Deathwing Stormraven colour scheme?

[Angel of Solitude]

I have this desire to use a Stormraven to transport into battle a squad of Deathwing Knights and a close-combat Contemptor Dreadnought. I'm pretty sure that I'd want it to be painted in Deathwing bone, but I'm struggling as to what livery the pilot / gunner should be painted. I see the options as follows:

 

1. Deathwing bone. However, Deathwing bone power armour just doesn't feel right.
2. Ravenwing black. I read somewhere that all flyers belong to the Ravenwing, so it would make sense for the pilots to be in Ravenwing Black. But then does this mean I should really paint the whole flyer Ravenwing black too?
3. Techmarine red. Again, I recall reading somewhere that vehicles are operated by the chapter forge, but it doesn't fit for members of the forge to be engaged in operations involving the Deathwing and Inner Circle
4. Dark Angels green...and thus paint the whole thing green too.

I think my preference is for Deathwing Bone on the outside, Ravenwing black on the inside, but would love you hear your thoughts.

[Chaplain Lucifer]

The most correct (IMHO) would be black on the outside and pilots because the flyers do belong to Ravenwing, however since it's a DW attached vehicleI think it wouldn't be wrong to have the Storm Raven in bone white while the pilots maintain the black livery.

[Berzul]

Yeah, deathwing bone white for the ship, and ravenwing black for the pilot, makes sense to me.

 

Then again, is the ship a permanent addition to the DW? Or is it a RW ship, like all others, just being used to service the DW on an ocassional basis?

[Angel of Solitude]

Thanks both - 2 votes for Ravenwing black has sealed it for me.

 

Being true to lore, I believe that it would be an RW ship just being used to service the DW on an occasional basis. But I'm going for rule of cool here with Deathwing bone throughout the army.

[SickSix]

Could do black ship with DW bone colored doors or livery somewhere to show the crafts current service.

[Berzul]

Or, you could go crazy. Half black, half bone white

[jbaeza94]

Who pilots storm ravens and thunderhawks? I thought that was gw not rw. I thought rw only did rw vehicles, and each company supported their own transports

Color wise, i would do green with deathwing livery and bone accents. Maybe a giant stripe down the middle and recessed panels in bone. Green pilot. Also, remember, there is more to the inner circle than just rw and dw terminators. A notable example is the apothecary from angels of darkness. There are secret brothers in the battle companies too

[Interrogator Stobz]

That's my belief too, RW have their own aircraft, the rest are Chapter colours and driven by normal SMs.

I'm going to give my green pilots a bone shoulder pad whilst they drive the bone Aircraft.

 

The pic of the SR in our current Dex has the SR in green, proving that GW intended them to be pool vehicles, it is not a RW only aircraft.

[Greenz]

Yea I’m in the camp of RW pilot their own RW vehicles. Typically, Thawks and such are seen in green, with either GW pilots or red pilots.

 

In this situation, if it were my Stormraven attached to the 1st co, I’d paint mine bone, and the pilots would be green with either robes, or crux terminatus on them somewhere. Something to show they are former 1st co marines, and are aware of the Fallen. Seeing as this bird would be taking DW on DW related missions.

[Angel of Solitude]

After all your excellent comments, I’m now contemplating DA green livery with some sort of Deathwing bone panel, with DA green pilots with perhaps Deathwing bone and crux terminatus on one or both shoulder pads.

 

I think it makes sense for the chapter Stormravens to be deployed as required - thus the DA green - but that there would exist some pilots who were members of the Inner Circle, and thus “cleared” to make Insertions for operations involving the Deathwing.

[Steel Company]

I think in some bit of old dusty lore someplace there is referance to a bone coloured Thunderhawk that is used by the DW, like their land raiders...

[G8Keeper]

It's certainly an interesting question.  There are arguments for Greenwing and Techmarines, although as people have pointed out it wouldn't be a Ravenwing pilot.  I have read somewhere that they're all Techmarines but I think that's a bit stupid by how many the chapter would have to have.  My preferred fudge option is to have mine as kind of "trainee" techmarines or lower level dudes who have a kind of Mars accreditation but not fully qulified, who not only pilot the vehicle but tend to it's maintenance and machine spirit  .  Therefore mine have green armour and a red cog pad.  That's also how I justify Deathwing pilots, they know the secrets so aren't allowed to go full Techmarine.

