Dark Angels 4th Company Fast Attack Squads

So, I have showcased my 4th Company Tactical Squads. This week it is the turn of the Fast Attack Squads. As a former Imperial Guard Player, I always feared hated Assault Squads! They could always get in on my guys in a turn or two. With them jumping from cover to cover, there was little I could do to them, until they showed themselves. When I started making my Dark Angels, I knew I had to have a squad of them.

My first Squad was part of my wave 2 of painting. Not as basic as my first wave Marines, the second wave tended to have more experimentation involved with them. I still created a unified look with these Marines with the same markings and insignia among them. I did mix in some running legs and standing legs, to break up the monotony.

The main thing that sets them apart from my other squads was the Company marking on top of the jet pack and with some of them standing among flat pieces of slate. The Sergeant is actually pinned onto the piece of slate down through to the base. The superglue did not hold well, if at all, with the slate. At this point in time, the Updated Dark Angels Codex had just come out at the end of 3rd edition 40k, so no other options available beyond plasma pistols. Not long after, the 4th edition Marines came out with the flamer option.

The chainswords are actually quite easy to replicate. Paint the entire casing yellow, how ever you want to do it. I then use a Micron pen and coordinate with the teeth of the blade, I markk a spot on the top of the casing and match it up at the bottom of the casing. I step over two more teeth and do the same thing. I then draw a line from the top mark to the one just a couple steps over. I then fill in the space with the pen.

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The other squad of Assaut Marines are part of my third wave of painting. Third wave figures cover the period after the Dark Vengeance release. Among the first releases for 6th Edition, the Unforgiven finally got a much needed update to help them catch up with the standard Marine, which later again bypassed them and left them as a poor choice for some time. 

I wanted to take advantage of a safe delivery system for my Assault Squad as I added flamers to this squad. By removing the jump packs and getting a drop pod for free, I have an even better chance to position the flamers in a prime position for damage. The enemy must then allocate forces to deal with them immediately, else they have the potential to wreak havoc in their backfield.

My 8th Squad sergeant has a banner where the 7th Squad does not. The reason is due to aerodynamics. I would imagine a banner causing too much drag, hence the gold static standard on the 7th sergeant.

In gameplay, I love the maneuverability of the jump packs, yet most of the terrain in my area is not conducive for them. The 8th squad has really shined with them dropping right next to the enemy via drop pod, unloading the flamers then holding out for quick reinforcements.

As far as being colorblind, a case in point is the symbol on the right shoulder showing their unit designation, is practically invisible to me. The red symbol is extremely difficult for me to pick out. Looking at just a moment ago, I thought I accidentally left it blank.