Magnus The... Blue?!?

Hey there Chaos fanatics! Welcome to Chaos Corner. Now, I know I've been intermittent in posting. I've been very busy with house stuff and real life. As I said in my previous posting, I have been working on 40K stuff to be sure. So here is one of the big ones that I finished in recent months...

Magnus The Red. He is one of the best characters in 40K. Tragic, brilliant yet stupid, careful and reckless, selfish and selfless in equal measure. Unlike some characters in 40K fiction, he is very 3 dimensional and complex. Of course, he led his Thousand Sons to utter disaster, and in a way, they have all been paying for it ever since. The idea that a man who valued intelligence above all should see his beloved sons reduced to incurious shells of armor without will or knowledge is just an amazing story.

Naturally, with the release of the Thousand Sons, I got into them and I received him as a Christmas gift. However, I didn't want to paint him right away. I wanted to paint some of the army first, so that I could get a feel for how I wanted the overall army to look. My thought was that since Magnus would be the centerpiece, I should flesh out the army first so that he would tie into it, yet be distinct.

First off, I had to do some conversion work on him. I can't help it; its the old Chaos converter for me. The model is great, if slightly fantastical (which befits the Daemon Primarch of Tzeentch). But one of the things that bothered me was the darn chestplate with the horns. I felt that it made the model way too busy, so I decided to do without it.

As a result of that, Magnus looks statuesque- like a Roman god come to life. For his skin, I wanted to keep it darker than how I painted the Thousand Sons rank and file. So I used Kantor Blue for his skin, with lighter blues for highlights (as I feel that Tzeentch's color is blue). I also decided to make his feathers blue, but a bit lighter than his skin. By painting the wings white, with blue washes over it, making them distinct from his body but also tied in.

The other conversion I did was his open palm. I thought it was kinda silly to have that hand just hanging out there. So after some thought, I went and bought ghosts from Fantasy. I took the two that looked best (and would fit properly) and with a little putty made them sit in the palm of his hand. To me, it looks like he is summoning some kind of warp entity. I also took part of another ghost (the swirl but not the head/arms) and put it over Magnus' weapon, so that it looks like there is wrap energy coming from it.

I guess I just wanted my Magnus to look a little different, especially as he is utterly un-posable (something that is bothering me about the new GW products unfortunately). Anything I could do to make my Magnus a little unique. As for the rest of the model, I used a lot of gold for the metal bits, so that my 1K Sons gold helms and his gold would match and tie them all together.

Last but not least, his hair. I have always thought that Magnus The Red implied not red skin but rather red hair. I figured he had a ruddy appearance, but not literal red skin. (Personally I think its rather silly that he's actually RED). So I decided to go with my gut and make only his hair red. The red starts with Khorne Red and some crimson wash followed by successive brighter highlights. The hair looks vibtant and hot, contrasting nicely with his cool blue skin.

Now I haven't used him in battle yet (I finished painting him in June actually). I have decided to wait on playing Thousand Sons until their codex proper is released (which rumors indicate will be by the end of this year). Then I will field them once more as a force to be reckoned with LOL.

Well, thats it for now. I'll be back with later postings of other stuff I've been working on.

Until next time...

New Exalted Sorcerers and Flamers of Tzeentch

Hey there Chaos goons! Old Man Chaos is back with another riveting installment of Chaos Corner. All your Chaos needs right in one convenient spot. I have some more Tzeentchian goodness (or badness, if you will): 3 more Exalted Sorcerers and Flamers of Tzeentch. So, without further ado...

First up, my Flamers. These were a gift from my wife for Valentine's Day (yes, she knows exactly what kind of a nerd her husband is). I have a bunch of the metal ones, which I am very fond of. These "new" plastic ones are fine- the flames coming from them are nicely sculpted. The whole model has a nice sense of uneven motion- perfect for the Flamers of Tzeentch.

 However, I was troubled by the multiple heads. Seriously, the detail there is SO damn small. The bodies were fine; I just had a hell of a time with the heads. I decided NOT to paint them much or differentiate them. Instead they are just indistinct- as if they are forming from the Flamer's warping body without actually being different from that body. Leering faces that you may or may not be able to see---- this sounded Tzeentchian enough for me.

