Returning to Sons of Horus

Something almost unprecedented has happened: I made a hobby plan and actually stuck to it!

Yes, I'm as shocked as you are.

 I decided to add to my Sons of Horus for the first time in about 3 years, painting up some Reavers which I knocked together from my bits box a while back.

It's nice to be returning this army. They were my first Heresy army and would probably benefit from a bit of an update to bring them up to the standard of painting which I feel I've achieved in the past few years.

 I might dig out a few more units and give them a spruce up. Then again, a rather large distraction is on the horizon with Titanicus confirmed to be coming next week, so it's probably best that I don't commit to anything on that front!

I'll post more soon.

A Primarch and a bit

I haven't posted much  over the last few weeks. Real life has just gotten in the way a little. To make up for it, here's one hell of a progress post for you. I managed to get Horus finished on Monday night!

He took far less time than I expected to get done. I thought I'd be still highlighting and shading him for months on end, but he came together really quickly. I'm happy with how he turned out at least.

I went for a much darker, more savage feel to the model than many people paint him. This was partly due to wanting to do something a bit different, but also because my army is set post-Molech, where Horus' darker side comes fully to the fore. Having such a love for ADB's Black Legion series and read Khayon's descriptions of how Horus went completely off the deep end towards the end of the Heresy, I couldn't resist playing up those aspects of his character!

Although I love how he turned out in a general sense, I'm proudest of the look I achieved on his wolf pelt. I normally suck at painting fur, so I was a little apprehensive about approaching this, but after over a week of careful layering, washing and highlighting I'm pretty happy with it. I was thinking about putting flecks of dried blood in there to tie it in with his claw, but I figured I shouldn't push my luck, so I called it done.

So there you have it: my first Primarch painted. It's going to be far from my last though. In fact I've started painting my next one!

Fulgrim has always been my amongst my favourites of all the Primarchs, so I'm loving the chance to finally get him on my painting table.  I'm actually planning to make two versions of him, representing him both pre and post Daemonhood. Daemon Fulgrim is going to wait until I have the funds to indulge in the nessesary bits to convert him though. If I'm lucky, GW will beat me to it. Given what they've done with Mortarion and Magnus however, I might still prefer to make my own version.

Coming back to 'normal' Fulgrim though, he's going to be a slow burn project, weaved in between other stuff which I'm working on atm. This is partly because I want to take my time on him, but also because I have no reason to actually use him right now. Although I play Emperor's Children in 40k, the amount of models which I have which are usable for EC's in 30k is actually pretty small. I want to finish up my Thousand Sons and spruce up my Sons of Horus before I launch into the 3rd Legion properly.

I'm pretty happy with how he's shaping up so far though. The real pain will come when I go to highlight all that gold! I didn't even realise just how much filigree there is on him until I'd started on the base colours for the pink and noticed a load more on his legs which I'd completely missed. There's probably even more in there somewhere which I've still missed, so it'll be an interesting journey of discovery as I paint.

That's all for today. Hopefully I'll be able to muster the energy to be a little more productive over the week so I can post some more, but I seem to be in a bit of a lull atm hobby-wise, so I'll have to see how I get on.

A horde of progress!

I've been pretty busy over the last week. After getting annoyed with the Land Speeder I was painting for my Thousand Sons and dumping it back in the stripping tub, I decided to take a bit of a break from painting red and gold. I turned my attention instead to the easy painting points I was talking about in my last post.

Having had a rummage through the case containing my Emperor's Children, it turned out that I had no less than 27 Cultists which just needed basing to be considered done.

Possibly the easiest chunk of painting points I've ever scooped up!

I also found Kharyk the Wanderer and Aryan Ythykal, my Sorceror and counts-as Lucius who I was working on before Christmas.

They both just needed a couple of highlights and basing, so I got those done too:

That's another 20 points right there. I'm actually shocked that I didn't get these finished at the time, but I'm guessing that I just got distracted. Thanks to these guys, I'm in a position where I just need to claw back one more point and I'm in positive figures for the first time ever!


 Of course this deviation from my focus on my 15th Legion had to come at a price. That price was a crumbling of my resolve not to start on my Primarchs until I'd painted the armies to go with them. Having racked up 47 painting points in a single night, I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to make a start on Horus:

Not a bad start for a couple of hours work I think, although obviously there's still a long way to go on him. Annoyingly I can't just push through till he's finished, as due to a packaging error he came without a head, so I've got to wait for a replacement part to be sent out to me. I think I'm going to get everything save for that done while I'm waiting though.

So yeah it's been quite a productive few days for me. I need to get the Land Speeder done this week for my hobby challenge, so that'll be a bit of a slog, but at least everything's heading in the right direction and I'm in a productive mood, so it shouldn't be too bad.