[shabbadoo]

Yep. *Fighter* aircraft (i.e. Dark Talon and Nephilim) fall under the Ravenwing. All other aircraft are Chapter-based vehicles, and so would nominally be painted in Chapter colors. But then, the Dark Angels don't exactly follow all of the rules, do they. Even the Ultramarines don't (read up on the origins of the odd red helmet here and there in the Ultramarines force structure sometime).

 

And so exceptions exist.  For vehicles that are seconded to the Deathwing on a long term basis, I think an exception would be made for visual identification purposes, and so I'd paint this  Stormraven in Deathwing bone with the Deathwing Company icons and army markings. What is problematic about the pilot is that he would be a Techmarine, and the Dark Angels do not really trust their Techmarines with Inner Circle business (even the Master of the Rock is rather clueless). So, the pilot might look like a Techmarine (red armor, Chapter green and white shoulder icon, etc), but in fact be a lobotomized mono-task servitor incapable of blurting out anything resembling any sort of secret he might have accidentally found about, which caused him to be permanently "seconded" to the Deathwing in the first place (this stuff just sort of writes itself, doesn't it ). Yes, nobody is going to ask too closely about whatever happened to Techmarine "Bob."

 

I'd say that, if you go through the small amount of trouble of modding the pilot to be a "servitor" (use a bald bionic eye head, paint it in servitor skin tone -  done!), the rule of cool (and fluff) applies in full, and that you are fully within your rights to cart off to Cell 42 anyone who asks too many probing questions about Techamarine "Bob" or his Deathwing Stormraven.

[Berzul]

By the way... What DID happen to Techmarine Bob? Anyone seen him lately? He has been quite a missing a few asignments at the Armory; and I've heard he is looking rather ill-colored and disoriented lately. And they put HIM in charge of flying that thing? Seriously? Man, I'm not one to judge the command's wisdom, but I do feel like we should seriously start asking some questions about Bob, don't you?

[Interrogator Stobz]

+++QUESTIONS? DON'T YOU MEAN HERESY? COME THIS WAY...+++

[Berzul]

Wait, what?! No! I mean-- I meant-- Questions? No, no--! Questiond?! C'mon, I wasn't--, I'd never--... Just... Awww :(

[Interrogator Stobz]

+++BRING BISCUITS+++

[Berzul]

... ok.

 

:(

[Steel Company]

Don't worry Berzul, it only hurts if you are not honest with the Interrogator... Just don't ask about the guys in black with red downward pointed swords... ;)

[G8Keeper]

Don't worry Berzul, it only hurts if you are not honest with the Interrogator...

 

Or if you bring plain digestives.

[Interrogator Stobz]

Yeah... I mean...

 

...+++YEAH, WHAT IS WITH PLAIN DIGESTIVE? SOME SORT OF HERESY? BRING SOMETHING THAT DOES NOT CONSIST OF CORPSE GRUEL+++

And let's get back on topic. ;)

[Angel of Solitude]

So Stormraven model has been purchased and the instructions have answered one question: it clearly labels the pilot as a techmarine, and the gunner as a servitor...

 

Mind you, that's easily changed with a torso from the Ravenwing sprue, and crux terminatus shoulder pad from the parts box!

[Steel Company]

So Stormraven model has been purchased and the instructions have answered one question: it clearly labels the pilot as a techmarine, and the gunner as a servitor...

 

Mind you, that's easily changed with a torso from the Ravenwing sprue, and crux terminatus shoulder pad from the parts box!

Oh another option, in the book Angel's of Darkness there is referance to a squad of power armour marines painting their armour white... so a PA death wing marine pilot maybe?

[Master Sheol]

 

So Stormraven model has been purchased and the instructions have answered one question: it clearly labels the pilot as a techmarine, and the gunner as a servitor...

 

Mind you, that's easily changed with a torso from the Ravenwing sprue, and crux terminatus shoulder pad from the parts box!

Oh another option, in the book Angel's of Darkness there is referance to a squad of power armour marines painting their armour white... so a PA death wing marine pilot maybe?

In RT era there were examples of DW marines in bone PA

My Guess Is that all the pilots of DW veichles (LR TH SR) are DW marines in bone PA but with no connection to the AdMech

And i agree that DW should have their own TH and SR in bone colour

[Son of Sacrifice]

My vote would be a regular techmarine seconded to the deathwing. Bit boring maybe but that's how it would play out in my head.