Jump to content

Lower cost Horus Heresy army ?


GreyCrow

Recommended Posts

Hello guys !

 

So, like many people around these boards, I think that Horus Heresy is super awesome (due to a lack of a better word !) and the more time flows, the closer I am to the leap of faith into the glorious age of the 30th milenium !

 

I'm hesitating between several Legions to get into, one of my favourite being the Ultramarines which unfortunately seems to work better with a large amount of bodies on the table and makes the cost of such an army start to get prohibitive.

 

Now, I don't want to sound like a cheapskate, but we all know Forgeworld models are expensive and it would be cool if all of us could share tips and tricks that they use to lower the cost of building and fielding their units, whether through conversions, smart sourcing, kitbashing !

 

And, for added pleasure, it would be cool if you guys could share pictures of your own models that you made through smarter means, because we all love pretty pics :D

Link to comment
https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/308927-lower-cost-horus-heresy-army/
Share on other sites

Heinrich does it best, in my opinion.

 

Most of the FW bits he uses on the line infantry are helmets and shoulder pads, being the focal points of power armor models. The majority of the torsos, arms, and legs are from GW plastic kits, which is obviously a cheaper alternative. Certain aesthetics can be overlooked or even blend into the overall Heresy-era visual identity when done well. I look at that army and think 30k before 40k even springs to mind. 

 

My advice would be to cut costs on the bulk of your infantry and core units, and use the savings to buy resin for the centerpiece and elite units like Cataphractii, Veteran Tacticals, Command squads, and Legion-specific units.

If you're able to do any converting and sculpting, you can save money with a little investment of time. For a XIX Legion character, I set out to see what I could do using as many 40k plastic pieces as possible.

 

I used Mk VII plastic legs and added the cabling down the side as well as studs on the lower legs to simulate MK V. Here's the only clear shot I have of the legs with no arms on the figure.

 

http://i.imgur.com/CRuFrQx.png

 

And after the studs.

 

http://i.imgur.com/v09EzBD.png

 

The arms are plastic 40k, as is the MK IV jump pack and the axe that both came from the Sanguinary Guard kit.

 

I made a tutorial a while back on converting MK VI legs to MK IV: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/283813-tutorial-converting-mk-vi-legs-to-mk-iv-legs/

 

Gawain Veteris did a great thread about converting all the different Heresy Era armor marks here: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/262448-heresy-era-armour-marks-cataphractii-update/

 

I would suggest hitting eBay and bits sellers to pick up some resin pieces, mostly heads and shoulder pads like Tyrannicide mentioned. Mk VI was used toward the end of the Heresy, so you can easily use all those plastics from 40k. There are a few MK IV legs and kinda-sorta chest pieces in plastic that you might be able to grab from bits sellers, but anyone trying to get into 30k and save some money can find salvation in Mk V 'Heresy' armor.

 

Why? Unlike the other armor marks, there is no specific pattern to it, despite the kit Forge World produces. Horus, being the Warmaster and having a lot of pull on which Legions got the latest and greatest gear, made sure his traitorous Legions got the lion's share of the Mk IV armor, and in the scramble to keep the loyalist Legions combat ready, anything from scavenged pieces of other armor marks to mass-produced cheap replacements, frequently noted by the numerous bonding studs dotting the armor, were grouped into a Mk V designation.

 

Cobble together what you can, buy some plastic rivets from one of the model train accessories companies like Tichy Train Group or Grandt Line and load up the armor with them, and if you're decent with the greenstuff, you might put on some extra armor plates similar to what I did on my XIX Legion guy's right lower leg. Voila! Mk V armor.

Hey GreyCrow, I use a mix of GW and FW parts on my army.

I'm not a very skilled modeller like Brother Chaplain Kage so I get

by by kit bashing. I think you can achieve the 30k look reasonably 

well.

Also if you take this approach it cuts down on waste, a lot of the FW

upgrade kits only include a head or torso.

Here's a couple of pics of some models I'm particularly proud of.

http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/ah259/thepounder/DSC00054_zpsedfrgln6.jpg

 

This guy has a mak iv head and a crest from anvil industries.

 

http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/ah259/thepounder/Ultra2_zpssk7rwhc8.jpg

 

This lot are made from a FW mk iv assault squad and a GW vanguard veterans set.

 

There are more examples of my stuff on my project log (link in the signature)

 

Hope that helps.

If your doing mechanicum, you can convert a large part of the army useing the new plastics.

 

-Convert Magos Prime from the new plastic magos kit. (You will need atleast a set of legion weapon upgrade packs to get the gun's for his load out since his bassicly pistol is a serpenta pistol.)

-Convert Kataphron battle Servitors into myrmidons. Could also be converted from centurions plus skitarii bits.

