For those unfamiliar with a command squad they are the bodyguard, advisors and confidants of the Captain. As such I painted the background of Tycho's heraldry (yellow with a red bend) on to each of the command squad (usually a kneepad). In keeping with Tycho's backstory (his face was mutilated and he is somewhat sensitive about it) none of the members of his command squad will remove their helms in his presence to avoid drawing attention to their flawless angelic faces (it is a side effect of the Blood Angels gene seed).
The fine gentleman pictured above is the Company Champion, he is expected to represent the 3rd Company at contests and against the champions of the enemy. He is expected to be an inspiration so he needed to look flashy. As such, fancy armour (I used the torsos of Sanguinary Guard and the legs of Death Company - the exact opposite of the Death Company I made) with the nifty leg decoration. A halo backpack, a laurel wreath - symbol of champions since the Roman Empire, they used to be what was won at the olympics y'know - and lots and lots of wings. In addition to the enormous axe I added a winged blood drop to the storm shield. I wanted the shield to look well used while his armour was flawless. The chips are the advanced version of my tank weathering. Start with the top highlight colour of the armour, a mix of sponged randomised chips and thin painted scratches. Next I painted a mixture of Chaos Black and Scorched Brown into the centre of each chip and scratch - imagine the yolk of a fried egg. The final stage is a thin scratch of Boltgun Metal into the centre of the darker scratches. Makes a really realistic look.
Next on the list of flashy people in the squad is the Company Standard Bearer. Trusted to bear the standard of the 3rd Company this fellow also needed some attention. Most of the effort of painting went to the flag, experimented a bit more with non-metallic metal and a ton of highlights later and the finished flag is definately a win.
Finally for focus shots is the Sanguinary Noviate. This chap is training to be a Sanguinary Priest, the holy medics of the Blood Angels who transform the radiation polluted wretches of Baal into the mighty, flawless Angels. As part of his training he serves as battlefield medic to a company captain. In this case to Captain Tycho. White is the mark of a Space Marine medic but always makes them stand out from the army as though they are visiting from the White Scars. Instead I decided to paint only the shoulder pad trim and the narthecium arm in white. This means he is bound to the army visually but stands out in the squad as its medic.
For a sense of completeness I am also reposting the picture of their mighty steed, the Command Squad Razorback Sentinal.
With that, the initial stage of the Blood Angels is all but finished. Their captain already has his armour painted and I find myself looking to the next project... probably Dwarfs. Haven't done a Warhammer army for a while and haven't done a Dwarf army in ten years. Given that most people who know me think of me as either the Pirate, the Viking or... a Dwarf, this lapse has to be rectified. I'll still be finishing the Angels to their final 4000 points (as that is what will fill the two cases I posess for them) and I will be drawing a fat line under that project! More Death Korps by the end of the week for you all.
TTFN
PS: here is the painting plan to fill both cases. For a battle this big I figured changing Tycho into his Death Company aspect and promoting the current captain of the 3rd Company.
Very nice.
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