From GregB: Space Marine Command Group

Commander & bodyguards for the Vylka Fenryka.

Big surprise: I'm back with even more Space Marines! I'm just on a real sci-fi roll right now at the painting table. This is a Space Marine command group - a Centurion, and standard bearer and a pair of body-guards. The commander and the banner-bearer are resin figures from Forge World - they are wearing Mark IV powered armour, burnished with extra fancy bits, like cloaks and combs for their helmets. The two other marines are assembled from an assortment of left over plastic bits. The decals on the figures are from GW and Forge World. As with most of my recent work shared in the Quarantine Challenge, the models are painted in the colours of the VI Legion Astrates, the "Space Wolves".

Adding a command group like this to the collection helps to firm things up to my random hobby mind. A headquarters choice that brings things together, elevating the assortment of Vylka Fenryka figures from scattered and random side projects into a single, coherent force - one that demands further escalation in terms of additional assets, or course...but a significant waypoint in the evolution of the collection and painting process.

Awesome sculpt on this figure - I love this command group, great work by Forge World.

Rear view showing the shoulder pauldron & back pack.

The Space Marine Legions of the Horus Heresy setting have a cornucopia of officers, commanders, specialists, medics, engineers and other heroic figures you can choose from to serve as HQs, but the core selection of the senior HQ level is this small assembly of a senior officer and three elite associates, one of who carries a banner.

We can have some fun with the wolf-themed symbols on the banner. These are decals from Forge World.

Carrying a banner into battle in such a futuristic setting is a ridiculous anachronism - and I just love it! I mean, it's just OBVIOUS that you would do that, right? You step out of your combat-drop-pod or your Storm Eagle gunship or your Lander Raider or your Rhino or whatever and you make sure your banner is present - it is simply how things are done, even amid the grim darkness of the far future.

I love this figure! Great sculpt again by Forge World.

I thought I would try a different colour combo for his shoulder pauldron, to help him stand out more.

This Centurion figure is a favourite sculpt of mine. Normally I hate Space Marine figures who are not wearing their helmets. Space is dangerous! The Emperor spent a lot of money making you! Wear your damn helmet! But this fellow is an exception, the sculptor did a fantastic job on the figure. He looks like he just stepped off a transport, and is wanting to see the situation for himself, with his own eyes. He is cradling his helmet in one hand, ready to bellow some further orders to his underlings, with direction to be reinforced by his power sword if needed. He looks like an actual officer, something that very few Space Marine command figures actually do.

Bodyguard for the command group.

The two additional figures, essentially bodyguards for combat, are composed of a hodge-podge of components...when you are as passionate about 30k as I am, you start to accumulate enough spare bits that you can put together an extra marine here and there...these fellows have the helmets, shoulder pauldrons and backpacks of Mark III power armour, the torsos and legs from Mark IV power armour, and arms and weapons from one of the new "Primaris" marines. As guards for the banner bearer and Centurion, I figured these fellows would be veteran fighters from The Rout, only gradually replacing armour bits as required (hence keeping the 'older' Mark III helmets and shoulder plates).

A little blurry, but I enjoy the animation on this figure.

The assortment of spare bits came together nicely.

These veteran marines would also have access to cool kit - I thought the "bolt rifles" from the new Primaris marines would do the trick, and I'm pleased with how they turned out. I really like the look of the longer barrel and the (redundant and over-the-top) gun sights.

Ready to lead a Great Company from The Rout into battle.

While I was sure to put a lot of wolf-themed decals on the banner itself, I have again avoided adding pelts or any of that other wolfy-wolf stuff with this command retinue. If I ever add a Rune Priest or something like that, well...SOMEONE will likely need to wear a pelt cloak or something, but for now, I like to keep the obvious wolf theme to the decals and the banner. 

From GregB: Space Marine Terminators

Tartaros Pattern Terminator armour for the VI Legion.

Some more efforts for my Vylka Fenryka in GW Horus Heresy setting. This is a small unit of Space Marines wearing "Tartaros Pattern" variants of the feared "Terminator" power armour. The figures are multi-part plastic kits from GW, and they are painted in the grey of the VI Legion Astrates - the "Space Wolves".

