You have seen two of these bad-boys before, but now they are joined by the third (and I suspect final, at least for the Scions of Gorechild) daemon engine. This one looks a bit different I grant you, but I shall explain his origins in due time below.
First, let me say that Maulerfiends are very strong daemon engines. They can take apart most tanks with ease (unless you have a bad roll or two- it happens). They move incredibly fast and can get into the enemy quickly. They fare less well against elite units like Terminators. Complicating things is their lower WS and I- which kinda sucks (I guess they loose it in exchange for their speed. However, looking at a Murderfang in a drop pod it kinda sucks when he gets that many attacks).
At any rate, these puppies are good at tearing through armor and generally terrorizing the enemy. One Maulerfiend is just not enough though. If you take only one, the enemy will focus all fire on that and it WILL die. Now, perhaps that's what you want (firing at the Maulerfiend takes the heat off your other units), but if you want the Maulerfiend to do damage, you may need to take two. Or three. This makes them more survivable (most armies CAN'T take out all 3 at once, even my friend who has taken 3 or 4 Devastator Squads in Inquisitorial Chimeras with Meltas can't take out all 3). Now, opposing a regular army, the Maulerfiends can go after tanks with impunity once they make it to the enemy lines.
So- I thought we could look at all three together, and one at a time too. One is basic with no real conversions. The other two, of course, are heavily converted- its Chaos and I can't resist conversion, you guys know that by now.
So, here is Bonebreaker. This was my first Maulerfiend, purchased when they first came out in the fall of 2012. The one thing that I don't like about the kit is that it really isn't posable at all. If you are building the Maulerfiend, it only goes together in one pose. But, since this was my first, I didn't try anything fancy- I just wanted to see how well it would all go together. The one change I did was I used the Ectoplasma head instead of the "Rhinoceros" looking one, which I just didn't care for. I like the teeth and open maw, as if it is going to bite your head off. I also added the Khornate symbol in the middle of the 8-sided Chaos symbol on his top carapace.
The second Maulerfiend, The Skull Hunter, was completed in Sept/Oct 2013 (I build him while playing GTA IV- I was up well past midnight to work on him). I went a bit crazier on this one than I did on the first one. First, I put a rider on the neck. The rider was a Khorne Bezerker with a head and arm from the Forsaken fantasy box. I wanted him to look a bit feral and warp-tainted but not go overboard. I used chains from the Dark Eldar to make it look like the Maulerfiend's harness.
I again used the Ectoplasma head. I also included a couple of dead Imperial Guardsmen. One is being eaten, the other has been crushed underfoot. The Bezerker-rider is looking not at the carnage but rather toward the horizon, as if already looking for the next target while the Maulerfiend plays with his food.
And now, for my newest addition, thus making it a trilogy of terror, as it were. My final 'Fiend, The Warbringer. Now, you're saying "this guy has guns, therefore he's a Forgefiend". Perhaps, but this is what I was thinking- would Khorne have a Forgefiend? Should I use one- they aren't AS good as the Maulerfiends (if they cost as much as the Maulerfiend I'd be happier- they are over-costed).
But, what if I wanted to use one? But what if I wanted a third Maulerfiend (how many of these damn things can I buy?)? So, I decided to make a Maulerfiend, but with guns. Thus, he has the "Khornate" appearance of charging the enemy, but he has two cannons. I used the arm rigging joints and simply put them on the legs. So, I have a charging Forgefiend.
As a total chaotic contrarian, I went with the "Rhinoceros" head with this one. I'm not thrilled with the head, but I added the alternate Khorne helm/symbol from the Lord of Skulls, giving the head a larger and more fearsome aspect. So, in my friendly games, I can use him as either/or, and people are fine with that as long as I explain which one he is beforehand. Tournaments may not be so kind to my conversion, but that's OK. Not too worried about that.
So, the three of them together make The Engines of Blood. Three daemon engines that wreck havoc on the battlefields, slaying all in the name of Khorne. The Scions of Gorechild do have a Warpsmith in their ranks, and they have made deals for other engines in the past with other Warpsmiths- Lord Korlath will gladly lend his forces to another warlord in order to gain resources or weapons, or, in this case, the aid of Warpsmiths. For Korlath and the Scions, its win/win- they get to spill blood and make material gains, which will allow them to spill more blood. They never get a bad deal, unless the warlord betrays them- but that only gives Korlath an excuse to spill even more blood then take what he was promised anyway.
As for the Engines of Blood, they are fearsome on the battlefield, filling the enemy ranks with terror as they roar and then cross the battlefield with such incredible speed and ferocity. Even Space Marines dread the appearance of the Engines of Blood. They are the battering ram, the vanguard of the Scions of Gorechild- the opponents that they don't scare away they smash aside, ruining the enemy battleline and allowing the Scions to attack unhindered.
I am pleased with their cohesive appearance; they look similar but also distinct- exactly the look I wanted. Seeing all three on the battlefield is quite a sight, I must say.
Well, that's all for this posting. I have something even more blasphemous for the next one... Until next time!
Wow ... those conversions are very very good. They look fantastic ... a product of a twisted chaos kinda mind. ;)
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