+ inload: Sons of Horus Terminator Praetor and rescaling +

+ The scales fell from my eyes + 

+ Warhammer Community revealed a rather smashing new Terminator model for the Horus Heresy; back banner and all. In line with the rumours of a new boxed set and general reboot for the Age of Darkness, I was interested to see that the base looked rather small... +

+ Photoshop mock-up, using the base as a common reference. Note the similarity between the Imperial Fist and Sons of Horus, and the marked difference between both and the others. +


+ The Imperial Fist Terminator Praetor has been noted as being quite big – considerably larger than other Terminator models. I visited Warhammer World recently, and compared the Imperial Fist Praetor with the recently-released Ultramarine one – idly hoping the Ultramarine one would be a matching size. Alas, the Ultramarine Terminator Praetor seems to match most of the existing models. I'd therefore assumed that the Imperial Fist was a bit of a one-off – perhaps a simple artistic decision or even a scaling error. +

+ The release of the Sons of Horus figure, however, leads me to think that there's a rescaling going on. The Mark VI boxed set that's been floating around certainly seems to show the marines being closer in proportion to the new Chaos Marines than the older kits – perhaps the same is going to be true of the Terminators. +

+ Of course, perhaps this is an example of character models being slightly different – the Character series has long been a slightly different scale to the plastics and line troops, and the rumour images of the box seem to suggest that the included Terminators are the old kits. +

+ Time, presumably, will tell – but I'd love to see a rescaling for the Terminator kits, particularly if they're proportioned like this lovely new model. +

+++


+ inload: Iron Warriors commission +

+ Getting back to the Officio +


+ I was commissioned through this blog to build a trio of Iron Warriors line officers, along the lines of my own Officio Monstrosa project [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+]. Happily, the chap who's retained me is happy with how they're looking, so thought I'd share them here to talk through a few notes, in case they're of interest to anyone. +

+ After a bit of discussion back and forth, the brief was pleasingly open – three Iron Warriors that could conceivably be loyal to the Emperor or Horus (so no obvious Chaos symbols or motations), each armed with chainsword and bolt pistol, and with the cool helm with the additional Legion symbol mask from the  Forge World Iron Warrior upgrade pack. The figures would be used as sergeants or similar, so needed to be fairly restrained in pose – bothing too dynamic. Beyond that, and urban rubble basing, I was given free reign. +

+ I don't do a lot of commission pieces, but the principle I always apply to them is 'would I want this in my personal army?' To that end, I spent some time roughing out some ideas, then got stuck in. Coming back to older techniques or processes – in this case Terminator-based Trusecale (you can find the process yourself through here [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+]) – is always interesting, as you find ways to refine or go further as new options open up, or you simply refine your skills. +


+ This marine, who I mentally named Ostrod while working, uses one of the Terminators from Space Marine Heroes series 2 for the legs. These figures have much more interesting poses than most Terminators, and come with rather nice integrated bases. As with the others, you'll note he's missing his backpack – they hadn't yet arrived, so will be added after the rest of the model is painted in each case.+


+ I've tried to keep the pose fairly neutral, so that he looks good during games. Whether pictured in combat, mid-strike, or simply advancing warily, he should provide a nice focal point for a squad  without standing out too much. The addition of a bit spiky pauldron – as usual, from Master-Crafted Miniatures – gives him a suitably brutal feel without being too obviously Chaotic. +


+ Iron Armour and Iron Warriors go together like particularly violent ice-cream and jelly, so a warrior in Mark III – Konstantz – in mid-strike seemed fitting. The torso's a cast of a converted torso I used for my own army, which married the bottom of plastic torso with a sculpted upper. The legs here are from the Grey Knight Terminator set, with the thighs considerably bulked-up. I've added to the heavy, solid feeling with plenty of pouches and an arm from the Gorgon Terminator kit.+

+ The final marine is levelling his bolt pistol, as though to execute a downed enemy. This sort of pose looks good in isolation or as part of a dedicated vignette, but can look odd in-game. To avoid any visual awkwardness, I placed him on a slightly modified Stormcast base. This raised him up a little further than the others, which makes the pistol gesture make sense outside of the very specific places he might otherwise need to be in. +


+ As noted elsewhere in the blog, I tend to prime figures before considering them completely finalised, as it helps to stop your eye being thrown off by all the different colours or plastic, resin and putty. While I remained happy with the other two, this figure (Ubricz) was the only one of the three that I altered after priming. The original, with a chainsword, is shown above, the final version below. +



