Bolt Thrower Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Ok, the Ravenwing decorate their bikes with feathers, one would assume Raven feathers. So why are the feathers always white? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/236719-ravenwing-question/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Blaire Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Because black armor on black bikes with black feathers and more black iconography would look too monochrome? I dunno, I've always wondered something similar. I think the feathers are more of the Plains-world influence and white feathers are just easier to paint? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/236719-ravenwing-question/#findComment-2853250 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacinda Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 I always thought this was more of a Native American symbol since the feather is not used exclusively for the Ravenwing. A typical eagle feather would be white with a black tip. Hawk feathers are light grey with black stripes. Of the two, eagle feathers are easier to paint. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/236719-ravenwing-question/#findComment-2853570 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interrogator Stobz Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Because they are Angels feathers :ph34r: s Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/236719-ravenwing-question/#findComment-2853574 Share on other sites More sharing options...
march10k Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 "raven feathers" is a blind assumption with no reasonable backing whatsoever...the entire chapter uses feather iconography. Paint them green with purple spots, if you like. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/236719-ravenwing-question/#findComment-2853603 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenith Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Indeed, Deathwing terminators feature feather iconography, and they are most assuredly not painted as feathers of the 'death-bird' (although this *is* 40k...). And March10k: Chocobo feathers? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/236719-ravenwing-question/#findComment-2853837 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolt Thrower Posted August 22, 2011 Author Share Posted August 22, 2011 "raven feathers" is a blind assumption with no reasonable backing whatsoever...the entire chapter uses feather iconography. Paint them green with purple spots, if you like. No, it's entirely reasonable to think that a company named after a bird, that has feathers as part of their embelishment would use the feathers of the bird they're named after. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/236719-ravenwing-question/#findComment-2853851 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Master Neo Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Indeed, Deathwing terminators feature feather iconography, and they are most assuredly not painted as feathers of the 'death-bird' (although this *is* 40k...). And March10k: Chocobo feathers? i think a chocobo feather may be a little large next to a space marine bike though :-P Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/236719-ravenwing-question/#findComment-2854447 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimdarkness Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 IIRC the celts used raven feathers as a sing that a warrior had killed a man in combat it was usally briaded (sp) into there hair. They also used colors to donate there clan factions on the feather stem so you could add a company color to the black feathers. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/236719-ravenwing-question/#findComment-2854611 Share on other sites More sharing options...
skink Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 "raven feathers" is a blind assumption with no reasonable backing whatsoever...the entire chapter uses feather iconography. Paint them green with purple spots, if you like. No, it's entirely reasonable to think that a company named after a bird, that has feathers as part of their embelishment would use the feathers of the bird they're named after. I've got to agree with Bolt Thrower here. They've coloured their armour and their bikes after this mythical bird of Terra, why not their iconography? My opinion matches that of Bryan's; GW are using white stylistically (as they do with the little RW company symbols) to break up the mass of black. Is it called an accent colour? I personally doubt there was much discussion beyond "White'd look cool, eh?" back when the colour scheme was being developed. As has been stated before, paint them whatever colour you're happiest with. Mine are bleached bone highlighted with white, as I considered pure white on such a large area too harsh against the black. It ties in the models slightly more to my Terminators as well. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/236719-ravenwing-question/#findComment-2854799 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolt Thrower Posted August 23, 2011 Author Share Posted August 23, 2011 I agree, white looks cool and a black company badge on a black background would be a little, well, invisible! :P I might experiment with black feathers when I get my squad together. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/236719-ravenwing-question/#findComment-2854817 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanhausen Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I do my feathers with debneb stone and a purple wash, then bring back up with a couple greyish/bluish high lights. