The Angels of Destruction - A RT40K/2e Dark Angels Army

Javachip

Vassal
π•¬π–“π–Œπ–Šπ–‘π–˜ 𝖔𝖋 π•―π–Šπ–˜π–™π–—π–šπ–ˆπ–™π–Žπ–”π–“ - A Dark Angels Army Project Page 1: Intro
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Hey all y'all, right now I'm working on a 1500pt loosely Rogue Trader to 2nd Ed themed Dark Angels army. It's set during the Age of Apostasy because I find the lore surrounding that really interesting and there's been almost nothing set around there officially which means I have a lot of room with my homebrew lore, as well as there being more of a reason for Beakies while also allowing for VII marines. There are a few caveats here, one being that there is literally nobody around me who actually plays Rogue Trader or 2nd ed, meaning that I'm proxying this for the upcoming 11th edition. Its not the most optimal choice, but its really the only one I have currently until I find some people, especially since in a few months I have to move back to NY for College. I'll update this thread over time with new additions as time goes on. I have a few specifications I want to follow here.
  1. Try to use majority things from 1995 or before. I'm not staying very strict with this as it's a bit limiting but I chose that year in particular as most of the neat metal stuff such as vehicles and HQ units were released that year and it'd be practically impossible to get all pre 93' units, not to mention boring and lacking in variety.
  2. Resin cast big scale kits of epic stuff is fine with me as well as scratchbuilding. There is one thing that completely breaks the previous rule but falls under this one. This also goes for things like metal upgrades for things like the plastic bikes and vehicles.
  3. Paint everything to a White Dwarf standard, try to make it at least look similar in quality to the miniatures in those magazine displays. Theyre a huge inspiration to me and my painting style, however personally I try to go for more decorated bases than them and decals over freehanding cause there's now way in hell that'll turn out good.
  4. Thematic consistency, I find it really annoying when people go for the meta over doing what makes sense or looks cool, I will always pick the narrative over gameplay 9 times outta 10!
A major goal I have with this is to have this done by the time I have to pack everything up and go. I obviously bring my supplies with me to uni but I'll have a lot less time then and it'll be harder to finish it. So far i've done one full command squad, basecoated all of the infantry I have already, finished the vindicator, and started writing character lore. I started this to test out what a sorta kill team would be like, to use them as Nemesis Claw or AOD since my local store mostly plays KT and 10th atm but eventually went onto deciding to get a full army. Below is my army list:
  • Lazarus (70pts): Warlord (Narcissus)
  • Techmarine (55pts)
  • 10x Tactical Squad (140pts) (Represented by beakies with bolters)
  • 4x Company Heroes (105pts) (I have half of them, I need 2 more metal marines)
  • 5x Reiver Squad (80pts): Grapnel Launchers, Reiver Grav-chute (Represented by beakies with knives)
  • 5x Scout Squad (70pts) (Represented by Kerberos and 4 eldar, I have him and half of the eldar)
  • 5x Sternguard Veteran Squad (100pts) (Armor Through the Ages set, dont have it yet)
  • Dreadnought (135pts) (Dont have it yet)
  • Land Speeder [Legends] (80pts)
  • Rhino Primaris [Legends] (95pts) (Ordered but hasnt arrived yet, using the metal Vindicator upgrade set with scratch built addons)
  • Vindicator (185pts) (I 3d printed a front gun for it, its fully painted already)
  • Knight Crusader (385pts) (Battle Castings Epic style knight thats been HEAVILY modified)
Right now there are only 2 units I dont have with 4 more standalone minis to fill out the rest of them as well as some backpacks. I know this is a hell of a lotta text so in the next reply ill actually post pics of the finished minis i've got pictures of so far as my camera battery is totally dead right now.
 
Sparkle bases! That's a bit different, very funky! :)

Sounds like you've got quite a solid plan there, I certainly don't worry too much about what should be in an army and tend to just get models I like. Speaking of which I should keep my eyes out for that tech marine with the blow torch, one I don't think I've got a copy of in the current collection.

I like the red/green combination on the Dark Angels, they look great. I'll follow with interest.
 
π•¬π–“π–Œπ–Šπ–‘π–˜ 𝖔𝖋 π•―π–Šπ–˜π–™π–—π–šπ–ˆπ–™π–Žπ–”π–“ - A Dark Angels Army Project Page 2: Command Squad Titan
I know this is a hell of a lotta text so in the next reply ill actually post pics of the finished minis i've got pictures of so far as my camera battery is totally dead right now.
Hi everyone, the first thing I finished painting as said before was 6 individual miniatures to use as a stand in for a killteam, and as a test for trying something new, particular techniques to make them look somewhat accurate to my inspiration while having a lot of my own personal style. I'm sorry if they arent the most neatly painted with the most definition, I was dealing with finals at the time and using it as a way to get out stress. I'd like to add a beakie librarian with powersword and the little crown, a bike apothecary, and a chaplain. Maybe instead of the mkvi ones ill get the mkvii ones cause theyre really cute too. Without further ado;

