Mk VI Inspiration

[Sparika]

Hi everyone!

 

I suppose I'm not the only one in this situation, I am collecting a few AoD armies in parallel (Sons of Horus, Dark Angels, Mechanicum, Fists, Custodes, and Solar Auxilia from the largest to the smallest detachment). One could say I already have enough miniatures even without counting the other games. And there is this recent rumors of a Mark VI set including other plastic goodies that I don't think I will pass (given I can secure at least one box).

 

I am all for the galaxy is quite large and every legions had a bit of everything. My future plans include some Word Bearers with Gal Vorbak and Zardu Layak, Daemons, and MkII Blood Angels with Sanguinius. I like to build armies around some theme or direction so that they do not all look the same.

 

Obviously, I could assemble a small victory is vengeance force that would look quite nice, or an Alpha Legion allied detachment. But besides those, I am lacking inspiration as in the fluff there is some severe limitations on MkVI supplies.

 

So, I would be interested for anyone to share their plans to use the MkVI release, fluff ideas, or painted example of AoD astartes in MkVI.

[LameBeard]

I am also working on many forces in parallel - although so slowly I don’t even have 500 points in any one legion yet. For my Alpha Legion, I’ve done it so my tacticals are in mark 4 and veterans in mark 6. So I’m not sure what I’d do with these new models, maybe convert just 5 as seekers (gussying up the bolters).

 

I have a few blood angels and dark angels with a deliberate mix of mark 4 and 6 armour. The heads and shoulders are all mark 4, so since there are no beakies, the mark 6 legs, torsos, arms do not stand out. I’m thinking I might do something along these lines with the new squad for my World Eaters: mix in a few different bits, but mostly replace the beakies with heads and helmets. And chain bayonets for everyone!

[ChargingSoll]

My plans for the mkVI is to create some firewing seekers for my dark angels, they had some of the prototype mkVI and capture some from the nightlords. Just thinking whether to stick with the original bolters that come with it or use combi bolters from the other sprues.

[Ryltar Thamior]

for various reasons, the glacially paced truescale loyalist Iron Warriors I've done/am doing are in Mk.VI - fluffwise, they wound up offside with Perturabo and condemned to exile with the additional stinger of being outfitted with the field-test Mk.VI [at that stage, provisionally designated Mark V] that the IVth had emphatically rejected. 

I've also done a few others in truescale Mk.VI for the era on an individual basis including a very 'angry bird' XIXth wielding an axe, and an XVIIth heavy flamer. 

[Marshal Loss]

Got a few ideas, all traitor:

• Sons of Horus "spec ops" force, all in high tech gear & black armour (per the original colour plates of the SoH from waaaaaaaaaaay back)
• Emperor's Children hunter-killer force themed around hunting down White Scars, heavily modified to evoke Jes Goodwin's original MKVI sketches for Slaaneshi renegades
• Word Bearers (no particular reason, I just have masses of Gal Vorbak lying around and metallic red WB beakies would be sick).

No idea which one I'll go for. Already have a huge SoH army, and I'd prefer to wait for EC to get done in 40k to have lots of parts to convert 30k models with, so sort of leaning towards WB but I'll probably change my mind 20 times between and release.

[Corswain]

I think you can make whatever fluffy reasons you want to justify inclusion in any Legion but I think MKVI just looks better in some Legion schemes over others - Alpha Legion and Raven Guard being the best options for me.

 

So my plan is one of those two. I am leaning heavily towards Alpha Legion but a Shattered Legions force with a mix of MKIII and MKIV Iron Hands and Salamanders sounds like a lot of fun. Had an idea around Blood Angels too as Beakies always look good in red.

[MegaVolt87]

NL in mk VI with the drippy bits and trophies + chains, contekar termi's, tartaros termi's, dreads for vehicles. High tech murder hobo's, but no idea on LoW for that mix of units. 

[bushman101]

I'm not sure what I would do with mkVI

 

Currently, my BA are mostly mkIV and V, and I kinda like the mid- heresy feel. I'm also drawn to the iconic breaky armor as well. I think a lot of it will depend on if JPs appropriate for mkIV is available.

[Valkyrion]

I'm not sure exactly on the dates, but a second founding chapter based on the HH ruleset would be cool to do too - Crimson Fists being the most obvious choice to me because of Rogue Trader, the Imperial Space Marine model and the 25th anniversary model.

[sarabando]

I'm not sure exactly on the dates, but a second founding chapter based on the HH ruleset would be cool to do too - Crimson Fists being the most obvious choice to me because of Rogue Trader, the Imperial Space Marine model and the 25th anniversary model.

 

I've wanted to do this for ages

[WrathOfTheLion]

Word Bearers beakies is my first idea. It's not something I'd normally have done, but it sounds really cool now that I've seen it. The large faces of the MK VI greaves will be great for placing some of the symbols from the transfer sheet on, I'm looking forward to that.

[N1SB]

I'm glad you guys started this discussion. When I first saw the leaked images of Sons of Horus in Mk VI, that jolted me awake for the same reasons it did you.

But I start by asking forgiveness because I feel I'm stating the obvious "no duh" answer...

+++ Simplest Fluff Reason for Mk VI Armour (for anyone at the Siege of Terra) +++

So Raven Guard and Alpha Legion, they got Mk VI "Corvus" Armour, a later pattern than what we often associated with the Heresy, it's about everyone else.

