Maloghurt "The Twisted" & Resizing Marines in 30k

The Warmaster will see you now...

Two things I wanted to touch on with this post. First, I wanted to show some more 30k painting progress, and the nature of the specific figure will lead to the second topic. 

But first things first - here is Maloghurst "The Twisted", Equerry to The Warmaster. This is a character figure for GW's Horus Heresy setting, released very recently by the folks at Forge World. This is a "28mm" Space Marine character figure - I put the miniature size in "scare quotes" for reasons we'll explore later in the post.

Maloghurst "The Twisted" - Equerry to Horus Lupercal

Malghurst "The Twisted" - equerry to the Warmaster - figure from Forge World

In the Horus Heresy setting, the Space Marine Legions are replete with specialized officers. Whereas the Space Marine "Chapter" in the 40k setting is something of a lean, specialized organization, the Legions of 30k were a travelling military-industrial complex in space. They were huge organizations, with tens and tens of thousands of fighting Space Marines and all that would be needed to support them and go along with them. Apothecaries, techmarines, priests/psykers (in some Legions, though not all), champions, signal officers, standard bearers etc. etc. etc. on and on. Just take a look at your Legiones Astartes army list, and see all of the various "Consul" options available - it's quite a buffet to choose from!

But wait, there's more! With the huge Legion Astartes organizations, the command echelons boasted a wide assortment of flunkies as well, especially on the staffs of the Primarchs, the top commanders of the Legion. "Equerry" is one such job - I believe the word has something to do with managing horses, but the in the 30k setting, "Equerry" seems to be a sort of principal secretary, keeping an eye on things, representing the boss at meetings, following up on important matters, making sure the lattes are the correct temperature, etc. 

Plenty of Horus iconography (I mean, obviously), but you can also see the power-pack sort of device on his hip...part of the augment/movement assistance system on the custom armour.

These equerrys often make short appearances in the Horus Heresy novels from Black Library. I think Kharn was equerry to Angron - before both of them descended into total "need-blood-need-skullz" losers. Given Horus Lupercal's central role in the, well, "Horus" Heresy, his equerry is a recurring character. Maloghurst is mentioned in the early moments of the first novel, "Horus Rising", in which he is seriously injured. He recovers somewhat from these injuries - he is a Space Marine, after all - but is always a bit damaged relative to his colleagues. Thus he is named "The Twisted" - a reference to his bodily state, but also his mental ability, as he is apparently gifted in handling the petty, bitchy politics that go on between the tiresome Primarchs of 30k. Horus might turn to the Mournival for advice on strategy or the means to approach a given battle, but he would count on Maloghurst for advice on how to reply to whatever tiresome correspondence and instruction arrived from Malcador, and the latest gossip on the other Primarchs etc.

Thanks to the folks at Forge World, you can include Malgohurst on your gaming tables if you like. Since I had painted up a Horus Lupercal figure, and as I have a large collection of Sons of Horus marines already, I was quick to order Maloghust when he became available. The sculpt is lovely, very well done. There are details large and small that speak to his exalted status as top flunky - the huge icon on the standard, bedecked with the usual skulls (of course) and odd Cthonian gang markings (aka scratches) - as well as some nice batons and a ceremonial sort of blade on his back. His weapon has a retro look and feel, befitting his status as a senior veteran within the Legion. The backpack is clever, and blends several retro-yet-pre-chaos-marine style elements. Given the fate of the XVI Legion, the look is perfect.

Command batons/scroll containers on the back - you can also see more of his supplemental support system on his power pack, and on his left leg (a big of an exo-skeleton added to the leg armour).

There are also details that speak to his injuries. Some are small - one leg has some augments to the frame, there are power/blood/other fluid packs and units on the back and sides, all small signs that Maloghurst requires some support to stay in the role he has. 

The posing suggests of the figure builds on these small detail. The way he is standing implies that is takes some effort just to be upright, even with all of the gadgets. Maloghurst is leaning, slightly forward, resting a leg on some rubble, and one arm braced on the pole for stability. He is not just holding it there for all to be impressed by...he is leaning on that thing in order to manage to stand 3/4 upright...the overall pose  speaks the effort on his part just to stand there, ready to shoot someone...

