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I know there aren't really any Eldar flags, except what I've seen on a Dire Avenger Exarch and jetbikes, but being one of the "primary" armies (if you'll excuse the term) without an actual stat for carrying a symbol as wargear, they are alone amongst them. I don't see any reason why I can't, just for fluff, make a flag or standard out of medical tape and brass tubing, and stick them in a "command" squad like Warlocks w/ a Farseer or something. The thing is, I googled it and couldn't find *any* example of it done. I suppose it's simple enough... elaborate on your fluffed craftworld emblem and paint it on there, varnish over it to make it stiff. I was just hoping I could see what someone else had done to point me in the right direction. Anyone know of any examples to show?

EDIT: Well, for symbols in wargear, they do have runes, but I'm trying not to argue semantics. You guys know what I'm talking about, anyway.

Not really standard bearers, but all my guardians have samuri type back flags - printed off then re-touched where the pva ruined the printer ink.

Eldar dont seem to act or think the same way as the lower races. I see little use for such a thing in an Eldar army although it would look kinda cool.

I find Google rather useless sometimes when it comes to Warhammer stuff. I usually search CMON.com. Some great stuff there.

Standard Bearer Wraithlord would look kinda cool.

I don't like sashimono-style flags on Eldar backs, but I will concede that it makes more sense than the same on Tau backs.

When I collected Ulthwe Eldar in 3rd edition, I used the base of a heavy weapon platform to make a mobile hologram projector, and put an old Egyptian eye icon I found at some flea market on the end of a clear plastic flying stand and plugged it into the HWP weapon mount, like the eye was floating over the platform. It's somewhere back in the US so I can't post a pic (and it was so long ago I'd probably be too embarrassed to show it anyway).

Alright. Well, I will probably just make them look like a combination of the "exarch" flag style ("sashimono", I guess?), and a... what's the jetbike flag cut's style? Pennant?

A mixture of those two with a fluff symbol. I'm actually doing a coalition of Exodite and recently colonized maiden worlds led by survivors of a destroyed craftworld. I just need to figure out what symbol to make.

You didn't look back far enough, they used to have standard bearers for EVERYBODY

As Brother Julian has so kindly illustrated, back in the Rogue Trader days, Eldar did indeed have unit standard bearers.

I converted some for my Eldar army ~10 years ago using plastic tubing and paper banners. Let me see if I can find some pics...

My fiance is a very accomplished artist and though she has no experiences with sculpting or painting models, I value her opinion. I showed her the flag I painted below and she tells me that the "sashimono" style flag would look much more apporpriate than Space-Marine style standards, considering the Eldar's style. I'm not quite sure I'm comfortable with the idea, but I never really am with any new ideas and Eldar. I don't think mounting the flag on a guardian's back would be a good idea, and am debating on if a pennant like Mannahnin showed would be more appropriate. I could honestly make one of each and make sure whatever I put them on was detachable. In addition to that debate, what do you guys think of the flag below?

I think the colours don't really go well togehter on that banner. I would suggest a lighter blue and lighter green. Might also try to put an outline around the red and yellow designs to help keep them seperate, possibly in a darker shade of red and yellow respectively.

The black design could possibly do with a slightly lighter outline, again, to help it stand out from the background.

When painting on fabric you might want to undercoat (in this instance in white?) to help provide a base for the colours to adhere to and let them stand out - they look a little bland when painted straight on the tape.

Brotherjulian wrote: You didn't look back far enough, they used to have standard bearers for EVERYBODY

Yep, and musicians, too.



Figures 07/08/09.

They even had rules for them - as 40k and fantasy were not as separate and disparate entities back then.

Try looking up epic models. The titans usually had banners.

diesel7270 wrote:My fiance is a very accomplished artist and though she has no experiences with sculpting or painting models, I value her opinion. I showed her the flag I painted below and she tells me that the "sashimono" style flag would look much more apporpriate than Space-Marine style standards, considering the Eldar's style.

