Blood Angels

This page is about my Blood Angels, for a generic introduction I recommend the article in the Lexicanum.

My complete Blood Angels pictures can be found on Google Picasa.

Fluffwise, I play the 2nd Company of the Blood Angels Chapter that I have turned into a Grail Guard with Captain Parcival as their leader. Their story kicks in after James Swallow’s novel Red Fury because Lord Dante feels the need to protect the Grail better. Hence, the 2nd Company is being made the Grail Company completely at Brother Sanguinary High Priest Corbulo’s service if he demands it.

To represent this, I have painted my Blood Angels in the standard color scheme with two exceptions: the exhausts of the backpack and the weapons are painted white in reference to Corbulo. I decided to paint him white as well since the Sanguinary High Priest is the equivalent to the Apothecaries in other Space Marine Chapters. In my eyes, Corbulo is a custodian and a super nurse at the same time, so that justifies giving him his unique white color.

Originally, I picked the Blood Angels simply because somebody sold them on ebay. When I laid my eyes on them first in the 1990s I wasn’t too impressed because they obviously had a lot of very powerful characters, but I found the background story, the character, and the look of the Space Wolves and the Dark Angels much more attractive. Once I had purchased my Blood Angels, however, I started to read into the Horus Heresy and got fascinated by the legend and the heritage of the great Primarch Sanguinius. The Blood Angels’ background story includes a lot of Christian symbolism (sacrifice, blood, Grail), some hints at vampirism (Black Rage, Red Thirst) for the eerie touch, and the embodiment of the eternal struggle of mankind with itself. Although Space Marines are super soldiers, this personified struggle makes them very human again.

So far I have collected around 6’500 points of Blood Angels and I am maybe halfway through with my painting (in July 2009). I guess it will take me one or two more years until I have finished my army. My army isn’t very competitive as it majorly consists of expensive HQ and elite units with Jump Packs, so tanks with massed fire quickly kill it. In return, it tables any footslogging infantry list (except Orkz and Tyranids) because the added maneuverability by the Jump Packs lets me pick the fights.