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Hey everyone, welcome to my hobby thread! If you're looking for one of the colour scheme tutorials from my 'March of the Legions' project or one of the basing tutorials, please check the bottom of this post for all of the relevant links. If you can't find what you're looking for or if you have a question that's not answered in the relevant post, please feel free to send me a private message. Regards, Kizzdougs. For more regular updates check out my Instagram account @raptorimperialis I've recently been feeling the urge to start a new 40K project. After much musing and many false starts, i've decided on the Thousand Sons, Pre-heresy. They aren't my favourite legion or chapter but the TS have always be a legion full of character, imagery and conversion opportunities. A perfect combination in my opinion. This project has been at least two years in the planning process. It all started when i converted a PH TS sorcerer for a conversion competition at my local GW (which i was lucky enough to win). After building the Sorcerer i knew i had to make some more TS, they are just so fun and different. Unfortunately it has taken me over two years to finally get here. The Sorcerer who started it all. He is a relatively simple kit bash with minimal GS work. I took inspiration from the Thousand Sons art in 'Collected Vissions', especially that of Ahriman and Uthizarr. http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l522/kizzdougs/photo-3.jpg The test mini. I used bits from several kits to build this terminator, the majority are from the GK terminator kit and the Tomb Guard kit (WHFB). http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l522/kizzdougs/DSCN0290.jpg?t=1313302289 With crest added. I can't decide whether to give all the terminators these crests or just keep them for the squad leaders. Any opinions and suggestions are welcome. http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l522/kizzdougs/DSCN0291.jpg?t=1313302233 http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l522/kizzdougs/DSCN0292.jpg?t=1313302169 A close up of the force weapon. Such a simple conversion but i'm fairly happy with how it turned out. Sorry about the bad lighting. http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l522/kizzdougs/DSCN0289.jpg?t=1313302359 Hopefully this project will develop and progress at a not too slow pace (fingers crossed). I plan on adding some Sisters of Silence and maybe even some Custodes at a later stage. I'm certainly feeling the necessary inspiration at the moment. Any and all suggestions and advice are more than welcome, as are questions and queries. Thanks for looking EDIT: March of the Legions Painting Tutorials: Space Marine eye lenses Legions without tutorials: World Eaters Iron Warriors Sons of Horus The Rout Imperial Fists Night Lords Thousand Sons White Scars Legions with tutorials: Blood Angels Death Guard Emperor's Children - Palatine Breachers tutorial Emperor's Children Metallic (airbrush) Salamanders Ultramarines Raven Guard Word Bearers Alpha Legion (no airbrush) - Alpha Legion (airbrush) Effrit Stealth Scheme Dark Angels Iron Hands Thousand Sons World Eaters Hobby tutorials: Basing - ZM/industrial Greenstuff tutorial Desert/rocky base building Desert/rocky base painting Eye Lens Tutorial

I just found in my phone, during some cleaning, this picture. Before erase it dye lack of space in memory, I left it here. Maybe someone find this useful. All with Citadel paints.

Hello folks, It's been a while. Haven't had much time or drive to do anything 40k-related in the past couple of years but I made a few purchases here and there, and the Pile of Grey grows larger. To try and combat that, I've set myself the task to paint every couple of days and to paint the stuff that I feel like painting. In the past, I've always pushed myself to paint models for a specific project with a relatively strict deadline and it never really worked out. I'm hoping this new, more fluid/flexible approach will work better. Anyway, to start us off, I've been painting some Tyranids recently. I got the Leviathan box last year and slowly built up a 1000-point army list for an escalation league in the late summer that petered out after a few weeks. Now, in 2024, a friend of mine is getting into 40k with a fledgling Deathwatch army and I've felt motivated to put some paint onto my Tyranids with the hope that we'll be able to organise a game for some point next month. Here's the result of the first few painting sessions: - 10 Termagants - a Winged Tyranid Prime I'm currently working on the Screamer-Killer from the Leviathan box. I've also got plans to work on some Adeptus Titanicus scale models, some Necromunda gangers, and some Space Marines for both 30k and 40k. Thanks for reading this far; take care!