Watch this space.

Mk1 Dreadnought conversion WIP

I'm still in the process of moving flat, but I wanted something to work on, so I decided to treat myself to a moving-in present (that's my excuse anyway) and buy some of the new Ad Mech Kastellen Robots.

They're gorgeous models and I love the 50's Sci-Fi vibe they're got going on, but I had something different in mind for them. My plan was to convert myself an updated version of these:

Yup, the classic Mk1 Dreadnoughts. I've always loved these models, but they're a bit small and clunky to use in game these days. There's also the fact that the models go for ridiculous prices on eBay! It's a conversion idea which has caused surprising amounts of controversy on the various Facebook groups on which I've suggested it, so I'm determined to do them justice.

So I set about with creating my modernised versions. The first step was to construct the torsos. I'm aiming for the rounded look which the original models have, but to also add a little bulk. With the aid of a couple of 28mm bases and a stack of pennies, I came up with this:

I'm obviously leaving off the domed head, but a disc of plasticard neatly sealed the hole left behind. After that I added bits and pieces to bring it closer to the look and vibe of the original model, until I arrived at something I was was happy with. At the end of the night's hobbying I had this in front of me:

I couldn't resist painting up the legs, as they didn't even need converting. They're only lightly pinned atm until the body's finished. There's still a long way to go, but I'm quite liking how it's turning out. It has a definite resemblance to the Mk1, so I'm going in the right direction at least.

Unfortunately I won't be able to work any more on it until at least next week when I can get my hobby area set up in my new place. It's been carefully packed away for the move tomorrow. It's annoying, as I'm keen to crack on, but I'll just have to be patient. Good things come to those who wait after all.

Karrson merradon, Legion Delagtus WIP

 So in between my new job and moving flat, I found time to work on my newly-promoted Legion Delagatus - the unkillable hero from my last post.

Apologies from the bad photo, I'm working from a makeshift hobby area atm due to the aforementioned move. I'm liking how he's turning out though, especially the red on his shoulder pads. I'll be adding freehand symbols them once I'm set up in my new place, as well as running some washes over him and his base. I also debated sculpting a cloak on him, but I'll leave it until I have more time I think.

Not bad for an hour's work though, even if I do say so myself!

Pesky Eldar and a true hero

 I managed to get a game of 40k in last week, for the first time in ages. It was only a small 1000 point engagement, but I had good fun.

It gave me the opportunity to test out the force I'm wanting to paint next for my Sons of Horus (I figure having a preset list will help me stay focused). Horus Heresy lists struggle at lower points and I was against Eldar, who are hideously undercosted, so I didn't hold out much hope of victory tbh, but it was nice just to be able to play for once.

I brought the following:


Karsson Merradon - Legion Delegatus with Power Axe, Artificer Armour, Refractor Field and Pride of the Legion

Veteran Squad Korkann - 9 x Veterans, 3 with Power Swords, 1 with Power Axe, 1 x Meltagun in a Rhino with Heavy Bolter, Sniper 

Terminator Squad Sekundus - 6 x Legion Terminators with Power Fists, 1 with Plasma Blaster

Javelin Speeder - Heavy Flamer, twin-linked Cyclones and a HK missile.

Laser Destroyer Array

Predator 'Drukkar' - Predator with Plasma Executioner Cannon

Whirlwind Scorpius 'Athekan'


A very small list, but like I said, Legions struggle in lower points games. I figured the heavy firepower from the Predator and Whirlwind would help me tip the balance if the Eldar did their usual 'hide and shoot' thing.

Off the top of my head, my opponent brought this:

Farseer on Jetbike

3x Jetbikes, one Shuriken Cannon

3x Jetbikes, one Shuriken Cannon

Vyper

5x Wraithguard with D-Scythes in a Wave Serpent

3 x War Walkers

5 x Warp spiders


A very tough list to face with what I had, but not massively cheesy, aside from the D-Weapons on the Wraithguard.

We rolled the mission with two objectives (can't remember what it's called these days. I know it used to be Take & Hold in 5th Ed) and I won the roll off for deployment. I set up a rough battle line, hoping to spread out and trap the Eldar wherever they happened to go, deploying my Rapier Laser on my right flank to sto him advancing his vehicles across the more open terrain, whilst my Veterans and Predator advanced on his objective and the Terminators secured my own.

It was a good plan I thought. He promptly scuppered it by holding most of his force in reserve, deploying only his Jetbikes, Farseer and Vyper behind the silo which his own objective was in.

Unperturbed, I made my turn one, using my Javelin to score a clean kill on his Vyper. The combined fire of the Predator and Whirlwind did far less damage than I was hoping though, with the Whirlwind only managing to kill two Jetbikes and the Executioner Cannon overheating on me! (First time that's ever done that to me too).

