The Mobilization Continues - Sons of Horus Seeker Squad

Seeker Squad for the XVI Legion

The XVI Legion continues its ominous troop build-up, with a new, 10-man "Seeker Squad" joining the ranks of Hope and Change. These models are plastic figures from a "Betrayal at Calth" box set, bodged with bolters scavenged from Space Marine "Sternguard" troops and shoulder pauldrons from Forge World.

Sergeant on the right, with a handy power fist to follow up in the event any more, direct, "hope" needs to be adminstered...

The so-called "Seeker Squads" are supposedly sent to the battlefield by Legion commanders to take out specified enemy personalities or units. Thematically, it is strange to have a large group of heavily armoured genetically modified fellows in rather visible battle armour tasked with something like an assassination, but in a strange way it seems to suit the character of the 30k "period". There is a single personality out there that irritates a Legion commander? Well, send ten sharp-shooting guys to finish them/it off.  No need to sneak around...we're coming for you...

I love these Sternguard bolters

Seems to fit well with the character of the Sons of Horus (and the Alpha Legion too). To accomplish their more specified tasks the Seeker Squads receive some special issue ammunition to assist with their mission.  The ammo offers bonuses depending on what shells are used, and the controlling player will have a small menu of different bolter shells to choose from. The Sons of Horus and Alpha Legion can also make use of "Banestrike" ammunition, specifically designed to take out other Astrates.

So fancy ammo means fancy bolters for these fellows.

View showing the back packs, vents etc.

That is where the bolters from the Sterngaurd figures seemed to me to fit very well with these figures. I've seem a number of other folks use these plastic weapons in different 30k circumstances, and it is a good idea I have copied shamelessly.  The bolter with the drum-shaped magazine is a particular favourite so I went with that for the nine regular troops. Overall I like the effect of the large magazines, the optics and large straps. They look arrogant, elite and well-equipped.  In other words, it's "Horus for Hope" brand-compliant.

Smaller Eye of Horus on one pauldron...

And a larger, embossed one on the other...the Sergeant feels like the boss is always watching, no doubt...

The sergeant's bolter has the more regular-sized box magazine, but I also gave him a power fist in the event the target of the Seeker Squad in a given mission needs a good punch in the face on top of whatever else has been dished out.

Seeking hope and change...loyalist fools beware!

This posting will bring a brief respite to the parade of reinforcements for the Sons of Horus for now.  I'm hoping, however, to head back to the lake later this week, and I hope the painting gods will support another run of painting, drinking and sunset-enjoying. There is, after all, always something new to add, or some unit to "round out", for a 30k nut like me...

Still More Reinforcements - Sons of Horus Assault Troops

Horus for hope? Jump this way, fellas...

The XVI Legion parade continues! I have added tactical marines, breacher marines and tactical support marines to the ranks of my XVI Legion forces.  Here are five more assault marines to extend the run of reinforcements!  The models are from Forge World, assault marines in Mark IV power armour, with jump packs, bolt pistols and chainswords, the all-purpose tool of the grim and dark far future.

Embossed shoulder pauldrons...once you do one unit with them, I find they are addictive...

Lots of extra rivets on a few of these fellows...

The "Cthonian Glyph" was handy for the blank shoulder pauldrons

30k Legion assault squads are 10 marines strong, but can be increased to be as large as 20 marines! I didn't have ten extra models around - just these five, but I thought that 15 is better than 10, so these fellows received Sons of Horus shoulder pauldrons and joined the forces of hope and change.  The extra-large squad will come in handy for those wearing battles against the clueless followers of the so-called "Emperor".

"Team photo" of the newly reinforced 15-man squad, looking forward to causing trouble on a gaming table in Winnipeg. The sergeant with the goofy two-handed "heavy" chainsword is still one of my 30k favourites...what a silly, and therefore perfect, weapon to deal with Horus-change denial

Like the other reinforcements seen recently, these were supposed to have been painted during Curt's winter Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge.  Instead they became part of my summer painting retreat at the lake.  By the time I got to these fellows I was well into following my new approach to painting Sons of Horus marines, so these figures were completed in a relatively short time. 


The Warmaster has some big plans for the fall, so the reinforcements are not done yet...more to follow soon...

Even More Reinforcements - Sons of Horus Support Squad

We are here to support hope - will support hope too? Tactical support marines for the XVI Legion...

When it comes to 30k Legion Marines, ten is better than five, right? Well, the parade of reinforcements for the XVI Legion continues with five tactical support marines armed with plasma guns.  These will join an earlier batch of five models to make a 10-man squad. Ten plasma guns? Sounds like 30k fun! Even with the absurd "gets hot" rules...

As with the other recent posts of reinforcements, these were painted during my recent vacation. The painting was quick and easy, following this handy tutorial from GW. The relatively simple paint scheme and the lovely weather at the lake came together nicely, and while the breachers were a slog under the paint brush, these fellows were a real breeze and seemed to finish in no time at all. The paint jobs are not an exact match for the first group, but it is close enough - and at the end of the day they are green, with spooky eyes of Horus on their pauldrons.  All together for "hope" now...