Their bodies I painted with Kantor Blue. The long tendrils I did Ahriman Blue as a complementary but also vivid color. As for the highlights, I did each Flamer with a slightly different blue, so each one looks a bit distinct from the others, but still unified (Teclis, Thunderhawk, Thousand Sons, Altdorf, etc).

The part that sticks out the most is the flames. Now, A couple of years back I did an Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch (see pics HERE), and I did the flames green. But, my old metal ones I did with more flame colors- red, yellow, orange. So- I decided since I had 6 I would do both- some green, some burning yellows/oranges. I started with white, then put either yellow or green washes on them. Then I highlighted with Moot Green, or Averland Sunset and Troll Slayer Orange. The bright colors stand in contrast to the darker blues of the Flamers.

 Overall, they are not my best paintwork, but certainly adequate for my Daemons. I worked on them while I was working on my second wave of Exalted Sorcerers, which are far more detailed. Now, I'm not going to go over how I painted these new Exalted Sorcerers, as I have already discussed my Thousand Sons paint scheme (HERE). I will say that the bands of yellow and blue are tough for me, as my hand shakes when I tray to paint such little lines, unfortunately (a problem I don't have with Khorne Bezerkers or Plague Marines). I will instead give a little fluff for each of the new Sorcerers, to compliment my previous three (which you can read about HERE).

Sethos- Prince of the Crimson King

Sethos was, at one time, one of Magnus the Red's closest advisors, behind only Amon and Ahriman. With his red hair, he even resembled his Primarch physically. Sethos was one of the best of the Pavoni Cult, and his reputation for being a master of the use of biomancy on the battlefield. When the Space Wolves attacked Prospero, Sethos was at the forefront, using his powers to initiate the "flesh change" within members of the Space Wolves 13th Company.

After their defeat and retreat to the Planet of the Sorcerers, Sethos would play no part in the casting of the Rubric, as his ego was so overblown that he believed that Ahriman's efforts were doomed to fail and Sethos would not be associated with such a risky venture. As a result, when Ahriman and the others were exiled, Sethos remained, and in the days(?) that followed, Sethos became Magnus' right hand. His power was so great, that many called him "The Prince of the Crimson King".

In recent years, Sethos has worked very hard at unlocking the mutation present in all Space Wolves due to the Canis Helix. With Magnus overseeing, it was Sethos who worked out the original formula- the biomantic process of transforming the Space Wolves into the Wulfen beasts. Magnus was able to take that discovery and magnify it to such a tremendous extent (such is the power of Magnus), that the Magnus would be able to trigger mutation in many of the Space Wolves, leading to the disaster at Fenris. Once again, Sethos proved his worth to the Crimson King, and is the undisputed crown prince.

Banitih, "The Teacher of Tzeentch" 

Banitih served long and faithfully during the Great Crusade; although he was subordinate to Ahriman, he was a fine Librarian in his own right. When not on the battlefield, Banitih worked as a senior- a teacher of the younger Thousand Sons. Not only dud he teach them the history of the Legion, but it was his job to assess each new warriors psychic potential and aid them in discovering their powers and help them to understand the enumerations.

Like so many, Banitih was terrified when his Legion began to mutate on the Planet of the Sorcerers. For him, it was actually very personal, as he had taught so many of these younger legionaries. Banitih blamed himself- if only he had taught them better, maybe they could resist the flesh change wrought by the powers of the warp. When Ahriman proposed his Rubric, Banitih was one of the first to join the Cabal, hoping to save his students (and, erase his own failure). Needless to say, Banitih was horrified by the results of the Rubric. 

After being banished by Magnus, Banitih and his Rubricae traveled from Chaos warband to warband. Banitih would teach the warband's aspiring sorcerers, helping them to truly tap into the powers of the warp. In exchange for his services, Banitih would be given any relics or tomes that the ravaging warbands found on their raids. Thus, Banitih has amassed a large collection of artifacts, although his collection pales in comparison to Ahriman's. That does not dissuade Banitih from trying to acquire more pieces of ancient knowledge and power.