Allo Continuing on with the theme of my fiscal irresponsibility behold the siege breaker I have built. I don't run siege breakers and decided to build this on a whim. Unfortunately for me the parts needed included one arm from the Sons of horus weapon set. I don't play Sons of horus ended up buying the pack for one bit. He do be handsome tho I also received all the bases I need for my solar aux infantry

What would you say is the best loadout and role for two squads of Sons of Horus Cataphractii Terminators? One squad will be with Maloghurst in a Landraider and the other will be with a Master of Signals in a Landraider..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZcKJ5IvmrU “Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” Victorian Hewgo the Miserable, Frank playwright M02 There are times when I wish that I had never witnessed what I have seen, when the sorrows of glories past are too much to bear for my mortal soul, and I break down in tears. Then there are the moments when my memory wanders to heroic sacrifices no longer known by anyone but me, acts of valor that would fill anyone with pride, and I regain something of my ailing strength once more... My name is Jern Zonalf, and though my part in the tale that I will tell is small and humble, it is important that you know who I were, and why I saw the deeds that I will speak of. I was born in the 183rd year of the Great Crusade, in Jermani on Terra itself. I was a weak and sickly child, and it was no surprise that the chance to become an Astartes passed me by, nor was it unexpected that I was deemed unfit to serve as a soldier when I came of age. There, but for my skill with pen and quill, could my life had taken the path of a common laborer. With these talents I was trained as a Remembrancer instead, taught to follow in the footsteps of the Legiones Astartes as they spread the Emperor's Light across the Galaxy and to document their deeds for the generations to come. Glory and adventure beckoned, and thus it was with great expectations that I boarded the ship that would take me from the cradle of Man and into the darkness of space. I was young then... Not this withered husk of a man clinging to the last threads of his life, racing time as he tries to pass his knowledge on before closing his eyes for good. I will try to find the strength to speak for the voiceless dead a final time, but if that fail, know this. Once there was hope, once there was a golden future for Man. Once there was a time of heroes... So, this is it. Time has come for MrBear to join the numerous others onboard the Heresy Train. Some of you might already know me for (slowly) painting Night Lords over in the 'Works in progress' section, and if you're not among those: Nice to meet you brothers and sisters! Whether or not you already know me, this is the culmination of my growing interest for the Heresy era of our hobby. It's going to be an erratically updated project where I'm aiming to build my first 'gaming' army for 11 years. That's right, last time I gamed with far future post humans was back in 2005. I've kept up painting through the years but never built a 'proper' army in all that time, I've simply been a collector. These last couple of years though, I've become more and more interested in the Horus Heresy, and when BaC was released I seriously started to consider a 30K army. I finally gave in, and I've decided that now is as good a time as any to start. With loyalist Sons of Horus as my chosen path. A couple of important things you'll need to know though: First, I am slow. Don't expect frequent updates, full of painted stuff. Second, I am a very 'background oriented' guy, meaning that I enjoy giving my guys and units backgrounds, and I really don't care much for unit efficiency or 'killer combos'. 'Interesting' characters and units pretty much always comes before powerful but 'less interesting' ones when I paint stuff. It also means that I haven't got a planned list on what to paint, or when to paint it. I have a rough idea on what I'm going for, but that will probably change along the way if past experiences are anything to go by... I can already hear people going: 'Yeah, that's all very nice. But what about models?!' Not much to show yet to be honest, but I have a couple of things prepared: These are the tester models I've painted. A bit darker than most Sons of Horus I've seen, but not as far off as they might seem in this picture (I don't have a light box), and I'm going to add some weathering on future models aswell (as in the picture above) so the guys that's going to be part of the army will have a suitable look. Speaking of those guys though: Everything is just tacced together at the moment, so poses aren't final. I'm probably going to do some minor conversions on a couple of these guys as well. No sculpting though, I'm terrible when it comes to using green stuff. That's it for now really. I hope to start painting during the week, and if I'm lucky I'll have some pictures showing progress in a few days. Cheers!

