Painting

Necrons — Sautekh-compatible living metal and green energy

Cold living-metal panels surround black structure and bright green energy channels. Clean dark boundaries, upper silver reflections and small alien-light accents keep the glowing details distinct from the metal.

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Colours on the model

Letters identify paints. The same letter can appear in several places.

Necrons — Sautekh-compatible living metal and green energy

Painting stages

All stages

Stage 1 of 4

Prepare the model

Where to paintWhole model

For this stage

Blackvallejo · 70.602

Detailed instructions · 1

Prime the Necron obelisk
Brush grit from the glyphs and inspect the tall edges for print lines, then wash and dry the piece upright. Apply Black Surface Primer from alternating sides so the energy channels are dark at the bottom but remain visibly open.
Expected result
The obelisk has a continuous black foundation from crown to feet, with each glyph still sharply cut.
Points to watch
Do not fill the green-energy grooves or leave a grey strip along the rear spine.

Read the complete guide · 4

1. Prepare the model

Prime the Necron obelisk
Where to paint: Whole model
Blackvallejo · 70.602
Brush grit from the glyphs and inspect the tall edges for print lines, then wash and dry the piece upright. Apply Black Surface Primer from alternating sides so the energy channels are dark at the bottom but remain visibly open.
Expected result
The obelisk has a continuous black foundation from crown to feet, with each glyph still sharply cut.
Points to watch
Do not fill the green-energy grooves or leave a grey strip along the rear spine.

2. Apply the base colours

Cold living-metal armour
Where to paint: Silver body panels, gun casings and power arches
Leadbelchercitadel · 21-28
Brush Leadbelcher across the raised metal panels in two thin coats. Follow each plate from its centre toward the edge and leave the green channels, central sphere and deep black seams untouched.
Expected result
The silver structure is opaque and continuous, while every energy line and panel break remains sharply black.
Points to watch
Do not sweep metallic paint through the recessed glyphs or over the black centre strip.
Restore the deepest black structure
Where to paint: Dark panel joints and mechanical recesses
Abaddon Blackcitadel · 21-25
Use thinned Abaddon Black to sharpen the dark frame after the metallic work. Draw the central strip from top to bottom, then clean the panel gaps and gun openings with the point of the brush.
Expected result
The dark skeleton is continuous and matte, with crisp boundaries against both silver armour and green channels.
Points to watch
Do not widen the centre strip or close the narrow energy grooves with black paint.
A dark boundary for the energy
Where to paint: Green energy sphere, channels and weapon lenses
Abaddon Blackcitadel · 21-25
Refine the energy shapes with Abaddon Black before adding colour. Round the outline of the central orb, straighten the channel edges and leave a neat black rim around every lens and lower cell.
Expected result
Every future glow area has a sharp black perimeter and none of the channels merge into the silver panels.
Points to watch
Do not make the channels wider than their sculpted grooves or cover the silver rims of the gun lenses.
Bright cores beneath the green glow
Where to paint: Green energy sphere, channels and weapon lenses
Wraithbonecitadel · 21-53
Lay Wraithbone into the brightest cores with a fine brush. Keep a black border around the orb and lenses, and taper each channel line before it reaches a junction.
Expected result
The white cores are clean, narrow and centred, with enough black left around them to control the later green glaze.
Points to watch
Do not fill the entire orb or channel with Wraithbone; the dark perimeter creates the depth of the glow.

3. Build the shadows

Separate the mechanical layers
Where to paint: Silver body panels, gun casings and power arches
Nuln Oilcitadel · 24-14
Feed Nuln Oil along one joint at a time with a pointed brush. Pull it beneath the projecting armour and around the gun collars, then dry the brush and lift any spill from the flat silver faces.
Expected result
Each armour tier is readable from the front and no glossy pools remain on the broad plates.
Points to watch
Do not cover the entire silver shell in black wash or let it stain the green energy recesses.
Quiet depth inside the black frame
Where to paint: Dark panel joints and mechanical recesses
Nuln Oilcitadel · 24-14
Place a restrained line of Nuln Oil in the deepest black recesses. Keep it away from the outer panel edges; its job is to deepen the cavities, not make the whole frame glossy.
Expected result
The inner cavities fall away from the front armour, and the visible black planes remain clean and satin-matte.
Points to watch
Do not leave wet pools in the gun mouths or around the feet.