"I have some feedback from Horus..."

But the best part of this figure is the sculpting and positioning of the head...normally I hate Marine figures without their helmets, but here, I have to say, the sculptors did a perfect job. His head is somewhat hunched - which would match his hunched pose - but it has the effect also of giving him a menacing, calculating expression. Note the level of his exposed eye - it is just above the rim of his neck armour, so he can observe, but the rest of his face is hidden - this just suits the character so well...watching, waiting, observing. Other details (like the icon on the standard) are much larger. But the head is somehow still the centrepiece, skulking in place, of this figure. You can see Maloghurst seeing you, but cannot see what he might be saying or thinking...this is very, very well done in my opinion. 

"Primaris" Scale Creep Coming To 30k?

Maloghurst on the right, and "Legion Centurion" model on the left. Both are ostensibly wearing Mark III power armour. Remember - the Maloghurst sculpt is also hunched over...

There is something else very notable on this figure (in addition to the magnificent sculpting). He is f***ing huge. Now, there are variables...Maloghurst is an important named character in the Legion, and he's carrying the Warmaster's official standard, so he is going to look ominous...but at the end of the day he is a Space Marine wearing Mark III power armour - customized, yes - but Mark III. And he is notably larger than other Mark III models - even with his hunched posture. What might be happening here?

One should not over-interpret the data...it's just one figure, and he is a special character after all. Space Marines can be extra huge, and naturally the Warmaster would have some big chap to be his "equerry", would he not? You would not hand your official Legion icon to some trainee fresh out of the vat.

And yet. And yet. We have all seen what is happening with the Space Marines over on the "40k side of the shop" - the new Primaris size figures, introduced a few years ago with the 8th edition of the 40k game, are squeezing out the older line of plastic figures. While a dumb storyline has been contrived to allow the two sizes of Marine to coexist on gaming tables, we can all see the plain intent. This is happening at a gradual pace, to be sure, but it is happening. The days of the older plastics and the now-lesser scale are surely numbered. Will a such re-sizing be inflicted on the Horus Heresy figure range?

Here we see a Legion Praetor figure join the assemblage...this is a figure wearing Cataphractii terminator armour...Maloghurst is still notably larger...

No doubt any 30k fan out there will have seen the leaked photos purporting to come from a new set of plastic kits for the Horus Heresy. These emerged over the summer, and folks are quite excited by the implied possibilities. I know I am! "Beakie" Marines! In plastic! It's about f*cking time! 

The photos are accompanied, as these things often are, by all sorts of rumours. What will be plastic, what will not, will there be a new edition etc. there are many vague hints. But one rumour that stands out to me is that the new Marine models included will be "Primaris" sized. Now, it is still just a rumour, and I find you really can't tell from the photos - but given what is happening with the 40k "Primaris" marines, it is a rumour that feels credible to me. 

Maloghurst next to a Primaris Hellblaster from my 40k Raven Guard...the hunch on Malogurst makes the exact comparison tricky, but I would say they appear to be the same "size".

Anyway, the Maloghurst figure was released right around the time the leaked photos appeared online...and then when you see how big the figure is, well, it lends even more credence to the rumours...Maloghurst is as large as a Primaris-sized Marine model, and much bigger than the existing Heresy figures. Maybe it is just a one-off? I am thinking not. But at the end of the day, GW has officially said nothing about this (at least that I have seen)...so I guess we'll just have to wait and see. 

Thanks for reading - happy painting and gaming everyone!

Assault Marines for 30k Space Wolves

Assault Marines in Mark IV armour for the VI Legion.