+ Why the change to chainaxe? Mostly, it was to better convey the almost casual disdain with which this marine is treating his downed foe. For me, the slung chainaxe resting on the shoulder better encapsulates the arrogance and cruelty of the Iron Warriors. Secondly, the more relaxed pose fit better with the posture of his legs. I thought he looked too alert and wary before, with his chainsword down, which didn't 'read right' with the ponderous confidence suggested by his legs. +

+ Secondly, I thought the chainaxe was both a bit different – while part of the Iron Warriors 'thing' is a mass of faceless soldiers, complete uniformity of armament is a bit boring. It's easy enough to 'count-as' a chainsword, but adds a flavourful Horus Heresy-era touch. Together with a small skull trophy slung on his shoulder pad, it also hints as background influences on the Legion, with Khorne berserkers a part of the Iron Warriors. Is this warrior a future axe-happy lunatic, lost in slaughter? Will his discipline survive? Little things like this add much to the story of a piece. +

+++

+ Painting next; as per request I'll be using the same approach as for my own army – so keep an eye out for another inload soon. +

+ inload: Gauntlet: Dramatis Personae of the War +

+ War of the False Primarch event #2: Gauntlet Dramatis Personae +

It is the thirty-fourth Millennium. Or perhaps the thirty-third. Few now stand securely enough both to claim different; and to be heard.

All is unsure, all is uncertain. Under the benevolent eye of the High Lords of Terra, the Imperium basks in a golden age. The heretics of millennia past are extinguished or contained; the xenos empires that threatened mankind's manifest destiny broken or scattered. Humanity is united in the worship of the enthroned God-Emperor, whose words are revealed to the Ecclesiarch of the Imperial Church.

This is one truth.

Others say that the Emperor is dead, or as good-as; that His dream has grown rotten beneath the surface. Others claim oppression, or restriction, or loss. Tales of predation by aliens; of harrowings by pirates and heretics and monsters, emerge daily, and are suppressed by His Inquisition, for fear of disturbing the flock.

In the galactic north-west (if such an antiquated system has meaning in a galaxy as vast and wondrous as this) tales emerge of another truth. Tales come of the return of a legend, so ancient that the High Lords believe the word all-but forgotten.

Primarch.


Iwanttoknow

+ Some Things Are Best Left Forgotten +

+++

+ GAUNTLET +

+ I ran a six-week challenge themed around Kill Teams recently. You can see the forty-four entries on the dedicated project blog, Some Things Are Best Left Forgotten, hereI've had a few people asking whether and when I'd be running another event, so I thought we'd spend the run up to the end of the year looking more closely at the heroes and villains – and those in-between – of the War of the False Primarch. +

+ This challenge/event/invitational is open to everyone, and involves creating a model (and optional background) for the Dramatis Personae that populate the region. This might be a Space Marine hero, a fantatical Priest, a worried-looking scribe or (as I hope someone will tackle) one of the High Lords themselves! +

+++

+ Rules of the event +

  • +CONCEPT+ Build and paint a character themed around the The War of the False Primarch. This can be a single figure, but if you want to have some servants, flunkies, palanquins – or vanquished foes – feel free to include them

  • +SUBMIT+ Send the finished pictures and up to 1,500 words of lore to me via email.
    • Please contact me (via Instagram or through the Facebook groups linked below) for the email address.


  • +TIME LIMIT+ The challenge begins on the 12th November at 11:02am GMT, and ends on 13th December at 02:11pm GMT.
+++

+ Creativity is king +

+ You can build and paint your Dramatis Personae as any figure from the Partisan or Pentarchy Chapter, or one of the many, many other forces present. There is a huge range of inspiration available from the blog – almost every article includes nods and mentions of figures that have not yet emerged from the shadows. +

+ Apart from anything else, it's a great chance to do a one-off model for a Chapter or faction that fascinates you! +

+ To give you some further ideas – and some starting off points for writing – here's a link to the existing Dramatis Personae articles on the blog. As you can see, they range from Inquisitors and Space Marine officers to itinerant preachers and Dreadnoughts. +