-Skitarii into Tech Thralls

-Convert your ad-mech land raiders

 

You can then make a more hord-ish taghmata army. Takeing Macro tech on the mago's prime let's you then take 2 fortifications witch with two vengence weapon battires gets you more then enough anti-hoard fire power to let you stock up on anti-tank weapons for the myrmidons.

 

A small force of Iron Hands or Iron Warriors as allies to bring in a squad of rapiers can also alot also. The rapiers can be converted from the Kataphrons track legs.

 

As other's mentioned, stratgic use of plastic bits helps alot for makeing your expensive forge world marines stretch that extra bit. If doing a tratior legion alot of chest bits and such from the CSM box set works out of the box as mk5 armour. simple green stuff sculpting plus train rivets for studs are your friends here. Dark Vengence choosen are also very nice bases for converting word bearer charaters and such for the more chaotic look.

 

 

 

Of course the best way to make a HH army on the cheap is useing the solar auxillia or milita army with dream forge plastic infantry.... lol The bassic guys look like their wearing carapace armour, and the power armour guys would work very well for power armoured humans in the survivors of the dark age milita army well looking very different from the space marine power armour.But figured I'd go other the pure GW option 1st.

 

(sorry for any spelling and grammer mistakes. was up WAY to late when writing this post.)

I'm a huge fan of beakies! (For my Raven guard) and now since you can make full MK6 suits out of the tactical squad box all it takes is a little trading or bits ordering and bam you are golden!

 

All plastic master of signal

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a148/jeremy1391/Mobile%20Uploads/32801303-EC44-472D-8101-232EE36EC2CB_zpspc0kazxm.jpg

All plastic standard/delegatus

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a148/jeremy1391/Mobile%20Uploads/41AD5764-B535-4073-85AA-E2E1F0E812F0_zps2g0mzhtp.jpg

All plastic forgelord

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a148/jeremy1391/Mobile%20Uploads/FF74E8A7-234F-4C3E-BE00-7C52E4E3BC42_zpsq958obge.jpg

As others have already said, late Heresy Mk VI armors are a good way to lower 30k army prices. You can build some with regular 40k plastic kits, which btw have also a few Mk IV legs & torsos. I've done that for a few of my WS :

gallery_61390_9221_59195.jpg gallery_61390_9221_49904.jpg

You can even choose a Siege of Terra Legion and add in some Mk VII. It's not my choice, as I wanted a HH look very different from 40k, but you can still do that. Even better with a few upgrade kits (for those Legions who are lucky enoguh to get some ^^)

Rejoins l'hérésie, tu ne reviendras pas à 40 k tongue.png

Over a period of time it's possible to kit out a full MkVI Corvus army (over the years I've nearly a tonne of them, some with MkVII legs though and chests with the aquila filed off).  I was lucky and acquired beakie heads from people early on, then it was a case of ebay searching or shops that had stock.  Same goes for legs - which is a downside because all my tacticals have MkVII legs, but everyone else has MkV chests and MkVI legs and heads with the basic shoulder pads and boltguns etc.  So you get the rough look but with an obvious plastic 40k look and feel to it (same leg stances).  I like the newer kits, MkIV legs, MkVI chests etc.  I cleaned up some of the Chaos shoulder pads for a MkIII style look.

 

Mixed in with some FW etc, it's getting easier to work towards doing it on the cheap.  Apart from not being able to buy MkIV or MkIII arms easily, by the time you have purchased tactical, sternguard, vanguard kits with the the newer kits now available, you can easily find yourselves with enough choice of arms, shoulders, legs, heads and stuff to work with the FW legion kits.  You'll probably have the hardest job in sourcing extra legs after scrapping the MkVII and ending up with masses of spare parts, and tough to also source heresy special weapons if you want that look.  Lastly, the backpacks are tough to get right if you want earlier Mk's though.

I personally have always enjoyed jeremy1391 and of recent Jud Cottrell their use of plastic for HH I enjoy immensely. jeremy1391 has done some outstanding work my favorite are his destroyers, I can see the join in doing it his way as well, finding, trading, buying bits then when you finally get all the bits together building it and it looking outstanding. Plastic is fine IMO just as long as they have the correct war-gear and you follow the rules.

You can use the 40K Terminators for 30K. The Indomitus Pattern TDA is canon for 30K - just take a look at the Iron Hands Gorgon Terminators. 

 

You can also run a pride of the legion army that is nothing but veteran tactical squads and terminator squads. That should cut down on the number of bodies that you will need for your army at a certain point value. 

You can use the 40K Terminators for 30K. The Indomitus Pattern TDA is canon for 30K - just take a look at the Iron Hands Gorgon Terminators. 