No surprise here - some more 30k painting to share in this post. Since the spring, I have been on quite the 30k painting jag. With a few exceptions, I have been working on 30k stuff - some new, others things which have been lying around for over a year (or years). I think I have been inspired, in part, by rumours of a new plastic set coming for the Horus Heresy, but it has also just been fun to root around in my pile of 30k stuff and to keep adding to the painted part of the collection. Here are some reinforcements for the VI Legion Astartes, the "Space Wolves". This is an assault squad wearing Mark IV armour. The figures are resin sculpts from Forge World.

Close up view of the squad commander.

Nothing like a huge hammer to sort things out up close!

The assault squad is a classic Space Marine unit - troops equipped with short-range pistols, grenades and close-combat weapons, using their jump packs to "hop" across the battlefield in order to settle matters up close and personal. It's kind of silly - and so it fits very well into the Horus Heresy! I do love it, and it is the sort of tactical approach that suits the "character" of most the the Space Marine Legions in the Horus Heresy setting. Certainly the dreaded Vylka Fenryka of the VI Legion would consider any sort of tactics involving mass use of chain swords to be a worthwhile battlefield application. I had not yet painted an assault squad for any loyalists in my collection, so I thought these guys would do well with The Rout.

Two of the marines - one carrying a plasma pistol. The embossed shoulder pauldrons are from Forge World.

In the GW's "Age of Darkness" rules for the Horus Heresy, the Assault Squad counts as a core troop selection for your detachment. The squads are 10 strong, can be expanded in size, including as many as 20 marines (no half measures in 30k!). The basic assault marine carries a bolt pistol, a chain sword, and grenades. You can also select from limited special weapon options to alter/improve the short range firepower impact (you will see a few plasma pistols mixed in with the group here). The officer also has the option of upgrading his close combat weapon - I opted for a "thunder hammer" for him because...well, I like the look, and it seems like the sort of silly thing a Space Wolf marine would love to use.

Ready for action on the gaming table...hopefully someday soon...

The jump packs worn by the Mark IV marines are pretty large - and yet quite small, almost compact, compared to the other variants out there.

If you are in North America, these figures are very, very hard to find right now. Forge World's supply of the figures has become quite constricted, and most of the Horus Heresy models in Forge World's web store tend to be listed as "out of stock" or even "no longer available". Reasons include supply and production disruptions stemming from anti-COVID health measures (understandable - which industry hasn't been hit hard by these problems?) and also murkier rumours and nonsense tied to the ongoing evolution of the opaque relationship between the Forge World studio and GW itself - which owns Forge World, but sort of...doesn't, or something? Whatever...bottom line, hard to get these in North America, but they are still available in the UK. So my thanks to Jamie M, for helping me get these figures!

Chainswords revving, pistols charged and/or loaded, ready for action!

Thanks for reading! I hope folks are managing to enjoy their summer. I look forward to sharing some more 30k stuff soon - although something new is coming which may knock my brushes back toward historical subjects by the fall...we'll see. Cheers!

Inferalti Hussars Grenadier Squad

 It's been a while since I've added a unit to my 30k Imperial Militia army, but I've found the motivation to finish the last couple units I have for this army. If yop remember, I was working on an army representing the Imperial Army regiment, The Inferalti Hussars. they feature in the book Praetorian of Dorn and helped defend Pluto from the Alpha Legion. They are a regiment from the 'Old Hundred" which is made up of Terran regiments who fought with the Emperor during the Unification Wars. Rules wise the army list uses Provenances of War that let you customize the army. One provenance is "Survivors of the Dark Age" which allows the army to use Rhinos and Land Raiders and increases their save by 1. It's meant to represent an army that kept their more advance tech during the Age of Strife.

 This is the fist of 2 grenadier squads I have left to complete. The models are form Anvil Industries regiments line. They fit in nicely with GW models, though they are a bit on the small side. This works out great standing next to Space Marines models as they make the marine look quite bulky. The only 'problem' with the AI models is the guns are small compared to GW. By small, I actually mean well proportioned to the model as GW guns are quite oversized. To fix this I gave the squad boltguns form the Mark IV marines set. 

One more squad to go!

Contemptor Dreadnought for 30k Raven Guard

Contemptor Dreadnought for the XIX Legion - model from Forge World.

