Dilemma 2018: The Lion or the Hydra?

With 2017 nearing it`s end as we go into november, it`s slowly becoming time to think what to do for 2018 on a 40k level.

With my Emperor's Children now battle ready, they will continue to receive new units to get to 4000 points by may for the TSA megabattle.

But I`m thinking about starting a second force, and my initial plan was the Alpha Legion.  Cultist heavy (hello New Necromunda), I want to build and paint the force with "regular" Space Marines instead of Chaos Marines, to better reflect their infiltration status and a bit of an oddball between being loyalist or heretic, as many theories are still about that they are actually "undercover" on The Emperor's orders.

So I was looking around the current "available" Space Marine models... and something started nagging in the back of my head.  Contrary to some might think, my first ever 40k army where the Dark Angels.  Now, I`m talking early 90s, when there where no "robed" troops, just a very cool captain with stand up crest and a big sword, as well as my "force" I played back then (it was 3rd edition btw): the Deathwing.

Yeah, that was like 25 models or something in a 1500 point force...

They did rise to popularity a lot in later editions, becoming even "poster boys" in the previous edition, but in those days, you had the captain model, and a box of 5 metal Terminators.  The end.  The force did grew when they got their "shared" codex with the Blood Angels (remember that?) but in the end, I mostly fielded the Emperor's Children by then.

But nostalgia is an alluring mistress...

Now, my "Start to Collect" Marines box is on the shopping list for very soon, but I can`t decide wether to go loyalist or again traitor legion with the second force.  I like both the looks, and the models will be different for the Alpha Legion as they will be loyalist only (cutting quite a few army list options, but heck), on the other hand the Dark Angels will open a totally different army to play with (well, they also have power armour and bolters, but that is about it) and no-one knows when they would receive a "pure" codex in the end.

But still, the rumour of the Lion re-awakening is getting stronger every month... meaning new models and stuff...

Legion number 1 or Legion number 20.  The Lion or the Hydra... this is something I`m going to have to plod over for quite a while.