+++ Alright ya lovely lot. Well, I volunteered to get some better pictures and fluff done for the company now that I've been more or less 'sold' on what I want the final group to look like. With a 30K League thing coming up, and a few of my mates hounding me to get better pictures of terrain (and make more, of course) I figured I'd make up a WIP log like all the cool kids are doing. So hopefully it'll keep up the motivation even in the absence of a painting event or the like. Anyway, I'll probably be asking about as many 'what's your opinion' questions for ya lot as I do with everyone else that's sick and tired of my constant barrage of questions (they say 'don't text at two in the morning', but I know they love my questions!). So, this'll hopefully have some painting bits, some fluff, some bat-reps, we'll see what comes of it, eh? I should be updating the cover page with the most 'up to date' army compositions, etc, and replacing photos when I can. And, y'know, I get to test out the B&C's BBCoding to see how stuff looks. All in good fun. +++ Origins: From Whence Wolves Become Dogs The 65th company emerged as any other line company in the XVIth legion, drawn up in the mid 10th century M.30 as a reinforcement unit from the 33rd battalions logistics base. The 200 strong unit of astartes was constituted during early restructuring protocols and saw intermittent service during the later years of the Great Crusade. The 33rd battalion included the 65th and 66th line companies, as well as the 17th Independent Reaver Company. The 33rd was placed aboard the grand cruiser Judicature as part of the 63rd expeditionary fleet's second line units. During the Callas compliance of 978 M.30, the 65th was placed on front line combat trials. A series of errors and miscalculations led to heavy casualties for both line companies. Advance elements from the 14th and 17th Luna Wolves companies fought through Callasian lines to relieve the embattled 33rd battalion. “Some bray for battle, some scream for truth, butwe've kept silent. We keep silent because there will be enough blood. We keep silent because we know we live amongst lies. There is only one truth for us: we are sons of Horus Lupercal". ~Centurion Lathyls Decadron M.31. The 66th effectively ceased to exist, and its remains were folded into the 65th company instead of reconstituting both companies. The 17th Reavers suffered fewer comparative losses by dint of their arrival in the third wave of the Callas Prime assault. While the 66th company would be refounded over the next two years, they would be part of the 35th battalion, leaving the 65th company and 17th Independent Reavers as the sole constituent of the 33rd. Their involvement in the Great Crusade and their influence in the upper structures of the Legion waned. While independent action with the Reavers continued unabated, the 65th company was tasked with rear line fleet guard duties and thus were given their sardonic title 'Cerberus Group', the guardians of old Terran myth. By M.31, the battalion had withdrawn to rear line duties, and come under intense political fire for wishing to incorporate organic militia elements within the Legion's rear echelon structure to supplement their wavering Recon groups and to help with garrison operations on newly compliant worlds such as Tennerak and Davin. While this never emerged, the 33rd battalion's reputation as a primary assault unit was stained by perceptions of other company captains who spurned the Imperial Army as anything more than clean up and support elements. This perception of the battalion would linger until their trial by fire at Istvaan III. Istvaan III: Dogs become Jackals The 65th remained part of the rearguard of the 63rd expeditionary fleet, but did not contribute significantly to the Davin suppression and performed only prefuctory assaults on Interex space installations during the Interex compliance. The mettle of the 65th was untested, but their strength had slowly accumulated over the intervening years. Reconstituted as a 295 strong company, they were given the designation Cerberus Assault Group as the Judicature arrived at the Istvaan III L2 lagrangian point. Marshal Ahazaar's rebuilt company was not called upon to participate in the opening assault, a not un-surprising decision on the surface. According to recovered logs from the Judicature, the marshal was apprehensive of the entire Istvaan III pacification operation but made no mention of it beyond his confidante and equerry Akkisen Shenzo. In an open conference with the Warmaster, he carefully pledged every asset at his disposal prior to the initial wave. This, perhaps, preempted doubts about the loyalties of the 65th. The 33rd battalion was locked down aboard the Judicature, Marshal