No surprise here with this posting - some more 30k work from the painting desk. This is a Contemptor Dreadnought, with bespoke features for the XIX Legion Astrates, the Raven Guard. This is a resin model from Forge World - a gift, in fact, given years ago! I am shamefully slow at painting figures and models I receive as gifts - I don't know why, but I am. I came across this model - assembled, primed, although damaged during the move - while rummaging around my 30k "pending pile" earlier this summer. Since it had been so long since receiving this gift, and since I had not added reinforcements to my small assortment of 30k Raven Guard since May of 2016 (five years ago!), I thought it was time to get it finished.

Raven imagery and inconography on the dreadnought frame.

Over the years Forge World has released bespoke Contemptor Dreadnought hulls for each of the Legions who participated in the Horus Heresy (these are hard to come by on their somewhat barren web site these days). The Raven-themed imagery can be seen on the torso, legs and shoulders - very nicely sculpted, lines up well with the look and feel of the XIX Legion. For weapons I picked a power fist/kheres-pattern combo - pretty common selection, but it is a good mix for the dreadnought to use on the battlefield.

The good ol' power fist, useful for smashing all sorts of things.

The non-carbon-neutral power system for the dreadnought frame.

In addition to the slow journey to the painting table, this model has another kind of entertaining quirk - if you look closely, you will see this fellow has two right hips! Not a big problem, given the modular nature of these Forge World Contemptor models. I tried to hide it by posing the model with some motion...not sure I was successful, but at least it looks a lot more lively than the wooden pose of the plastic Contemptor kit from the old "Betrayal at Calth" box set.

Ready to seek vengeance for the events of Istvaan V....

I'm sure my 30k Raven Guard figures, having languished for years without receiving any new kit, will be pleased to get some reinforcements. They might even dare to hope for more...we'll see where my brushes turn next this summer. Thanks for reading, and take care everyone! 

Sehkmet Terminators for 30k Thousand Sons

Sehkmet Terminators for Heresy-era Thousand Sons.

Some more 30k work in this posting - here are some Sehkmet Terminators from the XV Legion Astrates, the "Thousand Sons" from GW's Horus Heresy setting. These 28mm figures combine the plastic Cataphractii Terminator kits from GW with bespoke bits from Forgeworld - torsos, arms and weapons sporting the specific themed imagery and inconography of the heresy-era Thousand Sons Space Marines.

White armour plates to pick out the officer in command of the "cabal."

Nearly every Space Marine legion in 30k has their own elite Terminator-armoured type formation (Justaerin, etc.), and Forge World has done either conversion sets (or complete sculpts, depending on the theme) for nearly all of them. My recent fiddling with some Thousand Sons inspired me to dig out my Sehkmet kit, put them together and paint them up. 

Combi-bolters, force weapons and an implacable aura on these fellows...

The backstory of the Thousand Sons is one of sorcery, psychic power and knowledge. As such the Legion featured a number of "cabals" within its ranks, and the Sehkmet was one of the most prominent ones. The Sehkmet terminators therefore combine the "terminator" elements that 30k/40k fans are all familiar with (i.e. even bigger power armour and even bigger guns) with pyschic powers and force blades. The only downside is they don't carry weapons like heavy flamers or reaper autocannons - but if you are a scary battle wizard, who needs that stuff, right?

Not so glamourous frm the back...whatever wizardry is going on inside the armour, these models retain the same machinery and power units in their Cataphractii plate.

While the sculpting is lovely, the Cataphractii models are pretty wooden in their poses - considering they are huge slabs of armour, this makes some sense, I guess...

These models are quite ornate, and were not the easiest to paint. Part of the challenge continues to be my struggles with the colour white (I guess I haven't painted Austrians in quite a while!), but the casting of the bespoke torsos, while quite neat, was also a challenge...the head and torso are all cast in one piece designed to fir the plastic Cataphractii kit, and so the helmet - often recessed in behind the huge slab-style shoulder plates - was not easy to get to with the brush. The khopesh-style blades are also a concern - the fit the "space Egypt" theme nicely, but they are resin, and resin blades are brittle things...I worry about transporting these, and worry about a mishap on the table...

