Diamond Skulls – Lost Regiment 436
Lore / Backstory
The entire regiment felt the pull moments before the planet fell. At the exact moment that Cadia was destroyed by Abaddon's Blackstone Fortress, the 436th was violently ripped into the eye of terror along with the entire planet.
Believed to have been instantly killed, lost to the warp, the Diamond Skulls were listed as KIA by the Administratum.
For years the soldiers of the 436th traveled via the warp recruiting other lost regiments of the Astra Militarum. Krieg, and Catachan surviors principal among those saved.
Reemerging from the warp onto New Cadia 10 years after the fall looking as if no time had passed, and their numbers bolstered five-fold.
Officially the Imperium denies any and all existence of the Lost Regiment, secretly using them as a “warp-resistant” special force.
Ideation
I love the Astra Militarum as a concept it’s such a interesting idea. As a monolith they are fascist, racist, xenophobic, and every other bad thing humans are capable of. Yet, they represent normality in a universe of super beings. They are a beacon hope that shouldn't exist in an existence that knows only violence. There is a through-line of interesting humans overcoming insurmountable odds.
I wanted to paint them with bone colored armor sort of like the Deathwing, and originally I was going to go all blue with the cloth—cause blue and bone is a great combo—but then the Payne’s Grey was being an asshole, so I mixed a bit of green in and was like oh I like this better. I’d already done all the pants on the Command squad at this point, so I just said OK command gets blue pants everything else gets blue-green cloth! Which is why the Sergeants in the Shock Troops have blue pants.
Examples Permalink
Recipe cards Permalink
The following is a rundown of how I painted these models for myself, it’s descriptive not prescriptive, and I strongly encourage experimentation and exploration that may lead you somewhere close or better.
I've documented the exact colors and brands I used, but I promise you just need to find something close in your collection, no need to buy new paints.
As for brushes, you can learn more about what I use on the Toolbox page.
Brands Key & Paints List:
- PA is Pro Acryl (29) show
- Beige Red
- Black – Transparent
- Black – Wash
- Black Brown
- Bold Pyrrole Red
- Bone
- Brown Grey
- Burgundy
- Burnt Red
- Camo Green
- Caramel Brown
- Coarse Grey – Texture
- Dark Burgundy
- Dark Camo Green
- Dark Green Brown
- Dark Grey Blue
- Dark Silver – Metallic
- Dark Yellow Green
- Extra-Fine Concrete – Texture
- Grey Blue
- Light Umber
- Magnesium – Metallic
- Orange Red
- Payne’s Grey
- Red Grey
- Red Orange
- Silver – Metallic
- Warm Brown
- Yellow Green
- C is Citadel (1) show
- Lahmian Medium
- AK is AK 3rd Gen (1) show
- Rubber Black
- V is Vallejo (1) show
- Metal Color Gunmetal – Metallic
- GG is Gamers Grass (1) show
- Tiny Dark Moss
Blue Cloth Permalink
This is used on command pants, all undershirts and face wraps.
- Base:
- PA Payne’s Grey
- Wash:
- Marine Juice
- Layer:
- 1:1 PA Payne's Grey : PA Dark Grey Blue
- Highlight:
- PA Dark Grey Blue
- Highlight:
- 1:1 PA Payne's Grey : PA Grey Blue
Blue Casings Permalink
Anything that would be painted blue metal.
- Base:
- PA Payne’s Grey
- Wash:
- Marine Juice
- Layer:
- 1:1 PA Payne's Grey : PA Dark Grey Blue
- Highlight:
- PA Dark Grey Blue
Green Cloth Permalink
All other cloth, jackets, infantry pants, etc...
- Base:
- 1:1 PA Payne’s Grey : PA Dark Camo Green
- Wash:
- Marine Juice
- Layer:
- 1:1 PA Payne’s Grey : PA Dark Camo Green
- Layer:
- 1:2 PA Payne’s Grey : PA Dark Camo Green
- Layer:
- 1:3 PA Payne’s Grey : PA Dark Camo Green
You don't need all three of these layers for everything, but some areas need more depth which is why there are multiple steps.
