+ inload: Clotho Harphagos and the Mazzikim +

+ Clotho Harphagos and the Mazzikim +

Following their shift in fortunes on the surface of Calth, the XVIIth were forced to scramble into the subterranean arcologies alongside those whose world they had murdered. The surviving force was substantial, but as organisationally disrupted as their former Imperial allies. Operating on standard battle protocols, the Word Bearers quickly formed scratch-squads – improvising swiftly to remain battle-ready.

As the Underworld War began in earnest, the formidable resilience of Ultramarine Command and Control began to demonstrate itself, and the Word Bearers found themselves on the back foot. Both Legions were forced to reconfigure themselves – and quickly – for neither side could afford the luxury of underestimating their opponents.  

The Word Bearers were, after all, far from broken. Their fanatical zeal remained underpinned by Legionary discipline, and the Ultramarines continued to struggle in their attempt to adapt to the Word Bearers' broad use of warpcraft.

 +++ 

+ The Mazzikim +

+ Typical of the temporary field-squads used by both sides during the opening skirmishes of the Underworld War, the Mazzikim were made up of Astartes from various different Word Bearer Chapters. Individual identification is further complicated by the False Flag operations the XVIIth used to mask and conflate their numbers – a problem that caused the organisationally-minded Ultramarines particular concerns when accounting for their enemy's losses. +

+ At last – a whole squad of Word Bearers complete, ready to rampage and burn down a galaxy they helped to build. This is always a rewarding stage, and I think it's worth enjoying a completed piece – whether a squad, an army, or a single figure – before moving on too quickly. +

+ The new additions are Sergeant Clotho Harphagos, and the flamer specialist Sart Kayi. They're pictured here alongside an existing figure: I usually keep a previous model nearby to ensure some semblance of consistency! +

+ Clotho Harphagos +

+ Having pistol and sword opens up the pose, so I had a lot of fun with freehand work on the sergeant – more astrological symbols and script. Note also the use of more parts from the Chaos Marine kit. I've selected the parts I'm using quite carefully; avoiding the more warped organic/mutated parts and sticking with parts that could reasonably be simple stylised designs – the idea being that the Word Bearers have their own distinctive 'look' that they apply to their armour. +

+ For example, the helmets I'm using within this force are restricted to a particular look: there are three different examples of what looks to me like a stylised Mark IV helm. I've used the one with horns for the Sergeant, as the 'Horns of Colchis' are mentioned in passing in Battle for the Abyss (not a stellar entry in the Horus Heresy series, but it does have some redeeming cool details and naval battle scenes). +

+ To me, it makes more sense for the Chaos aesthetic to have some grounding in the Legions' own choices – simply warped and exaggerated. Models like these help to blur the lines between the clean 'standard' Horus Heresy-era armour and the M41 Chaos Space Marine look in a way I think particularly well-suited to Word Bearers. After all, the Word Bearers got into Chaos before it was cool, so it only make sense that they'd adapt their look. +

+ Sart Kayi +

+ Repetition of the helmet style helps to reinforce the impression that they're manufactured to look a certain way, rather than individually warped – and deliberately restricting the variation to a set group stops things looking too bespoke. Note also that I've tried to restrain myself when using the Chaos Marine parts. Here, I've got a chaos gun, pauldrons and helmet, so I chose an Imperial backpack and a techno-looking forearm to help make sure things don't tip too far into the Chaos visual camp. +

+ Of course, you don't want your figures to be boring, so there's always space for individualisation. The freehand work is a perfect way to add some character within an otherwise uniform look. +

+ Consistency in scheme helps to tie the different elements together. The sergeant has a particuarly opulent backpack, but the use of the same steel-grey makes it look like a heavily decorated – perhaps artificer-made – variant on the others; and helps to mark him out as important. This is good both from a background point of view and a gaming one: along with the horns, it makes him immediately identifiable. +

+ This is particularly important for a boardgame figure, which may well end up being used by someone who isn't intimately familiar with the minutiae of Space Marine legions. If you know the background, hopefully there's some cool bits that you can pick out, but if you're interested in the miniatures simple as particularly complicated counters or markers, then it's good to know it's 'the one with the horns'. +

 + Note also that the backpack is not just heavily decorated; it was selected because the lower part has clearly been based on one of the older marks of armour – compare it with the Mark III and IV packs here, and the lower part looks 'right', for want of a better word. This sort of detail, built-in by the designers, is a godsend when trying to do the sort of visual blending I'm doing here. +

+ But enough of this, let's see some group shots – that's the fun bit of finishing a squad! +

+ Note that I've tried to keep the Imperial helms as uniform as possible – reducing the options here is another attempt to help blend in the Chaos helms. All but one of the 'standard' helms is one particular sculpt, with the grille/vents pointing downwards. +

+ Note that Clotho has the beginnings of the Legion markings, too – I got stuck in on his shoulder pad, and it's proving quicker than I'd feared. I hope the use of Chaos parts on him and a couple of others helps to blend in the more obviously warped Possessed marine. +

+ A nice gunline shot of the squad, just to finish off. +