Wolf Brothers Colour Scheme and Pack Markings

[Clone]

Hello Wolf Lords and Priests of all kinds...

 

I have a couple of Grey Hunter squads that I never finished painting left in one of my many, many warhammer boxes and am looking to repaint them as Wolf Brothers... that have fallen to chaos so I can use them with my Black Legion warband. Now before I get thrown off this forum, I need some help on the colour scheme.

 

I know that there isn't an official scheme released by GW but how does a light grey with dark grey or silver trim sound? There would be a bit of red detailing here and there and the odd chaos star dotted about, while chapter symbols would be smudged black or defiled in other ways. I haven't thought too much about fluff yet but I'm really looking to save money by using these models and making them more renegades than full blown chaos marines. Would the pack markings be roughly similar in a Wolf Brother pack? Grey Hunters still using red/black, wolf guard using yellow/black, etc.

[Leif Bearclaw]

Other than some form of grey, I'd say go nuts. As you say there isn't an official scheme, so keep the grey for consisitency, then whatever. As for pack markings, again there's no hard and fast rules. Even for the Wolves themselves, new Jarls mean new identifiers. The 3rd ed dex didn't even mention the red/yellow=Claw, red/black=Hunter, yellow/black=Guard martking system (which is why my Company doesn't use it ), so yeah, the world's your oyster imo.

[Clone]

Other than some form of grey, I'd say go nuts. As you say there isn't an official scheme, so keep the grey for consisitency, then whatever. As for pack markings, again there's no hard and fast rules. Even for the Wolves themselves, new Jarls mean new identifiers. The 3rd ed dex didn't even mention the red/yellow=Claw, red/black=Hunter, yellow/black=Guard martking system (which is why my Company doesn't use it ), so yeah, the world's your oyster imo.

Thanks!

I'll do a few test models and see what I can come up with. Like you say, I'll keep the grey for consistency and see what happens. I'll try a lighter grey as opposed to the darker grey/bluey grey as traditional for Wolves, this way it'll help break up the black of my chaos marines.

[Leif Bearclaw]

Sounds good, best of luck .

[Vash113]

The only direct description of the Wolf Brothers that I know if is in Battle of the Fang, I dug out my copy and below is the relevant passage:

 

"Dark shapes emerged from the fog of green, twisted and diseased. They were Space Marine in profile, but horribly altered. Some had trailing tentacles in place of limbs, others had misshapen heads crowned with thorns. Their armor was warped and uprooted, the plate ripped by growths from below and fused with unholy flesh where it spilled into the open. Helm-lenses glowed with more sickly witchlight, piercing event he shifting miasma roiling from the vaults. They didn't march cleanly, but limped, dragged or scuttled, hauling their broken bodies into the open, tottering on cloven hooves and clawed crow's feet.

 

As they emerged into the light of the braziers, their origins became clearer. Their battle-plate had once been grey, adorned with the totems and fetishes of the hunt. There were pelts still clinging to the corrupted ceramite, as botched and altered as the armor beneath. Images of fangs and runes were still graven into breastplates and greaves, though stretched into new and blasphemous patterns by some dark and subtle artistry. As they lumbered into view, the mutated warriors began to howl in mockery of the battle cries they had once roared so proudly. The sound was horrific, a chorus of fluted misery and distortion that resounded from the high walls around them and filled the chamber with perverted hatred." From page 353-354.

 

There's no indication as to whether that description would apply to all Wolf Brothers, or just that group, or somewhere in between. Anyway I'd say that apart from roughly grey armor whatever individual markings or accent colors you feel like would look just fine. I hope that little bit is inspirational but you shouldn't feel you have to stick rigidly to it or anything.

There's also Skyrar's Dark Wolves to consider if you want renegade Space Wolves, a warband of wolves turned traitor.

[Valerian]

The only direct description of the Wolf Brothers that I know if is in Battle of the Fang, I dug out my copy and below is the relevant passage:

 

"Dark shapes emerged from the fog of green, twisted and diseased. They were Space Marine in profile, but horribly altered. Some had trailing tentacles in place of limbs, others had misshapen heads crowned with thorns. Their armor was warped and uprooted, the plate ripped by growths from below and fused with unholy flesh where it spilled into the open. Helm-lenses glowed with more sickly witchlight, piercing event he shifting miasma roiling from the vaults. They didn't march cleanly, but limped, dragged or scuttled, hauling their broken bodies into the open, tottering on cloven hooves and clawed crow's feet.

 

As they emerged into the light of the braziers, their origins became clearer. Their battle-plate had once been grey, adorned with the totems and fetishes of the hunt. There were pelts still clinging to the corrupted ceramite, as botched and altered as the armor beneath. Images of fangs and runes were still graven into breastplates and greaves, though stretched into new and blasphemous patterns by some dark and subtle artistry. As they lumbered into view, the mutated warriors began to howl in mockery of the battle cries they had once roared so proudly. The sound was horrific, a chorus of fluted misery and distortion that resounded from the high walls around them and filled the chamber with perverted hatred." From page 353-354.

 

There's no indication as to whether that description would apply to all Wolf Brothers, or just that group, or somewhere in between.

Does it even say that those were, in fact, Wolf Brothers? Could have just as easily been traitor/mutated Space Wolves, if not.

[Leif Bearclaw]

I believe so, but don't have a quote to hand. Either the Wolves recognise Wolf Brother Colours and/or Magnus taunts them with the fate of their only successor before his presence flees to Fenris.

[Vash113]

 

Does it even say that those were, in fact, Wolf Brothers? Could have just as easily been traitor/mutated Space Wolves, if not.

 

 

Yes the text makes it pretty clear these are indeed Wolf Brothers:

 

"They were brothers in more than name. They were the only successors the Space Wolves had ever permitted to be made, the only other scions of the primarch Leman Russ that remained in the galaxy... 'These are no longer Wolf Brothers.'"

[Valerian]

Ah, figured so; thanks.

[Stormborn]

Admittedly this was well before the current fluff but GW did paint upt a Wolf Brother he was either in the 1st or 2nd Space Wolf Codex or a White Dwarf dealing with successor chapters.  From memory the paint scheme was quartered light blue & grey.  

[Valerian]

Admittedly this was well before the current fluff but GW did paint upt a Wolf Brother he was either in the 1st or 2nd Space Wolf Codex or a White Dwarf dealing with successor chapters.  From memory the paint scheme was quartered light blue & grey.

That would be cool to see, if anyone can find it. I haven't noticed it in all of my resources, but might have just overlooked it.

[Clone]

Admittedly this was well before the current fluff but GW did paint upt a Wolf Brother he was either in the 1st or 2nd Space Wolf Codex or a White Dwarf dealing with successor chapters. From memory the paint scheme was quartered light blue & grey.

That certainly sounds interesting.