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As above, I've read many reasons about how when and why green was picked up, mostly to ret-con real world choices but is there a specific reason in the fluff for why green was chosen?

I'm painting up a unit of Fallen and I'm thinking about adding some DA green but I would like it to be there for good reason.

Thanks

gaza4 wrote:
As above, I've read many reasons about how when and why green was picked up, mostly to ret-con real world choices but is there a specific reason in the fluff for why green was chosen?

I'm painting up a unit of Fallen and I'm thinking about adding some DA green but I would like it to be there for good reason.

Thanks

Lion El' Johnson was a Packers fan.

...In all seriousness: Not that I'm aware of, no.

gaza4 wrote:
As above, I've read many reasons about how when and why green was picked up, mostly to ret-con real world choices but is there a specific reason in the fluff for why green was chosen?

I'm painting up a unit of Fallen and I'm thinking about adding some DA green but I would like it to be there for good reason.

Thanks

It was the only color that wasn't taken yet.

The studio painter screwed up is the basic reason not sure I ever read a fluff version.

It was after the destruction of Caliban, in memory of the forests of Caliban.

Green is the colour of EXTRA LOYALTY!

In remembrance of the lost forests of Caliban when it was destroyed.

From Lexicanum “Lion El'Jonson had previously decreed that Dark Angels could change their armor to green in memory of the war against the Great Beasts of Caliban.”

They were black during the Horus Heresy so maybe it was retroactive when the Lion was comatose to show true loyalty.

They'd gone full Nurgle green at the start of the Heresy in dedication to their new god. Then Horus died, the DA panicked and quickly tried to paint their armour back to black before anyone noticed but they thinned the paint too much and it just came out as Dark green.

Dark angels from Caliban changed their shoulder pads to "the greens of Caliban", the tradition spread throughout the legion during the great crusade and into the heresy, whether or not this had anything to do with what happened after the legion fractured I dont know.

 mrhappyface wrote:
They'd gone full Nurgle green at the start of the Heresy in dedication to their new god. Then Horus died, the DA panicked and quickly tried to paint their armour back to black before anyone noticed but they thinned the paint too much and it just came out as Dark green.

If anything they would have been Tzeentch bois. Cypher does go around screaming "JUST AS PLANNED" after all. But then again, Cypher is the loyal one!

The original studio armies (Talking Rogue Trader days) were blue (Ultramarines), Red (Blood Angels), and Green (Dark Angels). Dark Angels were also the first studio army that had a lot of messed up painting. White Terminators, Black bikes/Speeders, and tanks in all three colors. Pretty sure that the Dark Angels were painted before the fluff was written.

Your Fallen should have black armor. Only the traitor legions changed their armor color during the heresy

DontEatRawHagis wrote:
From Lexicanum “Lion El'Jonson had previously decreed that Dark Angels could change their armor to green in memory of the war against the Great Beasts of Caliban.”

They were black during the Horus Heresy so maybe it was retroactive when the Lion was comatose to show true loyalty.

He declared they could paint their left shoulder pad green, not their whole armor. And that was only for the recruits for Caliban.

Pre destruction of Caliban: Recruits from Caliban were allowed to paint their left shoulder pad green.

Post destruction of Caliban: After losing Caliban and their primarch the Legion decided to adopt green as their primary color, to represent the forests of their lost world.

In rogue trader days dark angles were in black. With red symbols. I thought the change to green was in memory of the first order that the lion was in before the emperor arrived. Changed post destruction of caliban.

 greyknight12 wrote:
Your Fallen should have black armor. Only the traitor legions changed their armor color during the heresy

they will have black armour but i was thinking about adding some green both as a throw back to my own Dark Angels army and as a nod to the legion itself. I was thinking about doing the boltguns in green

Those few who know of the Dark Angel's dark secret believe it to be that part of the chapter fell to chaos. In actuality this is a clever cover for the darker darkiest secret; why they changed their color.

Wasn't it primarily the Caliban contingent that got left behind on Guard duty?

As such, shouldn't the fallen be black with green flourishes (assuming the fallen marine retains his heraldry).

nareik wrote:
Wasn't it primarily the Caliban contingent that got left behind on Guard duty?

As such, shouldn't the fallen be black with green flourishes (assuming the fallen marine retains his heraldry).

Many of those on Caliban were fresh recruits, but there were a lot of Terrans in the mix. Those that Johnson didn't exactly trust, and so ended up being exiled there, like Astelan.

It was changed to green in memory of Caliban.

It was mainly done in memory of the Lion and the Forests of Caliban. I also recall reading something about black armour signifying direct service to the emperor (Sigismund painted his armour black when he became the Emperor's Champion). So they may have had a secondary reason, believing in their shame that they weren't worthy of the Colour anymore.

EDIT: That doesn't explain why the Ravenwing still wear black, so who knows. That may just be pragmatism at work since the Ravenwing run fast attack and covert ops.

Ravenwing do it in honour of the original Legion don't they?

pm713 wrote:
Ravenwing do it in honour of the original Legion don't they?

You may have jogged my memory there. i believe they wear it in honour of The Order. The knights of the Order on Caliban would wear Black armour and white cloaks. They rode around on horse back hunting the great beasts. So I'm pretty sure they are emulating that tradition. By riding around on bikes, in black armour hunting the Fallen and any other enemy.

 Lion of Caliban wrote:

pm713 wrote:
Ravenwing do it in honour of the original Legion don't they?

You may have jogged my memory there. i believe they wear it in honour of The Order. The knights of the Order on Caliban would wear Black armour and white cloaks. They rode around on horse back hunting the great beasts. So I'm pretty sure they are emulating that tradition. By riding around on bikes, in black armour hunting the Fallen and any other enemy.

The Ravenwing was the original scout section of the Order.

I'm guessing that when Johnson took over the Legion, he renamed that portion of the Hexagrammaton after them. Pretty interesting coincidence that they were also called a "wing". Why they kept the black, no clue.

 djones520 wrote:

 Lion of Caliban wrote:

pm713 wrote:
Ravenwing do it in honour of the original Legion don't they?

You may have jogged my memory there. i believe they wear it in honour of The Order. The knights of the Order on Caliban would wear Black armour and white cloaks. They rode around on horse back hunting the great beasts. So I'm pretty sure they are emulating that tradition. By riding around on bikes, in black armour hunting the Fallen and any other enemy.

The Ravenwing was the original scout section of the Order.

I'm guessing that when Johnson took over the Legion, he renamed that portion of the Hexagrammaton after them. Pretty interesting coincidence that they were also called a "wing". Why they kept the black, no clue.

Indeed they were called the Ravenwing and they were a scout/cavalry force. And it is a coincidence, but those do crop up from time to time. I am fairly sure i've read they kept the black as an Homage to the original Ravenwing.

OOU, I recall, Rick Priestley claims it was the result of executive meddling by Brian Ansell. When the first Space Mari es Paint Set and painting guide were issued, the dark green paint was called ‘Salamander Green’ (the black was also ‘Salamander Black’, as they were drybrushed up from a black base coat). This led to the amusing disconnect of old Dark Angels painting guides instructing us to use paints named for the wrong chapter.