Ahazaar remaining in his chambers under guard while the company's commanding officer, Centurion Ashram Kademius and his honour guard, occupied the command deck of the Judicature. The Grand Cruiser was one of the 63rd expeditionary fleet ships that descended into orbit to carry out the virus bombing, proving the loyalty of the ship crew, though the astartes of the 33rd battalion were still untested. In the ensuing firestorm, the 17th Independent Reavers were tasked with the capture of the frigate Shooting Star and were successful in their task. The 65th was held in reserve with a sizable contingent of armoured personnel carriers. After the revelation of intentions at Istvaan III, the 65th was dispatched on the 52nd day to suppress elements of the loyalist III and XVI legions who had escaped into the now wasteland countryside outside Istvaan III's capital Khry Vanak, the Choral City. For the next fifteen days, the 65th hunted for loyalist elements amid the ashen wastes, using a mixed doctrine of tank desant and rapid armour assault sweeps to destroy hidden strong points and overrun infantry contingents. Later analysis notes the lack of anti-aircraft guns, speeders, jetbikes, or other assets that could ensure the safety of the 65th in wide-band sweeps or be used to counteract the 118th squadron's Stormcrows and Fire Raptors who flew alongside ostensibly as air-support. Other sources indicate that the 118th acted as a control mechanism to ensure the compliance of the untested 65th in ground operations. It was their air-wardens who who named the 65th Ash Jackals, or alternatively Dust Jackals in inter-unit vox communication, and the callsign was adopted readily by the 65th as their nom de guerre. Whatever the motives, the 65th completed their tasks with enthusiasm and arrived in the ruined city suburbs to support other actions 16 days later as the Coral City's last bastions of resistance fell. However, to prove the loyalty of the 65th further, the 33rd released the last of its armour reserves and the 65th was sent in support of Legio Mortis elements at the same time as XIIth legion forces were being recalled from the battlezone. The 65th and 17th were pushed into the breach with straggling elements of the XIIth legion, pursuing loyalist remnants deep into the catacombs beneath the Precentor's palace. After a costly armoured assault that carried into the inner sanctum of the structure, the 65th was ordered to retreat, though the rear echelons and a significant portion of the 17th were caught in the undercrofts beneath the ancient structure and presumably destroyed by the barrage unleashed by Legio Mortis. The last 126 Ash Jackals were extracted by the 118th to the Judicature, bloodied but now proven. Operational Doctrine: The influx of new Cthonian recruits after Istvaan III had an effect on both the internal culture and combat doctrine of the Ash Jackals. Fresh from the fray, the leadership of the 65th reviewed after action reports, and through a systemic lobbying process on behalf of their marshal, capitalized on the events of the Precentor's Palace assault. Cthonian recruits were typically filtered through into tactical squads, through more emphasis was placed on advanced placement in Breacher squads. Many of the company's Rhino APC's were wrecked and abandoned on Istvaan III, but the Mastadon and Land Raider contingents were retrained and reinforced. The resultant units were forced to fight on foot in support of heavy armour assaults, favoring medium to close range firefights with an assortment of specialist squads. No one overwhelming combat doctrine was adopted, and holes in the 65ths melee squads was filled by the influx of terminator squads and close cohesive support with the 17th Reavers. The 65th would advance on static enemy positions, attempting to take them by storm, advancing rather than holding ground. At the same time, the first air-support was received as a spoils of war from Istvaan III. An unmarked Storm Eagle gunship was transported back by the 118th, but claims by their captain were undercut by Marshal Ahazaar. Soon after, the Mournful Song was put into service, ostensibly to transport seeker and reconnaissance elements meant to probe perspective targets. More recent developments has seen the Judicature onloading more Anvillus Dreadclaw Assault Craft and Storm Eagle transports, once earmarked for the 19th Air Assault company, but was overruled by 33rd battalion requisition requests. Now-Praetor Kademius has rallied for the 65th to incorporate a sizable bulk strike transit component, and the Storm Eagles and their escort fill those requirements well, though not without the loss of priority in obtaining more standardized Rhino armoured carriers. +++ Army updated: 19.05.17 M3.

