Deimos Pattern Rhino APCs for Imperial Fists

New "Deimos" pattern APCs for the Imperial Fists.

Expansion of the Loyalist forces in my 30k collection continues - the members of the VII Legion Astartes will be able to drive to battle using these "Deimos Pattern" Rhino APCs. One of the vehicles above is a hybrid plastic-resin kit from Forge World, but two are newer, fully plastic GW kits issued as part of their new "Horus Heresy" range.

View showing the rear hatches.

For an old hack like myself, the "Horus Heresy" setting is tied very much to the old game "Space Marine" (which would evolve into "Epic" over time). In the box for that game you got, well, lots of Space Marines ("beakie" ones, wearing what we now refer to as Mark VI armour), some Rhino APCs and Land Raider tanks. So for me, the "Horus Heresy" is as much about Rhino APCs as it is about "beakie" Space Marines. 

This nostalgia is leveraged throughout GW's Horus Heresy range, and has been for years. The "Deimos Pattern" rhino was a Forge World conversion set for the 40k Rhino, creating a vehicle that very much echoes the look of the original Rhino APCs. Nostalgia! Of course, the kits were a bit of a b*tch to work with, as they involved Forge World resin, but man they look cool, and I have accumulated quite a few of them for my assorted 30k forces. 

And now, I have even more of them, as they are available as complete plastic kits. GW's launch of new models and new kits for the Horus Heresy has tossed fuel on my fire for this setting, as I add new models and vehicles to my collection. These Rhinos are the first of the new, fully plastic vehicle kits I have worked on. Since my Sons of Horus already have several of these vehicles, and since the Space Wolves also have a few for their forces, I thought it might be best to prepare some for the Imperial Fists, defenders of Terra. After all, they will need these APCs to run away from the Sons of Horus as their useless walls crumble under the noble assault of the Warmaster...

Careful with the clippers on this frame - don't want to bend that thin little section of the outside plate on the vehicle...

Every model kit can be tricky, and these new plastic Deimos kits are no exception. There are a few challenges in assembling these ones, but when compared to fiddling with the previous hybrid kits from Forge World...well, it is night-and-day - the new plastic kit is SO much better. There was no re-scaling or re-sizing...the new plastic Deimos kit is a faithful reproduction of the previous hybrid kit from Forge World, and it is much easier to assemble.

Watch the tabs on this floor plate...you might want to shave them down a touch...

Now, there are only two notable things to flag: the first is to urge caution when clipping the exterior side panels from the frame...there is an extremely thin little section there, and as you clip away, it might come under pressure and bend, but that won't happen as long as you are cautious. The second thing to watch is the size of the tabs on the floor plate - they are very thick, and are a somewhat tricky fit into the tabs of the interior side walls of the vehicle. You might want to shave them down a touch.

One of the new plastic kits...just excellent, fun to have.

But that is really it. Overall, the new plastic Rhino kits are just great. Another thing to comment on is the incredible number of options you get with the commander sprue - a whole assortment of weapon options to mount on the turrets. I did not opt to use any, as I like the "classic" look of a Rhino, but you can mount heavy bolters, havoc launchers...even a multi-melta, giving your Rhino APC a notable anti-tank ability (admittedly not the most efficient way to get that, but still, a neat option).

VII Legion, ready to roll out.

Painting these in yellow is, of course, not the easiest, but I have to thank Mike F for sharing some details on his approach. His advice was excellent, and so I was able to paint these yellow even though they started out with a black primer. Applying thin layers of paint is a bit of a drag, but it got there in the end, and to the extent there were spots which were not perfect, well, I am weathering the tanks a fair bit, to match the weary infantry they will be transporting.

So now, my VII Legion forces have some APCs to take them around the table, and the Imperial Fist collection is now well on its way to standing as a full-size force on the table. As the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge approaches, I suspect some more 30k subjects will be part of those efforts - stay tuned, and thanks for reading!