Shoulder Pads

[ChainsawDR]

Hi all,

 

I did perform a quick search but couldn't find what I was looking for, and what I did find I wasn't sure about.

 

I've almost finished painting my first squad of Blood Claws, however I've caught a snag trying to work out what colours to paint on the shoulder pads.

 

As I see it every Space Wolf soldier & character that has shoulder pads, has a Yellow left shoulder pad with the standard wolf transfer applied - so that's pretty straightforward for my BC's and GH's.

 

But what is the primary colour on the right shoulder pad for BC's and GH's? Obviously patterns/pack markings can be drawn on and they traditionally look like "claws", but should I paint my Blood Claws right shoulder Red, then apply black "claws", or Yellow shoulder pad with Red "claws"?

 

Same again for GH's really, Blue with Black "claws"?

 

My 1993/94 box of metal blood claws has both shoulder pads yellow, and then red "claws" on the right - which is different to other bits I've been reading.

 

I know at the end of the day it's probably just down to personal preference, but I just wanted to check if there was a way they were supposed to look. Any advice would be welcomed.

 

Thank you.

[JEFF4i]

This is what I love about Wolves.

 

Do what you'd like. Go with pack markings, or if you like, traditional for Blood Claws I believe is yellow right pauldron with a red claw. I still love doing what I like, hehe.

[Didacsoy]

Traditionally, the colours are as follows:

 

- All: left pauldron yellow with great company's symbol black. This is usually a transfer because it is easiest, but feel free to freehand if you want to. Great companies' symbols can be found at Codex: Space Wolves (last page), though you can make up your own.

 

- Grey hunters: Right pauldron red and black. Tradition says every member in the same pack sports the same pattern, be it a "ribbon" patern or a symbol (claw, wolf, arrow... you choose).

 

- Blood claws: same as above, but colours are red and yellow.

 

- Long Fangs: same as above, but colours are black and white.

 

- Wolf guard: Black and yellow colours. Instead of sharing a pattern, normally each one has a different design.

 

So basically each pack shares a symbol with colours matching its rank, except for WG, that way you can instantly tell which kind of model you are looking at and which pack it belongs with. Also it is not unusual see kneecaps marked like the model's right pauldron (left kneecpas mostly).

[Dark Bjoern]

Traditionally, the colours are as follows:

 

- All: left pauldron yellow with great company's symbol black. This is usually a transfer because it is easiest, but feel free to freehand if you want to. Great companies' symbols can be found at Codex: Space Wolves (last page), though you can make up your own.

Not all left shoulder pads are yellow. That´s Ragnar Blackmane´s Great Company. Other Wolf Lords will have other background colors.

 

- Grey hunters: Right pauldron red and black. Tradition says every member in the same pack sports the same pattern, be it a "ribbon" patern or a symbol (claw, wolf, arrow... you choose).

 

- Blood claws: same as above, but colours are red and yellow.

 

- Long Fangs: same as above, but colours are black and white.

 

- Wolf guard: Black and yellow colours. Instead of sharing a pattern, normally each one has a different design.

 

So basically each pack shares a symbol with colours matching its rank, except for WG, that way you can instantly tell which kind of model you are looking at and which pack it belongs with. Also it is not unusual see kneecaps marked like the model's right pauldron (left kneecpas mostly).

Not to forget:

Wolf Scouts: White and red.

 

@ChainsawDR: At the end it´s your decission what colors you will use, but if you want to keep it fluffwise you could not. Even that every WL can choose the color and symbol of his GC, we are still a chapter and as such our armours have all the same color and the colors of the pack markings are in all GC the same.

[Combat_Vet]

Greets,

 

Now I'm confused.

 

I thought Ragnar's company had a yellow pad with a black wolf head. I'm not sure that all Wolf Lords have a yellow pad, even in a "traditional" sense.

 

When did Wolf Guard have individual markings? I'd always assumed (I may be way off) that pack markings were pack markings. WGBL and above would display individual markings, but a member of a pack should have the same markings as his pack.

 

The colors are dead on.

 

@Didacsoy - I am not trying to "attack" your post. So, please don't take it that way. I am way behind in my studies when it comes to the Wolves. If I am wrong or if I interpreted the fluff wrong, I apologize.

 

Better days,

[Didacsoy]

@ Dark Bjoern:

You are right, I forgot the scouts!

 

@ 200plus:

No offense taken! :P Wolf guards don't belong to any pack. They are individuals chosen by the wolf lord to form his own trusted lieutenants body , and as such assigned on a 'per case' basis. The wolf lord may asign one to a pack in one battle and another one to the same pack for a later skirmish. For example: priests belong to the Great Wolf's company and are a 'loan' to a wolf lord. Then this wolf lord may asign a retinue of his own wolf guards to the priest in order to protect him. A wolf lord can choose one of his most skilled lieutenants to lead a small force to battle, thus becoming a WGBL.

