Heresy Era Sons of Horus - Rhino variants complete!

While I awaited the next batch of kits to arrive for the Exodite project, I rooted around in the Closet of Doom for various half-completed projects to polish off and my eye fell upon the trio of Rhino variants that had gotten up to the "off the factory floor" stage and were just awaiting the waterslide and weathering treatment. Easy peasy!

Broke out the Microset and Microsol and got some gold iconography laid in and sealed down, nothing too outrageous required as the SoH doors on either side were garish enough I figured! Once that was done it was a simple matter to get some sponge weathering and chipping on here and there, and then get some mud and dust splashed up the sides of the hulls.

By default the chassis will be used as Rhinos to ferry the various infantry around, but to give them a little more punch, they have an additional Multi-melta (from Wargame Exclusive). Technically pintle-mounted, the servitor-controlled turret looks a bit more brutalist to me which I felt suits the Sons of Horus!

Alternately, they may also be fitted with some alternate Whirlwind turrets (or Scorpius launchers if you squint), to give the force some anti-horde capability. These turrets are also from Wargame Exclusive and I rather like 'em, though I think they may be better suited to a Word Bearers army what with the cathedral-like design aesthetic. Just means I should start a Word Bearers force, right?

Finally I managed to dig up a single radar dish suitable to run one of the Rhinos as a Damocles command tank, which dovetails nicely with the deep striking/teleporting nature of the Sons of Horus, as well as offering up some interesting Reserves manipulation shenanigans and a once-a-game pie plate lance strike from orbit. Hard to go wrong there!

Overall I'm pretty pleased with them, though looking over the pics I might give the mud and dust another going over with some sponged-on stippling. Still, they're table ready and I'm looking forward to getting some game time in with 'em!

Heresy Era Sons of Horus - Rhino chassis "Off the factory floor"

Just a quick hit this morning - Realized I hadn't posted up the recent in-progress shots of the Sons of Horus Rhino-based vehicles I've been working on. Sadly it's been really cold of late (what with it being winter and all) so I haven't had a change to get anything spray sealed for fear of mucking it up due to temperature. Nonetheless I have gotten the trio of Rhinos to the point where they're ready to receive waterslides and weathering!

A quick pic of the three variant turrets, allowing the tanks to be used as a trio of regular Rhinos with a pintle-mounted Multimeltas, Whirlwinds, and/or a Damocles command tank (or a mix thereof). Really rather happy with how they're coming along so far, and am looking forward to adding some legion symbols and some muck and scrapes to give 'em a bit more personality. So far, so good!

Heresy Era Sons of Horus - Anvilus Dreadclaw painted!

Just a quick hit this evening - Finally got a chance to upload a fair few pics of some work done over the last week or two, starting off with a Dreadclaw for the Sons of Horus!

I ended up picking up a trio of them ostensibly for the Sons of Horus, but upon further reflection two of them are going to be held in reserve for some future project. As I'd done a whole drop army with the previous Thousand Sons I didn't want to just repeat that. However, it'll be useful to have one in the SoH force to ferry in a dreadnought or cheeky unit of terminators!

Pretty straightforward scheme, gave the ground spikes and undercarriage a little weathering, but the model is so 'busy' that there's not really much of a place where I thought any waterslide transfers would look good. So, calling it done for now!

Heresy Era Sons of Horus - Horus the Warmaster complete!

Another three hours of work in after work today, and have called it finished for the big man himself. Well, he hasn't been sealed yet as the weather has taken a turn for the chilly and I absolutely don't want to take a chance on frosting the model at this point!

A little cleanup here and there, some further washes on the metal to give it more depth, and he's ready to march on Terra! Painting this model is a bit of a hobby milestone for me - I've always wanted to take a crack at him since it was released but wanted to wait until I felt I could do it justice.

Added a little flourish to the interior of the cape, but didn't want to go overboard. I've seen some truly amazing freehand done by others, but I know my limitations and inexperience and this is NOT the model I wanted to be practicing on! I was pretty happy with the obsidian head on Worldbreaker, it'll have a slick glossy finish added once the matte spray sealant is applied, should help distinguish its black from the black of the armour in both tone and color.

I'm pretty sure this is the best face I've ever done, which I expect is more than half due to the fact that it's about twice the size of a normal marine face so there was plenty of room to work!

Really happy with the OSL effect - I probably could have pushed it a little further, but I always say "less is more" when it comes to weathering, blood spatter, and the the like. I was honestly terrified the entire time I was painting it, and the fear of going too heavy-handed and mucking it up completely kept me from going overboard.