I worry about those resin weapon blades...they are so thin...

All Space Marine players are familiar with the futility of Terminators within the actual game - generally they teleport/deep strike to the table, and are shot to pieces within the same turn. I'm not sure things will be different with these models should they ever get the opportunity to deploy to the gaming table, but the possibility of psychic power mayhem might increase their chances of survival and of making an impact.

The Praetor I painted earlier this summer joins the Sehkmet for this photo.

Thanks for reading - I hope everyone out there is having a good summer. I am counting down to my second vaccine dose, and then hoping to make a couple of trips to see some folks. Take care!

Anyway, it was fun to fiddle around with these figures, and continue to experiment with a different painting style. I'm not 100% sold on it, but I am happy enough with it to keep trying.  

Thousand Sons Praetor

Thousand Sons Praetor in Cataphractii armour - figure from Forge World

My painting desk continues to be dominated by 30k projects large and small. This fellow is a Praetor for the XV Legion Astrates, the "Thousand Sons" from GW's Horus Heresy setting. As befitting a senior commander in the Legion, this fellow is wearing bespoke terminator armor, covered in all manner of fancy markings and designs with the faux-ancient-Egyptian theme seen with these Space Marines. His power weapon also sports a blade with an ancient-Egypt cut and curve. This is a 28mm figure from Forge World.

The weapons look scary, but his psyker-type powers will be even scarier!

I ordered this figure years ago, right around the time I started painting the figures for the "Burning of Prospero" board game. I love the sculpt - in addition to the fancy bespoke elements, this figure has a nice sense of movement that you don't generally find otherwise on figures wearing the bulky, slab-sided "Cataphractii" pattern Terminator armour.

As is so often the case, the period between purchasing the figure and actually painting it developed into quite the lag! This was one of many assembled and primed 30k figures which have been waiting for paint for well over a year. It is nice to finally get him finished.

I probably should have put some kind of cool lodge symbol on the cloak, but I had to mess around enough with the green that I decided to leave well-enough alone.

If the "fluff" of the Horus Heresy setting, the Thousand Sons are known to feature a number of powerful psykers among their ranks. Disputes about how to handle and manage these gifts within the confines of the "Imperial Truth" ultimately leads to their censure and subsequent violent downfall at the hands of the VI Legion, one of the many winding sub plots to be found in the Horus Heresy. Indeed the Thousand Sons make so many poor decisions that it is hard to believe they are somehow stocked with powerful psykers, many of whom can allegedly see the future, when in fact they make the management of the Toronto Maple Leafs appear prescient.

The sculptors did such an excellent job on this figure - I love the sense of motion, even though he is wearing heavy/scary Terminator plate.

The upshot of all of this is that I expect the Thousand Sons are a different sort of force to play in the Horus Heresy - there are so many psykers that it reminds me much more of an Eldar-type pace of play. They are essentially a magic society crossed with a Space Marine Legion, and still have all of the strength, weapons and abilities of the Space Marine Legions...it is a potent combo. As a senior commander, I expect this fellow to be zapping enemies with scary psyker powers as much as his combi-bolter.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading - I hope those of you in Canada are able to enjoy Canada Day and a nice weekend to follow. Cheers!

Apothecaries for Prospero

Two new apothecaries for the Space Marines...figures from Forge World.

Another small 30k "project" - here are two Apothecaries (i.e. military medics of the Space Marine Legions), one for the XV Legion Astrates (aka the Thousand Sons) and the other for the VI Legion Astrates (aka the Space Wolves). These are resin figures from Forge World - and they may seem distantly familiar, as I have painted similar figures previously for the Sons of Horus.

XV Legion apothecary wearing Mark IV armour.

