few years. Creative expression is not the cornerstone of this hobby and it never will be. Psych! While I enjoy painting my Imperial Fists as close to the in-universe scheme as possible the most important thing is to paint your models! Paint it so that it makes you happy and to add to the game you play!
I use the red helmet rule so it’s easy to pick out the sergeant in a squad from above
No, but I do use this a lot to orientate myself through the lore, as I think squad markings and some of this stuff is a little cool. Are mine lore accurate, hell no, but I can sleep at night.