Terminator marines with combi-bolters and power fists.

In the terrible universe of the far future, there are things that even regular Space Marines apparently struggle with - and so enter the Terminators, elite heavier-than-heavy infantry of the grim far future. Thanks to the extra augmentation afforded by this sort of power armour, the Space Marines can carry even bigger and scarier weapons into combat.

Lots of power augmentation to be able to fire that sort of weapon with just one hand...

One such weapon is the utterly bonkers "Reaper Autocannon" - the whole thing is bat-sh*t nuts, and I have to say I love the look - so utterly menacing and impractical.  Imagine clearing out various fields of fire with that thing!

Reaper autocannon anyone?

Just look at that bonkers thing...it's one of my favourite bits of 30k silliness!

Most of the marines in this unit carry "combi-bolters". The "bolter" is the standard space marine combat weapon - and at some point they determined that, as one does, that the best way to improve one gun is to just tie two of that gun together. Thus we get the "combi-bolter" - entertaining.

View of the Sergeant's fancy shoulder plates and volkite charger.

The officer has slightly more ornate armour plates, a deadly sword and an energy carbine that looks like a sidearm in relation to his huge armoured frame.

Ready for service with The Rout.

These models will teleport on to the table and deliver timely fire support and strategic face-punching (courtesy of all those "power fists") for the forces of The Rout at some point in the future when we can finally get together for a game.

Thanks for reading - stay safe, and happy painting.

From GregB: 30k Space Marine Assault Troops

Destroyer Squad from the VI Legion Astrates, the "Space Wolves".

Hello everyone - sorry to have been away for so long! But I have a decent excuse, really...something very strange has happened to our climate here in the Canadian prairies. A blazing orange globe has appeared in the sky, causing the sh*tpiles of snow to finally melt, and we are now confronted with all manner of strange growth appearing in lawns, gardens and forests. Warm temperatures make it possible to be outside of the house without multiple layers of coats and clothing. One can even sit outside for an extended period without freezing. Experts claim this phenomena is known as "spring" - this triggered fond memories of being a young fellow, and "spring" actually arriving when "spring" was marked on the calendar (in March, when it is supposed to) and not just before June. Sigh.

Pistols and grenades all around...but the one fellow is carrying a rocket launcher that can use some pretty terrifying ammunition.

So, my painting rate has plummeted with the arrival of nice weather, and I've also been absent from blogging. But I never totally stop painting - not even spring weather that is weeks and weeks and weeks late! I'm still making progress, albeit very, very slow. So here is a small addition to my loyalist forces for GW's Horus Heresy setting - this is a "Destroyer Squad", five Space Marines in Mark IV powered armour, equipped with jet-powered jump packs and a variety of nasty weapons. They are painted in the colours of the VI Legion Astrates, the "Space Wolves". The figures are from Forge World, and the decals are from Forge World and GW.

A view of the "jump packs", they let the Marines jump in, get the job done, and get clear.

What is a "Destroyer" squad you might ask? After all, isn't "destroy" a basic function of all Space Marines? What could possibly set this unit apart from the others? It's true - much about The Emperor's Space Marines are scary - terrifying, genetically-engineered instruments of total war.  They show up in orbit, and the fate of your world is sealed...the brutality a matter of degree. They either destroy your government (Raven Guard, Imperial Fists, Blood Angels), or destroy your capital city, (Sons of Horus, Emperor's Children, Iron Hands, Dark Angels), or destroy every city on your world (Death Guard, Word Bearers, Iron Warriors, White Scars), maybe kill everyone while doing any of the above (World Eaters, Night Lords), and possibly steal all of the pension funds too (Alpha Legion). Seriously - what war function could possibly cause this bunch any sort of unease?

Yet even among the ranks of the Space Marines, "Destroyers" are something of a breed apart, because they are equipped with terrifying radiation and gas weapons that your average Space Marine Commander - even a very cold, uncaring and jaded one - is reluctant to release into battle - any battle. These fellows carry "rad grenades" and "phosphex" grenades and missiles, in addition to bolt pistols and their nasty demeanour.