Hanbal The Impure

The story of Hanbal is a tragic one, even by Thousand Sons standards. Hanbal was a powerful sorcerer of the Raptora Cult in the days of the Great Crusade. He was one of the first children of Prospero to survive the implantation of the gene-seed. He fought with Magnus in many battles in the Crusade, and was always looking for knowledge of the civilizations that the Thousand Sons brought into compliance.

When the Thousand Sons retreated into the warp after Prospero fell, Hanbal was horrified when he began to exhibit signs of the flesh change. He fought hard against it, but his body and mind were slipping away. As Ahriman was gathering sorcerers into his Cabal, Hanbal was two steps from being a mindless Chaos spawn, his powers now useless. Once Ahriman cast the Rubric, the mutations in Hanbal stopped and reversed themselves, but not fully.

Hanbal retained many avian mutations, with his head distended into a beak and feathers growing from his arm. But it went no further than that, and his mind and powers were restored and enhanced. After Ahriman and his Cabal were banished, Hanbal remained with the loyal sorcerers at the Tower of Magnus. However, he seemed to not "fit in" as it were- the other sorcerers were not mutated at all, and Hanbal seemed to be a freakish in-betweener- part sorcerer, part mutant. He earned the nickname "The Impure" from Sethos, who saw Hanbal as a weak and imperfect sorcerer.

Eventually, Hanbal took his Rubricae and left the Planet of the Sorcerers. Now, Hanbal did not seek out a cure to his mutation or a way to improve the Rubric (as Ahriman had). No- instead Hanbal swore to become a Daemon Prince, cast in the image of Magnus and the Lords of Change. Hanbal has done horrific things to catch the attention of mighty Tzeentch. Little does Hanbal know that Tzeentch will never give him daemonhood- his rage and energy is much better spent this way, as a frustrated champion of Tzeentch driven to ever greater acts of destruction on the material plane.

So, that makes 6 Exalted Sorcerers for me, plus Ahriman. That's a lot of sorcery right there folks. Sadly, I have played two 2,000 point games with the Thousand Sons, and neither battle went particularly well at all. My first battle saw me virtually defeated on turn one, as my Ultramarine opponent dealt out so much damn firepower that I discovered the old adage "a 3 is a 3 is a 3"- youre going to roll 1s and 2s eventually. But unlike regular marines, you are paying a premium for the Thousand Sons.

My second game went better, though it was still a defeat. My biggest problem was that I didn't have anything to punch through my Dark Angel opponent's armor, which included Dreadnoughts. Ahriman did fairly well casting, as did the exalted sorcerers, but it just wasn't enough. My Scarab Occult Terminators were worth every penny though, as they destroyed a squad of bikers and absorbed a ton of firepower. I think my problem is that the Thousand Son footprint is small (like most Chaos Marine armies). Thus you are outnumbered by virtually any army, and the psychic powers alone can't win you the day. Brian and Joe keep telling me to do Magnus, but I'll be disappointed if my army can ONLY do well with Magnus.

Until Next Time...

Long Time No See and I did a bad thing... LOL

Hello Chaos fanatics. I know I haven't posted in quite a while. I have had some issues these past several months and they started to catch up with me, so I stopped blogging. However, its a new year and time for a fresh start. So, I figured I'd come back in style. Naturally, I have been working on 40K- AND I have been bad. Yes, perhaps bad. Perhaps weak. You know me by now... how could I resist the lure of NEW Chaos? The lure of... The Thousand Sons!!

Why the hell not? I have Plague Marines, I have Khorne Daemonkin... so why not the Denizens of the Planet of the Sorcerers too? Looking at the models, it is clear that GW have outdone themselves. The whole line is great- the Rubricae are just wonderful- I have always loved the look of the Thousand Sons but had no desire to do metal models anymore... Now, they are plastic and they are great. They have that Egyptian / Thousand Son look, and they have SO much detail. They are truly amazing.

