Thunderhawk and Rapier Battery for Legions Imperialis

Legions Imperialis reinforcements!

Hey, look at this! A second post within one month! Efforts to get back into the regular posting routine continue here with some kit for GW's "Legions Imperialis" game (a.k.a Epic 30k), the small-scale tabletop game rules for the Horus Heresy. We have a battery of Rapier support weapons for the XV Legion Astartes, the Thousand Sons, and, the real star of the show, a Thunderhawk gunship in the colours of the XVI Legion Astartes, the Warmaster's own Sons of Horus!

Rapier Support Battery

"Quad launchers" - the current version of the old "Thudd Guns" - great for knocking enemy infantry around.

"Rapier" support carriers go WAY back into the Rogue Trader times. Take some kind of scary weapon, mount in on a tracked carrier and give up a couple of support crew, and you had a Rapier. They were available back in the day both as 28mm metal kits, and were also among the first metal support options for the early "Space Marine" game - you could get tiny little batteries of these guns to support your 6mm sized Space Marines in the earliest version of the "Epic" game.

The designs have changed over the years, but the concept of the weapon is still the same - some scary weapon on a tracked platform, accompanied by a pair of minders/crew. In the scale of Epic 30k, where super-heavy tanks and Titans stalk the battlefield, these weapons are not large, but they can pack a surprising punch.

Rapiers - anti-tank fire support that will come in handy for the sons of Magnus!

These are great little kits - the only real downside is that they are part of a larger sprue, sharing space with heavy dreadnoughts and other support bits - and so it is not really easy to acquire a decent-sized batter of the guns without accumulating a bunch of other stuff you don't necessarily need. But even the small battery is useful - two laser destroyers designed to pack an anti-tank punch, while the quad launchers take out rival infantry. They don't move very fast, but they do move, and so are good to support an infantry detachment. 

Thunderhawk Gunship

Let's fly the friendly skies of 30k!

On to the star of this post! Here we have a classic Space Marine vehicle, the Thunderhawk gunship. I have been painting Thousand Sons for Legions Imperialis, but there was no way the Warmaster was going to miss out on this bird, so it got the green for the Sons of Horus! 

The original! Who remembers these little metal guys zooming over games of "Epic"?

Remember the original Thunderhawk from the days of "Epic"? The modelling has come a long way!

The Thunderhawk is the all-around, go-to gunship for the Space Marines. While not as large as the venerable Stormbirds, the vehicle fills a similar role, meant as much for action in the void as it is for ground support (hence the main weapon mounted on the top) while it carries Space Marines in for combat landings. It has quite a few weapons to provide fire support for them after they have been dropped off! 

This is a model that GW originally released for their excellent 2nd edition of "Aeronautica Imperialis", the 40k-setting air combat game. The company leaned into the dark humour of its fanbase by touting that a plastic Thunderhawk model was here at long last! I think most of us appreciated the humour :)

Anyway, this thing just looks cool. Here are more photos. 

View from the top.

Side/rear view.

View of the bottom detail.

The model is easy to detach from its flying base, so you can represent it on the ground during the game if the need arises.

There are a lot of parts to this kit...you need to pay attention, because the components are small! But wow, is it ever a wonderful little kit. I painted it sub-assemblies...not a whole lot of them, but I did the tiny heavy bolter currents and missiles separately, as well as the secondary wing assemblies (the smaller "wings" over the top of the engine). I glued those secondary wings into place, but if you wish you can build it so they move! I loved painting all of the details on this model (to the extent I could manage it). I can't wait to use it in a game of Epic 30k at some point. 

That's all for today, but stay tuned for another post, hopefully soon!

"Saturnine" Dreadnought for 30k Thousand Sons

"Saturnine" Dreadnought for the Thousand Sons. Big guns on a big dreadnought.

Well, at long last...a blog post! I have been utterly delinquent when it comes to posting on the Blog. I actually have been painting a fair bit through the summer, and have been meaning to share some photos, because that is fun! But...I just keep getting delayed on the whole "take photos and post" part of the process. Oh well. Let's try to get one post going, and we'll see if we can build on it...and for said post here we will highlight a new addition to the ranks of my XV Legion Astartes - a great big "Saturnine" Dreadnought. This is a 28mm multi-part plastic kit from GW's "Age of Darkness" range.