A view of the shoulder pauldrons...you can also see the extra layer of amour plated on to the shin guards.

In the 30k setting, "phosphex" can burn right through any armour, even the power armour of the Space Marines, and will also burn the marine alive as well. If it can do this to power armoured troops, think of what it would do to everyone and everything else on the battlefield? Not a practical weapon to unleash, unless you are really desperate or really mad at your enemy...

This is the officer leading the squad...no fancy comb for his helmet (would just get burnt off by the chemicals), but I threw a decal on his chest plate to give him a bit of distinction from the other members of the unit.

Anger and desperation - that is why I painted up such a unit with the loyalist side of the setting. The Space Wolves are The Emperor's executioners, and when they were sent to Prospero to tune up the Thousand Sons, they used every terrifying weapon they had - Horus even "helped" to make sure they could. So the VI Legion put their Destroyer units into the battle.

Later, Once Horus' rebellion started, Legions like the VI were caught on the back foot, ambushed and betrayed...the loyalist commanders were both desperate and really, really, really mad. I can see them shouting down the vox at their underlings - "The prohibited stuff. Get it from the magazines, and get it ready. NOW." In the race to stop the Warmaster and his plans, everything was on the table.

I painted the grenades really bright yellows and reds, trying to emphasize the extra-scariness of these scary fellows.

Of course, it is a perfect 30k twist that the troops entrusted to deploy these weapons will still do so in a relatively up-close-and-personal fashion, arriving on jump packs, releasing their grenades, making sure the job is finished before clearing out, hopefully before any substances they released destroy their own armour. The pride of the VI Legion is such that they would be reluctant to unleash these weapons, but once provoked by betrayal and driven by revenge, I'm sure the Sons of Fenris would not hesitate...

Thanks for reading everyone - stay safe!

From GregB: Space Marine Land Speeder

Javelin attack speeder for the VI Space Marine Legion, the Vylka Fenryka.

The sci-fi diversions continue! This is a "Javelin Attack Speeder", an anti-grav/skimmer vehicle from the arsenals of GW's Warhammer 30k/Horus Heresy setting. The model is a resin kit from Forge World, GW's sub-unit/division/whatever that is home to 95% of their Horus Heresy products. The vehicle is carrying the colours and markings of the VI Space Marine Legion, the "Space Wolves."

Closer look at the crew - they are wearing Mark IV power armour.

With Space Marines "light" is a relative term, but this would count as a "light" vehicle for them, skimming ahead for recon duties and flanking actions. For all that, it still can mount some heavy weapons, and this vehicle has some - a heavy bolter manned by one of the crew, and the option of laser cannons or rocket launchers on the side sponsons of the vehicle. So these speeders can still damage the legion's enemies.

Sensor probe mounted to the front...I am worried about how soon that will get snapped off on the table.

View of the engine mounting on the rear of the craft.

Thanks to magnets, I am able to swap out the missile pods for the laser cannons, depending on the role the vehicle will be expected to play in a given game. A friend here in Winnipeg put this model together for me, so that is the only reason the ploy with the magnets works :)

In this photo you can see the rocket pods are mounted on the sponsons.

I quite like the design of this vehicle, although its look is rather different from the other Space Marine combat vehicles - not so brutal, and much sleeker, almost sporty. That makes sense given its intended role, but the aesthetic looks as much "Star Wars" as it does grim and dark. An interesting mix, and it helps to retain the different/apart look for the miniatures set in the Horus Heresy setting vs. the models set in the "current" Imperium of the 40k setting.

Maybe only one quibble with the design...the long sensor probe mounted on the bow of the craft. It looks cool, but is exactly the sort of thing that will be snapped off, and almost impossible to remount, on the gaming table. Oh well...

Another view of the crew, and the housing for the mysterious sci-fi drives.

