The concept of Deathwatch is interesting from the narrative standpoint. The idea of an all-stars Space Marine taskforce is nice by itself, but the real meat of the concept is the thought of how Astartes from various Chapters need to learn to get over their differences, which are many and various. For example, an Iron Hands marine would have very different idea of how to treat civilians caught in a warzone, when compared to a Salamander, for example. Also, an Ultramarine wouldn't very easily find common ground with a Space Wolf, when it comes to tactical doctrine, and Black Templars won't like how highly White Scars regard psykers.
Having adjusted to life in the Deathwatch, it would be comparably difficult to return to one's own Chapter. Chris Wraight's Blood of Asaheim had this as a central theme, with Arjac Rockfist giving a fellow Wolf Guard advice on how to deal with a returning Deathwatch veteran. I decided Arjac would know what he's speaking of because he's been there, and has learned to appreciate a Deathwatch Veteran's skill and perspective.
At first, I considered just painting the right shoulderpad black with some silver accents, and leaving the arm grey, but then decided 40k miniatures don't have to be subtle and just painted the whole arm with shades of iron and silver. There was a similar thought behind the red Storm Shield.
At first, I considered painting the pack marking on the small faulds covering the top of his legs, too, but because he had a knee pad on which to paint, I decided it would be just a little too much.
The Genestealer head was meant to be a memento from his time at the Deathwatch, so I went for an old, faded look. Tyranid organisms are generally too alien for Milky Way bacteria and other germs to digest, so it would just very slowly dry out after death, the colour fading with time.
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