I love the combs on the officers - this was a spare bit from the "Betrayal at Calth" box set

The models are all from Forge World, although the Sergeant's head is a handy spare from the "Betrayal At Calth" plastic set. There are also decals from the newer Sons of Horus sheet that GW has issued, decals which, thankfully, have far fewer issues of silvering than the first sheet they released.

All together now!

Ten is better than five...

These tactical support squads are great fun on the table top, laying waste to large segments of loyalist fools every turn they open fire.  And of course with plasma guns, a number of them will go down as casualties too...the plasma gun lacks the arcane look and feel of the volkite weapons, but you can't argue with the results, and is a very classic 40k weapon itself.

The complete squad, mixing the new and older paint jobs...not a perfect match, but ready for action on the table

The reinforcements will continue, as the XVI Legion prepares to make a big push for hope and change on the gaming tables this fall.  Stay tuned for more...

Sons Of Horus Reinforcements - Breacher Marine Squad

Into the breach for the Warmaster! XVI Legion reinforcements

The reinforcements continue for the Warmaster's own XVI Legion.  This is a squad of ten breacher marines in Mark III armour.  Two are carrying las-cutter special weapons and the rest are equipped with bolt guns.  All carry the signature boarding protection shields which are the trademark of these troops.

Breacher Sergeant in Mk III armour - he gets a special spooky-looking Eye of Horus decal for his shield

In the fluff these Marines are intended to fight in boarding actions on warships, space stations etc. I enjoyed the look of the models but avoided them at first, as boarding-action-type scenarios were not a particular interest of mine.  Byron, however, painted up a squad of breachers for his Death Guard troops, and I do love how the models look - they are fantastic (as is all of his Death Guard stuff).  When I saw them up close, I knew I would want to add some for the Sons of Horus.

The breacher figures are excellent sculpts from Forge World - the helmets have a medieval look to them, and combined with the heavily segmented, plated and riveted Mk III armour, they have a very ominous look that I find to be very impressive, among the many sculpts that, to my mind, set the 30k stuff apart from the more standard 40k stuff.

Standard breacher tooper on the left, while the fellow on the right is carrying a "las-cutter", useful for slicing up doors, barricades, obstructions and silly types who follow an alleged "Emperor"...

This particular batch of models came my way from the collection of another gamer here in Winnipeg who had started out to do some Heresy forces, but then changed his mind. I picked them up second-hand about a year ago, and I meant to paint them for Curt's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge last winter, but kept procrastinating until finally I started a couple of test models in early July and finished them out at the lake.

As with the Tactical Marines, this squad includes a mix of approaches to painting the green.  I had started out a few models with a more complicated glazing effect before switching over to the more basic approach I discovered on a GW YouTube tutorial.  So there is a slightly mixed look on the figures. 

Rear view of the Mk III armoured breacher marines - lots of segments and rivets, love the look of the models

I love painting 30k stuff, but these breacher models are pretty challenging.  The shield looks cool, but is kind of awkward to paint around. There was also a minor Dullcote disaster, with a pair of models "frosting up" from flawed spray and requiring some substantial re-painting. Some units seem to paint so quickly, and others are a real slog - these were the latter. I'm pleased to have these guys finished and out of the way, and I hope to get them involved in a game soon.

A pair of breacher marines - while my photo skills are weak, there is a lot of detail on the boarding shields, including a little computer screen - great models, but not easy to paint...

I know these Marines are meant for space ship fighting, but I like to imagine them moving in some heavy urban fighting, working closely behind the Fellblade, Land Raider and other fun community outreach tools to banish the dupes of the so-called "Emperor" from the galaxy. Horus for hope!

Stay tuned for even more reinforcements for the XVI Legion!

Sons of Horus Reinforcements - Tactical Marines

Reinforcements for the cause of hope and change - Horus for hope!

After a long run of Epic 30k painting I felt it was time to switch back over to the "regular" 28mm size figures.  I have a large pending pile of assorted reinforcements I had been meaning to paint back in the winter for Curt's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge.  Like always, I was diverted...but might as well get to this in the summer, right?

Legion vexillary - plastic figure from the "Betrayal at Calth" box set

I used a Sons of Horus transfer on the right shoulder pauldron

Every summer we take some time to relax at our cabin in the Sault Ste. Marie area and I took a bunch of these primed figures that I never got to back in the winter with me to paint.  Here is the first bunch - some plain-old vanilla tactical marines.

In 30k the Legion Marines can have very large, 20-man tactical squads.  These seem to do really well in the game, and they look cool, so I took 10 figures from a "Betrayal at Calth" box set, added some Sons of Horus bits, and designated them to join the forces of hope and change, to make a big 20-man tactical squad.

In the photos you will see there are only nine figures...I'm 100% sure I put together 10 of these models, but somehow...I lost one. So there are only nine of them...meaning I'm still one figure short of a 20-man tactical squad.  A 19-man squad will have to do for now.

Comparing greens...my old approach on the right - my new approach on the left.  I like how both look, but the approach on the left takes half the time, so it wins...

