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Horus for hope! Let's jump in to the New Year, shall we...? I'll just leave...
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Happy New Year everyone! As you will have seen, the 14th edition of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge is underway, and a number of Conscripts are participating once more. I know Dallas and Frederick have already posted a couple of submissions - and I might have missed others (I expect Byron will have had at least one by now too) as the opening weeks of the AHPC tend to be a blur of posts. Anyway, here is my own first submission - a squad of Space Marines kitted out for assault work, with jet-powered jump packs, pistols of various sorts and the trusty chainswords we can look forward to using in the grim and dark future. These fellows are kitted out in Mark VI powered armour painted in the colours of the XVI Legion Astartes, the fine Sons of Horus, the Warmaster's own legion. These are brand new multi-part plastic kits from GW's "Age of Darkness" setting, the Horus Heresy.
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Yes!! These guys!! Finally!! Remember the old "Space Marine" rules??
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Squad officer on the left, while the fellow on the right is sporting a plasma pistol. They sometimes blow up and kill their user...but...like...only sometimes...still, the officer leaves those to the other fellows...
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Look at those whacky jet/jump packs!! Just what one would need to go flying through the sky while wielding a chainsword, right?
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In the AHPC participants can accrue bonus points if they can fit their submission into a theme (see more here for the details if you wish). I'll be counting these models as "New Acquisitions", as they are brand-spanking new, very recently released by GW. Old salts like myself have been (im)patiently awaiting these models, so very strangely missing from the initial 2022 rollout of the new plastic "Age of Darkness" range. They hit the shelves in early December 2023, and I could not wait to get them. Even as my hobby time has mostly-vanished while we start packing up our house for a move to Toronto, I kept these aside so I could work on them, as they are at once wonderful new kits while also providing a huge hit of nostalgia. With the clock ticking on 2023, I powered through to get them finished just before the New Year.
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A second plasma pistol in the squad on the left, and a regular assault trooper on the right.
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GW can sure be infuriating, but when they hit a home run, it is amazing, and for me, this kit is a total home run. I love how the "beakie" marines look, they go together nicely, with a decent set of options, and are a real treat to paint. Marines with buzzing around with crazy jump packs is a core part of the original "Space Marine" game for me, so it is a real treat to have new plastic "beakie" Space Marines with the assault kit.
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These are beautiful, basic sculpts...none of the stupid/excessive/cartoonish posing seen on so many of the newer "Primaris" marines in the 40k range.
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Love those custom legion shoulder plates...
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Naturally the first squad of 10 was assigned to the Warmaster's own legion in my collection. I have a second box set that I thought would be painted for the loyalist side...but...the assault squads can include as many as 20 marines, and the Warmaster is not the sort for half-measures, right? We'll see what happens with the next batch..
In terms of scoring, I managed to grab 70 points, a paltry start toward my target of 1200 points, but a start is a start, right? We'll see how things go in the coming weeks, as I try to squeeze in hobby time while preparing for the house move.
That's all for now - thanks for stopping by, and I hope everyone has a great 2024. Cheers!
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