Iron Hands shoulder trim colour

[Codex Grey]

Forgive me if this has been discussed before, I made a search and found nothing except for a reddit post.

 

I was wondering why the Iron Hands are shown with both silver shoulder pad trims and completely black trims.

 

Is this a conscious change by GW? Do we know why? Does it mean anything? Are more than one trim color used depending on a context I don't know about?

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Brother Tyler]

Honestly, I don't think it means anything other than that whoever paints the model/picture at the time prefers one trim color over the other at that time. I didn't see anything in the codex supplement (but I skimmed through it so it may have been a detail that I missed). The Clan Raukaan supplement, too, uses both without any explanation. There isn't anything in the 3rd edition Index Astartes article. The only place where there might be an explanation is in the Horus Heresy black books, but the fact that there is so much variation in those images and things changed with the implementation of the Second Founding (and over the intervening millennia) means that any possible meaning for the different colored trims at that time might be completely irrelevant in the modern period.

 

Ultimately, I think it's just an aesthetics thing.

[Iron Father Ferrum]

Iron Hands are in an unfortunate position that GW changes things about them at the drop of a hat.

[Brother Tyler]

Iron Hands are in an unfortunate position that GW changes things about them at the drop of a hat.

Just don't lose your head over it.

[Iron Father Ferrum]

 

Iron Hands are in an unfortunate position that GW changes things about them at the drop of a hat.

Just don't lose your head over it.

Ha. Ha. Ha.