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!

A Game For Quarantine Times - "The Burning Of Prospero"

"The Burning of Prospero" - Miniature board game released by GW in 2016. Perfect for Quarantine!

With nearly one third of the world's population living under some manner of public health restriction or "lockdown", chances are you are not getting much gaming done! We certainly have not here in Winnipeg. Many folks have tried to use assorted video platforms for everything from completing courses and business meetings to keeping in touch with friends during this quarantine/lockdown period. So, we thought, why not gaming? We used "Zoom" for such a gaming attempt last week - playing GW's "The Burning of Prospero" - and I think it went quite well...it is, in fact, a perfect game for Quarantine Times - and in general, a really excellent game.

The forces laid out for the game's first scenario - "Shatter The Perimeter".

"The Burning of Prospero" was released by GW in 2016. The game is set amid the assault on the Thousand Sons' homeworld of Prospero by the combined might of the Space Wolves and The Emperor's Custodian Guard and Silent Sisters. The box comes with a variety of map tiles, 2D card scatter terrain and effect markers, rules, stats and cards. It also comes with some fantastic multi-part plastic miniatures! You got 30 Mark III Space Marines, five Tartaros-pattern Terminators, five Custodes, five Silent Sisters, and two characters - Azhek Ahriman of the Thousand Sons and Geigor Fell-Hand of the Space Wolves. The figures are all multi-part plastic, and are generally amazing sculpts and kits, all really, really, really nice.

GW has form here - their non-core offerings are often fantastic! The rules for 30k/40k are a calcified collection of endlessly competing circular special rules wrapped tightly in near-ancient IGOUGO rusty chains. GW, however, has shown time and again its ability to publish fantastic rules and games outside of its mainstream products. Their boxed games have a great tradition - I think of games like "Space Hulk" - that combined nice miniatures with card terrains and clever rules mechanisms to create fantastic wargaming experiences. There have been many others.

The Space Wolves ready to move out...

A deadly fire team from the Thousand Sons prepares to defend Prospero...

And yet, for my part, I was originally keen to get this box because it offered a relatively cheap means to acquire to acquire the plastic Mark III Space Marines. In the 30k setting there is a wide assortment of armour variants to choose from, and for my part I generally find the Mark III set looks the coolest...so I was glad to get the plastic marines. I was indifferent to the game itself, and I did not really look at the rules or the game in general. The Marines were allotted to the various existing parts of my collection, and I did not consider ever painting the Thousand Sons or the Space Wolves for the Horus Heresy.

The heavy bolter and the melta gun cover one flank of the advance...

Reading the novel "Prospero Burns" by Dan Abnett caused a total 180 on my thinking (it is a great novel - you should read it!). I painted up a few of the models, and then looked again at this boxed game, found that it might be fun, and suddenly was painting up all of the models for the game. I tried rules out a few times over the years, and found them to be quite fun. We did not play it with the group though - and I never really pushed to. I tend to prefer full, 3D terrain tables etc. and I am very fortunate to game with a group that offers so many choices in that regard.

Given the limitations of trying to game via Zoom, however, I thought "The Burning of Prospero" might just be ideal. Measuring "range" is easy, the board is not huge and would fit (mostly) in camera range for my iPad. The dice used are common among most participants in our group. I dug out the box and the rules, and we set things up to see if this would be workable...

The forces of the VI Legion fan out, preparing for heavy fighting...

And it was! My miniature gaming seldom involved the "board game" approach, and I had never really given this game its due. This is a fantastic game - this is why I think so...

First of all, the quality of the "terrain" panels is really, really top shelf. It is easy to set up on a kitchen table and, while we would all probably recognize/prefer 3D terrain as a superior wargaming experience (YMMV), the bits you get with "The Burning of Prospero" are top shelf - especially if using miniatures is something that is new or different for a gamer. After all, board games are huge, massive! They are just getting better and better all the time, so for board game players, this would be an interesting way to move toward miniature wargaming...

Confrontation in the corner...little did the Imperial side suspect how hard it would be to truly finish off this group of Thousand Sons...

Second - the rules are simple, but fun! There is more abstraction than in a regular game of 30k in the 7th or 8th edition, but subtle differences exist to provide an engaging tactical challenge for players. In particular, I love the use of different dice (note - NOT special, game specific dice). One of the (many) things that so impairs and limits 30k/40k is the fixation on using only the D6. Not so with this game!

In "The Burning of Prospero" players use D6s, D8s, D10s and D12s depending on the armour and weapons involved in a given situation. This is something I wish GW would explore more for 30k/40k rules generally. A further benefit - the combat phase is NOT IGOUGO, but it is still straightforward. I don't see why these concepts cannot jump to the full 30k/40k game.

Psychic powers for the Thousand Sons player...that regeneration power would sure come in handy...