I have been painting these figures for a few years now, and my approach to the green armour has changed a bit over time.  I find it difficult sometimes to come back to painting a faction or collection after spending time on other periods/scales/factions, and I found it tricky to get the green to match.  I had been starting to use fancy techniques like glazing to try and fancy things up...but I also find glazing to be tedious, time consuming and difficult to replicate precisely over a number of figures.  And I don't think I'm very good at it...I would apply glazes, and it would look kind of cool, to be sure, but nothing like it should in the hands of someone with a real gift/talent for that approach.

Nine extra tactical marines...I need to find that missing model...

I came across this excellent video tutorial on the GW web site (one of a number of great video tutorials they have done).  It was a nice, simple approach to coming up with a good, clean look on the figure.  I was hooked! So I have switched to this approach - with one exception (you can likely pick him out in the photos), this bunch was painted using the approach from the GW tutorial.  No glazing. No airbrush. No zenithal anything.  Pretty basic, but it works for me!

Stay tuned for some more 30k reinforcements painted at the lake...

Epic 30k - XVI Legion Breachers and Legio Mortis Warhound

Epic 30k reinforcements for the cause of "hope and change"

Continuing with the see-saw posting of Epic 30k work, we are back once again to the Rebel side.  This post includes infantry, vehicles and the first Titan I have attempted to paint in quite a long time! The infantry and vehicles are from the XVI Legion, the Sons of Horus, while the Titan is from Legio Mortis, one of the Titan Legions who sided with the Warmaster in the Horus Heresy.

Achilles Land Raider

Slabs and slabs of armour...

The vehicles are Achilles variant Land Raider tanks.  These vehicles are even more heavily armoured than the "average" Land Raider, meant to support close assaults or fight among ruins and built-up areas (or built-up areas blasted into ruins).

Breacher Marines for the XVI Legion

I expect these fellows will work well together...

The infantry are "Breacher" Marines, a detachment of 20 spread across four bases.  This detachment would be small, meant to augment a larger basic force.  In fact, they will probably work well together with the Achilles Land Raiders and I expect I will pair them up when the time comes for these fellows to see action on the table.

"Scout" from Legio Mortis

The Titan is a Warhound class, a so-called "scout" Titan (hilarious).  It is armed with turbo lasers and a vulcan heavy bolter, giving a mix of anti-tank and anti-personnel capability.

I went with some pretty boring/average markings on this vehicle...

This is the first Titan I have tried to paint in a while, and this paint job is pretty tentative.  Usually the Titan Legio markings feature lots of bands and chevrons of contrasting colours, but I took it easy with this model, opting for basic colours only.

A view of the engine and leg assemblies

In the "Epic: Armageddon" rules the Warhound class Titan is a pretty impressive war engine, even though it is only a "scout" Titan.  I hope to get this on the table sometime later this summer, although I'll want to make sure some Loyalist engines are on hand to keep things balanced.

Ready to stalk the ruins of Istvaan III and elsewhere...

Need to move on to a Loyalist engine now

This batch concludes my little run of Epic 30k - time for some plain-old 28mm 30k stuff. Stay tuned for more, and I hope you are enjoying your summers!

Tau Hospitality

While in Winnipeg, I had the chance to have a game of WH40K with Byron, at his place. Steve, a friend of his, came for a visit and provided some precious advice at various moments of the game. I don't play 40K very often, and last time I did was with the 5th Edition of the rules. So I had lots of reading to do before this game.

To give some more context, during the Sixth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, I painted two 40K armies and since I have been waiting for an opportunity to field one of them. Well, I am happy to report that the Viet-Cron army just had its baptism of fire. Unfortunately, I don't think I will have a chance to play with Greg, who inspired the theme behind the Viet-Cron, before I leave Winnipeg, but I am sure we will have a chance to meet sooner or later for a friendly encounter.

Byron prepared a table with some awesome scenery. Many of the buildings visible in the picture are his creations and I really like how they are linked by small bridges.

I deployed my Destroyers on the right flank, ready to engage a squad of Fire Warriors.

 On the left flank, a group of Viet-Cron Warriors engaged a group of Tau Battlesuits and even managed to scare them away for a few turns. The posters, the billboards and the solar panels really make the city something special.

Right in the middle of the battlefield stood the "Temple of Metal", shooting all around. I thought the thing was invincible...

... so I moved it (it's on the right edge of the picture) closer to the heart of the city, ready to wipe out any target coming within range....

 ... then BOUM! some Battlesuit equipped with an array of fusion weapons blew up my big unit with one well aimed shot. The Spyder is positioned just behind where the "Temple of Metal" was standing a few seconds earlier.

On the right flank, things were going well. Two Battlesuits and the Tau Warriors were vaporized.
 

A final view of the battlefield. The Tau obviously have a strong foothold in the city while the few remaining Viet-Cron units control most of the forest.  Point wise, it was a Tau victory, but fun wise, it was a blast for both players!

I had a chance to take a look at some of Byron's outstanding miniatures and scenery before heading back to the downtown suite. A cool gaming evening like this is one of the reasons why I always look forward to my yearly trip to Winnipeg.