# Colors of Melta, Plasma, Las Discharges?



## Dicrel Seijin (Apr 2, 2011)

Well, I'm hoping the heretics here can settle another argument my friend and I are having, this time about the color of the energy discharges of Imperial weapons. We started with meltas and then moved on to the others

I say meltas are crimson and as evidence present Sandy Mitchell's Ciaphas Cain series. (Though from what I've read on the forum, this series is not the best source for fluff.)

My friend says meltas are orange-red, but he doesn't remember where he read this. 

We both agree that "actinic" is used as an adjective for meltas quite a bit (though the first time I came across this term was in relation to blue aquarium lights).

We also disagree on the colors of the energy discharges from plasma and las weapons.

Are there canon colors for these weapons? And if so, the source(s)?


----------



## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

Melta is extreme heat caused by Fusion. If anything, it would be white with that kind of energy release. 

Plasma would be a similar story. Superheated and whatnot. 

Las could be anything. Lasers can be red or green, but I imagine the most efficient usage of laser technology would make it red? 

Cannon versions would be same, maybe just more intense. 


No factor source, just guessing. Ciaphas Cain series and DoW animation makes meltas red, but that doesn`t make any scientific sense to me given how they work. :scratchhead:


----------



## Mindlessness (Dec 22, 2009)

Meltas can be from red, to blue, to clear plumes of invivsble flame.
Same does go with plasma, it would be from purple to blue.

Las is red. But if it is using modern las tech, or simmilar. It can be almost any colour but white.


----------



## Masked Jackal (Dec 16, 2009)

Lasguns don't have a visible discharge, it's just colored that way for artwork, as I recall.


----------



## Doelago (Nov 29, 2009)

Melta - Blue
Plasma - Blue
Las - Blue

- Dawn of War


----------



## Barnster (Feb 11, 2010)

We would see them as white possibly tinged with a blue like an intense white phosphorous flame, but thats partly because our retinas are not able to cope that much light, the cones in the retina all effectivly fire a response, which the brain interprets as white. 

A marine, tau, ork or eldar potentally interprets the colour differently


----------



## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

Doelago said:


> Melta - Blue
> Plasma - Blue
> Las - Blue
> 
> - Dawn of War


DoW animates las as red. But given the scientific implications of laser technology, Masked Jackal is right. 

I haz a lazar, and you only seez the dot, not the beam. :laugh:


----------



## Rems (Jun 20, 2011)

Melta's given their nature as heat as heat based weapons would have a white hot glow, looking much like a very intense blowtorch. Actinic. Much the same for plasma weapons- think of staring into the sun. 

I've seen las beams/bolts described as blue or red depending on who your reading. it could very well change depending on what pattern the lasweapon is.


----------



## Words_of_Truth (Sep 20, 2007)

Melta gun produce a sub atomic heat haze, similar to when you look at a read hot road from a distance, you see is the heat haze coming up off it.

Plasma can exist in real life on earth, it's called St Elmo's fire and it occurs when a thunder storm interact with a discharge coming off the ground, it's in fact violet or blue. So apart from the plasma from the sun, plasma can be blue or violet to imo.

Las bolts probably differ depending on the origin of the weapon.


----------



## khrone forever (Dec 13, 2010)

imperial las bolts are blue, chaos are red. from Ciaphas Cain

plasma are blue from artwork and space marine the game and melta are invisible (there microwaves)


----------



## Doelago (Nov 29, 2009)

Serpion5 said:


> DoW animates las as red. But given the scientific implications of laser technology, Masked Jackal is right.


Yes, DoW is indeed red. My failure while writing blue. blue. blue. 

I have seen in some SM screenshots that the heretic lasguns fire green beams.


----------



## ThatOtherGuy (Apr 13, 2010)

depends on what food coloring you use.


----------



## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

khrone forever said:


> imperial las bolts are blue, chaos are red. from Ciaphas Cain
> 
> plasma are blue from artwork and space marine the game and melta are invisible (there microwaves)


Are you sure the Emp-I mean Imperium isn't red and the reb-Chaos is green?


----------



## Dicrel Seijin (Apr 2, 2011)

Er, so short answer is any color or none at all? :laugh: My friend is going to love that answer. 

The answers seem to break down into the primary colors of light (red, blue, and green); or realistic (mimicking reality, e.g., actinic, St. Elmo's Fire, or outside of the visible spectrum).

I do like part of an answer by Rems that the pattern of the weapon might be the reason for the different color--hmm, Chaos-tainted weapon discharge....

Well, thank you all for the responses.


----------