Greetings! Last year when I rejoined the ranks of the brotherhood on B&C I had some big plans with my armies and hobby-life. I throw some question here and there on the forum, but the end of the old year and the beginning of the new one crushed all my plans in an instant. My civil life took some serious beatings and I needed to restart my carreer elsewhere. This was a very difficult time, when I needed to rethink many-many things. After months of struggle I think I have again a solid ground under my feet. I looked again for the hobby I like, and I will try to breath new life into it. It is a challenge and an experiment too: do I have the tenacity and passion to take up the flag again? Will be there enough motivation to come back and start anew? I always loved the plogs of others here on B&C, and I thougth that I will start my own. Not only to share some of my hobby-related things with You, but also to try out something that maybe helps me to keep motivated. I had some ups and downs in my long hobby life too, and knew, that sometimes it's really hard to keep up with the work. I never did similar things before - althoug I have long thought about it. I hope that I can make something that You might find interesting, and that I will find a way to keep me on track. Any comments will be welcomed by me, and any help will be much appreciated! I have (currently ) two forces. The only real army is my Iron Hands force, which consists some 70 models. They are mostly Infantry, but I will try to add some vehicles this year. They needed to be painted (and most of the painted ones need to be rebased), but I think I'm on the right way with them. I wanted an infantry-heavy army with lots of bodies on the ground, massive units of Tacticals and a centerpiece unit of Breachers. They will be accompanied with some tanks and support squads. Hopefully I will be able to show some of them to you soon... But the main focus of this particular topic will be my Sons of Horus army. I started them as a side project, and I struggled with them, even lost them nearly completely as some tides swept over me. I wanted to have a traitor force opposing my Iron Tenth, but wasn't sure which Legion to choose. I loved the Sons in the novels, but there where the Emperor's Childrens too, which seemed as an obvious choice - maybe too obvious. But as FW showed the stunning Horus from the Charaster Series I was sure that I have to do an SoH army. I would like to do this project step by step, not rushing, as I didn't want a big pile of shame lying around the house. Better to make it slow... My initial plan is to paint one unit/vehicle or character every month. Hopefully I will be able to get a playable force together until December I didn't consider myself a great painter (sometimes not even a good one), and painting seems sometimes like a chore to me, but I didn't like to play with unpainted models anymore. And that's the second reason I would like to start this plog: because if I will have a fully painted army, I might got back to gaming also (because I didn't had a game in the last one year)...

I figured I start this thread since no one else has, granted these are mostly my observations since my 30k experience is limited. So please, if you have suggestions post it. I'm still fully building my SOH army is I am by no means the authority on SOH Tactics. First Discussion: Troops Choice Reavers vs Tactical Marines It seems better to take Maloghurst than ROW Black Reaving to have Reavers as troops but are Reavers as Troops better than the 20 man blob of Tacticals with apothecary ? 20 tactical marines w. Vox and sergeant w. PW (maximize merciless fighter) and artificer armor for 280 The best tactical load out can be discussed in length but I am just looking for a baseline to compare Reavers Vs 15 Reavers w Banestrike Bolters Cheiften w. PW and artificer armor runs 380 So for 100 more points you get five less marines, lose the ability to re-roll failed morale but gain outflank and AP 3 Bolters with precision shot. It seems as if instead of replacing Tacticals for Reavers as the troops backbone they do a better job complementing each other on the battlefield. As the Tacticals slogg upfield towards an objective the Reavers come in on what seems to be Turn 2 with the ability to re roll 1 on reserves, to claim a midfield or backfield obj and support your army by getting in their shorter range ap 3 precision shots. What do you guys think? Have you ran purely footslogging Reavers or have you paired Tacticals and Reavers or do you find it better to give them rhinos or assault packs? (This post is in pieces because my iPad likes to time out before I post)

