As I said I've been toying with the idea of making a Deathwatch army. The idea being that my guys can come from an Astartes Chapter, the only difference is that their chapter insignia would be on their left Pauldron. GW sells a bitz kit for the conversion of the right Pauldron, though it's a bit pricey for what you get coming it at $25 plus shipping, though you do get new heads and guns. Unfortunately I doubt those extra heads and guns would work with my Marines due to their age.
Here's a little Background from the
Lexicanum on the Deathwatch:
Rather than following the standard
Codex Astartes organization, the Space Marines themselves are drawn from many different chapters. These chapters have sworn sacred oaths to raise a unit of Space Marines specifically for this task. The warriors are then gathered together to fight where and when they are needed.
Giant fortresses orbit desolate worlds at the edge of the galaxy, keeping constant vigil over possible xenos forces. There are also several secret bases spread throughout the
Imperium, which provide a launch site for their
crusades.
The warriors who fight are given the honour of painting their armour black (to show their service to the
Emperor), while leaving one shoulder pad with the original insignia of the Chapter from which the marine came. Although the armour is painted black, it is never all painted black as this action would dishonour the armour's
Machine Spirit. They also are equipped with a new shoulder pad with the symbol of Deathwatch onto their other side. Once in the employ of the Deathwatch, there is no set length of time for service, rather it is as long as the commander deems necessary. Each Space Marine may serve a discrete amount of time, or for the duration of a mission, which may be a number of years. Once the mission is complete, the Space Marine is allowed to return to his chapter, under an oath of silence, as their honour has been fulfilled.
The orders of the Deathwatch are not merely the cleansing of xenos cultures. They also include the recovery and study of alien devices and artifacts. Sometimes it is necessary to use a weapon against the enemy who created it, although this is not taken lightly. The Deathwatch are constantly vigilant for sabotage, or to advise if it is truly safe to use a weapon of xenos origin. The
Adeptus Mechanicus are always on the lookout for alien technology; the
C'tan Phase Sword, used by the
Callidus assassin was recovered from a
Necron tomb world and successfully integrated into the arsenal of the Imperium.
Usually, a Deathwatch team is led by an
Inquisitor, but in extreme circumstances, a Deathwatch
Captain or
Librarian may take command of the unit. Their word is law, and can requisition anything they desire to get the job done. They are the best armed and trained units in the Imperium. They might be deployed in areas where conventional methods are insufficient or if the troops available are not properly equipped or trained for the task. The presence of a Deathwatch team is always welcomed, even though they are feared by all those who know of them.
Again I'm just toying with some ideas, but this one is definitely gaining steam. The Lexicanum mentions that the rules for playing as a Deathwatch Army can be found in Chapter Approved 2003. Would anyone out there by chance have this book or access to it so that I might find out if they have a special set of rules????
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Just got finished gluing my Marines to their bases. Went pretty good for my first time. Had a couple of expansion cracks, but I guess that's to be expected from a Newb. In and hour I'll be ready to take everything outside and start priming! Assuming the weather holds up of course.
I've played both Dawn of War PC games and needless to say it invigorated my Machine Spirit. Now I've never had a hobby or even painted anything so this should be an interesting undertaking. I've been asking a lot of questions at my local Hobby Town and been reading a lot of Blogs, mostly The Hogs of War, From the Warp, All Things 40k, Arcadia Prime and BOLS Wargames News. 
Here are my Space Marines as I begin to embark on my journey. Today I've filed the sprue's off of each piece. Definitely tedious, but oddly rewarding. Next I'll get down to gluing and priming. This probably wont be a fast process between family life and a full and part time job, but I think this is just what the doctor ordered.
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