20% off RRPNecrons · 19 models · 4 kits
1× Overlord with Tachyon Arrow · 1× Canoptek Doomstalker · 3× Skorpekh Destroyers · 1× Canoptek Plasmacyte · 3× Canoptek Scarab Swarms · 10× Necron Warriors
How to Paint Necrons
The living-metal look, dynasty variations, and glowing energy effects
Prices in $ for the US
Before you commit
How hard to paint
1of 116 easiest
One of the easiest
Model size4 out of 5Detail density5 out of 5Technique demanded5 out of 5
Compare all 116 factions →
What it costs to start
$144.50
$0.34 per point
Combat Patrol: Necrons, cheapest shop we track
Compare armies by value →
Painting ratings are our judgement, with the reasoning on the comparison page; prices are live and dated.
Necrons boxes to start with
Compare Necrons boxesThe Necrons boxes we can price in your market, cheapest first.
20% off RRP
20% off RRPNecrons · 37 models · 5 kits
1× Catacomb Command Barge (can be built as an Annihilation Barge) · 1× Canoptek Doomstalker · 3× Ophydian Destroyers · 1× Canoptek Plasmacyte · 5× Flayed Ones · 20× Necron Warriors · 6× Canoptek Scarab Swarms
Paint sets that cover this scheme
All paint setsOne box of paints instead of 12 pots. Each card says how many of this scheme's colours it holds.
71 paints
Covers 8 of 12 colours in this scheme
69 paints
Covers 8 of 12 colours in this scheme
50 paints
Covers 7 of 12 colours in this scheme
29 paints
Covers 5 of 12 colours in this scheme
16 paints
Covers 4 of 12 colours in this scheme
10 paints
Covers 4 of 12 colours in this scheme
Or cover 100% of this scheme with 3 paint sets, $345.78 together: PRO Acryl Mega Set (69 Colors) + Warpaints Fanatic Metallics Paint Set + AMP Colors Cosmic Paint Set #1
Recommended recipe
How the scheme reads on a model
Armour — base to highlight
Tap a colour to change its paint.
- Base coatUniform GreyArmy Painter · WarpaintsView paint
- ShadeDark GreyVallejo · Wash FX 76.517View paint
- LayerGrey ZVallejo · Mecha Color 69.039View paint
- HighlightMithrilArmy Painter · Warpaints Fanatic WP3190View paint
- Edge highlightCompany GreyArmy Painter · Warpaints Fanatic WP3005PView paint
Additional details
- TrimNecron CompoundCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Dry 99189952048View paint
- WeaponsJohn Blanche Masterclass: Heavy MetalArmy Painter · Warpaints FanaticView paint
- LeatherBeasty BrownVallejo · Game Color 72.043View paint
- SkinGrey SeerCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Base 99189950317View paint
- LensesScarletVallejo · Model Color 70.817View paint
- BasingEnglish UniformVallejo · Model Color 70.921View paint
- Gauss glowLeafy GreenArmy Painter · Warpaints Fanatic WP3056P≈ Closest paint we sellView paint
1
Base coat
Lay the foundation colour down over primer, slightly darker than the final tone.
Suggested
Very Close
Close
Warpfiend Grey
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951011
from$4.55· compare 3 shops· priced 5 Jul
2
Shade
Wash the recesses to add depth and separate the details.
Suggested
Very Close
Black Templar
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Contrast 99189960124
from$6.63· compare 5 shops· priced 13 Sep
Very Close
Close
Close
3
Layer
Rebuild the main colour on the raised areas, leaving the shade in the cracks.
Suggested
★ Our pick for layer
Close
Warpfiend Grey
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951011
from$4.55· compare 3 shops· priced 5 Jul
4
Highlight
Pick out the upper edges and surfaces that catch the light.
Suggested
★ Our pick for highlight
Very Close
Very CloseDiscontinued
5
Edge highlight
Sharpen only the sharpest edges for a crisp, finished look.
Suggested
★ Our pick for edge highlight
Very Close
Close
Details & accent colours
Everything else on the model - metals, skin, leather, lenses, basing and this faction's signature accents.
Metal — trim
Trim and bare plate. Basecoat steel, wash dark, then edge bright silver.
Suggested
Necron Compound
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Dry 99189952048
from$3.87· compare 7 shops· priced 13 Sep
★ Our pick for metal — trim
Very Close
Close
Shining Silver
Army Painter · Warpaints
No shop price tracked yet — the paint’s page has every seller we find.
Metal — weapons
Bolters, blades and casings. Dark gunmetal, washed black, edged with bright steel.
Suggested
John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal
Army Painter · Warpaints Fanatic
$4.55at War Games USA· priced 1 Sep
★ Our pick for metal — weapons
Very Close
Close
Close
Adepticon Magnesium
Monument · Monument Pro Signature Series MPA-S42
from$4.50· compare 2 shops· priced 13 Sep
Similar
Leather & pouches
Straps, holsters and bare wood. Mid brown, shaded, then drybrushed a lighter tan.