After that the game went massively downhill. The Eldar reserves came on pretty much all at once and my force was surrounded by outflankers and taken apart.

 After the Warp Spiders killed my Scorpius, my fate was sealed. I put up a valiant fight though.

The Vterans were forced out of their transport by the Wave Serpent, using the wreck in a less than noble manner to avoid the Wraithguard D-Scythes. They did manage to take the Wraiths apart the next turn though, so I had a measure of revenge before being gunned down almost to a man.

The Terminators managed to hold on far longer than either of us expected though, even managing to kill two out of the three War Walkers bearing down on the objective with Combi-Bolters and Plasma Blaster before the Warp Spiders finally jumped in to finish them off.

The only guy to survive the battle was Merradon, my Legion Delgatus. Thanks to a combination of his Artificer Armour, Refractor Field and the cover afforded by the smoking wreck of the Rhino, he survived fire from pretty much the entire Eldar force for two turns, actually allowing me to reach the natural end of the game. It was amazing to watch and I wish I'd gotten a photo of it, but we were both too absorbed in the unfolding drama to think about getting a pic.

Needless to say, the Eldar won, but it was one hell of a match and it reminded me why I love smaller points games so much. They seem to have a much stronger narrative focus and sense of drama than larger games. I remember laying a lot of 1000 point games with my Space Wolves a few years ago and got the same impression then too. It's a shame the focus of the game these days seems to be on ever larger forces.

After the battle I felt bad that the heroic Merradon had only been a proxy from another Veteran Squad who I'd brought in test the Delegatus rules. To make up for this, I've decided that he's going to become my proper Delegatus model from now on (also doubling as a Vigilator when needed), complete with a spiffy new paint job and a backstory written to reflect his feats. He's now sitting on my painting desk, awaiting his transformation. Hopefully I'll actually get around to it soon. I've got a lot going on atm though, so I'll have to see.

Tub of Heresy

Having gone through my vast horde of GW bits, I decided to seperate out any and all bits which were usable in my heresy conversions. Needless to say, I ended up with rather a lot so now I've got a big tub of heresy parts to be used or stripped down, plus two small craft boxes of the rarer or more prized pieces I found.

By my reckoning there's enough parts in there for 20-30 marines of varying descriptions. Add those what I've already got built/painted and I reckon I'll be hitting 8000 points on my Sons of Horus and Thousand Sons within a few months, once I've had a sort through and build of what's in there.

Sods law says I'll still end up spending hours looking for that one bit I need for projects though!

Oh and annoyingly I've run out of the wash I need for my Sons of Horus, bringing progress on repainting them grinding to a halt (again). Hopefully I'll be able to finish off my first Inquisitorial Henchman Squad done  though.

State of my hobby

Normally I do a review of my projects at the start of the year, but with me being so busy recently, I never quite got round to it this year. Now I have actually time to focus a bit more on my hobby, I figured now would be a good time to do to have a look over it all.

This is what I have on the go at the moment:

Sons of Horus

As I said in my last post, I'm currently rebasing all my Sons of Horus to 32mm, giving them a spruce up as I go.

The plan is to write out the full fluff for each squad as it gets renamed, finally putting their background to page. My initial expansion of my Sons of Horus was so rapid that quite a few units got skipped over the first time, even though they were fully fluffed out in my head. It'll be nice to spend the time sorting it all out properly.

Ordo Xenos forces

My other major project. Starting as a good excuse to make use of all the odds and sods from various projects I had laying around, this has grown to encompass Warbands, Deathwatch and Scions/ Stormtrooper forces, as well as eventual Harlequin allies.

This project will grow alongside my Sons of Horus, switching between them as the mood or inspiration takes me. These should be fully fluffed out at some point too.

Squats

What started out as a counts-as Solar Auxila force has grown into an idea to produce a full 2nd Ed-legal force, after a friend of mine introduced me to playing 2nd Edition 40k and I fell in love with the system.

Whilst I can't afford to use the original Squat models, I'm going to continue with my Fantasy Dwarf conversions until I have a full force to use for 2nd Ed, plus in a variety of roles in the current 30k and 40k rules.

Mercenary Tau

One of my side projects to make use of everything in my hobby cupboard, some of which were some battered old Tau I got in an eBay job lot with some classic marines. Whilst they were in no state to be used as Empire Tau due to their abundance of missing pieces, a meshing with Imperial bits from my spares should yield some decent results and provide me with a small allied force to make use of with my Inquisition.

Hochland Engineer Army

This is very much on the back burner, due to the total collapse of my interest in Fantasy which came with the End Times. Even if I don't use it, I plan to at least get a 2000 point force finished at some point for display and completion purposes, but my other projects are taking priority right now.