Big sucker...

"Saturnine"-type kit is the new "latest thing" for the Horus Heresy, central to the box set of the 3.0 edition of the rules released in the summer of 2025. Considering that the Black Library had 50 or 60 so novels covering the story of the Horus Heresy, as well as a 10-book series on the Siege of Terra itself, and that "Saturnine" kit is not mentioned the whole time, this amounted to quite the ret-con, even by GW standards! 

Low emissions...I think? 

The Saturnine-equipped chaps are pretty large. The Saturnine terminators are essentially "they're terminators, but bigger!", and the same thinking lies behind the Saturnine dreadnought - "it's a dreadnought, but bigger!". This thing is mounted on a 100mm round base and is much larger than the Contemptor and Leviathan dreadnought models found in the Space Marine Legion collections. 

"Heavy Plasma Bombard" on one arm.

It is still not as big as the Imperial Knight kits, but in terms assembling and painting, there are a lot of similarities to the approach. There is a significant amount of metal/machine, covered with armoured plates, and the best way to tackle the painting is via a sub-assembly process. This allows you to get a base of metal colours down on the interior components, get those washed and dry-brushed, before focusing on the external armoured covers. 

"Disintegrator cannon" - surely this is totally safe to use...

This is particularly important with the giant, turtle-style armour plates which dominate the top assembly on the model - they cover MOST of what is underneath, but NOT all, so it's worth taking some time to paint the plates separately. It's also a lot easier to apply the transfers to them before they are affixed to the main body.

Secondary weapons, mounted on the chest of the dreadnought. The pair at the top are "concussive resonators", while there are a pair of "photonic incinerators" on the bottom. These are designed to accommodate magnets, which is great.

The designers of this kit anticipated small magnets, which is great, and so magnetizing the weapons was easy. The kit comes with two different options for the (relatively) smaller short-range weapons mounted on the torso, and those are easily magnetized so you can swap them out. The main weapons on the "arms" can also have magnets fitted to them, allowing them to be changed out should I even acquire some of the other weapon options which have been released in the months following the introduction of these new kits.

Close up the the "sarcophagus" on the Saturnine dreadnought...

I've played very little of the 3.0 Horus Heresy rules, so I can't tell you how this thing performs in games. But I have come up against Saturnine Terminators, and find they are just broken, so I expect this thing would deliver similar results. I cannot remember what the main weapons are called, but they seem pretty devastating to infantry and to vehicles, while this version of the dreadnought armour is likely to be unbelievably resilient. These are among the game's newest models, after all, and as the "40k style" is sadly continuing to creep into 30k gaming, it's not shocking that these new kits would be powerful in the game. 

It's hard to spot, but you can see the alternate weapons mounted on the torso.

But I should be fair - these things are not solely a power gaming exercise. First, this is a very nice model kit, something GW can still do very well. And whatever I think of "Saturnine" stuff, it sure seems popular with gamers, and in a genuine way. Many players seem to have a soft spot for those distant images of the original goofy-looking "Saturnine" armour of the Rogue Trader times, and are pleased to have the chance to bring the updated kits to their 30k collections.

No doubt the Thousand Sons of my own collection are surely pleased to be enjoying the boost. They have the "Axehole 2.0" to lead them in battle. They have a Saturnine Terminator squad to bring further support. They also have a new Spartan APC to carry the troops into battle!  Watch for further reinforcements to come to this legion through the fall...anyway, that is all for now, hopefully I'll be back with another post before too long!

Legions Imperialis Whirlwind and Support Marines

A few more bits for Legions Imperialis!

Summer is winding down, and it's time to finally organize a few blog posts showing some of the stuff I have painted. Here are few more bits for Legions Imperialis (aka "Epic 30k") - some more Whirlwind multiple rocket launchers and another group of tactical support marines. The painting is divided between the XV Legion Astartes (the Thousand Sons) and the Warmaster's own XVI Legion Astartes (the Sons of Horus). These are all plastic kits/figures from GW. 

