Imperial Fist Rhinos and Stormeagle

After a slow spring, I’ve managed to increase the painting production here and finished a batch of vehicles. I've had 3 rhinos sitting in the pending bin for months now and it was time to get them done. They took so long because 2 of them were a real pain to assemble and included a model with a hull that was almost completely flattened. I won’t complain because they were found in a chest of buried treasure on some island off Tortuga. The easy one to assemble was from Forgeworld and I still have the white box to prove it!

I was worried that the fist logo on the top hatch wouldn’t work, but copious amounts of micro sol did the trick and I’m quite happy with the result. I continued with the reverse black/yellow color scheme and appropriate weathering to represent a stressed and over stretched legion in the Horus Heresy.

My Imperial Fists collection is quite large at this point and I still have a few units left to paint including Rogal Dorn himself! I wasn't too concerned with this as Greg's Sons of Horus suffer form the same Arms Race mentality. With Greg's traitor forces whisked off to Ontario, I'll have to switch my focus to some traitor legions in the near future.

The 4th vehicle I completed is a Storm Eagle...well it’s a storm eagle conversion actually. The original model was the space marine Storm Raven. The now out of business, Chapterhouse Studios made a conversion kit for the raven that allowed you to elongate the model to make it look like it could actually transport stuff. The top missile launcher is from Puppets War and was also designed with GW models in mind. This model has been sitting for a few years now and it was thanks to Greg and Dallas and their completed Storm Eagles that gave me the motivation to finish it. It’s not quite the same size as a Storm Eagle, but a good enough approximation when compared with spending $200+ on a proper and non-flattened model from Forgeworld.

Rhino APC for 30k Alpha Legion

Head-hunters from the XX Legion on maneuvers with their new APC

Another little bit of 30k painting - this is a Deimos pattern Rhino APC. Capable of carrying 10 marines (never quite looks like it can fit 10 of anything, actually, but that has been an enduring mystery of this model for many years), these vehicles are a mainstay of any Space Marine force.  And while the Legiones Astrates in 30k have access to all sorts of troop-carrying terrors, from Land Raiders to Spartans and more, the humble Rhino is still a core part of moving Legion Marines around the battlefield.

Front panel features door-ish looking plates, while a pair of bolt guns are mounted up top - just like the original Rogue Trader era models for this vehicle

Had fun with the hydra-themed decals for this Legion, although getting that one centered on the top hatch was tricky, and it doesn't look quite right - very Alpha Legion, I guess...

The Deimos pattern model is a conversion kit from Forge World, applied to the current 40k plastic rhino kit (which I'm trying to stock up on before they cancel them to replace it with more garbage "Primaris" kits but that is a rant for another time).  The design is really nice, an homage to the earliest version of this plastic model from the Rogue Trader days.

Main access ramp at the rear of the APC

These vehicles are not much for weapons - just a pair of humble bolt guns up on the turrets - but they do a great job ferrying the Marines around toward their objectives on the gaming table.  I find they do an even better job in the 8th edition of the game, as vehicles linger much longer on the table, even under heavy fire, under the newer rules.  Great news for the fellows catching a ride!

Not sure how 10 guys with that kind of armour fit in there...an enduring mystery of GW...

Close-up of the side hatches...again, the design is a faithful tribute to the original RT-era model

This is the first vehicle I have painted for my Alpha Legion forces.  I have a few more cued up in the painting line, of course, but they may wait for a while, as I have turned my painting attention back to a project that is about 29,000 years earlier on the historical clock...hope to share more soon about that!

Deimos Pattern Rhinos for the Sons of Horus

"All right! A ride!" Deimos Pattern Rhino APCs from Forge World

Continuing escalation in our 30k arms race.  These are "Deimos Pattern" Rhino APCs from Forge World, painted in the colours and markings of the 16th Legion, the Sons of Horus.  These trusty APCs will speed the Legion troops to victory over the loyalist forces dupes of the False Emperor.

A nice, updated version of the old Rogue-Trader-era Rhino kits - love this model!

I have been painting 30k figures for over a year now, but have been slow to add vehicles (unless you count Knights and even Titans, which are fun but are not, strictly speaking, "regular" Space Marine vehicles). Call it (yet another) "Exhibit A" of my disorganized approach to the hobby - lots and lots of infantry, but no real, cohesive force to put on the table. You have to be clueless like me to paint stuff for a project for over a year but not yet have a complete force ready.  It's not like these are Austrains or something...but whatever, I'm easily distracted...

So I had parts of three different forces (World Eaters, Sons of Horus, Solar Auxilia), but no one force was complete.  I decided to focus on the Sons of Horus - after all, they are THE bad guys of the Horus Heresy...

WIP showing the combination of resin bits the basic current Rhino model as a base

I finally completed a Land Raider this past spring to break the no vehicle spell. Now with these two Rhinos, the Sons of Horus forces are now a much more mobile and rounded out detachment for the table. These classic-looking models will carry 10 legion troops to various trouble spots on the gaming table in style and comfort, although they are certainly not as scary as a Land Raider...

Friendly side access point - I still don't get how Space Marines get in and out of these things, but it's part of the charm...

The "Deimos Pattern" Rhino is a mixed kit from Forge World - you get a plastic Rhino kit from the current 40k range, and resin bits to bolt over & combine with the plastic model.  The resulting vehicle is a clear shout-out to the original plastic Rhino model from Rogue Trader, and I quite like it.  You have little bolters on the hatches, the twin doors on the front, all the key design looks for the original plastic model, but with the larger size of the current one. The Forge World designers have really nailed the spirit of the Horus Heresy well with these constant little nods to the original models speckled throughout the range.

Rear access ramps

These are not cheap kits, but given the horrifying current price of a plastic Rhino, and the fact that the Canadian Dollar is once again circling the toilet, the price is not too far off from buying a "regular" Rhino.  As Dallas notes in his post for his IXth Legion Rhino kits using Chapterhouse, if you don't have spare unused plastic Rhino kits around, then you will not lose out by much more opting for the Forge World kit.

Not every line went together well, but screw it...

Assembly was a challenge - but surprisingly the issue was not Forge World's unreliable resin, but rather the plastic model components, which were warped and needed straightening - something I was not successful with as you will note if you look closely, especially the front fender plats on a couple of them.  I did my best, but didn't sweat it - I'm no Golden Demon model builder anyway, and I don't have the patience to try!

Legion tactical marines with their new vehicle - as a newly painted tank, it's guaranteed to survive well on the tabletop - right?

So the Sons of Horus are now a much more coherent table-top force! Dallas has been working hard to build up his IXth Legion loyalist forces (a Spartan - crap!).  The arms race isn't about to stop, but it will soon be time to get started on some 30k gaming.  We've been noodling a little narrative campaign for 30k, sort of like what we did for Rogue Trader and Rynn's World, but this will build up into a massive mega-game where we get the Titans out for a spin.  The date on the mega game is a bit of a moving target, but we're going to get started building up the story with the first game this week. Stay tuned for more! 

Let the galaxy burn! (To create jobs, of course - good, high-paying Horus jobs...)