_________________________________ For Hatred's Sake _________________ ‘...has been slain. I repeat...’ ‘...all Thirteenth Legion forces in the vicinity are to evacuate immediately, contingency Ultio in effect -’ ‘...belay that, the Primarch still lives! Reroute emergency landers to my position – ‘ ‘...say again, my lord, say again – we’re getting interference across all vox channels – ‘ ‘ – have disengaged, I repeat, XII and XVII Legion forces appear to be disengaging. What in the Throne’s name is happening in the heavens? Talon and Victrix flights report atmospheric disturbance like nothing they’ve seen before – ‘ -vox-chatter fragments c. Second Battle of Nuceria, XIII Legion archival log _________________ The destruction unleashed by the advent of Lorgar’s Ruinstorm was without precedent during the apocalyptic wars of the Horus Heresy. Until the war reached the shores of Sol, no other event inflicted as much sheer chaos or systemic disruption across the Imperium. Whole systems were lost to Imperial records, never to be heard from again, and on hundreds of worlds the skies split apart as the nightmarish denizens of the Immaterium poured forth from the roiling, seething tides of unreality now isolating the eastern domains of the Imperium. For those who populated the Five Hundred Worlds, the nascent empire-within-an-empire carved by honoured Guilliman and the XIII Legion, the infamy and treachery of the Word Bearers and World Eaters Legions was all too clear; in this darkest hour the state of the Imperium-that-Was – and the fate of the Throneworld itself – was unclear. Many in the highest echelons of the Five Hundred Worlds and its protectors believed the Imperium to have been irrevocably sundered. During the fateful first weeks of the Ruinstorm’s creation, the XIII Legion counterattack across the Five Hundred Worlds foundered and ground to a halt. Those planets not flensed of life by Angron’s hounds or sacrificed to malevolent powers were where the XIII Legion focussed their efforts of reconquista. Celerax Magna, a densely populated garden world on the western edge of the Five Hundred Worlds, became the stage for a brief but particularly brutal war in the weeks following the advent of the Ruinstorm. Before the Heresy, Celerax Magna had been a navigatory terminus for Imperial fleets and frequently housed members of the Navis Nobilite. Left relatively untouched by the Traitor advance, the survivors of the Navigator houses fleeing the carnage wracking the Five Hundred Worlds sequestered themselves in Celerax Magna’s teeming utopian cities, hoping to avoid the worst of the wars tearing apart Guilliman’s empire. Such a peaceful dream was as naive as it was false. As the Ruinstorm worsened, XIII Legion reserves drawn from censuria companies and VII Legion survivors of the Phall debacle spearheaded a Loyalist force from several Legions intended to secure the terminus, liberate any Navigators that could be located and with their aid forge a safe passage through the Ruinstorm, if one could be found. It was not to be so. The Traitor Legions arrived in force mere hours after the Loyalist vanguard arrived on Celerax Magna, alerted to the presence of the Navigators by powers dark and nefarious. Knowing that they could not count on reinforcement, and that to fail now would be to doom Imperial efforts to escape the Ruinstorm, the vengeful Loyalists readied themselves for a conflict that would be utterly without respite or quarter. The resulting war lasted for seven days without pause and saw the deaths of more than twelve billion souls. _________________________________ For Hatred’s Sake is a narrative doubles event made for the Age of Darkness supplement for the Warhammer 40,000 (7th edition) ruleset, with myself (BrotherCaptainArkhan) as author. In this event, players form teams of two to take on opposing teams battling for the fate of Celerax Magna. During the chaos and confusion of the Ruinstorm, the members of many Legions from both Loyalist and Traitor allegiances arrived in the domain of the Five Hundred Worlds, some by chance, some by darker design. Teams will face off across three themed scenarios, attempting to decapitate rival forces, capture valuable information that will enable them to locate the Navigator survivors who may be critical to the war effort, and finally enact their escape. This log will document the weekly buildup to the event itself, with army pictures, lore, force dispositions, themed scenarios and finally battle reports detailing the final hours of the garden world Celerax Magna, and the fate of the warriors fighting over it. _________________________________ Belligerents Loyalist force disposition VI Legion Pale Hunters VII Legion Mountainfire Company XI Legion Task Force Cornelius XIII Legion The Black One Hundred [Legion identifier missing] Strike Force Black Mamba [Legion identifier missing] First Sphere _________________ Traitor force disposition III Legion Third Company Elite VIII Legion Pythius Strike Force VIII Legion The Painted Exiles XIV Legion Death Guard XVI Legion Sons of Horus V Legion White Scars _________________ Next update: Event Rules

I guess the first thing to establish is what Tallarn is. Per the Black Library website, the contents of Horus Heresy Book 45 are the novella Tallarn: Executioner, the novel Tallarn: Ironclad, and the short stories “Tallarn: Siren” and “Tallarn: Witness”. “Siren” and “Witness” are, by virtue of their size, the easiest to render a verdict to. “Witness” was a poignant e-short, and despite providing a look at the aftermath of the battle for Tallarn, it serves well as an introduction to the anthology. Most