Why/When did Space Wolves(or anyone) change colors?

[Bulldogging]

I've never been able to find a reason for it or a time line. Did they just up and decide one day they felt more blue? :tu:

 

It's really been bothering me, thanks.(The blue doesn't bother me, the unknown reason for any of the loyalist changing colors)

 

EDIT: To clarify, I don't mean when did GW decide to change colors, I mean fluff wise.

[CainTheHunter]

There is no change of colors fluff-wise. It's only a change in terms of description - what the SW armor should be looking like in the opinion of GW. GW-wise the change happened when their Eavy Metal team changed the way they were painting Space Wolves minis. They are still grey, just not grey-grey but blue-grey.

[Bulldogging]

Thanks. That explains why I couldn't make sense of it, there is none.

[Wysten]

Aye, they probably got used to painting ultra marines blue, whats easier then adding a bit of grey over blue? XD

 

Just theres not really a wrong way to paint space wolves. Scouts are dark, camo colours, Grey Hunters are any different shades of grey as they don't need camo, and I am thinking of painting wolf guard, rune priests, iron priest, (if I pick up any) and wolf lords in pre heresy colours to show how acicent these suits are. As I imagine they have a huge stockpile of such armour and weapons. So that only a true hero could wield it (and to make them more distinictive from the other sects)

[Valerian]

Thanks. That explains why I couldn't make sense of it, there is none.

 

In the fluff the Space Wolves' armor color has always been described as "Wolf Grey". It is the artists interpretation of what

Wolf Grey" is that has changed over time.

 

Valerian

[Bulldogging]

Interesting, why is it called Pre-Heresy versus Post-Heresy colors then?

[Valerian]

Interesting, why is it called Pre-Heresy versus Post-Heresy colors then?

 

Back in 3rd Edition, there was an Index Astartes article in a White Dwarf (#258) that discussed the Space Wolves. There was a picture in that article that showed a "Pre-heresy" Space Wolf with the dark grey color, and a "current" Space Wolf with the standard blue-grey color scheme that you see in the Studio army (in the current codex, for example). So, although there has never been anything published before or since that talks about a change in color in the background material, this picture alone has been enough to drive many players into believing that there are official pre/post heresy colors for the Wolves.

 

Loremaster Valerian

[Bulldogging]

Thank you for the explanation. That was very informative. :D

[Marshal Wilhelm]

Interesting, why is it called Pre-Heresy versus Post-Heresy colors then?

 

Back in 3rd Edition, there was an Index Astartes article in a White Dwarf (#258) that discussed the Space Wolves. There was a picture in that article that showed a "Pre-heresy" Space Wolf with the dark grey color, and a "current" Space Wolf with the standard blue-grey color scheme that you see in the Studio army (in the current codex, for example). So, although there has never been anything published before or since that talks about a change in color in the background material, this picture alone has been enough to drive many players into believing that there are official pre/post heresy colors for the Wolves.

 

Loremaster Valerian

 

WD 259 July, where I am from :yes:

[Vodunius]

So, although there has never been anything published before or since that talks about a change in color in the background material, this picture alone has been enough to drive many players into believing that there are official pre/post heresy colors for the Wolves.

 

Well, that picture AND the fact that the Eavy Metal team decided to paint the 13th Great Company - who had been lost in the warp for 10,000 years - grey instead of baby blue.

 

For the record GW has likewise never explained why the Dark Angels changed from black pre-heresy to green post-heresy.

[Marshal Wilhelm]

For the record GW has likewise never explained why the Dark Angels changed from black pre-heresy to green post-heresy.

 

They got changed because the other big four [Wolves, Bloods and Ultras] were all jealous of the Dark Angels A-Mazing black armour, and so to placate them, nerfed the DA colour scheme from the best to on par with the others. :D

[Skalver]

The legend goes that after the Horus Heresy when Roboute Guilleman was trying to press the Codex Astartes on the other chapters he visited the Space Wolves. Russ took one look at his brothers work, laughed at the idea that the basic marine wouldn't even get a combat knife but would have to lug around a missile launcher to get in the way and, using his vast and oft-ignored diplomatic skills turned to his brother primarch and said "Tell you what sunshine, you can take your namby pampy tactical squads, your over rigid nonsense and stuff it right up your ceramite clad arse, but just to show theres no hard feelings we will put a few drops of blue in the paint".

 

Ever since this day many Wolf Lords will add at least a drop of blue to each batch of paint, some think Russ was being genuinely consiliatory and add quite a lot in honour of the primarchs diplomacy, others think he was just showing his typical ribald humour and add a drop or too per batch to continue the primarchs jest. A rare few however, think the primarch was actually insulting his brothers over rigid nature and add no blue whatsoever to the paint. Whether or not the Ultramarines are aware of these occurences is not fully documented, however it is notable that it has never once been brought up during inter chapter relations in the intervening millenia no matter what colour armor the Space Wolves are wearing when the chapters do meet. Space Wolves will however use the phrase "feeling blue" whenever they find themselves overly constrained and lacking tactical freedom during an encounter which is possibly a holdover from Russ' thoughts about Guilleman's Codex structure.