The fellow in red is from the XV Legion. This figure is wearing Mark IV powered armour, bolstered by the usual panoply of weird Space Marine Apothecary bits...containers of fluids, drills, saws, needles and lights - all for providing helpful "medical care" to fallen or injured Space Marines. Given that this fellow is a member of the Thousand Sons, chances are he or his colleagues can also heal wounded comrades using psychic powers.

Lots of saws apparently needed for battlefield medicine in the dark, distant future...

The fellow in grey is from the VI Legion. He is wearing Mark II powered armour, but again, has all manor of additional add-ons useful for Apothecaries in the 30k setting. There is a chain sword, drill, funny cables and liquids etc.

Medical care for The Rout!

Apothecaries are minor little character additions to 30k forces. They are not terribly "powerful" - equipped with bolt pistols and chainswords, they can pitch in to a fight when you attach them to other units. The rules do, however, allow for them to "heal" wounded Space Marines. This is handled in an abstract fashion and, for whatever reason, this has led to many hilarious moments during our assorted 30k games over the years. Seeing a Space Marine is zapped by a terrible weapon, only to bounce back thanks to the rules around the Apothecaries, is a lot of fun - as long as it was your Marine that reappears on the table!

As always, lots of extra lenses on the helmet - and the ominous "medical" insignia on the shoulder pauldron.

The excellent decal sheet of the Space Wolves come in handy once again...

Knowing they can lead to this kind of silly fun, I am glad to add more of these figures to these two Legions in my collection, and I thought it would be right to paint one up for each side of the Battle of Propsero.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading - hope everyone is doing well out there!

Ahzek Ahriman - Contrast Paint Edition

"Prepare for your doom!" Ahzek Ahriman is here to help...

Some more fun/experimenting using GW's Contrast Paint range for the XV Legion Astrates, the Thousand Sons. This is Ahzek Ahriman - he is a major character and senior figure within the XV Legion, a powerful fighter and gifted psyker. GW included a multi-part plastic figure version of Ahriman to lead the Thousand Sons in the their "Burning of Propsero" boxed game. I had already painted up an Ahriman figure for the game, but as I had purchased a couple of boxes of that game (hey, it was a great way to get plastic Mark III marines), I had a few spares of the Ahriman figure, so I thought I would try to see if this newer Contrast Paint method I used on a Mark IV armoured squad would work on a XV Legion character figure.

He is bracing himself against a fallen VI Legion marine...it is a cool pose...

Azhek Ahriman is a very powerful special character in the 30k game. I have only used the figure in games of "The Burning of Prospero" - and he is a handful for the loyalist side to deal with - but in "regular" 30k games he is a beast. Recall that, officially, the 30k rules are still pretty much the 7th edition 40k rules, where psykers could have quite an impact - so the 30k version of Ahriman would be a potent command hero for a XV Legion force. 

A mysterious breeze whips up as he prepares to unleash some manner of forbidden warp power...

I do love this rendition of Ahriman - GW's sculptors did a great job on the figure. Even through his elaborate armour, you can feel him preparing to summon doom upon his foe, his cape and vestments stirring amid a strange breeze as he braces himself (upon a fallen marine, no less) to unleash his powers. Of course, in the story Ahriman ends up doomed along with his tedious Primarch and the rest of his Legion...but that is a 40k issue...for 30k purposes, Ahriman is good fun!

The staff was...meh...OK, not that great....but still fun to experiment.

So much cool detail on this figure - a great piece of kit from GW.

In terms of the use of the Contrast Paints, I think it looks OK - I do like the effect on the armour, although the armour plating is not so much the point of focus on this figure. I was less keen on the effects on the blade of his staff, and the beaded chains hanging from it...in this area, the Contrast Paints were not so effective - or I just didn't make proper use of them. I also struggled to get much a cool effect on the blade of his staff...I think the previous paint job from 2017 turned out better in those areas. So, overall, still more areas where practice is called for!

