People Opinions on "Upgrade Packs"

[LameBeard]

I also prefer transfers to the moulded shoulder pads - at least when done properly. You've heard me lament my own attempts before, but I haven't given up yet! Again, it depends on the legion - for Alpha Legion I think the moulded pads look vastly inferior to the jaw-dropping decal sheet, but I am trying to do everything on the cheap usually, which is why my Alpha Legion just get an XX.

 

For the Imperial Fists, I must say I love the forgeworld torsos - Phalanx Warder for mark iv and some of the Templar Brethren and upgrade pack for mark iii.  A smattering of those throughout the force would look beautiful, maybe just sergeants and veterans. I picked up a couple from ebay just because one day, maybe, one day ...

[SkimaskMohawk]

Honestly I feel like brass etch Was the sweet spot between the upgrade packs and transfers. It offered something more tactile and less fiddly than transfers, while also providing more variation and low-key application than the upgrade kit.

 

I'm still thankful I have a full sheet and a bit of raven guard and got two iron warriors ones in the summer for 25$ each.

[Son of Sacrifice]

Personally I'm not a fan of many of the upgrades at all, I enjoy the uniformity of the legion. I usually prefer transfers to sculpted shoulder pads too, I can apply 20 transfers in half an hour, no way can I paint 20 chapter symbols in that time.

[Marshal Rohr]

Brass Etch is definitely a sorely missed product.

[LameBeard]

Something else to consider is using them to make legion 'special units' of your own devising. Not-Destroyers, Specialist Vets, Seekers, Non-Sneaky Recon Dudes with Shotguns. That kind of thing

I am intrigued by this idea of ‘Not-Destroyers’. What did you have in mind? I am envisaging a unit with some of the visual clues of the destroyer cadre (black armour, destroyer icons) but in game terms counting as something else? Perhaps just tacticals, vets or even seekers (rationalising that ammo as some nasty rad or xenocide material).

[Marshal Rohr]

I was thinking like tactical support squads with flamers or heavy Support squads with heavy flamers. Cataphractii with all volkites, that kind of thing.

[Archangel975]

I bought a huge pile of shoulder pad details to create molded paldrons from 'pop goes monkey'.

I'm very happy with them and have found them fast to paint and only slightly difficult to apply. My eyes are going, so I'm doing all my detail work now with a jewelers loop, but i can generally get the emblem straight in the wet superglue and then freeze it with accelerator before it gets away. I've been retrofitting my squad of breachers with the sculpted emblems and done an entire squad of tacticals with the DA symbol on the left and squad type and number on the right. Some have knee pad details that i'm sprinkling in, as well as special honors like the silver or red wing on the face of the helmet, and belt knives from the 40K Terminator command squad.

I have heard from posts here and there that the Dark Angels give wings to helmets, denoteing special service or veteran status, but I honestly like the Roman Crest. I figure my DA are going to be mostly Terran born (maybe from Astelan's cohort, because I like the old Gav book Angels of Darkness). Secret Weapon makes some excellent raised crests in two sizes, I'm using them to denote sergents and squad seconds. I have some of the winged helms from Pop monkey, but havent used them yet. I feel they might be reserved for Standard bearers and certain Captains. I bought a sheet of the flat details and have begun using them for the breachers boarding shields, as well as planned vehicle insignia.

 

If anyone is interested, I could post other pics of things from different angles if you have questions as to fit up and space/size. I bought parts for all my squads.

[Inquisitor Verhek]

One thing that I wish I had taken more into consideration when I bought my upgrade torsos, was how much of them gets covered by the arms and weaponry. Unless you are using them on a model that posed with arms away from the chest, theyare rather pointless for the cost of buying them. Sergeants and despoilers only really. 

Now when it comes to heads and shoulder pads, I'm all over it. I love the uniformity of the shoulder pads for all the bog troopers, and the character that the different heads add to the legion. I don't even mind mixing in transfers along with the moulded shoulders. I feel it adds uniqeness and character.

Remember, in the Heresy era, armour was a tool that could be personalized a bit more. Not venerated and worshipped for it's history.