4. Build the highlights

Build the emerald glow
Where to paint: Green energy sphere, channels and weapon lenses
Warpstone Glowcitadel · 22-23
Glaze Warpstone Glow over the Wraithbone and slightly beyond it. Use several translucent passes on the orb, concentrating colour near the centre while allowing a deep green band to remain beside the black rim.
Expected result
The energy reads as green from a distance and moves smoothly from a bright centre through emerald to black.
Points to watch
Do not use one opaque coat; it will erase the luminous core and produce a flat green stripe.
Light across the upper armour
Where to paint: Silver body panels, gun casings and power arches
Ironbreakercitadel · 22-59
Layer Ironbreaker over the metal that faces the upper-left light. Make the patch broad on the crown and front shoulders, then narrow it along the cannons and lower blocks so Leadbelcher remains visible beside the shade.
Expected result
The upper mass feels brighter and taller, with a smooth Leadbelcher band still separating light from the black joints.
Points to watch
Do not brighten every plate centre equally; the lower feet and rear side blocks should stay subdued.
Make the black mechanisms readable
Where to paint: Dark panel joints and mechanical recesses
Eshin Greycitadel · 22-51
Use Eshin Grey in narrow broken strokes on the black edges that face upward. Stop each stroke before it reaches a green channel so the glow keeps a clean dark border.
Expected result
The black frame has enough edge information to read, but remains distinctly darker than the silver armour.
Points to watch
Do not turn the black centre strip grey or trace every recessed seam.
Final points of alien light
Where to paint: Green energy sphere, channels and weapon lenses
Moot Greencitadel · 22-24
Add Moot Green in very small marks inside the Warpstone Glow. Place the strongest spot slightly above centre in the orb, then draw only a few short channel segments so the light does not become a uniform outline.
Expected result
The orb is the brightest focus, while the lenses and channels echo it with smaller controlled sparks.
Points to watch
Do not paint every channel from end to end in Moot Green or cover the dark green transition around the orb.
Sharp silver edges
Where to paint: Silver body panels, gun casings and power arches
Stormhost Silvercitadel · 22-75
Run Stormhost Silver along only the sharpest upward edges, breaking the line at panel joints. Finish with tiny points on the apex and the two cannon mouths.
Expected result
The silhouette catches a few crisp reflections without a bright outline around every panel.
Points to watch
Do not draw an unbroken silver border around the whole obelisk.

All paints and materials (10)

Blackvallejo · 70.602

Ironbreakercitadel · 22-59

Leadbelchercitadel · 21-28

Nuln Oilcitadel · 24-14

Stormhost Silvercitadel · 22-75

Abaddon Blackcitadel · 21-25

Eshin Greycitadel · 22-51

Moot Greencitadel · 22-24

Warpstone Glowcitadel · 22-23

Wraithbonecitadel · 21-53

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Painting stages

All stages

Stage 1 of 4

Prepare the model

Where to paintWhole model

For this stage

Blackvallejo · 70.602

Detailed instructions · 1

Prime the Necron obelisk
Brush grit from the glyphs and inspect the tall edges for print lines, then wash and dry the piece upright. Apply Black Surface Primer from alternating sides so the energy channels are dark at the bottom but remain visibly open.
Expected result
The obelisk has a continuous black foundation from crown to feet, with each glyph still sharply cut.
Points to watch
Do not fill the green-energy grooves or leave a grey strip along the rear spine.

Necrons — Sautekh-compatible living metal and green energy

Colours on the model

Painting stages

Prepare the model

For this stage

Prime the Necron obelisk

Expected result

Points to watch

1. Prepare the model

Prime the Necron obelisk

Expected result

Points to watch

2. Apply the base colours

Cold living-metal armour

Expected result

Points to watch

Restore the deepest black structure

Expected result

Points to watch

A dark boundary for the energy

Expected result

Points to watch

Bright cores beneath the green glow

Expected result

Points to watch

3. Build the shadows

Separate the mechanical layers

Expected result

Points to watch

Quiet depth inside the black frame

Expected result

Points to watch

4. Build the highlights

Build the emerald glow

Expected result

Points to watch

Light across the upper armour

Expected result

Points to watch

Make the black mechanisms readable

Expected result

Points to watch

Final points of alien light

Expected result

Points to watch

Sharp silver edges

Expected result

Points to watch

Comments …

Necrons — Sautekh-compatible living metal and green energy

Colours on the model

Painting stages

Prepare the model

For this stage

Prime the Necron obelisk

Expected result

Points to watch

1. Prepare the model

Prime the Necron obelisk

Expected result

Points to watch

2. Apply the base colours

Cold living-metal armour

Expected result

Points to watch

Restore the deepest black structure

Expected result

Points to watch

A dark boundary for the energy

Expected result

Points to watch

Bright cores beneath the green glow

Expected result

Points to watch

3. Build the shadows

Separate the mechanical layers

Expected result

Points to watch

Quiet depth inside the black frame

Expected result