Here Come The Summer Sons - 30k Thousand Sons Marines

Reinforcement for the XV Legion Astrates, the "Thousand Sons"

More 30k? Why, of course - more 30k. Now that I have gone and opened up the 30k box from the move, and pulled out the many treasures inside, I am tempted to finish off the many previously-primed-but-not-yet-painted bits found therein. Here we have a veteran tactical squad for the XV Legion Astrates, the "Thousand Sons", wearing Mark IV power armour. With a single exception in the unit, they are painted in a different fashion from my previous units for this Legion - I have started to experiment more and more with GW's "Contrast" paint range, and these figures represent some early results.

Thousand Sons Armour: New Painting Approach

On the left, the painting approach from 2017. On the right, the new approach, using GW "Contrast" paints.

I first painted some XV Legion units back in 2017, for the GW boxed game "The Burning of Prospero" (which turned out, in fact, to be an excellent game, especially for quarantine times). The Thousand Sons' forces in that box game are not large in terms of overall model count - two 10-marine veteran tactical squads, a five-marine squad of terminator marines in Tartaros pattern armour, and a hero - Azhek Ahriman, to lead them. This small force will allow you to play the campaign included in "The Burning of Prospero" box set, and when you consider that all of these Space Marines would be psykers, and that Ahriman is a pretty powerful character, it gives you a nice little starting force to play Horus Heresy games in general.

Another comparison shot - 2017 on the left, and 2021 on the right.

I recall at the time seeing the Thousand Sons figures painted by the GW studio artists (as well as many others online), and one thing that stood out was the armour - a really, really cool metallic red. At the time in 2017, achieving something like that would have required an airbrush and use of glazes and other tricks, and that is beyond my skills. There was, however, a great GW tutorial suggesting how to paint the models using a nice mix of red paints - it did not get you that metallic finish, but it still looked really nice. I used that method to paint Ahriman and his colleagues, and I was pleased with the results. 

Some of the tactical marines in Mark IV armour.

Since 2017, I have built up my VI Legion forces a fair bit, and in that time it has been in my hobby mind to bolster the Thousand Sons as well (and yes, in general, I can never have enough Space Marines *shrug*). In or around the spring of 2019, I built and primed a squad of plastic Mark IV armoured marines as a step in this direction, and painted a single test model using the same techniques and colours as I has in 2017...but then my squirrel-hobby-brain went to some other interest, and this squad was placed in storage, waiting for a return of my 30k interests...

Another view of the tactical marines.

Special weapon troops...plasma gun and heavy bolter.

In the interim, GW released its new "Contrast" paints. You can find better evaluations from better painters elsewhere online, but while the breathless marketing exaggeration you see from some folks about these paints makes me laugh, they ARE a neat tool to add to your painting kit. I have been looking at different tutorials featuring these paints, and I came across this one from GW...a chance to get a metallic red without an airbrush? THAT is worth a shot! I pulled out this assembled-and-primed squad of Mark IV marines, and designated them for experimentation...

The Sergeant at mid-stage in the painting process...just covered mostly in "Retributor Armour", the figure feels like it is ruined, but...

No need to go over the specifics of the method in this post (the GW video provides a better explanation that I could regardless), but in general it involves use of the Contrast "Blood Angels Red" applied over a base of "Retributor Armour" (a very bright gold). I can say that at the half-way point in this painting process I was SURE I had ruined the figures - a just a Space Marine covered in gold paint...but in the end, it comes together nicely, and I really enjoy the results. 

Completed Sergeant with one of his troopers.

 

Rear view, showing the power packs and combat blades/swords.

So, what to do with the test model from 2019, the one painted using the previous non-Contrast approach? I considered re-painting the figure, but that seemed like bad luck or something...so I just left him as-is...he pretty-much-mostly blends in...besides, the ways of the Thousand Sons are mysterious, so perhaps this lone guy will contribute to some kind of numerology-omen or something...

Let the defence of Prospero begin!

There are still some kinks to work out - for example, I find the paint-on gloss to be too thick - if I want the armour to shine, I'm going to need to find a thinner gloss finish that the GW "Hardcoat". But overall, I am enjoying this new look, so watch this space for some more XV Legion characters and units to arrive over the coming summer. 

Thanks for visiting!