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Well my three tac squads are almost finished (pics soon) and I don't know if anyone remembers, but approximately 1/3rd of my Marines are "reclaimed" models that I butchered as a kid. I covered up the glue damage and paint that I wasn't able to strip with hooded tabard-based robes... More like Black Templar ones than Dark Angels', pretty much because a tabard is easier to make (I failed at doing DA robes).

I posted pics before but here's one, I'll get others up as soon as I can coax my sister to lend me her camera again:


At any rate, here's my fluff excuse for such a discrepancy:

Elements of the Dark Angels 5th Compan, led by the Company Master, Artemis, were despatched to deal with Chaos Renegades whilst the remainder of the Company remained with friendly Imperial Forces suppressing dangerous cultist activity on a major world. The enemy, like the cowards they are, fled and the Dark Angels pursued them, distancing themselves further and further away from friendly support. It was only once the loyalists were dangerously exposed that the enemy suddenly broke off their retreat and their leader revealed himself: A fallen Dark Angel. Artemis formed a Strike Team from his veteran Devastators and Command Squad. However, the situation was grave and it was possible that the Space Marines faced annihilation and with no time remaining in which the Deathwing could be summoned, it proved necessary to commit more resources to a boarding action against the Renegades. Thus, with the Company Chaplain's approval, Artemis elevated his most senior Tactical Squad (#1) to Company Veteran status... With such little time and without the Chapter Artisans, the squad quickly set to work creating, to the best of each individual's ability, their own bleached robes, a humble imitation of those worn to express penitence for the fall, but far less elaborate due to the constraints of their mediocre abilities and the lack of time available.

Against all odds, the action was successful, the Fallen captured and the enemy routed... 1st Squad continues to wear their self-crafted robes as an expression of pride for this action and are slowly being filtered through into Artemis' retinue and from there, on to the Deathwing, as casualties allow. (An excuse for some of his retinue wearing these tabards and for me mixing proper robes in with my green stuff ones).

Any criticism is welcome, this is just a story I would tell if anyone said to me "those Dark Angels aren't wearing proper robes": I only take this precaution because I myself am a bit of a fluff-nazi and would probably ask the same thing.

It doesn't seem unreasonable for this to happen under exceptional circumstances, since in Angels of Darkness:

I don't like the Dark Angles, at all. To me they are the Emo-Punk-step-childeren of th 40K world. But you sir have a talent for painting that cannot be ignored. Where most people try so hard to convert models and build something that looks insane; you did a fantastic job keeping it simple and it turned out great. I think you would get more attention from this in the painting and modeling section. Again great job.

Oh thanks

I've posted in there before with these pics, this here is just some fluffy rubbish to justify it.

I think your fluff reasons are fine but can you tell me why all the Dark Angel players i ever see on dakka seem to be obssessed with having proper robes?(maybe not obssessed but you know what i mean)

Because those robes are the primary method of distinguishing our armies from other Chapters.

Whereas Space Wolves and Blood Angels get their unique army playstyles, Dark Angels are much more adherent to the Codex Astartes and thus play quite a lot like normal Marines if you don't include the Deathwing or Ravenwing (I use the 5e Codex when I don't have Terminators or Bikes on the field)... Thus the big factor really is appearance and without many unique units (and our veterans aesthetically resemble normal marines anyway), Dark Angel players have to try and appear unique on the tabletop!

Pluuuuus, to be honest, I picked Dark Angels for the robes as, like I said, I needed to cover up glue stains on 1/3rd of my models Having awesome emo-tastic fluff was a secondary motivator!

Ahh fair enough.

I was going to suggest that they do a lot of fighting in zero gravity and can't be doing with big robes all flying up around them, so they use tabards instead.

Lol original, but a tabard can still fly up over your face!