A more classic-looking "pepperbox" style launcher on these vehicles.

View of rear details and decals on the hatches.

For an old Horus Heresy grognard like me it is great to have the Whirlwinds joining the collection. After all, in the original "Space Marine" game the Whirlwind was one of the core vehicle selections for your forces, and in general it has been a classic support weapon for the Space Marines over the years. These Horus Heresy Whirlwinds are built on the "Deimos" pattern Rhino APC hull, which is itself an homage to the classic original Rhino models. So these are just great all around.

More firepower for the Warmaster!

The Whirlwinds come eight models to a box, and you have options for two different types of launchers - one meant to fire ordnance that targets vehicles (the "Scorpius" variant), and the other holding ordnance that is more "anti-personnel" in nature (the more classic-looking pepperbox launcher). It's great that you get both - in fact, you get eight versions of each variant, so you if the variability matters to you, well, you're all set!

Little less flash on the rear doors here...couldn't spare the decals!

I painted the first four vehicles from the pack back during the most recent edition of Curt's Painting Challenge - so here we see at last the remaining four models from the box. I'll want to paint more of these vehicles for the Loyalist side of the ledger, but that will come later...somehow the poor Loyalists always have to wait :) 

Little chaps with snappy energy weapons.

You can see some of the detail on the back...maybe...?

The infantry are "tactical support" Marines - i.e. guys with shorter-ranged, heavy/special weapons. Two more bases hardly moves the needle in this collection, but it does at least help to bulk-up the available infantry detachment for my Thousand Sons forces in this scale.

So not a whole lot to share in this post, but there will be more to share shortly, as I try and get back into the blogging routine! Thanks for reading.   

Spartan APC for 30k Thousand Sons

A Spartan carrier for the XV Legion Astartes.

Well, it's been more than a little bit since my painting flurry of the recent Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge concluded. My brushes have been busy, but other distractions have come up and dented my hobby time, so I have been delinquent in terms of getting stuff finished, and even more delinquent in terms of getting some posts up on the blog even when I have managed to complete something. Let's make a dent in that today...here we have a serious armored reinforcement for the Space Marines of the XV Legion Astartes - this is a Spartan, the big scary troop carrying tank of the Horus Heresy setting. This is a multi-part resin model from GW's Forge World studio.

A giant slab of armour, and tons of guns...just full-on 30k silliness!

Yes, you read that right...even though GW has had a multi-part plastic version of this model available for YEARS now, here I am, in the year 2026, still finishing off painting one of the old resin Forge World version of this kit. Needless to say, this thing has been in the "pending pile" for a LONG time - and sure, I have a nice assortment of excuses: moving several times sure didn't help, and the usual distractions of other periods, settings, scales and figures have all taken their right and proper place...but still, even for me, this is a monument to hobby delay/procrastination... 

A close-up of the beast! I added some extra light rocket launchers on the cupola, because why not?

I was going to "paint it during the Painting Challenge" (the justification for many a project!). I even got started on it January, painting the quad-lascannon sponson weapons (the part of this model I found the hardest to paint, because oddball hobby reasons). But I just couldn't get around to finishing the rest of this beast in time to include in my Painting Challenge production. 

One of the quad lascannon batteries on the sponsons. For whatever reason, I just can't stand painting those things...

In fact, I was more-than-half-tempted to even "leave it for the next Challenge", but that was a bridge too far, so I just buckled down and finally finished it in April. 

Why so slow? Well, I think we all have subjects or specific models that turn into a real drag, for whatever reason, and this was no exception. I have also found that I just have trouble finding the motivation to paint big 28mm-sized vehicles in recent times. Finally, I have to admit that the 3rd edition of the Horus Heresy rules have just not landed well with me. To put it simply, playing HH 3.0 just feels like work. I still love the story, the setting and the figures (or, nearly all of them), but these days I am just not motivated to play the game and this has materially slowed my motivation to paint more 28mm sized 30k figures. 

Lovely decals from the Forge World decal sheet help provide the necessary "crazy ancient Egypt" vibe for the tank.

