Squad Leaders: do you paint them differently?

[knife&fork]

Back in the old days when dinosaurs walked the earth and Kriss Kross made us jump there was a thing called squad leaders. Regular marine, 2nd in command to the sergeant and leader of the second combat squad if you wanted to split them. For BA they had the same inverted color scheme for the shoulder pads as the sergeants (black with red trim).

 

All my BA look like this, but so far I haven't done anything like it for my Flesh Tearer marines. As the force grows it gets harder to tell them apart so I had this idea to do something similar. Gold is a bit too flashy for the boys from Cretacia, but a deep reddish bronze ("Why are you looking at me like that mr Inquisitor?" ) should go well with the gritty black and gore.

 

What I had in mind was to give all vets (sergeants, vanguard, sternguard, HG) bronze helmets and bronze trim on one shoulder pad, for squad leaders the helmets will be the usual black but one should pad gets the bronze trim.

 

What do you think?

How do you guys do it?

[Gv0zD]

I think you have a good idea on distincting your leaders/vets/sarges. As for myself, I'm so fond of that dinosaur era that I use the mentioned inverted scheme as well as the moder helmets' colors ^_^

[Redo]

I don't. They are a regular marine with a regular marine profile with no special gear. At most I might give them a targeter on their Bolter or something.

[JamesI]

I don't do anything different for squad leaders. Sergeants are made from DC or SG parts to make them stand out, but squad leaders I don't do.

[IronKobra]

When I next actually do a full 10 man squad (which is prob a while off) I will carry on painting the squad leader as you described with the inverted shoulder pad scheme. Just another 2nd ed touch I really like and want to carry on. It doesn;t really do/mean anything as such but at least if a squad is split into combat squads the 2nd squad has some one that looks like they are in charge.

[Vodunius]

For Blood Angels I use the inverted pads for both but also give both the codex squad markings (Iron Skull & Iron Halo) - for which there is some old skool canon precedent of a sort: the original BA Scout Sergeant scheme used the BA's inverted pad along with the then codex scout sergeant marking.

 

For Flesh Tearers - who I do using codex squad markings - I just use the skull & halo.

[Leonaides]

i use the inverted colours and the reverse coloured banner on my infantry, jp marines just get the pads tho.

[1Drop]

I invert the colours for the sergant like you mentioned but at current I don't have ten man squads for my RAS which are my troop core so I have no need for a squad leader but when I start 10 man squads (LR list) I will concider this. I do however give them the admementite (green) blood drop on the left shoulder and I want to do the right knee too but I'm not sure what the marking for 4th company RAS is (I know for tac it is black with a White lightning bolt so this may be correct)

 

I think your idea for the bronze helmet or trim is very good, I think tin bitz would look good or if that's too rough looking dwarf bronze has a really nice orange look to it.

[Baal Dropout]

I distinguish my Tactical Squad 2iC/Combat Sqd Leaders by having the following:

- Helm with iron skull

- a piece of red tabard/cloth with yellow BA icon

- an ornate or relatively unique bolter (like the bit in the Command Squad box set)

- two or more purity seals (as many purity seals as the vet. sgt. of the squad)

- simple pose like 'observing' the battlefield or such

 

Unfortunately I haven't yet formulated something for my RAS (considering I'm painting a squad up :wacko: )

[Gv0zD]

What Baal Dropuot said. Anyou may give your Sarges and leader helmets with small antennas, so they would coordinate the squads' actions.