Forging a Dynasty

Wow, I wasn’t expecting a Golden Button for this project, certainly not this early, but very happy to be featured on this week’s Community Spotlight – thanks OTT crew!

As well as the musical influences, this project has painting influences, so before I outline my method I need to give credit to two significant sources of inspiration.

Firstly for the general colour scheme. I was wanting to do something a bit different, and considered an Egyptian, sandstone kind of thing. Also considered a really grimdark horror kind of thing. However when reading the current fiction the Necron forces are being continually reforged into new living metal bodies so whilst they will suffer battle damage, it didn’t feel right that their bodies would be crusty, rusty and corroded. Sure you could force a story but it might get harder to force the upcoming models into that story.

But it was browsing on Instagram that I came across Darren Latham’s necrons. His are very clean, and I want a tad more grimdark, but his general scheme of silver with a blue- green glow had me sold. Kind of conventional and recognisably necron, but a bit different.

In terms of method, a big influence on me at the moment is Marco Frisoni. Yes his results are amazing but it’s more that his painting process is very freeing and very painterly. He uses mixed media including inks and oils, especially when speedpainting, and I am finding the style very liberating. So I want to use oils and inks to create a fun painting process in order to get quick results with a bit of individual character and a soupçon of grimdark.

Take a bow, Darren and Marco!

Given this project has a good dose of musical inspiration, it seems a good time to reveal the origin of my username. Being a 90s grunge fan, as has been noted, I’m also a fan of Screaming Trees. Their singer is called Mark Lanegan. My name is Dan. So a bit of a mash up and there you have it @DarkDanegan !

The grizzled rocker himself (not me!) Dust is an incredible album by the way!

I’m still working out the scheme and the method so I will document that soon and take some better photos but as a placeholder…there are some models coming along!

Better start thinking about some models now then I guess!

So the idea formed whilst listening to some music.  Grunge music.  I love me a bit of Soundgarden, and one day (a while ago I can’t quite remember) it occurred to me that Soundgarden’s song “Limo Wreck” from their album Superunknown could easily be spelt “Limorekh”.  Limo Wreck is very present-time Earth, but Limorekh is altogether more 40k and very Necrony indeed!

And it gets better.  On their post-comeback album “King Animal” they produced a logo.  A logo that couldn’t be more Necrony if they tried.  I mean seriously, are these guys Necrons in disguise?!

So now that we are decided this is to happen, a few more details will help before we think about models.  Can we Necronify the band members sufficiently so that they can be the generals of the army?  Helpfully in the latest lore for 40k, the Necrons are very focussed on restoring themselves to their previous ‘flesh lives’ and flashbacks to their flesh based past are common.  This can allow us to link alien metal characters to something more familiar and, well, fleshy…

Chris Cornell (vocals) = Overlord Kor’Nell

Kim Thayill (Guitar) = Kymtayl The Slayer

Ben Shepherd (Bass) = Beinn The Shepherd

Matt Cameron (Drums) = Kam’Ron The Noisebringer

And finally, from the song Limo Wreck itself, these lyrics will be the mantra for Overlord Kor’Nell and his war on the galaxy:

And the wreck of you
Is the death of you all
And the wreck of you is the break and the fall
I’m the wreck of you
I’m the death of you all
I’m the wreck of you
I’m the break and the fall