Back with two new space marine armies

Whoa... long break! Anyhoo...

So, in light of the Dark Angels codex release, I thought I'd finally paint some of the a) very old and b) brand new space marines I had kicking around. I won't be using them both as Dark Angels, because the codex isn't great for power armour orientated forces, which is what I'd like to field.

Anyway, here's some of the ancient marines, my very own DIY chapter from when I first started collecting in the late 90s, the Shadow Angels.

 Considering these guys have been through the brake fluid, having been painted extraordinarily badly the first (and in some cases second, third or fourth) time round, I think they've come out O.K!

There's room for improvement certainly, I may go back and apply more highlights to the black armour (I hate black armour. Hate it) - I'm determined to keep more or less the original colour scheme that 13 year old me came up with all those years ago. The colour of the chest eagle is a departure but a small one.

I also apologise for the lack of basing on this unit (and the other units in this post). Unfortunately the company I ordered from, Triple Helix Wargames, have been having trouble with their supplier so I'm having to wait. I should have ebayed it. Sigh.

On Fluff: The Shadow Angels are an Ultramarine successor chapter (unknown founding) dedicated to eradicating renegade chapters that share their geneseed. Given the sheer number of Ultramarine spinoffs the current background presents us with, that shouldn't be too hard! I'll be using Dark Angels rules for these guys, given the anti-chaos slant of the book, and the Banner of Devastation which will make the bolters-only tacticals a scary sight.  

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Starting an army anew is never that easy, though my two copies of Dark Vengeance pretty much dictated what the core infantry were going to be. The hardest part of choosing any army for me is settling on a colour scheme and sticking to it. Thankfully, this time around I took my inspiration from the ever-iconic man of steel...

The hands were originally going to be bone too, but it didn't really work. 

I give you... the SuperMarines!! Yes, their codpieces are red too. Though initially a scheme I tried out for a laugh on the fantastic Bolter and Chainsword Space Marine Painter, I found it worked rather well, certainly echoing other chapters' heraldic schemes. 

Dark Vengeance has provided me with lots of plasma. I'm not going to argue. 

 I've now finished both DV squads, including converting both sergeants. While I can let duplicate infantry models slip (much as it pains me), there's no way I'm having any characters look identical!!

Freehand text on the banner denoting their homeworld of Metropolis. I'm totally going to milk this.

 This is Commander Kent, captain of the 2nd Company (or something).

On Fluff: The Supermarines origins are unknown, though it is rumoured they were created from Dark Angels' genestock. The reason for most of their actions (and indeed the secret reason for their creation, known only to Azrael, Dante of the Blood Angels and Logan Grimnar) is to one-up the Sons of Guilliman in all things, something at which they excel, much to the chagrin of Marneus Calgar. The Supermarines are a constant reminder to the Ultramarines that there are those that view their poster-boys-of-the-Imperium status with more than a little jealousy and bitterness.  Their homeworld Metropolis is very similar to Macragge, only slightly larger and, as frequently pointed out, totally absent from Tyranid invasions. 

Suck it Ward.