Adding a vehicle, even a "light" one, always makes a force a little more "serious", and I'm enjoying this diversion into 30k painting subjects. We'll see what comes next from the painting table. Thanks for reading!

GregB

From GregB: Veteran Space Marines from the VI Legion

Squad of VI Legion Space Marines in Mark III power armour - multi-part plastic models from GW.

I appear to have tumbled further and further down a 30k rabbit hole in my hobby efforts...suddenly it seems so hard to get any more Prussians from 1870 painted, when instead I can paint yet more Space Marines for GW's Horus Heresy setting! Oh well. It's important to "go with the flow" on the painting mojo. Here is a 10-man squad of Marines from the VI Legion, the "Space Wolves", clad in Mark III powered armour. These are multi-part plastic miniatures from GW.

The famous "shark-fin" style missile launcher - a shout-out to the early days of the plastic Space Marines from the Rogue Trader era.

The so-called "Space Wolves" have a long history as a GW sci-fi sub-product. They stood out right from the early "Rogue Trader" edition of the game and gathered a passionate fan following. I thought they were kinda neat when I was a young fellow, but the GW designers have a way of ruining certain concepts. Since those early days the "Space Wolves" have been thoroughly ruined, becoming insufferable. These days they are, I suspect, a form of self-parody or something...

The sergeant has a comb on his helmet - and is carrying a scary plasma pistol and what I like to call a "tickle glove"...

Of course the Space Wolves had to play some kind of part in the Horus Heresy. I love the Horus Heresy setting, but when I started collecting the figures and models for the game, at the time I couldn't care less about how the stupid Space Wolves would fit into it. They fought on the loyalist side, but were not present at the Siege of Terra so...so who cares? I assumed Leman Russ spent the war off chewing on Primarch Milk Bones or something.

With the exception of the sergeant and heavy weapon gunner, these veteran marine all carry their own chainsword because, as one does...

Enter Dan Abnett and his awesome, awesome Black Library novel "Prospero Burns". One of the most talented scribes on the Black Library roster, Abnett turns his gift to the Space Wolves and makes them not only readable, but supremely interesting! Putting aside the wolfy-wolf-wolf drivel, Abnett's portrayal of the VI Legion brings them back instead to, essentially, spooky space Vikings - happy to be thought of - and underestimated as - brooding barbarians, when in fact they are clever tacticians as well as fierce and dour fighters. This is a great book, and if you like the setting at all you should go read it!

The fellow in the middle of the front rank in the photo is carrying a flamethrower...good for cooking dinner, AND the enemies of The Emperor.

After reading Abnett's book, I was hooked, and I surprised my friends by painting up some members of the Vylka Fenryka for 30k gaming. I started with the contents of GWs "The Burning of Prospero" board game, and have been adding a few models to my small contingent of The Rout here and there in the years since. This 10-man squad is another modest set of reinforcements. This is a veteran tactical squad, with a couple of special weapons for support.

Decals on the shoulder pauldron come from the box game "The Burning of Prospero".

These plastic Space Marines in Mark III armour are just the bee's knees. GW hit the ball out of the park with this kit. I love building them and painting these figures.  With the plating, the segmented and riveted armour, they look scary and menacing, just like a good Space Marine should!

The plastic parts can fit any other plastic GW Space Marine kit out there, allowing for a number of easy possibilities to customize the figures. In the case of this submission the model with the "shark fin" style rocket launcher is using arms and a back pack from the Mark IV power armour set. Of course there is a large range of Legion-specific bits that work well with the models as well, available from Forge World. 

Pattern of markings on the shoulder pauldron denote a "Great Company"...the higher level formation this squad is attached to.

Overall my collection of VI Legion marines for 30k is still pretty small (somehow the overwhelming majority of stuff I painted fights with the Warmaster...hmmm). This submission sees my Vylka Fenryka collection grow to just 30 marines led by a single character and backed by a solitary Contemptor Dreadnought armour - enough for a very small game. As I said at the outset, however, I seem to have tumbled down the rabbit hole a bit...so we'll see what else might join my 30k collection before I get back to those Prussians...