Suggested
★ Our pick for leather & pouches
Very Close
Flameon Dark Green Brown
Monument · Monument Pro Signature Series MPA-S25
from$4.50· compare 2 shops· priced 13 Sep
CloseDiscontinued
Skin & flesh
Faces and hands. Basecoat, a flesh wash into the recesses, then build the highlights back up.
Suggested
★ Our pick for skin & flesh
Very Close
Very Close
CloseDiscontinued
Eyes & lenses
Lenses, eyes and energy. A bright spot colour that pops against the armour - dot it on and add a white glint.
Suggested
★ Our pick for eyes & lenses
Very Close
John Blanche Masterclass: Bloodmoon Red
Army Painter · Speedpaint 2.0
$4.75at War Games USA· priced 1 Sep
Very Close
Very Close
Wild Rider Red
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951304
from$4.55· compare 7 shops· priced 5 Jul
Basing — earth
Groundwork. Earth basecoat, drybrushed bone, finished with your choice of grass, sand or snow.
Suggested
★ Our pick for basing — earth
Very Close
Gauss glow
Weapon coils and eyes - bright green over black, blended to near-white at the hottest point.
Closest paint we sell — not an exact match for this colour
Suggested
★ Our pick for gauss glow
Exact MatchDiscontinued
Close
Close
Your paints
Tick off what's already on your shelf — whatever's left is your shopping list.
12 paints in this scheme
Price this recipe
12 paintspostage per seller
- not stocked: John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal
$6.99 US delivery, 3-5 business days
- not stocked: Dark Grey, Grey Z, Beasty Brown, Scarlet, English Uniform
prices shown on Amazon at checkout
- not stocked: Dark Grey, Grey Z, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Scarlet, English Uniform
$10 US delivery, 4-8 business days, free over $75
- not stocked: Uniform Grey, Dark Grey, Grey Z, Mithril, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Beasty Brown, Scarlet, English Uniform
- not stocked: Uniform Grey, Dark Grey, Grey Z, Mithril, Company Grey, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Beasty Brown, Grey Seer, Scarlet, English Uniform, Leafy Green
totals excl. delivery · affiliate links
Necron Compound
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Dry 99189952048
from$3.87· compare 7 shops· priced 13 Sep
John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal
Army Painter · Warpaints Fanatic
$4.55at War Games USA· priced 1 Sep
Compare every Necrons box
Want the codex too? At Loaded Dice (UK):save £23.01 vs RRP
Shopping from the US?save $25.50 vs RRP
Every Necrons kit and box, priced
Prices compared across the shops that stock them — boxes ranked by cost per model.
Necrons are one of the most beginner-friendly armies to paint and one of the fastest to get a tabletop-ready force on the table. The core of the scheme is a metallic body, which forgives mistakes and rewards quick techniques like drybrushing and washes far more than smooth, flat colours do.
The signature look
The classic Necron look is bare "living metal" - a cool gunmetal silver - offset by glowing green energy in the weapons, eyes and spine. That contrast of dull metal against a vivid, almost radioactive green is what reads instantly as Necron, so it is worth getting both halves right rather than just the metal.
Dynasty colour variants
The bare-metal Sautekh look is the default, but each dynasty has its own twist, and swapping the energy colour or adding a metallic tint is an easy way to make your army your own:
- Sautekh - straight gunmetal with green energy (the box-art scheme).
- Mephrit - gunmetal with a brass/gold trim and orange or red energy.
- Szarekhan - a warmer gold-tinted metal.
- Nephrekh - a full gold scheme, more time-consuming but striking.
- Novokh - blood-red metal for a close-combat dynasty.
Use the recipe above as your base metal, then change the energy accent (green, orange, blue) to match the dynasty you want.
Painting the energy effects
The green glow is the part that takes a little care. Build it as object-source lighting: basecoat the recess a dark green, layer up through brighter greens to almost-white at the centre, then glaze the surrounding metal with a thin green so the light appears to spill onto it. A green technical/contrast paint over a light area is the fast version and still looks great at arm's length.
Tips and common mistakes
- Don't skip the wash. A dark wash (Nuln Oil or any black/brown shade) over the metal is what turns a flat silver into something with depth. It is the single highest-impact step.
- Drybrush up. A light silver drybrush after the wash catches every edge and detail in seconds - perfect for the bony, mechanical Necron forms.
- Keep the metal cool. Warm silvers can look like tin foil; a cool gunmetal reads as ancient and sinister.
- Batch paint. Necron armies are large and the scheme is quick - paint ten bodies at once through each step rather than finishing models one at a time.
Recipes are generated by perceptual colour matching against our cross-brand paint database. Use them as a strong starting point and test paints in person when precision matters.