Looking at pictures this blown up is always a sobering moment for any painter, where every little flaw and brushstroke is shouted into one's eyes. There's all sorts of things that leap out at me as being ham-fisted, but even so this is probably the first piece I've painted that has made me seriously consider entering it in an event painting competition like NOVA or Adepticon. I absolutely know that I'd be destroyed by the hugely talented artists, but I think I could still hold my head up and be proud of the entry!

Really enjoyed painting him but I think it's time to do something messy and fast next as a way to loosen up - Going to finally build and paint the Galvanic Servohaulers set I picked up a while back. Experiments in weathering ahoy!

Heresy Era Sons of Horus - Horus nearing completion!

Ended up getting a fair bit of brush time in on Sunday afternoon and after work today, and got to what I'm thinking will be the penultimate session. One more good push and I should be able to carry him to the finish line!

Added some subtle oranges and reds to the undersides of Horus's face, and gave the interior of the armor the same treatment. Then came the nerve-wracking installation of the head. Decided on the 'looking out over his forces' facing rather than down the haft of worldbreaker, as the OSL looked a little better in this facing.

I like to take a picture near the end like this (though I don't always post them) as it helps me step back from the model and really take stock of what remains to be done before sealing. I need to give all the metals and the cloak a further wash and highlight, as well as do a little cleanup here and there, paint the base rims, etc.

Overall I'm really happy with how he's coming along, the model has been an absolute joy to paint and I'm looking forward to getting a family photo with him surrounded by the rest of the Sons of Horus!

Heresy Era Sons of Horus - Forging ahead with Horus!

Quick hit this evening, only got a little brush time in today but it was enough to warrant a terrible pun!

Got Horus's head painted up to the point where I can now consider mucking it up with OSL. Rather pleased with how it's come along so far and part of me is shouting "leave well enough alone!"

I do find it interesting how much of the under-colors pop out in the pictures under the daylight lamps. To the naked eye, many of the yellows and browns are far more subdued and blended. That's likely more down to my photo setup than anything else. I ought to put some parchment paper over the lamp to stop it from being quite so harsh.

In any case, pretty happy with the head and looking forward to getting started on the rest of the model. It really deserves a deliberate, careful approach so I am going to try not to rush it. Speedy batch painting is fine for rank and file models, but a Primarch deserves better!

Heresy Era Sons of Horus - Horus the Warmaster built!

A box o' joy dropped on my doorstep a few days ago and after a good soak and scrub, the centerpiece for the Sons of Horus army takes the stage!

Leaving his head separate for painting, the intent is to do some fiery glow from the interior of the armour, reflecting up and to the rear of his head. That's the plan at least, we'll see if my skillset will allow it. Really looking forward to getting him on the painting desk - this is one of the models that I have always wanted to tackle but have equally feared undertaking!

I really like the base that he comes with, the full vignette really has a sense of majesty to it, and even separated down to the gaming base it is still very imposing! Still trying to decide which way he'll be looking in the end, pointing left down along the haft of Worldbreaker, or more out to the right such that he'd be facing directly into the camera in the pic above. With my propensity for slightly walleyed pupil placement, he may inadvertently end up doing both!

I got some brush time in on Falkus Kibre recently as well, as I have a game scheduled (GASP) for this coming Sunday where the Sons of Horus will be taking the field for the first time and I needed a Delegatus to lead the force. Pretty pleased with how he's turning out, still working on the base (as you can see the initial pass of water effects are still drying).

Also included in the recent box o' joy was a little something for Necromunda - Gor Halfhorn the bounty hunter. I love this homage to the old metal guard beastman model, and really look forward to getting some paint on him as well!

Heresy Era Sons of Horus - Falkus Kibre built

Quick hit today - Over the weekend I managed to get signed up for the Heresy events at Adepticon 2018 I was hoping for, which was good news! Reading through the mission briefs it appears that I needed to build a Delegatus model in keeping with the force as for the most part I will not be able to use either Abaddon or Maloghurst due to the army creation restrictions.

A Delegatus allows for the use of Rites of War at lower point levels, which will be key to be able to keep certain models I'd built for the army in the Troops category, and I thought the leader of the Justaerin would be a good choice to take a crack at. Enter my take on Falkus Kibre - Based on the terminator captain from the Betrayal at Calth box set, with some bespoke SoH shoulder pads, and helmet with the topknot favored by the legion. Added a little extra bling along the top of the armor to get another spike in there, being one of the defining characteristics of the Justaerin warplate. Armed with a combi-melta and a chainfist, he'll fit in well with the rest of the Justaerin in the force so far!

I also recently picked up a trio of Anvillus Dreadclaws off of ebay, and they're getting a little TLC at the moment - pics to come!