readers familiar with the old lore concerning this battle know the broad details - to include the outcome - but French captures well the cost of the victory. Tallarn: Executioner, the novella that follows, features, in my humble opinion, some of French’s best writing. There are bits that I thought were a bit too telegraphed - stock characters and military tropes, if you will - early on in the story, but as a whole Executioner is a solid bit of immersion into the kind of hell fighting on the deadly surface of Tallarn had to be. I dislike classifications like “Best Warhammer Universe Tank Combat Story” because they strike me as specific to the point of uselessness (just because the tank parts are great doesn’t mean everything else might not be awful), but in this case I really can’t recall someone nailing that kind of action and atmosphere in a while. “Siren” is the third tale told in the anthology. Like the novella it precedes, it gives a perspective on the conflict on Tallarn that is limited... but all the more powerful for it. That sense of isolation - of not knowing what is happening throughout the planet, of where friend or foe are, of what can be done, if anything at all - is something French strove for, and “Siren” does a great job of maintaining that after Executioner. Beyond that, though, “Siren” is just a very good story. The objective is clear, the characters are both apropos to the setting and likeable, and there are some powerful scenes - not the least of which are the closing scenes and the ending itself. The suspense during the former is palpable; when the message makes it to Imperial forces throughout the galaxy, it feels like a real payoff moment. Tallarn: Ironclad, on the other hand, does not succeed. A short story, and even novellas (in some cases) can get away without full character work, but Ironclad’s cast just appears from thin air. Some insight is eventually given into the backgrounds of Hrend - the eponymous protagonist, Iaeo, and Kord, but for the most part they, and Argonis, are virtually blank slates that arrive with little more than their assigned task. Of those four, only Horus’s emissary feels like something approaching a full-fleshed character. Making matters worse, there’s a lack of insight as to what everyone in Ironclad is doing. We know Hrend’s been given a task by Perturabo, but not what. We know Iaeo’s after the Alpha Legion operatives, but I’ll be damned if I remember just how it is that she got there. We know Kord has stumbled on to the notion that the Iron Warriors are searching for something, but we get little more than vague allusions as to how he did so. They, and Argonis, get roughly equal time under the spotlight, but there’s no real clue as to what it is Perturabo has his Iron Warriors looking for until the objective is actually revealed. Absent that, Hrend and Kord’s scenes feel repetitive and wasted, while Argonis’s and Iaeo’s scenes - though well-written - feel oddly disconnected. Sadly, there is no real payoff at the end. The Horus Heresy series has often been guilty of keeping the primarchs and their motivations away from the reader. In this instance, I can’t be sure if the story suffers or benefits from it. French understandably tries to give Perturabo a deeper purpose than just turning all life on Tallarn’s into slime... but he does so is in the aftermath of the IVth Legion turning all life on Tallarn’s surface into slime. Now, I will be the first to acknowledge the context within these characters operate, and how that involves brutal, uncompromising wars to unify the species by killing anyone who refuses. Perturabo’s motives and actions nonetheless feel jarring when put next to each other; it would make for an improvement for a primarch to acknowledge this disconnect. And besides, does anyone feel they know how exactly the MacGuffin that French introduces was meant to do? Where the action is concerned, Ironclad is a mixed bag. French does an excellent job showing Argonis and Iaeo in combat, and admirably ties in the latter’s cognitive abilities. The Assassins of the Clade Vanus didn’t get the best representation in Nemesis, but this infocyte shows what a killer whose true weapon is data could accomplish. Meanwhile, Argonis’s escape aboard his Storm Eagle late on feels vivid and real. The action featuring Hrend, on the other hand, is... interesting. The Ironclad Contemptor’s combat scenes are most interesting when they incorporate the disjointed, surreal existence the Iron Warrior leads, but they also feel rather stock and generic after a while. Where French does fail is in showing a macro view of the war for Tallarn. Fleet actions and the climactic battle that Black Library (unfairly and incorrectly) billed as the attraction for these tales, however, feel like an afterthought - at best. Even if the Horus Heresy (or Warhammer 40k) isn’t hard military science fiction (not that it should it be), it’s a shame that its large-scale actions are written almost to the lowest common denominator. It’s understood that Tallarn’s fate will be decided on its surface, but it feels like so many of the strategic decisions made to get to that point