30k Imperial Fists Tactical Support Squad

VII Legion tactical support squad from GW's "Age of Darkness" range.

The loyalists of my VII Legion Astartes collection continue to gather reinforcements, this time in the form of a tactical support squad armed with plasma guns. These are plastic multi-part figures from GW's Horus Heresy figure range, and the embossed shoulder symbols are from Forge World.

Officer and flunkies wield their effective-but-dangerous plasma guns.

The plasma gun is a classic Space Marine weapon, although its "looks cool" cachet has suffered with the introduction of the cool class of "volkite" weapons. Unfortunately for these warriors of Dorn, the Sons of Horus already scored the volkite calivers from my box of support weapons, so the Imperial Fists will have to rely on fire support from plasma guns - which are not that reliable thanks to the "gets hot" rule.

Another closer view of the squad, with the vox operator in view.

I tried to experiment with a glow effect for the plasma coils on the weapons. This did not go well at all...maybe next time? Oh well, still serviceable for the table, I hope. 

Closer photo of some of the Marines.

Another closer shot, showing the sergeant this time.

I am trying to recall when the whole "gets hot" rule first intruded on 40k/30k...maybe third edition? Maybe it was cute at first, or cute-ish, but it grew into one of the worst rules to plague the game. The idea that a weapon which renders a notable proportion of its own operators into casualties would be deployed widely in any way is risible - not because the Imperium cares about the lives of its soldiers (it does not, so long as they properly sacrificed for The Emperor) but because it is a very ineffective tool. Yet, depressingly, "gets hot" has survived edition after edition, even as other rules have come and gone. 

Ready for a doomed defence...

Anyway, assuming these Marines do not blow themselves up, these plasma guns will provide very effective fire support for their VII legion colleagues. After all, the plasma guns do punch through Astartes armour very well. But we all know a number of them will end up as casualties thanks to their own misfiring weapons - and so the defenders of Terra will need to deploy these tools carefully!