 

Unfortunately soon after this meeting Russ himself departed for the Eye of Terror. Whether he repainted his armour or not before he left is not recorded and remains a source of much heated debate within the halls of the Fang to this day.

[Hellrender]

That actually sounds plausible. lol.

[wolfpack]

ever seen 'Operation Petticoat'? They simply ran outa grey and had to add a lil blue to get the job done...LMAO

[MaveriK]

its the same reason why Russ is depicted with different hair color. Some artist have their own vision or idea of what should be, or what they think looks better and not what is actual and factual. inconsistency, and laziness on the part of GW altogether, nobody really there setting anything in stone. at least, that's my excuse for their mess-ups :P kinda how allot of people think the idea of space marine riding a wolf... yet in another genre, a galactic empire was toppled by savage ewoks from endor.

[Orphus]

How about finding some some pics of the change in colour as a comparison? Just a thought.

[Quillen]

Actually Space Wolves could have a million different paint schemes back in the day. They even had a black and white photo of SpaceWolves about to ambush come orcs in Camoe. The good old days.

[Valerian]

For the record GW has likewise never explained why the Dark Angels changed from black pre-heresy to green post-heresy.

 

Have they not? I'm not Dark Angels expert, but I thought there was some fluff-based explanation from way back in the day; maybe in the old 2nd Edition "Angels of Death" codex? I seem to remember something about the Dark Green representing the Forests of Caliban. I might have to go snoop around the DA subforum to see what I can dig up.

 

Regardless, as others have pointed out, the way Space Wolves have been painted has always been a matter of artistic license on the part of the Studio artists ('Eavy Metal team). Officially, the armor has always been identified as "Wolf Grey". I've got sources from multiple editions of the game that all say the same thing. Wolf Grey before the Heresy, Wolf Grey after the Heresy, Wolf Grey in the 41st Millenium, and Wolf Grey at the Wolf Time.

 

Valerian

[Bulldogging]

Thank you very much. I'm going to repaint my Wolves dark grey now. I only went with the blue(the eavy metal instructions) since I thought it was official fluff. Luckily I only finished 10 Gray Hunters so far.

[jjfelber]

All mine wolves are drybrushed Boltgun metal over black, with red gore accents. The elites have gold and red accents. I use Nemesis Force Halberds painted with Frosted Ice Tips for Thunder Hammers. Add some Snow on the Base and Some Wolfy extras and they look awesome.

 

I got the idea from the front of the New Codex. Red, Gold, and Dark Grey (Dark Metallic).

[Prot]

I think GW have always done a good job of letting people feel free to put their own creative license into their hobby.

 

Sometimes I do wish we had a 'base' colour. I drove myself nuts coming up with the base colour I have now. I basically re-based my whole army twice in two different shades of blue/grey.

 

On the other hand we could be stuck in a very uniform environment, but that would make us no better than Ultramarines! Next thing you know, we'd be paying attention to that 'codex astartes' thing Guilliman was always waving around. Pfffffff.

[Quillen]

Yeah the original fluff was certain Campaigns had specific color schemes. So another Battle for Armagedon could have a Yellow red and orange desert color scheme, and the Wolves would repaint their armor for the Campaign. It`s an easy way to also tell who is on whoms side. Like in WWII when Allied planes painted white and black strips on the left wing. See strips on the left wing do not shoot, find a new target. <

 

Also they said it was common for Marines to leave arms otr shoulders painted for the campaign after it was over. To show some honour bestowed from the campaign.

[Valerian]

I think GW have always done a good job of letting people feel free to put their own creative license into their hobby.

 

 

Here is what Jervis Johnson had to say about Space Wolves' colour schemes/markings back when the 3rd Edition codex was released:

 

From US White Dwarf 244 (May 2000):

 

Fortunately, one of the things we've tried to get away from with all of the new Codexes is'straight-jacketing' players by telling them how they must paint their models. Instead we'd rather provide guidelines, and then let players give full rein to their own imagination and creativity. Bearing this in mind, I decided to say that with the Space Wolves, the markings worn on the armor of a Space Marine were chosen by his Company's Wolf Lord. As a new Wolf Lord is elected to lead a company, one of the first things he will do is decide what markings his followers should bear on their armor. Thus markings could range from Space Wolves Grey armor with a Great Company bade on one of the shoulder pads, through to pretty much anything the player could come up with. Under this system, the markings shown in the previous Codex [2nd Edition] became those worn by the Space Wolves in Ragnar Blackmane's Great Company, rather than those worn by every Space Marine in the Chapter. The photographs accompanying this article will give you some idea of the markings we've chosen for our new Space Wolves army, and the hobby section in the Codex includes lots of other examples. However, the bottom line is that the new system lets you pick a set of markings which suits your own tastes and skill (which for me is Space Wolves Grey and a transfer, thank you very much!).

[Ulriks Minion]

This is some srs bzns ^_^

[MaveriK]

Actually Space Wolves could have a million different paint schemes back in the day. They even had a black and white photo of SpaceWolves about to ambush come orcs in Camoe. The good old days.

 

 

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r35/Azn_MaveriK/forum%20post/camo_lg.jpg