Supreme Grandmaster Narcissus:
The very vain and self obsessed Chapter Master. Only being in the chapter for a few decades, Narcissus is the youngest member of the command squad despite being extremely decorated and having countless achievements. Most of the people working under him think of him as a cheap fraud, but the chapter records show how determined he is towards making the perfect impression on the others. He views himself as on a holy quest to attain peak human perfection, even to the point of maybe going a little crazy? It's not known exactly why or how he got so honored and highly abled, but there are rumors of it being due to some sort of latent Psyker ability that increases luck to otherworldly levels, him somehow going beyond the limits of the human body even for a space marine, or perhaps him unknowingly playing a major role in some sort of warp being's trick or master plan.
He wields the Lion Helm, an ancient helmet passed down from master to master said to be worn by Lion El Johnson himself which contains a psychic forcefield that makes the user nigh impervious to all psychic danger; Midas Pattern Artificier Armor, his own specially crafted gold plated quadruple reinforced Power Armor based upon the MK7 revision, only with engineering similar to that of Terminator armor including a built in teleport homer, along with gold knee high boots and gloves; and the Cruciform of Ares, an extremely sharp and well conditioned Force Sword stolen from a Grey Knight containing a sliver of the Emperor's original Crux Terminatus.
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Chapter Ancient Alexandros:
Alexandros is most likely the most experienced and stable member of the group. He slowly worked his way up the command structure for 3 centuries, and acts as the mentor to everyone around him while being a stalwart believer in the Imperial Cult. Others view his superstition as strange, but none can deny how inspiring he is to them. He was a veteran from the Age of Apostasy, and was present during Goge Vandire's rise to power. During his term as a captain while the 5th Black Crusade raged on, he directly battled Abbaddon the Despoiler in a one on one duel but was really no match. He lost one eye and barely escaped with his life, and wept for the Venerators chapter with the other. Alexandros uses standard issue MK VII Power Armor, which was considered rather rare at the time and was reserved only for veterans outside of the Deathwing, because he prefers the simplicity and reliability of the average gear. He also carries an old and tattered banner belonging to the Black Legion as a testament to his survival against all odds, claiming that his faith in the Emperor has purified it. The chapter Librarians and the Ordo Malleus disagree.
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ForgeMaster Morpheus:
The reclusive major Techmarine and 2nd Co. captain of the command squad, Morpheus spends most of this time repairing their vehicles and preparing new recruit's armor rather than being on the front lines. Because of his exceptionally timid personality and the natural distrust of martian recruits, he stays away from most members of his chapter. The majority of marines havent even heard of him despite him being one of the chapter's masters, and those who do view him as either a waste of training and resources, or someone who squanders his potential. His most important goal is to protect his cherished machines and relics, including his personal landspeeder. Over 80 percent of his body has been replaced with robotic elements and augmented properties, including parts of his brain. His armor is permanently affixed to his body which allows him to practically feel his surroundings as a sixth sense and use his Wargear to the maximum extent surpassing even some assassins. He wears his own personally crafted and modified MKVI Corvus Armor with neon high visibilty reflective plating, a helmet with many cameras and lenses to see in different directions at once like a bug, with his left pauldron being made from scraps of his old tank, and the right being gifted to him by Narcissus upon promotion. He was first recognized after recovering an ancient Imperial Knight from the Heresy, having been stolen by the Black Legion and mutated while on patrol. This factor is kept relatively secret with only Narcissus knowing about the possession, keeping it sealed within the archaic machine.
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Deathwing Master: Thanatos
By far the most brutal and savage member of the squad, 1st Co. Captain Thanatos is a stern figure that almost any being in the galaxy fears should they come to meet him. He focuses only on one single goal in life, extermination of all Xenos, traitors, and any sad lifeform that comes under his crosshair. Recruited from the death world of Catachan, he's a larger and more imposing figure than the rest of his brothers, and has such an upset and cranky demeanour that most marines bend to his every whim lest they face his anger. Its not exactly stated where these anger issues stem from, but nobody cares as long as he does his job properly, acting as the de facto drill sergeant for new recruits, most of which meet an untimely end within a few months. One of the few that managed to survive their tenure with him is Kerberos, who he hates passionately and deems a failure of his teachings because of their ideological differences. Narcissus usually puts them together to try and force them to get along, but this only fuels their antagonism. Thanatos wears the standard Tactical Dreadnought Armor and normal, unimpressive armaments despite being Master of the Deathwing since he keeps destroying them in fits of rage.
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Special Operative Kerberos:
While technically not an official master of the chapter, Kerberos is an honorary member of the group recruited by Thanatos in the Deathwing. He's mostly known through the chapter for being a master duelist and never backing down from fencing, as well as being extremely accurate and competitive. Kerberos both fought against, and temporarily out of convenience, with the Eldar of Craftworld Ulthwe for years, gaining a deep respect for their ability and culture. While this is considered a very strange aspect to have, he doesnt care about whether or not his brothers find his uncharacteristic lack of hatred towards xenos offputting. Narcissus has given him special privelege to have sanctioned Xenos under his command provided they stay away from the marines and are under careful surveillance. Because of this, Kerberos has a special hand picked retinue of mercernaries and pirates working on recon and comms including a Farseer and even a Death Jester. Despite being in the Deathwing, he wears standard issue MKVI Corvus Armor for significantly higher mobility that's adorned with various ornaments and elements from guardians he's slain in battle. Instead of using a boltgun, he opted for a Shuriken Catapult taken from an Autarch who took a bullet for him against traitor marines, and imbued the spirit stone he keeps with him at all times.
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Tactical Brother Prometheus:
Last and definitely least, Prometheus isnt the name of a specific member of the group, but rather a term given to whichever Tactical Marine happens to be stuck with them at any given time, usually dying on that mission or not surviving very long afterwards. They tend to be in MKVI armor and given special weapons such as a flamer or plasma gun,and a combat knife. Nobody bothers to actually learn their name or backstory as that would get them emotional weight and attachment. Essentially, Prometheus is the Redshirt of the away team, a highly disposable unimportant security member just carried along because why not. Out of the dozens of Promethi, the only one to actually survive past the first job was a very young Morpheus who accidentally became important and joined the retinue of the previous Chapter Master.
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Now if youve kept a keen eye on certain characteristics and personality traits they have, you might be coming up with theories as to their fate in the 41st millennium. Now I have a hopefully obvious throughline connecting them, but I wont spoil! Anyways this is all ive got for right now, peace.
 