+ If you're still stuck for an idea, then I'd personally love to see some (or all) of the following:
  • Banner Bearers  One of the Partisan Marines entrusted with bearing the Chapter's Caputmori into battle. These mighty standards are treated much like the Eagles of Ancient Rome or Napoleonic France – doubtless their bearers are dedicated heroes of the Chapter.
  • High Lords of Terra  We've heard a lot about these dread figures, and while I've got a couple tucked up my sleeves thanks to contributors, I'd love to see some more move out of the shadows. You can see glimpses of many in this article, but here's the list of known High Lords, any of which would be fascinating to see in miniature form:
    • Umbwald Oreangelo, Chancellor of the Estate Imperium
    • Strakh – The Grand Provost Marshal
    • Vamma Andreia Pushkin – Master of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica
    • The Suzerain Belligerent
    • Braxon Leionidon Mercutial, the Captain-General of the Adeptus Custodes
    • Isaacsen – Paternoval Envoy of the Navigators
  • Officers of the Partisans and Pentarchy  The Index Astartes for each Chapter give an overview of the characters of the broader Chapter, but there's no substitute for a specific individual. Often the only examples we see are the Chapter Masters – but every Company includes at least one notable hero.
  • Members of the Imperial Guard and Navy  Long-time followers of this blog will know my liking for regular humans in 40k, and a few one-off examples of the soldiers fighting the bulk of the War would be lovely.
  • Casualties  Lots of people die during the War of the False Primarch – it'd be nice to see them before they pop their clogs – or perhaps during it, in a duel scene!
+++

+ Inspiration +

Following are a few examples of the sorts of figures you might like to explore – but the more creative and unusual, the better!

[//Voivode Nero, 5th Company Captain+]
[//dennis_k/@the_iron_within+]

[//Inquisitor Lord Leong-Cassar. Following the Conclave of Jiam-Tertial, Inquisitor Leong-Cassar petitioned the High Lords for resources and decisive action against the false Primarch and Partisan forces. Following passionate debate it was there, on Terra, the partisan chapters were declared Traitoris Perdita./+]
[//peter_h/@pdh_neglected_fruits+/]

[//Arch-Cardinal Verashyon and his shield-guards+]
[oliver_n/@magos_nexnbo+/]

[//Citizen-soldiers from the 7th Sheervaad Ashakari supporting Red Fish operations on [REDACTED]+]
[//mike_f/@eatdrinkdeath+]


+ GOTO: 10 +

+ Okay, it's over to you! I hope that you join in, that you find it fun and that the event results in you creating a cool new character to explore the War of the False Primarch with us. +

+ Good luck – whether you’re fighting to keep the High Lords in power or in the name of the Last True Son. +

+ Please do comment below or on the Facebook groups if you’ve any questions; (or just want to enthuse) and please do share as widely as you feel appropriate – everyone is welcome! +

+ inload: Fighting, Titans and War of the False Primarch +

+ inload: Miscellany +


+Pride of place in the blog entry goes to Bob Hunk's [+noosphericexloadlink embedded+] Flesh Eater Kill Team for War of the False Primarch. Sporting his signature LED look, it's easy to overlook the conversion work he's done to make the models look more like the Imperial Space Marines of very early Rogue Trader. Unflared legs (taken from the new Phobos armour type) along with helms cast from the limited edition Imperial Space Marine. All fit very nicely in the War of the False Primarch setting – and the autocockles are always warmed when one of my gaming group makes something for the project. +

+ I particularly like the flag borne by the squad – banners and flags rarely get the 'airtime' they deserve in this Gothic space fantasy setting. +

+ Opposing the Flesh Eaters for a very fun Kill Team game – which you can read about on Some Things Are Best Left Forgotten [+noosphericexloadlink embedded+] – was a squad of my Silver Stars. Since they've largely been built in lockdown, it was nice to get some gaming in. +


+++

+ Work-in-progress +

+ A couple of work-in-progress pieces. I'll be sorting out another six-week challenge/event for the War of the False Primarch, which will revolve around characters. To that end, I thought I'd put together an officer for the Silver Stars. This chap is not quite there yet, but he's based on the new Black Templar models. Took quite a lot of trimming to remove or adapt all the sculpted on detail. +

+ Captain Riverhead +

+ I've also been retained on commission for a trio of Iron Warriors following my process for my Officio Monstrosa project [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+]. Still working out the shapes and structure, but I've got the torso and legs on the blocks – as you can see in the example below. The head and shoulder pads are just tacked in place to check proportions. +


+ Pleased with how they're coming on; it's nice to return to older processes and refine them further. I'm using one of the Space Marine Heroes models here, which allows for slightly more dynamic poses out of the box than the Terminators I usually use. +

+++

+ And finally +

+ I popped up to Warhammer World on a secret mission recently, and while there had the pleasure of meeting two of the Baraqu gang for a game, along with some War of the False Primarch chaps – all lovely! Alas, it was a bit of a flying visit, though I did get the chance to take some pictures of the Warbringer Titan crew; the last figures I need to lay my greedy autoclaws on for my 40k-scale Titan Crew collection. They were an absolute [SCRAPSHUNTERRORABORT+] to photograph! +