- Layer:
- 1:4 PA Payne’s Grey : PA Camo Green
- Highlight:
- PA Camo Green
Green Casings Permalink
Anything that would be painted green metal.
- Base:
- 1:1 PA Payne’s Grey : PA Dark Camo Green
- Wash:
- Marine Juice
- Layer:
- 1:3 PA Payne’s Grey : PA Dark Camo Green
- Highlight:
- PA Camo Green
Wine Cloth Permalink
Scarves and cuffs.
- Base:
- PA Dark Burgundy
- Wash:
- Marine Juice
- Layer:
- 1:1 PA Dark Burgundy : PA Burgundy
- Highlight:
- PA Burgundy
- Highlight:
- 2:1 PA Burgundy : PA Beige Red
- Glaze:
- PA Burgundy
Armor Plate Permalink
Also used for weapon casings.
- Base:
- PA Light Umber
- Wash:
- Marine Juice
- Layer:
- 2:1 PA Light Umber : PA Bone
- Highlight:
- PA Bone
Can also be used for scratches and dings.
- Glaze:
- PA Light Umber
Bottom half of all surfaces, creates a dirty look.
Black Leather Permalink
Really just for boots, but you could use it in place of brown leather as well if you like it better.
- Base:
- AK Rubber Black
- Wash:
- Marine Juice
- Layer:
- AK Rubber Black
- Highlight:
- 1:1 AK Rubber Black : PA Dark Grey Blue
Topmost flat areas.
- Highlight:
- PA Dark Grey Blue
Edges around toes and top of heel.
- Highlight:
- 1:1 PA Dark Grey Blue : PA Grey Blue
Sparingly front-most and top-most edges.
- Glaze:
- 2:1 Lahmian Medium : PA Transparent Black
- Highlight:
- PA Dark Grey Blue
Reinforce edges as needed.
Brown Leather Permalink
Straps, holsters, etc...
- Base:
- PA Black Brown
- Wash:
- Marine Juice
- Layer:
- 1:1 PA Black Brown : PA Dark Green Brown
Really scratchy and spotty.
- Highlight:
- PA Dark Green Brown
Edges and scratches.
- Highlight:
- PA Caramel Brown
Bouncy edges, and more scratches.
Grenades Permalink
- Base:
- PA Camo Green
- Wash:
- Marine Juice
- Layer:
- PA Dark Yellow Green
- Highlight:
- PA Yellow Green
Bed Rolls Permalink
- Base:
- PA Burnt Red
- Wash:
- Marine Juice
- Layer:
- 1:1 PA Burnt Red : PA Bold Pyrrole Red
- Highlight:
- PA Orange Red
- Highlight:
- PA Red Orange
Metal Decorations Permalink
- Base:
- 1:4 PA Dark Silver : VMC Gunmetal
- Wash:
- Marine Juice
- Highlight:
- 1:3 PA Silver : VMC Gunmetal
Metal Weapons Permalink
- Base:
- 1:4 PA Magnesium : VMC Gunmetal
- Wash:
- Marine Juice
- Highlight:
- 1:3 PA Silver : VMC Gunmetal
Bases Permalink
- Texture:
- PA Extra-Fine Concrete
- Texture:
- PA Coarse Grey
Sparingly, make piles and blend them in.
- Layer:
- 1:1 PA Black Brown : PA Brown Grey
- Wash:
- PA Black Wash
- Drybrush:
- PA Brown Grey
- Drybrush:
- 1:1 PA Brown Grey : PA Red Grey
- Drybrush:
- PA Red Grey
- Wash:
- PA Warm Brown
Sparingly just around texture piles and detritus.
- Tufts:
- GG Tiny Dark Moss
- Rim:
- 1:1 PA Black Brown : PA Brown Grey
Postmortem
I really like the overall color scheme I came up with here, but I do think I would do it slightly differently in terms of overall labor. I made some of the steps too intense for very little table gain.
Looks great under a microscope or in close up photos, but it's a huge time investment for very little gaming payoff.