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Ceramite color and properties


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Hopefully a couple quick questions: just what color is base ceramite? I'm wondering for purposes of chipping and scratches and such. Would it just be the off white that the Death Guard wear? Also sometimes I see people add rust effect to chips, does anyone know if ceramite would actually rust at all?

 

Thanks!

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Ceramite has variously been described as gunmetal, silver, grey and white, so there's quite a bit of freedom to try out some different neutral schemes. I'm halfway to thinking that the colour might have originally been a throwaway joke to reference the colour of unpainted models (i.e. silver or sprue grey!)

 

We don't know quite what ceramite is, so it's hard to say how it would weather. However, I'm sure I read somewhere (perhaps in a note on a Jes Goodwin sketch?) that he envisaged ceramite weathering like stone rather than metal – that is, breaking off in chunks rather than in slivers and slices. That idea has turned up a bit in the artwork – check out the poorly chap at the bottom of the image here:

KW001K.jpg

 

In terms of rust, corrosion etc. this is largely a case of rule of cool. If the name implies 'ceramic', then it likely wouldn't actually rust or discolour. On the other hand, rust, dirt, burns and similar oxidation effects look good, so I don't think anyone is going to object to nice, subtle weathering.

 

In short, work with what looks good to you – there's a lot of space for freedom and interpretation built in. :)

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Ah, this comes up fairly regularly actually! :)

 

Here's some threads to get you going:

 

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

 

Although the answer is "we don't really know", a dull (sometimes semi-metallic) grey seems to be a common description in the stories and background.

 

Personally though, I always liked the answer that suggests it looks like unpainted plastic Space Marines! ;)

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According to new FW book, pinkish grey. One Blackshield band, Gerasene Host, is described as wearing armour untouched by paint besides purple markings. Here's how it looks:

 

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/6/6a/Blackshield_Chymeriae_Armourial_Icons.jpg

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Ah, this comes up fairly regularly actually! smile.png

Here's some threads to get you going:

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

Although the answer is "we don't really know", a dull (sometimes semi-metallic) grey seems to be a common description in the stories and background.

Personally though, I always liked the answer that suggests it looks like unpainted plastic Space Marines! msn-wink.gif

Guess I should have done a search before asking...although you never know when new information comes out

According to new FW book, pinkish grey. One Blackshield band, Gerasene Host, is described as wearing armour untouched by paint besides purple markings. Here's how it looks:

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/6/6a/Blackshield_Chymeriae_Armourial_Icons.jpg

Like this new information! This does look a lot like unpainted Death Guard armor as well

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I'm of the mind that different forges have different recipes for Ceramite, which explains why there are so many different appearances, from chalk white, to storm cloud grey, to shiny silver, but they are all functionally the same. Which also means some might also oxidize and some may not.

 

So basically, all answers are correct.

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Guess I should have done a search before asking...although you never know when new information comes out

 

Nothing wrong with asking, and you're quite right that sometimes new answers appear.

 

As for the FW photos, I would note that FW use a lot of filters on their pictures and photos, so some colour variation inevitably comes down to that and/or other artistic licence. :)

 

 

I'm of the mind that different forges have different recipes for Ceramite, which explains why there are so many different appearances, from chalk white, to storm cloud grey, to shiny silver, but they are all functionally the same. Which also means some might also oxidize and some may not.

 

If we regard ceramite as a composite material (like say Chobham armour) rather than being a homogeneous alloy or compound, then having different variations of manufacture giving small differences in appearance is great explanation for the variation in colour. When taken together with pictures like the one in Apologist's post above which show the armour blasted apart, it actually even seems very likely! :)

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I'm of the mind that different forges have different recipes for Ceramite, which explains why there are so many different appearances, from chalk white, to storm cloud grey, to shiny silver, but they are all functionally the same. Which also means some might also oxidize and some may not.

 

So basically, all answers are correct.

 

I think this is the answer we have to use TBH. I always forget that Grey Knights/Knights Errant are supposed to be in bare ceramite as well which is obviously different from Death Guard who are different even from how the Dusk Raiders were supposed to look (silver vs off-white vs grayish).

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According to new FW book, pinkish grey. One Blackshield band, Gerasene Host, is described as wearing armour untouched by paint besides purple markings. Here's how it looks:

 

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/6/6a/Blackshield_Chymeriae_Armourial_Icons.jpg

 

I like this post, but we also have Dusk Raiders being "unpainted storm grey" (maybe only Mk II or early grade ceramite is that color?) as well as Grey Knights' silver being unpainted ceramite.

 

Maybe ceramite comes in all sorts of colors. I'm more interested in if it rusts, or if it's like ceramic. GW's "Ceramite White" is also self explanatory.

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While I'd be inclined to say "white" because, after all, there's a paint named after the color, I like to entertain the amusing notion that ceramite is the exact color of bare, unpainted plastic models on the sprue. :D

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According to new FW book, pinkish grey. One Blackshield band, Gerasene Host, is described as wearing armour untouched by paint besides purple markings. Here's how it looks:

 

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/6/6a/Blackshield_Chymeriae_Armourial_Icons.jpg

 

I like this post, but we also have Dusk Raiders being "unpainted storm grey" (maybe only Mk II or early grade ceramite is that color?) as well as Grey Knights' silver being unpainted ceramite.

 

 

In the first HH book didn't it say that the Death Guard's white armor was unpainted ceramite? Which makes more sense given the paint name.

 

I'm in the camp of saying it can't rust since it's mostly ceramic.

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What if ceramite is grey, but oxidises white. And you can polish and/or treat it in some manner to stay it's natural dull grey or shine it up to a silver?

 

I assume it's a mixture of ceramic and metal, like plasteel is, y'know, plastic and steel.

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