Sisters of Silence Null-Maiden Rhino Question

[awilden]

Hi all,

 

Couldn't see this brought up anywhere specifically, but i was wondering if there was any fluff that would suggest you couldn't use the new Sororitas Rhino kit (just painted gold) for a null-maiden rhino? (I really like the extra doors/roof the kit has, and all the extra bits to make it look less like an ordinary rhino).

 

I see all the pics in books and whatnot as the bog standard SM rhino just gold, i assume the sisters of silence would travel about in a rhino with the Inquisition logo and the fleur-de-lis symbols on the roof and ? that's not some huge no-no fluff wise? (obviously no specific Sororitas chapter logos of course).

 

Wasn't sure if this would be best in agents of imperium section or sisters section, but it is mostly modelling question i guess, so i put it here.

 

[Toxichobbit]

Inquisition symbol - are you talking about the ][ symbol on the Sororitas Rhino? If you are that's not the Inquisition symbol, but the Ecclesiarchy symbol. They're quite similar and often mixed up.

 

The Sisters of Silence are nothing to do with the Inquisition, Ecclesiarchy or the Adepta Sororitas. Using any of those organisation's symbols on them or their vehicles is going against the lore. In fact, they pre-date these organisations and likely still subscribe to the Imperial Truth, rather than the Imperial Cult. So having symbols of the Ecclesiarchy or Sororitas on their vehicles is doubly wrong, as they'd be in direct theological oposition to those organisations. The Sisters of Silence have their own symbols, they don't use the symbols from other organisations.

 

There is also an Order of Sororitas who have gold armour (and presumably, gold vehicles) so the Rhino would look like it belonged to them, not the Sisters of Silence.

 

The Sisters of Silence symbol looks like a masked face combined with the Adeptus Astra Telepathica symbol. Given their connection to the Telepathica (at one point they crewed the Black Ships, I don't know if they've resumed that duty) it's probably ok to use the Telepathica symbol as well. And general Imperial symbols like Aquilas and skulls work. A quick Google search will bring up the Sisters symbol (I would post it, but apparently we're not allowed to post images from some other online sources anymore).

 

That said, it's still your models and nobody is going to take them away from you if you go against the lore. So as long as it makes you happy, that's what matters.

[Brother Tyler]

You can use the Adepta Sororitas Rhino for your Sisters of Silence, but as Toxichobbit says, the symbols are completely wrong. At the very least, the appearance of the Adeptus Ministorum icon should be replaced with that of either the Adeptus Astra Telepathica icon or the Sisters of Silence icon. You might explain the appearance of the fleur de lis symbol of the Adepta Sororitas as a symbol that is used by the particular vigil [of the Sisters of Silence] that you are collecting, though that symbol isn't really associated with the Sisters of Silence. Most of the bits in the Adepta Sororitas Rhino kit include imagery that isn't consistent with that of the Sisters of Silence. The only ones that are truly consistent with the Sisters of Silence are those that use just the aquila/raptor/wing, skull, and lightning bolt motifs, as well as the basic filigree bits. It would be far cheaper and easier to just use the Space Marines Rhino, using paint, plasticard, or greenstuff to add some Sisters of Silence imagery.

 

Notably, and the true additional point that I have to make, unless you have decided you want your Sisters of Silence force to wear gold armour, you don't need to paint your Rhino (whichever Rhino you end up using) gold. While the Sisters of Silence during the Great Crusade were known for their gold/bronze colored armour, the Sisters of Silence of the modern era are more like the Adeptus Astartes in that each vigil has its own color scheme, and it might even be possible for different cadres within a vigil to have their own schemes. The Crimson Lion Cadre within the Vigil of Gherrith, for example, wears armour that is deep red in color, with black robes/tabards and gold decorations. Meanwhile, the Ebon Talon Cadre within the Obscurus Vigil wears metallic black armour with purple/magenta cloth and gold decorations. Many of the modern cadres/vigils retain some variation of metallic gold for their armour, but this is not universal. Alternately, you might use the Black Ships (which, according to the Index Imperialis article in the October 2019 issue of White Dwarf Magazine, the Sisters of Silence continue to garrison) and the Great Crusade era Kharon Pattern Acquisitor transport as inspiration in painting your Sisters of Silence transports in dark colors, regardless of the color scheme used by the vigil/cadre.

[awilden]

Thanks for the replies, I think i'll go with your suggestion of just using the standard SM rhino, it'll save on money, and now i know it wont look out of place with all of the lore you guys pointed out.

[Toxichobbit]

I've been looking at the Sororitas Rhino sprue and I think you can make it work, however you'd be left with a ton of spare Sororitas parts and a more expensive Rhino.

 

What I'd do is use the decoration (filigree, hanging scolls, non-Sororitas relinqueries*) as well as maybe things like the storm bolter and hunter-killer missile and especially the front panel, which is IMO the main draw for this conversion. I'd file off any fleur de lys and Ecclesiarchal ][ on those parts before using them. I'd use the side doors and top hatch of a standard Rhino (they come in the Sororitas kit), because the Sororitas versions are just the standard ones with sculpted Sororitas detail. So it'd end up having the front panel and some decoration of a Soroitas Rhino, but the rest would be a standard Rhino.

 

Alternatively, you could see if you can pick up some of the Sororitas specific Rhino pieces from a bits seller or eBay, but I suspect that might be quite the challenge.

 

At the end you'd have a Rhino that was more unique and ornate than a standard Rhino, but doesn't have all the Soroitas detailing on it. And a pile of parts which could either go into converting a normal Rhino into a Soroitas one (if you also collect Sisters of Battle for example) or sold/swapped to other gamers or on eBay.

 

I'm now seriously considering this for my own Sisters of Silence. It's a bit more expensive, but I also have a small Sisters of Battle force so I can re-coup the cost by just getting them a standard Rhino later and using the spare Sororitas parts on it. So it's basically buying a normal Rhino and a Soroitas one, just that I'll have spread the parts from the Sororitas kit out across both to make two unique Rhinos. Kind of like Marine players spreading out the parts from Space Wolf/Blood Angel/Dark Angel kits across standard Marine kits to make more variety.

 

* the more generic ones, like the ones just containing bones.