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Hey all

I'm considering buying some new models for my Dark Angels army. All of it was painted some 20 years ago, and most of it is not very well painted.

However, looking at the GW website, it seems that unless I buy the "upgrade" packs at an extra £8 a squad, the majority of the Dark Angels models, bar specific Ravenwing and Deathwing, and characters, can only be painted without markings - most of the models are from the Ultrasmurfs range!?!

What options, for example, for a Dark Angels styled Redemptor Dreadnought, do I have (without going hunting for obscure garage resin bits makers or expensive 3d prints via place like shapeways)?

If you're going back to DA you may want to consider buying the Ravenwing upgrade sprue. First, it has the components needed to change a land speeder into a Talon Master (which if you're using any Ravenwing, you'll want him), and second, it has lots of extra DA bits to add to vehicles to "Dark Angel" them. Otherwise you're just painting them green instead of that awful UM blue (although some of the new Primaris units may be painted in Ravenwing and Deathwing colours, we're just waiting for a new book due soon which may indicate this transformation.

Agreed that the Ravenwing sprues includes lots of useful bits to add to vehicles to give it that Dark Angels iconography. Expensive, but FW has a DA Contemptor and DA Leviathan Dreadnought that look absolutely amazing

Why not wait until the next PA book to see which units are worth investing into?

Rob Lee wrote:
Hey all

I'm considering buying some new models for my Dark Angels army. All of it was painted some 20 years ago, and most of it is not very well painted.

However, looking at the GW website, it seems that unless I buy the "upgrade" packs at an extra £8 a squad, the majority of the Dark Angels models, bar specific Ravenwing and Deathwing, and characters, can only be painted without markings - most of the models are from the Ultrasmurfs range!?!

What options, for example, for a Dark Angels styled Redemptor Dreadnought, do I have (without going hunting for obscure garage resin bits makers or expensive 3d prints via place like shapeways)?

ok first of all space marine stuff is mostly generic. nothing is from the ultrasmurfs range. now a lot of that is painted in ultramarines colours in the previews yes, but that doesn't mean it can't be dark angels. (If an ultramarine player wants UM shoulderpads he's got to buy upgrade packs too)

forge world does offer some DA specific versions of stuff https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-CA/searchResults?N=1558109684+3579557031&searchTerm=dark+angels (be warned that's mostly horus heresy stuff so the rules for the dreads requires the FW astartes index)


if you want a dark angels redemptor dreadnought, your options are the same as the rest of us, 1: raid your bits box for little dohickey's you can glue on it. 2 (and most importantly) give it a DA paint job

BrianDavion wrote:

ok first of all space marine stuff is mostly generic. nothing is from the ultrasmurfs range. now a lot of that is painted in ultramarines colours in the previews yes, but that doesn't mean it can't be dark angels. (If an ultramarine player wants UM shoulderpads he's got to buy upgrade packs too)

They're not just painted in Ultrasmurf blue. The box sets of units all come with an UM Infantry Transfer sheet, they're even shown in the pictures for box sets on GW's webstore, so if they don't come with those they're falsely advertising. An UM player does not need to buy an upgrade pack for UM unit iconography. Ditto for the Redemptor and other vehicles.

GW were providing Dark Angel decal sheets in box sets as I understood it. They've stopped doing this it seems. Which prompted my query/reach out for ideas.

Rob Lee wrote:

BrianDavion wrote:

ok first of all space marine stuff is mostly generic. nothing is from the ultrasmurfs range. now a lot of that is painted in ultramarines colours in the previews yes, but that doesn't mean it can't be dark angels. (If an ultramarine player wants UM shoulderpads he's got to buy upgrade packs too)

They're not just painted in Ultrasmurf blue. The box sets of units all come with an UM Infantry Transfer sheet, they're even shown in the pictures for box sets on GW's webstore, so if they don't come with those they're falsely advertising. An UM player does not need to buy an upgrade pack for UM unit iconography. Ditto for the Redemptor and other vehicles.

GW were providing Dark Angel decal sheets in box sets as I understood it. They've stopped doing this it seems. Which prompted my query/reach out for ideas.

ahr right yeah I forgot about transfer sheets. dark angels are actually, primaris wise in a minorly annoying position there. all the DA specific kits have DA transfer sheets, apparently but you can't even buy seperate transfers, check ebay though and you might be able to get some cheap.

I've actually found the basic Intercessor's box has a good amount of pretty "Dark Angels" bits. Little boxes with keys and bones you can stick on your boys, jousting shield etc.

I'd bite the bullet and just get the upgrade kits, it really helps distinguish your army imo.

Rob Lee wrote:

BrianDavion wrote:

ok first of all space marine stuff is mostly generic. nothing is from the ultrasmurfs range. now a lot of that is painted in ultramarines colours in the previews yes, but that doesn't mean it can't be dark angels. (If an ultramarine player wants UM shoulderpads he's got to buy upgrade packs too)

They're not just painted in Ultrasmurf blue. The box sets of units all come with an UM Infantry Transfer sheet, they're even shown in the pictures for box sets on GW's webstore, so if they don't come with those they're falsely advertising. An UM player does not need to buy an upgrade pack for UM unit iconography. Ditto for the Redemptor and other vehicles.

GW were providing Dark Angel decal sheets in box sets as I understood it. They've stopped doing this it seems. Which prompted my query/reach out for ideas.

Basically, the Primaris boxes come with just that Ultramarine transfer sheet. A lot of the iconography on there(barring the Chapter symbol, obviously) isn't Ultramarines exclusive. The upgrade kit that is sold separately(there's two of them mind, the Primaris one is the only one you'd want for Primaris) was launched alongside of a massive Dark Angels transfer sheet that would let you outfit a whole army in one go. Those were specialized printings ala Forge World's and would get removed when they ran out. The Company Veterans kit comes with a ton of iconography that you can use to actually fit the shoulderpads if you so chose.

All that said, Dark Imperium comes with this: