Ancient metal and gauss glow — weathering and OSL doing all the talking.
Necrons are a metals army. The whole scheme hangs on two effects: how convincing the metal is — silver, bronze, or corroded — and how the green energy glow plays against it. Done well, the glow looks like it's lighting the model from inside.
Because the base recipe is fast, Necrons are one of the best-value armies to commission at tabletop standard, with a huge ceiling once edge glow, verdigris and tomb-world basing enter the picture.
Sautekh Dynasty
Gunmetal silver, black panels, gauss green. The definitive Necron look — clean, cold and mechanical. The quality tell is the glow: crisp object-source lighting on the weapon rods and eyes rather than a flat green coat.
The recipe
- BaseCitadel Leadbelcher over the whole metal body
- ShadeCitadel Nuln Oil, then Agrax Earthshade in the recesses
- LayerCitadel Necron Compound, lightly drybrushed
- EdgeCitadel Stormhost Silver on the sharpest edges
- GlazeCitadel Caliban Green over black for the weapon and eye glow
Szarekhan Dynasty
Warm bronze and gold with turquoise accents — royal rather than skeletal. The patina work matters here; the best versions look like artefacts excavated from a tomb world.
The recipe
- BaseCitadel Warplock Bronze, two thin coats
- LayerCitadel Brass Scorpion over the raised plates
- LayerCitadel Runelord Brass, softly drybrushed
- ShadeCitadel Cryptek Armourshade Gloss in the recesses
- EdgeCitadel Canoptek Alloy on the facemask and chest
Novokh Dynasty
Blood-red armour plates over silver chassis — the war-paint dynasty. Strong on the table, and a good choice when a client wants Necrons that don't look like everyone else's.
The recipe
- BaseCitadel Leadbelcher chassis; Mephiston Red on the plates
- ShadeCitadel Nuln Oil on the metal; Carroburg Crimson on the red
- LayerCitadel Mephiston Red raised; Necron Compound drybrushed
- EdgeCitadel Evil Sunz Scarlet on the red armour edges
Oxidised & tomb-world schemes
Heavy verdigris, rust and dust — Necrons that have been asleep for sixty million years. A weathering showcase, usually paired with cracked-earth or half-buried bases.