From a design point of view, she's absolutely right. They do look good. My dislike of the sashimono-style flags is more thematic than anything else. Partly it's for personal reasons, and partly it's because the Eldar are focused on speed and stealth and carrying a giant flag on your backpack would seem to detract from this. But we do know from the background that there was a time in the Eldar mythic past when they were more glorious and overtly a dominant power, so I can imagine a unit carrying a flag as an echo of that. Perhaps your units that carry flags are not supposed to be stealthy, perhaps they carry a flag as a psychological reminder of who the Eldar used to be before the fall?

As for your design, I think the basic design and placement of icons is great. I'd adjust their colors though. The blue, green, and red appear to all be of about the same saturation and about the same lightness, so they only contrast with each other by their hue. I'd make them darker or lighter or add some grey to one to help them stand out against each other more. You don't have to strictly obey the Rule of Tincture, but taking some advice from it would help make your design pop.

Keep at it. Anything that gives the Eldar more diversity and personality is IMHO a good thing.

JOHIRA wrote:
...partly it's because the Eldar are focused on speed and stealth and carrying a giant flag on your backpack would seem to detract from this. But we do know from the background that there was a time in the Eldar mythic past when they were more glorious and overtly a dominant power, so I can imagine a unit carrying a flag as an echo of that. Perhaps your units that carry flags are not supposed to be stealthy, perhaps they carry a flag as a psychological reminder of who the Eldar used to be before the fall?

As for your design, I think the basic design and placement of icons is great. I'd adjust their colors though. The blue, green, and red appear to all be of about the same saturation and about the same lightness, so they only contrast with each other by their hue. I'd make them darker or lighter or add some grey to one to help them stand out against each other more. You don't have to strictly obey the Rule of Tincture, but taking some advice from it would help make your design pop.

I appreciate the advice, and I will look at that wikipedia article immediately after this. I did not plan on the soldiers carrying the sashimono on their uniform like traditional Japanese soldiers. I would most likely have a guardian holding it up, or mounting it on a weapons platform or vehicle. A pennant would perhaps be more appropriate, but like I said, if I make it removable, I can replace it with a pennant when I get around to making one. That way I can see if it grows on me. I am fickle with my Eldar paint scheme... I've stripped them twice before, and now with the current paint job i'm slowly getting confident in it. Picture attatched below is how I'm going with them - the mottled camo trying to take them away from the plastic, clown-shoes look most Eldar seem to have (though it's hard to make the head-dresses not seem like that in any color). I also have plausibility with any modifications because my Eldar, as you said, are actually *trying* to harken to their roots. They are a coalition of exodite - and recently colonized maiden worlds - brought into unity through the population and armaments from a craftworld destroyed shortly after The Fall, as they fell prey to lesser races' predations. Farseers told them that standing their ground on the craftworld would lead to their extinction, so they took everything not nailed down, and brought it through the webway to a (relatively) dense cluster of exodite worlds in the eastern fringe/halo stars. Their Farseers lead them in such a way that they are encouraged to cling to their heritage. That's why there's going to be a lot of rangers - and aspect warriors will be painted differently. I.E. Fire Dragons will actually have red dragon scales painted on their armor instead of the molten iron color.

SpacePanzee wrote:
Try looking up epic models. The titans usually had banners.

Could you link me, please? I tried googling them and I just got a bunch of stuff about New York fashion models.



...for everyone else. I will say this... as much as I wish they didn't go so clown-ish on many of the infantry models, they've certainly come a long way from Rogue Trader/Space Hulk/1st edition.

And I do plan on repainting the flag in higher contrast colors.

Speaking of all of this, though, my local game store has some OLD Eldar models : Guardians with the grill-style helmets that are even pointier than they are making them now. Pewter. In a yellow/orange WH40K emblem and yellowing plastic. Should I grab this just for collector's value? Because they cost the same as all of the other pewter infantry. And by the way, they've got a TON of stuff this old, a lot of it WHFB.