But for all that, this beast is at last over the line! And I'm sure the Sons of Magnus will be pleased! I've been adding a number of units to my XV Legion collection in recent years, but when it comes to vehicles, well, they've been stiffed! Their motor pool to date consists of a single Rhino APC - useful, sure, but not exactly a sign of armored might! Well, that all changes now...

Ready to roll!

The Spartan is a bonkers AFV, just absolute peak Horus Heresy. It is armed to the teeth. It has the heaviest possible armour ratings you can have on a vehicle in the game. And it carries more than 20 marines on board - enough for a great big tactical squad, or a big terminator squad, AND some flunkies. Even Space Wizards like to ride in style, after all!

Painting Challenge Submission #12 - Saturnine Terminator Squad

It's Saturnine time!

As AHPC XVI reached its conclusion, the time came to cram a few more submissions over the line in a desperate rush for points! The best place to start was with some things I had told myself that I would "definitely finish some time during the Painting Challenge", but had been procrastinating about for one reason or another. It is in this spirit that I painted this Saturnine Terminator squad. These are "28mm" multi-part plastic figures from GW's "Age of Darkness" setting (a.k.a. the Horus Heresy) painted in the fine colours of the XV Legion Astartes, the Thousand Sons. Because space wizards want to wreck sh*t too. 

"Let's blast something! Or smash it! I'm good either way!"

"Saturnine" kit is the "new big thing" for the 3.0 edition of GW's Age of Darkness rules. There is surely some lore for this armour variant and...well, I would share but for the fact that I haven't bothered to give it even a cursory scan, as it amounts to a farcically clumsy ret-con into the Horus Heresy story and I sort of don't care about the story. Suffice to say these are really, really big suits of powered armour, with impressive battlefield capabilities, big guns etc. etc. 

Note the blaster mounted on the power fist - so he can either punch someone OR shoot them even more!

These specific models are equipped with...I think that is some manner of "disintegrator" weapon on the one arm, while the oversized fist also sports a shorter-ranged blaster or flame-weapon of some kind. I would get the names, but that would involve encountering the Age of Darkness 3.0 rulebooks and...I can't be bothered. Rest assured the kit is all suitably super-duper-kill-things oriented.

I did not pose the legs very well on this one...looks like he is trying to step quietly or something, which is pretty silly, but whatever, he'll still fight on the table!

These models have a lot of components, and the instructions are not exactly clear in terms of the best ways to assemble them. To the credit of the designers, they want to offers hobbyists different options in terms of posing the feet and hands/weapons...but this goodwill is undone by the sheer "chonk factor" of these brutes. They crowd their bases, so there is not all that much to do with the legs, and the huge oversized, turtle-style upper shoulder sections crowd out any effort to meaningfully pose the arms. 

Close up on the ranged weapon. Cool looking gun - I'm sure it is super safe to use and poses no risks at all to its own side...

I recall GW came out very quickly with a "hey, here are a few tips from the studio" type article for assembling these models not very long after they hit the shelves. Naturally enough the studio guys offered an approach quite different from the one in the instructions....sigh...

Sub-assemblies - the "collars".

More sub-assemblies - the helmets. Took the opportunity to stick transfers on them too, before sticking them in the model.

A mid-point WIP photo. 

In terms of assembly and painting, these models are best thought of as small dreadnoughts, and there are so many overlapping sections that I recommend painting them in sub-assemblies. The "turtle shell" tops do not assemble easily, and you should probably put them on last AFTER you have painted the rest of the model, because they are so dominant that they make significant parts of the figure unreachable with a paintbrush - and yet they do not cover the ENTIRE top area, and so will leave any unreachable sections visible if they are not painted...that is the sort of combo that makes the OCD hobby monkey in my brain MENTAL.  

Close up on one of the helmets.

The head is a real challenge too - once more, a sort of "collar" goes over the head, but small parts of the internal area around the helmet will be visible even though the fit it very tight...so once more, sub-assemblies were called for. 