[Dark Bjoern]

I thought Ragnar's company had a yellow pad with a black wolf head. I'm not sure that all Wolf Lords have a yellow pad, even in a "traditional" sense.

 

When did Wolf Guard have individual markings? I'd always assumed (I may be way off) that pack markings were pack markings. WGBL and above would display individual markings, but a member of a pack should have the same markings as his pack.

You´re right, only Ragnar´s GC has yellow atm. Logan´s Night Runners have grey shoulder pads and Krom Dragongaze´ GC has red shoulder pads (cause i had choosen red them :P ) Only the GC of the Great Wolf never change there company color and symbol. It´s always the midnight blue/black background with the Wolf amoung the Stars, Russ personal heraldic.

 

WG can have indeed individual pattern. That´s a privilege of their rang.

[Vash113]

@ 200plus:

No offense taken! :D Wolf guards don't belong to any pack. They are individuals chosen by the wolf lord to form his own trusted lieutenants body , and as such assigned on a 'per case' basis. The wolf lord may asign one to a pack in one battle and another one to the same pack for a later skirmish. For example: priests belong to the Great Wolf's company and are a 'loan' to a wolf lord. Then this wolf lord may asign a retinue of his own wolf guards to the priest in order to protect him. A wolf lord can choose one of his most skilled lieutenants to lead a small force to battle, thus becoming a WGBL.

 

I disagree, the Wolf Guard when formed into Bodyguard packs should bear the same symbol, and those assigned as Pack Leaders should share the symbol of that pack. I don't think their duties get switched around before each battle so I paint all my Packs with a pack marking, even the Wolf Guard.

 

Oh and as mentioned Yellow field with the Blackmane Wolf Head is the symbol of Ragnar's Great Company, others are different, mine for instance is this:

 

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m307/Vash113/Space%20Wolves/IMG_0232.jpg

 

Black field with a lightning sword through a parallel quarter moon with a single star in the upper right.

[Yeti]

- Wolf guard: Black and yellow colours. Instead of sharing a pattern, normally each one has a different design.

 

The rest of the post was bang on. As for the Wolf Guard, my understanding was that they kept the color scheme of their original pack, but got it switched to black/yellow. Pack markings follow you through your whole life as a Space Wolf, it's just the color scheme that changes.

[JEFF4i]

Again, bear in mind, this is all for fluff reasons. I've been known to accidently put a Grey Hunter painted scheme in with my blood claws.

[WG Vrox]

All up to you my wolf friend, all up to you. colors marks. can't go wrong, other than what was said out pack marking being the same for each member of the pack. I always figured the WG would still wear their original pack marking when they get assigned to lead a different pack thus would appear different from that pack.

 

Possibly there is a practice of changing certain colors of the mark to black and red to distinguish them amoungst their peers as WGPL, however the symbol or mark would remain the same as their original pack.

 

Once a WG becomes a WGBL he then would have the option to change his marking to whatever he pleased and thus if ever picked as a wolf lord would switch this mark to his left pauldron and all his GC would adopt that mark for their left pauldron as well.

 

If done right transferes look great so unless your up to the task of repeating that freehand mark on every model in your army there is a great thread in this forum on how to dhow to do transfers.

 

WG Vrox

 

As I don't have that many models yet, I wanted to be able to move my GHs from pack to pack and went with a generic marking, plus I like how the yellow balances out the look. My GC mark is Erik Moraki's so went with a split yellow/grey

 

http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq71/WG_Vrox/ArticStorm-9.jpg

[Wolf89]

You should simply just create your own markings however you like. I prefer using white for my grey hunters and red for my blood claws, everything else is usually black. All with a simple wolf head design.

 

I would think the wolf guard would have their own pack markings. They lead the packs and are assigned before battle, last one to survive from the pack becomes a leader again to lead another pack, and so on. This was my understanding.

[ChainsawDR]

Thank you everyone for your great responses. I now know the right colours to use for each shoulder pads, I'm going to stick to Ragnars scheme and use the transfers for the left pauldron, and then do freehand designs on the right pauldron using the right colours for each pack. I also think I'll do something with the knee pads as well - and stick to the colour scheme again.

 

Thanks all.

[LoneSniperSG]

I thought Ragnar's company had a yellow pad with a black wolf head. I'm not sure that all Wolf Lords have a yellow pad, even in a "traditional" sense.

 

When did Wolf Guard have individual markings? I'd always assumed (I may be way off) that pack markings were pack markings. WGBL and above would display individual markings, but a member of a pack should have the same markings as his pack.

You´re right, only Ragnar´s GC has yellow atm. Logan´s Night Runners have grey shoulder pads and Krom Dragongaze´ GC has red shoulder pads (cause i had choosen red them :) ) Only the GC of the Great Wolf never change there company color and symbol. It´s always the midnight blue/black background with the Wolf amoung the Stars, Russ personal heraldic.

