Will It Never End?! Hobby Challenge - Rich update 4

Hi hobby fans, I've been on holiday with the family so not made huge strides in past couple of weeks but what a family break did give me (whilst I was pushing our baby around in the stroller) was lots of time to think about my challenge models, in particular the Praetor Tribune model.

Legion Praetor Tribune model
As I said in my earlier post, the model was going to be converted to be holding a banner that I was borrowing from another Forgeworld model.

It took me a while to find the right materials and approach for making the banner pole, but after some online research I stumbled across the perfect tactic.

1. Drill holes in both ends of the existing 'banner pole' i.e. the bit the Praetor is holding onto once I had cut off the blade. I then put some fine pinning rod into both ends with about 6mm protruding in each direction.
2. Drill a hole into the flag itself and fit a small pin with around 6mm protruding.
3. Purchase some copper tube 0.5mm in diameter from you local modelling store - big thanks to Chester Model Centre for this.
4. If you've got the right sized tube and pinning rod you will find they slide together perfectly, add a little glue and a skull and there you have it, the perfect banner pole!

Creating a 'Rally Point' scene...

My time away gave me a chance to dream up a bit of a scene. I was imagining this hero having fought his way to the top of a prominent battlefield feature, and finding foes surrounding his beleaguered force grabbed their banner and raised it aloft to signal a rally point and the beginnings of a fight back...told you I had a lot of thinking time!

This got me thinking about the base and I knew that a simple 40mm base wouldn't cut-it so I have borrowed a dreadnought base to help create this scene. I reckon a flight of stairs would give the impression of him heading for high ground so I have fashioned a 'turret-style' staircase for him to be climbing which is suitably ruined.

The Praetor is ascending and holding the tattered banner high for all to see, the banner is battle damaged to reflect the hell-fire they are going though, and now I have seen how much space there is on the base I am thinking of including a wounded Imperial Fist standard bearer reaching up to the banner being held by his comrade.

This is, I guess, inspired by victorian warfare paintings which were often full of the visual horror of warfare, whilst being hugely patriotic and making the greatest virtue of love for the regimental colours. I always liked the painting of the Last Stand of the 44th of Foot at Gandamack; a British Regiment completely wiped-out by Afghan warriors, the long running battle ending atop a hill where the British were overrun, starving, freezing a running out of ammo. The Regimental Colours were wrapped around a Captains' waist who hid them beneath his coat, in the end this act saved him, as the Afghans took him prisoner, thinking that his yellow waistcoat marked him out as a General!

So I need your help, what do you think of the idea of putting a mortally wounded Imperial Fist in the background reaching up for the banner with the last of his energy? Or, should I make use of the space by putting some filthy traitor with a great big wound that my Officer has just left in him?

Help please?!