Heresy Era Sons of Horus - Armies on Parade family photo!

I recently finished off the last of the models I had assembled and figured a family photo of what's been painted up so far was in order. Packed everything up and popped over to the local GW to put them in the Armies on Parade lineup and snapped a few pics!

There's actually quite a few of 'em once I got 'em all laid out! Fairly infantry heavy so far, but I find it's good to crank out a mess of infantry and leave the big toys for later. Still plan on adding more to the force, and there's quite a bit still awaiting assembly, but we're looking at about 3500 points complete already!

Couple off-angle shots as well - Pretty happy with how the greens turned out across the force, and I'm rather enjoying the various spot colors here and there, the hot oranges pop nicely against the cooler tones of the armor.

Updated the painting chart and really pleased with how it's coming along! Still a few things on the ol' wish list to order up from Forge World once the new rulebook drops, and a couple models still awaiting assembly in the Closet of Doom. However, I'm thinking I might switch gears for a bit and work on a different project for a little while to recharge the batteries after all this green!

Heresy Era Sons of Horus - Reaver attack squad complete!

After a longer-than-expected stretch of home repair that put the hobby loft out of commission for quite a few days, I was finally able to get the painting servitor plugged back into its socket and fired it up!

First up was to finish off the Reaver Attack Squad for the Sons of Horus. I really enjoyed building and painting this unit, and look forward to seeing how they perform on the tabletop - They certainly aren't cheap points-wise though, with everyone toting a power sword or power fist, they weigh in at 375 points!

As much as I like the resin chainaxes they come with by default, they're rather thin and bendy and I feared much breakage. Instead I rooted through the leftover bits from all the Betrayal at Calth boxes I've picked up and had enough plastic Mk.IV power swords to kit out the unit. Should be far more robust when it comes to transporting 'em!

Really pleased with the MaxMini jump packs, I think they suit the aesthetic really well and give the models a rather brutal look. Doesn't hurt that it gives them the Bulky rule, and therefore means they each count as two models when it comes time to figure their Merciless Fighters attacks. At initiative step 1 any surviving model with a power sword gets additional attacks - hard to go wrong there!

Once they were done I couldn't help but press on with the first of the trio of Land Raiders. Laid in the initial black and green and have started the edge-highlighting process. Still a ways to go of course but liking how it's coming along so far!

Heresy Era Sons of Horus - Reaver Attack Squad painting begins!

Just a quick hit this morning, been having some work done on the house which has meant the hobby loft has been challenging to get to. That said, it was nice enough outside to primer some models and I got the greens down on the Reaver Attack Squad!

It's mentioned a couple times that the Reavers tend to wear a darker green livery than the rest of their legion, and I tried to take the recipe I've been using down a couple tones. They will end up with red shoulder pads as well, which I think should look pretty cool and help tie them in with the Justaerin and the veterans. Really liking the Maxmini jump packs - They are a nice nod to the modern-era chaos raptors versions!

Heresy Era Sons of Horus - Abaddon and Justaerin complete!

Took advantage of a couple nice days over the weekend to finish off some models and make a start on some others!

First up is the rather awesome Abaddon vs. Loken vignette - This was one of the models that I have always wanted ever since it was released and it was an absolute blast to build and paint!

Rather pleased with how well the Secret Weapon bases match up with the FW set, and am looking forward to painting up Horus and his rather cool architectural base soon!

"Give up, AnnLoken! I have the high ground!" ...I'll show myself out.

The big A (hole) himself, Abaddon the ever-so-slightly myopic, apparently. Might have to go back in and fix that left eye.

The Justaerin are some very cool models, and really show off the brutalist nature of the Sons of Horus. While the power axes that come in the kit are undeniably cool, I prefer my terminators to carry chainfists and power fists.

It's hard to argue with a terminator toting a multi-melta, and I figured the anti-tank nature of the weapon was a natural fit with all the other armorbane chainfists!

A parting shot of Abaddon and the Justaerin. In most games they'll be teleporting into the fray, but for those times where the terrain (or available points) allow, they'll also have a Spartan to roll around in. The archmagos of the Luna manufactorum has been putting off its assembly, claiming delays in the receipt of appropriate doors prior to commencing fabrication of the vehicle. (It's not that I'm dreading the build and am procrastinating, noooo sir.)

In non-heresy news I have put together a couple Chimeras as a small commission for the fine fellow who ended up with a goodly chunk of the Mordian 7th, the inestimable Zzzzzz of Devos IV. It'll be a nice break from painting the black and red of the Justaerin to paint up some guard vehicles in... Black and red. Argh!