Aw, that\'s cracking stuff, I love the lysander model & this is so much better than the studio\'s effort imo.
You\'ve gone for pretty much the opposiste style I took for my Ultras Termies, personally I think the mean & moody (tm) image suits IFs much more than it does the old boys in blue, he\'s looking much more like the new 4Ed artwork that\'s coming out, & it does the IFs much more justice than they often get.
I agree the banner\'s a bit busy, but that suits it fine I think.
I love all the old RT & 2Ed-era artwork, where Marines have big Medusas & mythical images on thier armour & shoulderpads, huge murals down the sides of tanks & personally heraldry all over the place, & I love to see stuff like this.
I\'ve tried my hand at quite a lot of large freehand banners myself lately, & I don\'t think I could do anything that nice if I tried all year.
Do I recognise the banner-image from a certain piece of GW artwork? Extra kudos points for that, the reference gives it more of the heroic \'Last Stand\" feel than any amount of base detailing & battle-damage could.
A bit of a border wouldn\'t hurt I think, but then again I prefer to see a border on all SM banners, so perhaps I\'m a tad biased.
I\'m not too keen myself on the green sludge on his robe, but technically it\'s excellent so I couldn\'t mark it less just for that, another 9 I\'d say.
A little thing, but personlly I\'d trim the banner pole a bit, currently the banner\'s a bit too high on it\'s pole, but again it doesn\'t detract from the quality of the paint job.
A shame you\'re selling him, I\'d love to see him at the head of an army.