In the 1st Siege of Terra novel, The Solar War, the Traitor Legions are rushing out like gangbusters at Terra. A priority target is Luna. At the time, I thought it was just to be a beachhead and staging point for the Warmaster's forces, and it IS, but there's something more. Abaddon himself lead the strike as the real prize turned out to be:

• The Gene-Labs that created Legionnaires on Luna

In probably the most aggressive job offer in history, Abaddon invaded it to givethe Selenar Cultists running the place an employment opportunity, to which they agreed. It's technically only a genetic engineering facility, but what they produce is Space Marines, they probably had a huge stockpile of stuff for them such as, say, Power Armour and Bolters.

By this time during the Heresy, many of the Traitor Legions hadn't had time to fully restock. The infamous Mk V "Heresy" Armour, after all, wasn't really a pattern as much as what Marines cobbled together with salvage and bolts from a non-stop war. Seeing the new Mk VI for them was probably like "omg, finally a clean shirt."

The limitation of this above explanation is both of this:

• Well, it only makes sense at the time of the Siege of Terra or after
• It also makes sense for the Legions who took part in the Siege of Terra

I know we're not there yet in the Age of Darkness books, but with Sons of Horus and Imperial Fists...2 main players at the Siege of Terra, I wonder if the boxset itself is themed on it. That's not to limit how we play, everyone bought the Betrayal At Calth set to play anything BUT that. This thought just popped in my head.

+++++

In the meantime, since you guys mentioned the 2nd Founding, I gone done a mock-up logo:

Edited June 23, 2021 by N1SB

[WrathOfTheLion]

Space Wolves as well have a lot of cool MK VI bits in the current SW box, there could be some good potential kitting them up a bit if you have spare stuff from playing 40k Space Wolves.

[Corswain]

Space Wolves as well have a lot of cool MK VI bits in the current SW box, there could be some good potential kitting them up a bit if you have spare stuff from playing 40k Space Wolves.

I hadn't even considered Space Wolves - that is a tempting, but dangerous, line of thought for a son of the Ist Legion.

They would look brilliant in that stone-grey Heresy scheme too.

Edited June 23, 2021 by Corswain

[Ryltar Thamior]

I know that the explanation for Mk.VII armour amongst Loyalists at the Siege of Terra is that the production-lines on Mars were rapidly evacuated just prior - is there something similar viz. Mk.VI ? 

[Hfran Morkai]

Space Wolves as well have a lot of cool MK VI bits in the current SW box, there could be some good potential kitting them up a bit if you have spare stuff from playing 40k Space Wolves.

Aye, my bitz box overfloweth with 40K SW stuff.

 

I'll just be careful to not use/severely limit their use (field test suits etc) in games set earlier such as Prospero etc.

 

Considering I've already got 90+ MkIII AND MkIV it shouldn't be too hard.

Edited June 24, 2021 by Hfran Morkai

[sarabando]

heres some of my mk6 marines

my ultras are breachers but ive not got any shields for them yet. They are lead by a praetor is also in mk6 my SOH are a seeker squad and a sargent.

<spoiler>

</spoiler>

[Sparika]

Inspirational work Sarabando. Especially on the UltraMarines, the various bits gives them an interesting Heresy tone.

[Doctor Perils]

There's some absolutely stunning posing in those models @Sarabando, and Great job on the painting, lovely weathering

[Noctus Cornix]

I only ever made one model in mk VI armour for my Word Bearers, and he's my Master of Signal. That being said, I honestly thing I'd love to get my grubby little paws the new plastic box when it comes out and see about making some Seekers or Recon Marines. 

 

Here's my Master of Signal, since we're sharing. (Yes, I know that his chest piece is mk V.)

 

 

 

Edited June 27, 2021 by Noctus Cornix

[Pearson73]

@Noctus Cornix Super nice work, I often struggle to fit MKVI in the heresy era, but this chap looks right at home.

[battle captain corpus]

My main AoD force is my Blood Angels “Defence of the Palace” project where the majority of the units will be in mk6 armour.

 

BCC

[LameBeard]

I’m now seeing the new box set as a ‘nice to have’ rather than ‘essential’. I guess I will split with my son.

I managed to get a good value set of heresy bits on eBay, so my current plan is to do a squad as World Eaters (will be so much easier edge highlighting the blue with that shoulder shape) but switching to Mk iv (and bare) heads. The beaky helmets will them form a pile for an ork base, if I ever get another ork. This assumes the sprue makes it easy to separate helmets and shoulder pads.

I’d also consider doing a squad for a Badab war project. Are there any that could do double-duty in Heresy too? Salamanders?

Here’s a picture of my current mostly Mkvi Alpha Legion. I guess they might get a new squad too, if scale isn’t too much of an issue.

[Pacific81]

Not really heresy-related, but was thinking (for a fun project) getting these guys and some Orks just to be able to play the 'Battle for the farm' scenarios from the Rogue Trader rulebook. It would certainly be a lot cheaper to collect than the increasingly rare RTB01 boxset marines! 

[LameBeard]

Yes I can see many people starting a Crimson Fists force with these. I’d still love an RTB squad, so I can get them on 25mm bases for ‘Denzark’s Hammer’.