Looking great so far. I always loved that Captain/Master mini, he brings the bling.

Like you, I favor narrative over meta every time.
 
Great stories behind all these classy old minis! Love it! 😍
Best of luck finding some Oldhammer enthusiasts in NY, am sure there will be some hope all goes well at College.
 
I have a small force of green Dark Angels, including some scouts.

Apologies if you already know all this. Most modern Dark Angels squad markings date back to Codex Angels of Death from 1996. There are some schemes between this and the earliest art.

Dark Angels had art in the Rogue Trader rule book & and a Ravens Wing army list in 1987 but were largely ignored early in the game. Salamanders were the green marines until a publishing error.

28mm MK7 minis were released in 1990. White Dwarf 129 included some art and colour schemes for the new MK7 models. It was reprinted in the 40K Compilation. This included campaign markings and other minor variations. I believe the schemes shared much with the Epic game, which explains painting the Ultramarine right arms in company colours.
 
The most comprehensive writeup of the Dark Angels armour colour evolution I've seen is this one: https://david.ely.fm/2021/05/04/writing-about-the.html

As I understand it the "story" goes, that Jim Burns did the green because it's supposed to be black armour under a yellow sky - the yellow causing green reflections and the 'eavy metal team just ran with green from then on. Some variations of the story talk about the art being reproduced lighter than it should have (ie a printing error) and therefore emphasising the green unintentionally.

I've not seen the original art - anyone happen to have seen it in person or know who owns it? That would be the only way to really figure out how good/bad the reproductions in print are to the actual piece. As to the story in general and how true that is, well a starting point would be to grab Jim (who must be nearly 80 now) and ask him why green - you could drop his agent an email and ask them to pass on the enquiry, he's with Alison Eldred - alisoneldred@gmail.com worst that happens is you don't get a reply!
 
Not sure about Dante.. Blood Angels wasn't he?
but the confusing is with the modern Space Marines where they are immortal things, compared to the old stuff which they were mostly infused normal humans taken from the colony worlds who's job can be summed up by a good film quote:
"What do we do now?"
"We die"

Also.. 3 Centuries? that would put them, 38nd Millennium, I think. older than my Long Fangs, the oldest Veteran Space Wolves.

hate to think of how hard his bare face would be to paint.. lets think.. 1 stud for every 10 years of service... yikes.. ^_^
 
I forget where the years are written, although in looking I see in the RT rulebook on p.155 there is a chap with eight studs on his forehead! I wonder which book it's in as I'm sure I've read it.
 
What doesn't make sense about it? Unlike everyone else there who are absurdly skilled main characters, he's just a normal tactical marine who had to work hard to get promoted. Space Marines live basically forever assuming they arent killed in battle. Dante is like 1500 years old right?
Isn't Space Marine immortality is a relatively recent invention? I thought Dante's longevity was part of the 2nd edition vampire thing? I could be wrong. Ultimately, you need to make your own lore, which I think you have done.

What's important is that you have painted a bunch of cool models. I like them all but my eye is continually drawn to the yellow power glove. I like the contrast with the green armour.
 
I forget where the years are written, although in looking I see in the RT rulebook on p.155 there is a chap with eight studs on his forehead! I wonder which book it's in as I'm sure I've read it.
1 Stud = 10 years. Rogue Trader Rule book page 168 (two page spread on Space Marine Chapters and detailing).

50 years for a stud sounds insane.
 
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