Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I think I've made an error. After fixing 7 decals to an IF tactical squad I realised last night that they were on the wrong shoulder. It's the imperial fist chapter badge and for some reason I've put them on the right shoulder instead of left. There is one other factor, being that I've made these from the BaC box (though for 40k) and many of the left hand shoulders have studded armour on. Should I:

A, Continue doing this unit this way and do other tactical squads the correct way
B, do all my army this way (this option offends my fluffy ocd nature)
C, try to remove the decals and start again
D, replace the entire shoulder pads
E, another option I haven't thought of

Thanks!

Edit: it's the left hand shoulders that have studded armour on, which is why it complicates things a bit

I would remove the decals. Water slides come up easily enough.

Keep the squad coherent and do the rest of the army correctly. You could always come up with a reason why that unit have a slightly different tradition.

Or you could follow Heresy heraldry (Heresdry?) patterns and put icons on both shoulder pads for every model.

Thanks, are decals that easy to remove? I haven't varnished them yet I suppose.
I quite like the idea of putting them on both shoulders and on just the right where the model has studded armour on their left shoulder.

If it were me, I'd just do the shoulder pads the correct way for the rest of the army and leave it as is for the current unit. Could make up a reason for the difference... maybe they're the Suicide Squad equivalent of the army and have to wear backwards shoulder pads so everyone else knows what a bunch of honourless milk drinkers they are? *shrugs*

Smash them for betraying their legion!!!!!!!

Helratio wrote:
If it were me, I'd just do the shoulder pads the correct way for the rest of the army and leave it as is for the current unit. Could make up a reason for the difference... maybe they're the Suicide Squad equivalent of the army and have to wear backwards shoulder pads so everyone else knows what a bunch of honourless milk drinkers they are? *shrugs*

That actually sort of works.

Post-Heresy, the Chapter Badge goes on the left so that it is presented to the enemy about to eat bolter shells, so that they know who it is they're facing.

Deathwatch members switch their Chapter Badge to the right and wear the Deathwatch pad on the left to show their current allegiance over their Chapter.

So you could go with something similar... They've been disgraced, or are currently assigned to some specialist squad that has them showing the enemy a blank pad instead of their Chapter affiliation.

To be honest, it's not an issue, there are any number of reasons for and examples of reversed pads and symbols. Take a look at this pic from the codex, you can see plenty of Marines here and there with Chapter markings on the 'wrong' side, typcially because the other pad is studded or has other iconograpy on it.


Basically, don't panic!

 Paradigm wrote:
To be honest, it's not an issue, there are any number of reasons for and examples of reversed pads and symbols. Take a look at this pic from the codex, you can see plenty of Marines here and there with Chapter markings on the 'wrong' side, typcially because the other pad is studded or has other iconograpy on it.

Spoiler:

Basically, don't panic!

Yeah, but only Mk V and Mk VI have studded pauldrons. Since BaC is all Mk IV, they wouldn't have studs, thus the left shoulder pauldron is the correct place for the legion emblem.

Now, depending on how firm the glue holding the pauldrons is, one could actually pop them pauldrons off and swap them.

Leave it. It's not that important, despite what some internet fluff-"masters" might tell you.

If the left pad is studded, the traditional way to add iconography is to display the Chapter badge instead of squad markings. Alternatively, a Marine's personal heraldry might replace the typical markings on one or other shoulder (not always the squad markings, either; the Blood Angels terminators in the 3rd and 4th edition Space Hulk game each have their unique heraldry replacing the Chapter badge entirely on the right shoulder).

You can also combine the squad markings with the Chapter badge on the right shoulder, as was done in the heraldry guides in the late 80s Space Marine Painting Guide*.

There's no need to be consistent within squads, either - look through any of Forge World's Horus Heresy or Imperial Armour books and you'll see Marines in the same squad with different styles of marking; some have solid Tactical arrows, some have outlines. Some have none, some have it on a kneepad, whatever.

There's actually quite a few studded shoulder pads in the Betrayal At Calth box set, casvalremdeikun; As displayed in the official phots, some are on the right, some on the left. There's also a few sets of studded legs; again, right, left or both legs. The reason isn't stated, but it could be field repairs, or the first of the equipment shortages that led to mark 5 armour.

In the end, the only important question is: do you like having a few models with the Chapter badge on the right arm? If so, leave 'em be.

*

Keep it, match em allm up.

Easy way to tell one sqaud from other.

Thanks for all the replies. I'm currently torn between continuing with this squad and differentiating them from my other squad by having them with standard left shoulder badges or trying to remove shoulders and swapping them around. I could see how easy, or not, it is with one model.

If you don't want to remove the badges or shoulders, you could add some other icon to their left shoulder to represent a singularly great deed that earned these individuals recognition above and beyond the usual. Maybe they were the sole survivors of a particularly important battle? Maybe they single-handedly cut down a squad that was going rogue?

If you've used polystyrene cement ("plastic glue"), and got a good join, it'll be more trouble than it's worth trying to cut them off. If you really decide to "correct" things, just paint over the decal and apply the correct markings.

My OCD is very particular over certain modeling traits. I will snap off a helmet or an arm if it doesent seem posed just right, but at the same time I have Blood Angels tacticals next to Dark Angels, next to Vanillas, all painted in my Red color scheme (due to endless Starter set models).

Some things bother me, some things dont.

 casvalremdeikun wrote:

 Paradigm wrote:
To be honest, it's not an issue, there are any number of reasons for and examples of reversed pads and symbols. Take a look at this pic from the codex, you can see plenty of Marines here and there with Chapter markings on the 'wrong' side, typcially because the other pad is studded or has other iconograpy on it.

Spoiler:

Basically, don't panic!

Yeah, but only Mk V and Mk VI have studded pauldrons. Since BaC is all Mk IV, they wouldn't have studs, thus the left shoulder pauldron is the correct place for the legion emblem.

Spoken like someone who's never had to do field repairs of Mk IV armor when supply lines are stretched thin! (or someone who's never actually seen the BaC sprues, or any of the FW legion marks of armor). Yes, the MkIV suits do have some studded pads - and studded greaves, crotch plates, etc.

But it's true that often when the left shoulder is studded or otherwise replaced by a special insignia, the right shoulder will display the chapter badge. I would leave the chapter badge on the right for anyone with a studded left pad, and repaint it for everyone else.