"Well, This Isn't A Reasonable Use Of My Time And Resources, But I'm Going To Do It Anyway!": Traitors for Horus Heresy

My work schedule means both hobbying and blogging proceed in fits and starts, as I often have to put things on hold on a regular basis. So these Death Guard models were finished a little while ago, but I have only now got around to taking photos and posting them.

They are all 3d prints upscaled to about 15mm to take account of the fact that they are supposed to be much bigger than humans. I printed these out before GW released their latest version the old Epic Space Marine, called Legions Imperialis, intending to play with an adaptation of the rules for the larger 28-32mm figures by GW. Given the delays and on-going issues with stock at GW, I think I will be sticking with this plan, and if I want to play big battles will probably adapt some other rules for that purpose.

Anyway, first up is a Death Guard Praetor in Cataphractii Terminator armour, carrying a big scythe as befits the sons of Mortarian the Reaper. He is accompanied by a 5-man squad of Grave Wardens, also in Catapractii armour.

Next is a Legion Tactical Squad of 17 Legionnaires in Mk II armour armed with bolters, with a Centurion carrying, of course, a big scythe.

Everyone together. All these pictures are taken in front of an image taken from John Hodgson's Sci-Fi backdrops book.

Painting these was pretty simple. Armour was Army Painter Skeleton Bone spray, GW Contrast Skeleton Horde and drybrush with Vallejo Splinter Camo Base. This gave a muted, slightly grubby look which fits nicely with the Death guard's aesthetic. Shoulder pads were GW Loren Forest (a nice subdued green colour which, when shaded with Agraax Earthshade contrasts nicely with the pale armour) and metal bits were picked out in GW Stormhost Silver. Finally gun casings were picked out in black (tactical Marine Bolters) or GW Leadbelcher (Grave Warden grenade launchers). The odd bit of GW Mephiston Red was used here and there for contrast or to make characters stand out eg on the Preator's cloak.

With lots of small miniatures, moving them all could be pretty labourious in a game, so I had a think about how I could base them in such a way that would still allow individual casualty removal and the flexibility to play smaller games with individually based figures. I initially thought about having some sabot bases made up, but then saw this article on James Morris' blog about making magnetic bases for his forthcoming Midgard rules. I liked this idea; they are very easy to make with magnetic sheets from Coritani Magnetic Displays (who are an absolutely fantastic company to order from with excellent and speedy service) and mdf bases from Warbases (also a brilliant company) and actually work out cheaper than the equivalent sabot base.

This shot shows the bases - all the figures have magnetic sheet stuck to their own bases which is then cut to size with a pair of scissors. I might landcape them a bit, but as space is quite limited with six figures on a base, I might just leave it. All the bases are given a rattlecan basecoat and then different colours (cheap craft acrylic and tester pot colours from B&Q) are dabbed on with a sponge.