 

WG can have indeed individual pattern. That´s a privilege of their rang.

 

NOW you people tell me. My army is a sea of blue and yellow with no Ragnar to be found. (Granted, though, I have his mini)

 

Morkai's teeth, now I have a bunch of repainting to do.

 

I always figured the WG would still wear their original pack marking when they get assigned to lead a different pack thus would appear different from that pack.

 

Space Marine Company Champion pauldrons work nice for this. The upper pad has a raised plate that allows for distinguishing Wolf Guard markings from those of the pack he is leading. I use one of these on the right side of every power armor Wolf Guard I have, and all are pre-set to lead either GH or BC's.

 

Once a WG becomes a WGBL he then would have the option to change his marking to whatever he pleased and thus if ever picked as a wolf lord would switch this mark to his left pauldron and all his GC would adopt that mark for their left pauldron as well.

 

This is where I hate Forge World's Terminator space wolf pauldrons. I know, I could cut and file off the generic wolf head, but in the case of resin, screw that. Instead, I use the little shield things to display individual markings, or I put them on the PFist or something.

 

http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq71/WG_Vrox/ArticStorm-9.jpg

 

I've never really been a fan of the fortress grey Space Wolves, but yours are wicked nice Vrox.

[Dark Bjoern]

NOW you people tell me. My army is a sea of blue and yellow with no Ragnar to be found. (Granted, though, I have his mini)

 

Morkai's teeth, now I have a bunch of repainting to do.

No, brother, you don´t have to repaint them. There could be always an other WL that uses yellow as his basic color. But in combination with the blackmaned wolf it´s only Ragnar. Choose just an other totem for your GC and that´s it.

[LoneSniperSG]

NOW you people tell me. My army is a sea of blue and yellow with no Ragnar to be found. (Granted, though, I have his mini)

 

Morkai's teeth, now I have a bunch of repainting to do.

No, brother, you don´t have to repaint them. There could be always an other WL that uses yellow as his basic color. But in combination with the blackmaned wolf it´s only Ragnar. Choose just an other totem for your GC and that´s it.

 

Actually, I would rather repaint. I'm sick of yellow. Yellow sucks. I don't have all that much painted yellow anyway. just some shoulders.

[Dark Bjoern]

NOW you people tell me. My army is a sea of blue and yellow with no Ragnar to be found. (Granted, though, I have his mini)

 

Morkai's teeth, now I have a bunch of repainting to do.

No, brother, you don´t have to repaint them. There could be always an other WL that uses yellow as his basic color. But in combination with the blackmaned wolf it´s only Ragnar. Choose just an other totem for your GC and that´s it.

 

Actually, I would rather repaint. I'm sick of yellow. Yellow sucks. I don't have all that much painted yellow anyway. just some shoulders.

LOL, ok. Then you should repaint the pads.

[WG Vrox]

lonesniper

 

I've never really been a fan of the fortress grey Space Wolves, but yours are wicked nice Vrox

 

Thank you, however the color was a mixture and fortress grey was not part of it. so you can go on saying with validity saying you are still not a fan of the color :P

 

WG Vrox

[LoneSniperSG]

lonesniper

 

I've never really been a fan of the fortress grey Space Wolves, but yours are wicked nice Vrox

 

Thank you, however the color was a mixture and fortress grey was not part of it. so you can go on saying with validity saying you are still not a fan of the color :P

 

WG Vrox

 

Just admit it! You begged Tzeentch to show you the future so that you could see my post saying I hate the Fortress Grey scheme, and then you deliberately planned your paintscheme to look like FG but not use the color. Yes, Mr. Vrox, I know your plans..

 

Oh, i'm a fan of the color; my 51st Cadian IG has a basecoat of it. I'm just not really a fan of these bizarre "Heresy era but not" paint schemes. My compliment still stands. Yours are rockin. I'd be happy to see your army destroy mine one day. :ph34r:

[JEFF4i]

lonesniper

 

I've never really been a fan of the fortress grey Space Wolves, but yours are wicked nice Vrox

 

Thank you, however the color was a mixture and fortress grey was not part of it. so you can go on saying with validity saying you are still not a fan of the color :ph34r:

 

WG Vrox

 

Just admit it! You begged Tzeentch to show you the future so that you could see my post saying I hate the Fortress Grey scheme, and then you deliberately planned your paintscheme to look like FG but not use the color. Yes, Mr. Vrox, I know your plans..

 

Oh, i'm a fan of the color; my 51st Cadian IG has a basecoat of it. I'm just not really a fan of these bizarre "Heresy era but not" paint schemes. My compliment still stands. Yours are rockin. I'd be happy to see your army destroy mine one day. XD

 

You shut your face accusing the great and terrible Vrox of consorting with...him...Grrrrrrr

 

:P