Song of Ice and Fire

This is still a project I want to do, as I think it'll work fantastically, however a combination of a lack of interested playtesters in my area, lack of money to buy the models for my first scenario (Tyrion &Catelyn being ambushed on the way to the Vale) and very little time to work on rules has pretty much killed my motivation to move this project forward.

Hopefully between the new series on TV and a Winds of Winter release being finally in sight, I'll be able to get the motivation going to reignite this project soon.

Lost and the Damned

This is a possible project in the works, after a friend of mine suggested the possibility of running a 13th Black Crusade campaign at some point next year.

Lost and the Damned are something I've wanted to collect for a very long time, but  due to the fact that I started 40k literally the month after the original worldwide campaign finished I've never had the chance to do it. This is despite having been inspired by numerous versions of the FW Traitors & Renegades lists (which I'll be using rules-wise if this project happens).

It'll give me a good excuse to dust off my old Blood Pact and Deamon models too, which will be nice, plus gives me a chance to convert up swarms of mutants and 40k Beastmen, which is always nice.

This could also tie in nicely with my Heresy projects, considering the sorry state the mortal followers of Horus had devolved into by the time they reached Terra!

So there you are. It's a much more restricted project list than previous versions, but that's mainly due to the fact that I have now graduated, so I have much less time to game. It's still more than enough to keep me going though. Hopefully by the time I look over my hobby again, I'll have actually got a project or two finished, so I can start dwindling down my vast 'to do' list. As ever though, I'll likely start with good intentions, then get sidetracked again!

Wish me luck.

Revisiting the Sons of Cthonia

So with the new Space Marine base size from GW rolling out, I decided the time was ripe to revisit and spruce up my Sons of Horus as I transfer them to their bases.

With about 6000 points to revisit and me being skint, this is going to take a while. On the other hand, having to do it in stages also means I can take the time to get each squad up to the very best standard I can before moving onto the next, so I don't mind it too much.

I decided to start with my Preator, a Reaver squad and my first Tactical Squad, seeing as they form the core of any list I write. Here's the first of the redone Reavers:

I still need to finish the base, but the effect of the new base is immediately obvious. It makes him much more imposing and seriously adds to his presence on the tabletop. A success in my book!

Preator Morkaddon's having far more substantial work done to him. As the first SoH I ever painted, I felt he'd benefit from being stripped down and completely redone to take advantage of theimprovements in my painting skills since he was first painted. Here's the stage he's at right now:

Not the best of photos, but he's definitely looking a lot better than he was. He's gained a snazzy new Combi-Flamer too to replace his old Bolter. He's also got it held ready to fire rather than being held neutrally as his his previous incarnation did. This ties in with how his backstory has developed over the last few years, going from a Captain of a footslogging line company to the leader of a highly aggressive airborne force.

His helmet crest went missing in the stripping process. I'm still debating whether to replace it with the bit from the Sternguard Veteran set or to give him a topknot to bring him more in line with the Sons of Horus aesthetic. I'll let you know on that one.

Full background right-ups will follow at some point, but what do you think so far?

Dreadclaw Conversion finished

Wonders will never cease - I actually got something finished!

Granted it wasn't any of the things which I've been working on for the last few months, but at least it's progress.

The converted Dreadclaw has been sitting on my hobby desk since last January, waiting for me to finish it so I could use it for my Justearin. With the updates to the Heresy list in the Crusade Army List book making Justearin actually viable points-wise, I actually had the motivation to finish it up.

Let's hope this productive streak continues.

Sons of Horus Techmarine WIP

 I've been looking over all the options in the FW Legion list and I found a hidden gem: Techmarines!

I realised that Techmarines in a Legion list can take Rad Grenades and can be fielded in groups of 1-3 Techmarines as a single unit choice. That's not too shabby when you consider that they're also cheap enough to allow you to take one for every squad in your army without too much of a dent in your points. I decided I had to try it, so converted one up and gave him a go in my assault orientated Reaver squad. This what I came up with just from my bits box:

It's nothing too fancy. The most complicated part of the conversion was making the Graviton Gun (which I gave him to stop him just being a grenade caddy) from a Necron Gauss Flayer and a spare vehicle accessory (I don't even know where it's from tbh), and meshing together Space Marine and Necron legs to make his bionics. After his performance in-game though, I'd say he's earned himself a decent paint job and a general upgrade. Facing a CSM list, the Reaver squad he was attached to managed to kill Typhus and his entire Terminator bodyguard without even breaking a sweat, thanks to the -1 toughness from the Rad Grenades. I can't wait to see how he does against regular marines!