Third - the way psychic powers are handled is fantastic. The use of these powers is key for the Thousand Sons side - psychic abilities are central to the nature and character of the Thousand Sons legion (it's their "thing"), and without them they would have little chance of prevailing against the onslaught of the coalition of The Emperor's executioners featured in the game. The powers are managed via card decks that become a "game within a game" - and are a lot of fun, as some powers drive the Imperial player crazy, and others fizzle, causing heartbreak to the Thousand Sons player. These "magic" type situations are difficult to manage for rules - it is easy to make the spells/power too strong or too weak, but the designers here have it just right, in my opinion.

The "enumeration phase" where the Thousand Sons attempt their psychic powers...the card decks are used to see if the powers are cast, and there is a lot of subtlety (and great fun) to be found - this is well done.

Last week a group got together via Zoom and we played the first scenario in the game, "Shatter The Perimeter". Geigor Fell-Hand and a Silent Sister Superior lead a veteran squad of Space Wovles against a squad of Thousand Sons, supported by a veteran Terminator sergeant. The goal of the Imperial side is to exit at least one model off of the board at either of two designated exit points. Success would represent the Imperial forces pushing further into the city of Tizca, the fantastical capital of Prospero.   

A "lone Wolf" makes his escape...

Over six rounds of play there was a furious battle that saw the Imperial side lose 90% of their troops - ouch! They gave as good as they got, however, and more so - their task made more difficult by the Thousand Sons' success with a particular psychic power that brought models back from the dead. There was one Thousand Sons legionnaire who was resurrected twice. Both sergeants also reappeared on the table after being cut down...and it is hard enough to knock out a Terminator once, never mind twice!

Geigor Fell-Hand and the Sister Superior make their escape at the right of the photo. Maybe we will be able to try the second scenario sometime soon...

In the end, it was a victory for the Imperial side - Fell-Hand was able to lead the Sister Superior and a single surviving Space Wolf off of the board and to victory. Further mayhem awaits in Tizca...

Gaming via Zoom will never replace the real thing. I miss my friends and the chance to get together, push miniatures around and roll dice very much. But this was great fun - many thanks to Dave V, Dallas, Mike F, John and Curt for joining the game. Also, it was great to discover how fun this GW game is - more than fit to follow in the tradition of classic games like "Space Hulk" - something we should play when we get the chance to gather again.

Ahzek Ahriman - Ultimate Archivist

Abracadabra! Azhek Ahriman, First Captain and Chief Librarian of the XV Legion

The last member of the XV Legion from GW's "Burning of Prospero" box set is Ahzek Ahriman, First Captain, Chief Librarian and all-around spooky dude from the Thousand Sons. Last to cross the finish line on my painting desk, but not least!

A very powerful psyker and warrior, Ahriman is one of the most senior officers in the XV Legion - a repository or knowledge and history, as well as a powerful warrior. I see the Thousand Sons as basically archivists with power armour and big guns.  As such, he is the ultimate archivist! He is also at the forefront of the rather dark fate suffered by the Thousand Sons as they succumb to the risks that come from trying to master the powers of the warp... 

Check out the "groundwork" that Ahriman is using to brace himself...

You could paint the "terrain" to be from any Legion, I suppose, but only one Legion will fit the theme from "Burning of Prospero"...

This is a multi-part plastic model from GW.  It is a fantastic sculpt, but the small little bead-like threads on his cool staff are sure to break at some point, so I continue to be firm in my belief that there are no plastic figures which wouldn't be better as metal figures...

A brilliant sculpting job...the post, the animation, it's so well done.  You can feel him gathering the power to unleash some manner of terrible power from the warp...

Grumbling aside, as I said, the sculptors here did a really, really awesome job on Ahriman.  This looks SO much cooler than his (in my subjective opinion) lame and overwrought 40k equivalent (check it out to get an idea of how things turn out for the Thousand Sons). The pose is just great...you can feel him summoning some manner of dire power to land doom upon his enemies! They even provide a little piece of terrain for him to stand on the base...the wreckage of a Mark III power-armoured marine!

Ahriman poses with some other command models from his Legion

This was a real challenge to paint - in a good way!  There is a ton of detail on the figure that will really engage you to push your brush skills.  I tried my best with the chain of glyphs hanging in front of the tabard on his armour...I really wanted to make them appear to be glowing, as the studio painters at GW manage to do...but alas, I'm not a studio painter. I'm still really pleased with the figure overall, however, and I look forward to using this bad-ass in a game some time.

The XV Legion assembles...

The Host of Prospero so far...20 veteran tactical marines, five Tartaros pattern terminators, and one extremely-bad-ass archivist...

With Ahriman painted, the Thousand Sons contingent from my "Burning of Prospero" box set is now finished.  Not only can they defend their home on the GW board game, but this group could also provide the very bare bones of a Thousand Sons force in a game of 30k.  Archivists with big guns and armour! Pretty cool stuff...might have to add some more units to this bunch...