Question regarding Blood Drinkers Chapter

[Spectral Bob]

Greetings.

 

So, I have been hard at work creating a new Blood Drinkers army. My first attempt at a codex chapter (Death Spectres) met with unsatisfactory results, so I have decided to stick with what I am familiar.

 

This is my first test model; a Blood Drinkers Primaris Aggressor. The lighting in the photo washes out some of the highlighting. Hopefully, it still conveys a reasonable representation of what I am trying to achieve.

 

 

As I was painting this model, it occurred to me that there is a bit of conflict concerning the Blood Drinkers squad and company markings. Every current source I was able to review indicates that the Blood Drinkers are organized according to the Codex Astartes with regards to squad and company markings (i.e. squad number and specialty markings on the right shoulder), yet these same sources indicate that the entire chapter shares the same color scheme of red armor with gold trim. So, my question (which I hope others may have some useful insights into) is how does the Chapter indicate company designation on their armor?

[Pendent]

I don't have any answers for you regarding designations, but I do have to say that seeing your pictures is the first time I've actually liked the look of the Agressors. I really like that red on them.

[Malios]

If their squad designation is marked on their shoulder in codex pattern, you could use the knee pad to mark their company symbol I suppose.

 

A loose tie in to their primogenitors with a blood drop on their knee.

[tkni]

Every current source I was able to review indicates that the Blood Drinkers are organized according to the Codex Astartes with regards to squad and company markings (i.e. squad number and specialty markings on the right shoulder), yet these same sources indicate that the entire chapter shares the same color scheme of red armor with gold trim.

 

I'd possibly suggest it's the other way round - we're told explicitly that BD follow the codex re. markings, but the trim colour is merely inferred - we're only ever shown a second-company, ie. yellow trim, marine. 5th Edition BA codex, for instance:

 

 "Only the Blood Drinkers use the heraldic patterns exactly as laid down in the Codex Astartes." (p80)

 

So strictly, as far as we know, they're basically red ultramarines.

 

Though I wonder what they do for their sergeant helms (supposedly red) - maybe they rely on just the white kneepad - and I imagine 4th (green), 7th (purple) or 9th (sky blue) company trim looks real nasty.

[Closet Skeleton]

From what I remember looking into when I was choosing between Blood Drinkers and Angels Encarmine; Tkni is correct. The only official art of Blood Drinkers shows ones from the 2nd company.

 

Ultramarines are also inconsistent with stuff like Honour Guard and Librarians having gold trim despite not being 2nd company.

 

The 5th ed codex shows a Blood Drinkers Sergeant following normal BA marking rules of having black shoulder pads (except with company trim rather than the trim being the normal pad colour) with the chapter badge changed from black to yellow (or company trim as here we run into that issue again).

 

Normal Blood Angels are supposed to be red pads with black trim reversed to black with red trim on sergeants, but non-sergeants generally leave the trim colour off in favour of all red pads. Since regular BA sergeants have yellow chapter badges, I think BD ones should also have yellow ones and the chapter badge being the same as the trim colour on the second company is just a coincidence.

Edited October 24, 2017 by Closet Skeleton