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/236719-ravenwing-question/#findComment-2854981 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Blaire Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Could also try mixing a dark grey (2:1 chaos black:codex grey) and then use Asurman Blue to wash it a time or two and pick out the individual barbs with Fenris Grey and some light Shadow Grey. Then you can do some detailing/tribal type patterns with red, green or something else that floats your boat to make a pattern with. An alternative would be to do a dark blue-grey with 2:1 Chaos Black:Regal Blue. If those colors are different enough from the black bikes, it wouldn't exactly be contrasting, but it might stand out some. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/236719-ravenwing-question/#findComment-2855034 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Landrain Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 OK.. I may be wrong here but I looked in the three DA Codex's that I own. I cannot find anywhere the 'origin' of the Deathwing name or Ravenwing name. Now the Dark Angels Legion wore all black armour. The Space Marines as a whole have been nicknamed Angels of Death the original Deathwing wore Black, changed to Bone White after the famous genestealer incident. Basically they went bone white to symbolize dead men walking. The Ravenwing is painted black. Raven is a name for a shade/colour black. That is where I always assumed the name came from, not from a Bird. While the Ravenwing does have speeders, it is not a flight oriented unit. Now the Raven Guard who are a jump pack style army, I see using the Raven Bird as their namesake and mascot so to speak. So, a lil off topic, but why did the DA color change to Dark Green? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/236719-ravenwing-question/#findComment-2855868 Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDoc Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I may be wrong here but I looked in the three DA Codex's that I own.I cannot find anywhere the 'origin' of the Deathwing name or Ravenwing name. Thats because its not in any of the Codexes, it is mentioned in the HH novels though. The Ravenwing was an elite (scouting) cavalry formation within the Order on Caliban, and Deathwing was the name of a nasty type of Calibanite raptor (bird of prey (though not necessarily avian)). So, a lil off topic, but why did the DA color change to Dark Green? GW have yet to give us even so much as a hint as to why that change happened. The HH novel about the DA return to Caliban should hopefully shed some light on that though, whenever it comes out. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/236719-ravenwing-question/#findComment-2855876 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Semper Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 GW have yet to give us even so much as a hint as to why that change happened. The HH novel about the DA return to Caliban should hopefully shed some light on that though, whenever it comes out. That is true. I'll attempt a speculation here. I'd like to think that they changed to green when they attacked Caliban so to distinguish themselves from their Fallen brothers (and avoid shooting each other during the battle). So the green (that was associated with DAs livery even before the change of the overall color to denote warriors stemming from Caliban) now denotes the "pure" Dark Angels while the "tainted" original black signifies a Fallen... It also signifies the discontinuity the Chapter suffered - a unique situation among loyals. Sort of clean slate/start anew kind of thing. We'll have to wait for the official explanation though - as well as a decent HH book about DAs... Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/236719-ravenwing-question/#findComment-2855953 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolt Thrower Posted August 24, 2011 Author Share Posted August 24, 2011 GW have yet to give us even so much as a hint as to why that change happened. The HH novel about the DA return to Caliban should hopefully shed some light on that though, whenever it comes out. That is true. I'll attempt a speculation here. I'd like to think that they changed to green when they attacked Caliban so to distinguish themselves from their Fallen brothers (and avoid shooting each other during the battle). So the green (that was associated with DAs livery even before the change of the overall color to denote warriors stemming from Caliban) now denotes the "pure" Dark Angels while the "tainted" original black signifies a Fallen... It also signifies the discontinuity the Chapter suffered - a unique situation among loyals. Sort of clean slate/start anew kind of thing. We'll have to wait for the official explanation though - as well as a decent HH book about DAs... Interesting theory! In the fluff it states that Caliban was densely forested and I've always thought that they changed to green to represent the forest of their beloved lost homeworld. Apparantly the real reason they changed to green is that GW commissioned a rather expensive Dark Angel painting and the artist drew them dark green instead of black. That may just be rumour though (although I read I read it on the internet so it MUST be true, lol). Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/236719-ravenwing-question/#findComment-2855970 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Semper Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Yes... Regarding livery, in the short story "Call of the Lion" by Gav Thorpe (in the "Tales of Heresy" anthology) it mentions through a Calibanite Captain (Chapter Master) that the Lion decreed that the DAs of Calibanite origin were to paint their left shoulder pads green (because of the forests an'all). So green waas there as a color and the reason for the choice was Caliban's forests. I think your theory (with the painting comission) is also interesting :) :woot: :jaw: Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/236719-ravenwing-question/#findComment-2855985 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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