 

You can also run a pride of the legion army that is nothing but veteran tactical squads and terminator squads. That should cut down on the number of bodies that you will need for your army at a certain point value. 

 

On that subject. If doing dark angels legion, painting the raven wing termies in the black heresy color scheme looks ace. The space wolf termies are also a great looking kit.

 

You may want to buy from of the forgeworld weapon upgrade packs just to convert some of the HH wargear options, but if handy with bits souldn't be to hard to convert. I've had a idea floating in my head to use the skitarii plasma culverin to convert plasma blasters for such a conversion. But not realy a model I need nor have a excuse to convert.

Atia, what Heresy army do you collect?

 

Anyways, yes mk6 and mk 7 are both possible in a Heresy list, the reason why I'm willing to spend top dollar on mkIV and so on is to really distinguish the Heresy list from 40k armies... I might even get some Deimos Rhinos :-/

 

Not cheap!

Atia, what Heresy army do you collect?

 

Anyways, yes mk6 and mk 7 are both possible in a Heresy list, the reason why I'm willing to spend top dollar on mkIV and so on is to really distinguish the Heresy list from 40k armies... I might even get some Deimos Rhinos :-/

 

Not cheap!

If youre going all in on the resein kits, buy bundles where possible; they actually save you money.

 

Atia, what Heresy army do you collect?

 

Anyways, yes mk6 and mk 7 are both possible in a Heresy list, the reason why I'm willing to spend top dollar on mkIV and so on is to really distinguish the Heresy list from 40k armies... I might even get some Deimos Rhinos :-/

 

Not cheap!

If youre going all in on the resein kits, buy bundles where possible; they actually save you money.

 

 

On a 165 GBP bundle I think you save almost 20 quid. Not a lot on this sort of price category, kinda makes you wish the total would be about 155 or 150 even, but still better than nothing I suppose..

 

I will probably mix the rhino patterns and convert some plastic bits and use FW ones just for the fluff. As for vehicles, might mix the different rhino patters and use normal plastic drop pods as well. Apparently these were already around at that time and were also used by space marines, just maybe not as advanced and good a deimos patter ones, but rules-wise there are no differences, so mixing them up might add variety and save some money as well.

 

 

Atia, what Heresy army do you collect?

 

Anyways, yes mk6 and mk 7 are both possible in a Heresy list, the reason why I'm willing to spend top dollar on mkIV and so on is to really distinguish the Heresy list from 40k armies... I might even get some Deimos Rhinos :-/

 

Not cheap!

If youre going all in on the resein kits, buy bundles where possible; they actually save you money.

 

 

On a 165 GBP bundle I think you save almost 20 quid. Not a lot on this sort of price category, kinda makes you wish the total would be about 155 or 150 even, but still better than nothing I suppose..

 

I will probably mix the rhino patterns and convert some plastic bits and use FW ones just for the fluff. As for vehicles, might mix the different rhino patters and use normal plastic drop pods as well. Apparently these were already around at that time and were also used by space marines, just maybe not as advanced and good a deimos patter ones, but rules-wise there are no differences, so mixing them up might add variety and save some money as well.

 

20 Quid might not be much to you but its 40$ for me :P

A small amount of practice and Gawain Veteris' Greenstuff Heresy Armour mk's tutorial and your in buisiness,

 

 

mkII

http://i1110.photobucket.com/albums/h451/Zaevin/076-1.jpg

 

mkIII

http://i1110.photobucket.com/albums/h451/Zaevin/DSCN1044.jpg

 

mkIV

http://i1110.photobucket.com/albums/h451/Zaevin/tutorial4050.jpg

 

mkV

http://i1110.photobucket.com/albums/h451/Zaevin/DSCN1070.jpg

 

Cataphractii

http://i1110.photobucket.com/albums/h451/Zaevin/DSCN1183.jpg

 

 

Cheers,

Jono

There's a reason the Mv.VI and Mv.IV stuff from the tactical squad box vanishes from ebay the moment bitz sellers crack open a kit. ;)  (which is annoying for me, currently, since I'm trying to get the stuff together for my fledgeling Raven Guard detatchment...)

 

Since there are bits from some early armour marks included in the new assault and devestator squads as well, it might get a little easier to pick up 30k-appropriate plastics to help bring down the cost. Of course, valuable dev squad components might cost as much as resin ones by the time they hit ebay - we'll have to see.

 

Personally I'm going to start my HH force very slowly; it's going to be a (one or more) 40k kill team(s) initially, then a strike force of a couple hundred points aimed at playing Zone Mortalis. That way, I can start using the minis as soon as they're painted, which will be rewarding and motivational in theory. I don't want an expensive largely-resin army sitting in a case until it reaches 1k+ points, or whatever, even if I will be using as much plastic as I can where it looks appropriate.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.