Maybe this is why these things sat around my painting table for so long. I had primed all of the bits prior to the start of AHPC XVI, convinced I would get them finished as part of my Challenge plan. But as my enthusiasm for Age of Darkness 3.0 really faded, I found other fun stuff to paint, telling myself that I would "do those Saturnine guys at the end." Well, here we are, so better get them done, right??? 

"Let's hit the town fellas!"

Good to have them over the line. If I ever do get them into a game, I'm sure they will cause a fair bit of havoc - even given the doom all newly-painted models seem to face, the rules for these Saturnine guys are pretty silly so they'll have a fun old time. I think you can even give them a psychic power? Which seems...bonkers...but then, to be sure, I would need to crack open the rule book and...I'll just figure it out some other time. 

That's all for this post - just a couple more wrap-up from AHPC XVI. 

Painting Challenge Submission #9 - More Legions Imperialis Marines

Some more "Legions Imperialis" Space Marines - these ones in the lovely green of the Warmaster's own legion, the Sons of Horus.

With this submission to Curt's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge I'm back with only a few odds and ends from GW's "Legions Imperialis" game, the reboot of the classic small-scale "Epic" game set in the Horus Heresy setting. There are elements from two different Legions Astartes - the Sons of Horus and the Thousand Sons. 

XVI Legion - The Sons of Horus

High command base for the Sons of Horus.

To the surprise of nobody, I already have a chunk of figures painted for this, the finest of the Legions Astartes. But you can always use more basic infantry. And in the case of the Sons of Horus, my initial efforts really disappointed me...I was pleased with the vehicles, but my method on the original infantry looked sloppy - I didn't care for how the green turned out. And if you don't like the green...well...the Warmaster won't be pleased, will he?

Tactical Marines and their Rhino APCs.

I had assumed I would not be able to replicate the green recipe from my 28mm collection on these smaller troops. But decided to experiment with it...and...well, it's actually not too bad! I like these much more. I painted up a high-command stand, and then a tactical detachment comprised of four bases. They also have Rhino APCs to give them a ride on the battlefield. 

Re-painted dreadnoughts - I like these much better!

Chuffed with the results on the infantry, I pulled the dreadnoughts I had completed before out of the box...knowing now that I could have done the nicer green on them drove me nuts - the OCD hobby monkey in mind started to scream and break things, so I opted to do a re-paint on them. Boom - OCD monkey at peace...for now...

Mobile fire support - Rapier on the right, "Quad Launcher" on the left.

To keep building up the firepower we have a couple of tracked fire-support platforms. Long-time Space Marine fans will probaly recognize the Rapier. The other one is a "quad launcher" - heir to the famous "Thudd Guns" of yore. There are supposed to be four tracked platforms in the unit, but I f*cked up a pair of the chassis from the box, so the XVI Legion will have to settle for a pair of them for now. 

Ready to drop some ordnance on those who would defy the Warmaster!

Finally, the Whirlwind is a classic mobile artillery support system for the Space Marines. The plastic kists for these are just lovely, and they allow for you to make two variants. These are "Scorpius" variants, with ammunition that hits vehicles a little harder at the expense of covering a much smaller target area. I just love the look of these things. Again...the kits have LOTS of tiny pieces, so assemble with care, but, wow, credit where credit is due - these are just a real treat to paint up.

XV Legion Astartes

A bit more fire support for Magnus' sons. 

A much smaller component for the Thousand Sons, but considering this collection is just getting started, they'll take it!

Beakies with shark-fin-style missile launchers - a classic!

Rhino APC with fancy markings for the "devestator" unit. 

Up first we have heavy support marines and their Rhino APC. If you look carefully, fans will recognize the classic "shark-fin" style missile launcher has been replicated in this scale. Now, this is a bit of a b*tch, as they come in two parts! But whatever frustration caused in gluing these tiny Marines together is lost once you are painting them - just wonderful to have "beakie" style Marines with these weapons. 

Mobile rocket artillery for the Thousand Sons.

Even space wizards need mobile firepower...

Finally, since I had assembled all of the Whirlwinds from the box, I thought I would paint two of them up for the Thousand Sons as well. You get eight models in a box, so there is still more to do there - maybe I'll even paint some for the poor loyalists? 

That's all for this one - watch for more soon!