are hardly the product of even a semi-competent commander, much less those of a primarch. This is particularly the case when basic concepts of this universe are ignored, such as Mandeville Points being left unguarded or city-sized warships that are supposedly capable of breaking open continents having no part to play when hundreds of thousands of tanks decide to enter a geographic bullseye. On that note, perhaps the worst moment of Ironclad can be found when the loyalists decide to take to the surface. More specifically, it’s their motivations that make me question how seriously French was taking this story at this point. The Loyalists essentially roll the dice and assume Perturabo will come meet them in open battle because they’re showing their hand. Why would he, though? Why wouldn’t he just bomb their massive armies from orbit? And what about the Loyalists’ own motivations? If they can pass word of this attack, why are they fighting without a plan? Why can’t a ranking commander be determined? Why can’t coordination take place between their forces? When the Germans and the Russians fought the Battle of Kursk - the largest tank battle in human history, and one French references in his afterwords - it wasn’t just because. It certainly wasn’t because Stalin wanted to dare Hitler to meet him in the open, or vice-versa. The Russians were trying to exploit a 100-200 mile gap that had emerged between the fronts of two different German Army Groups. The Germans wanted to recapture Kursk as part of an effort to close that gap. The importance of that gap, and the scale of their armies, is what drove thousands of tanks and artillery pieces to have at each other there. Even in the dystopian 31st Millennium, where unimaginable technology and personal combat cross paths, battles aren’t fought just because. It would be one thing if the Loyalists sought to destroy the Sightless Warren and capturing the Khedive was the most important piece of that equation, but by the time we get to Chapter 14 that battle just feels like something French is obligated to deliver. For better or for worse, the paragraphs that preface Chapter 14 of Ironclad, which describe - in very broad terms - the battle of the Khedive, also serve as a perfect representation of the novel itself: they lack the intimate intensity of Executioner and “Siren’s” action, while also failing to do justice to the scale of the conflict itself. In the end, the first third of this anthology feels like almost mandatory Heresy reading. It is very engaging stuff, with well-written characters and riveting action. The meat of it, however, feels like an incomplete novel divided into unequal parts, which don’t deliver on the promise of the earlier installments.

The Wolves of Cthonia I have recently started the hobby up again for myself after completing a friends army, I am currently in the process of working on a World Eaters company, however I have been inspired to move back to something I have had in the works for a while to progress alongside it. The Sons of Horus. I won't plow this thread with any fluff unless people wish for it, I do have a fair bit of background. Here is the start. Captain Khurgan Brother Vorreddon Brother Turor Brother Deciax Brother Solax Brother Vangar Brother Lykos Brother Addol Brother Mortur Brother Vorgall I have a few squads to make up yet, some Reavers, a SoH command set, Abaddon and Horus to get through. I will be brutally honest, I won't be getting round to painting until I reach the halfway point. So stay tuned for a hefty project.

Hey all! I've been lurking for a while now, but I've decided to start my WiP thread. Here' is a Khorne Chaos Lord. He's been basecoated at the moment, but nothing significant. http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/ah250/Ashenwyte/IMG_20160320_144038_zpszur9hl9x.jpg I've been working on converting some cultists for a while after seeing some fantastic Inq28 threads. Here's the first, a Slaaneshi champion based off of the cultist champion from Dark Vengeance. He's heavily WiP, but I like the look of him. I'm probably going to change the shotgun to something like a plasma pistol or bolt pistol. http://i.imgur.com/452svze.jpg Here's a Traitor Guardsman I converted quite a while ago. I changed his head recently, which makes him look a lot much better in my opinion. I need to change the bolter to a boltpistol or an autopistol, though. http://i.imgur.com/QaAhT5d.jpg http://i.imgur.com/w3Lr2m4.jpg Feedback appreciated!

General thread for my 30K Legio XVI The Luna Wolves Legio Mortis Mechanicum Taghmata Imperial Militia (Vostroyans rebranded) Solar Auxilia Knight House - Sexta Equites White power armour doesn't photograph well under artificial light I rebase all my marines to 25mm. Heads are a mixture of different legion upgrade packs and regular mk armour pattern helmets. Going to have to try to finish the bases of everything eventually too. I prefer Mk II armour with different helmets (White Scars upgrade pack in particular looks great) over the other armour Mks. Mk IV is second favourite. MK V from FW feels a bit ruined from the short squatting pose of one of the sculpts.