 Equally awesome is the Scarab Occult Terminators. It is great to see real, honest to Tzeentch Cult Terminators. They look great and really match the army look while also being distinct. The Exalted Sorcerer kit is fantastic, with so many options and with interchangeable parts with the other kits that its frankly mind boggling. Finally, there is Magnus himself- Daemon Primarch stalking the galaxy. Wow. We certainly live in interesting times in 40K, huh?

So naturally I could not resist. Funny enough, the Thousand Sons came along just after my birthday but before Christmas- my friends and family got me plenty for both occasions: 4 boxes of Rubricae, 2 boxes of Terminators, Ahriman, 2 boxes of Exalted Sorcerers, 1 box of Tzaangors, and of course, Magnus himself. I also received 2 boxes of Horrors. So, that means I haven't bought anything, besides the book Wrath of Magnus. Not a bad way to build an army.

So, I started with a box of Rubricae. They go together quite easily. You *could try to do different poses, but as they are all automatons animated by Tzeentch and dust, they are methodical and relentless, so no fancy poses are necessary (in fact, the idea that they are posed the same is part of the appeal). Once assembled, I sprayed them. I did NOT want to spray them gold, as GW did in their video, as I DO NOT trust the Metallic Spray Paints nearly enough to try that. So, I went tried and true and sprayed them black.

The armor was painted Thousand Sons blue (which is a vivid but not overwhelming color). I did highlights with Ahriman Blue. Both blues are very good additions to the paint line overall. As far as the armor trim, I used Retributor Gold. Then I shaded with Earthshade, with some highlights in Auric Gold.It is true there is a TON of trim, and that takes the longest on the model to get right (along with cleanup, etc.). Indeed, the gold drove me crazy, but not crazy enough that I'll dare to attempt spraying them all gold. No Chance In Hell.

As far as the headpieces, I painted some of the lines with Celestia Grey as a base, then I added successive layers of yellow. The light grey base really helps in painting the yellow. The alternating blue lines I did Teclis Blue followed up by Deep Sky Blue (from Vallejo).

With the taberds of the regulars, I did Celestia with lighter grey highlights, with Nuln Oil in the recesses. For the Sorcerers, I painted their taberds/cloaks with Screamer Pink, with Nuln Oil in the recesses followed by by Khorne Red highlights. The deep crimson echoes back to their original red armor, before Tzeentch got a hold of them.

For the eyes, I did Celestia followed up by the new green gemstone paint. As far as the stones go, I did either Evil Sunz with orange highlight followed by red gemstone, or I did layers of green followed by the green gemstone paint again. I must say the gemstone paint really makes those parts pop.

Finally, the part that I really thought that truly came together was the bases. Knowing their enemy is the Space Wolves (and my friend Joe has an ice table and may well be starting a Space Wolf army), I decided to do arctic bases. I did Astrogranite, followed by the blue wash. Then I drybrushed a light grey. Once that was done I began to put the new GW snow effect on in big clumps. Thus, the land is mostly frozen, but there is some tundra underneath. Finally, I put little tufts of Tundra Grass from Army Painter to finish the effect. The blue and gold contrast very well with the white snow, and the effect of these slow moving, almost possessed suits of armor slowly walking across the snowy wastes, is complete.

Ultimately, both the Rubricae and the Occult Terminators came out well- they look like they are in the same army, but still different enough. I particularly like the Sorcerers leading them- both from an aesthetic and  fluff points of view. While I have to build up the army's bones more (more troops), I can't wait to paint the Exalted Sorcerers. They will be visually striking, no doubt.

As far as games go, I don't know how they are really going to do. Magnus is a beast, but is unaffordable in smaller games. Sadly, so is the rest of the army. The points are out of control, way too high. A Rubric Marine dies just as easily, and while the inv sv is nice, they will fall in bolter fire just like cheaper marines. The inv sv doesn't justify the high cost. The terminators are also expensive, and to make it worse they can ONLY have AP3 swords, which means they will suck against other Terminators or Special Characters (I really don't get that decision at all).

The only solution to the cost problem is to bring either Tzangors (or Cultists) or ally with Daemonic Horrors (which is fluffy, but boy will that be a lot to paint), in order to make a bigger footprint on the battlefield. Obviously, this is just my estimate, as I have no experience with them on the tabletop. I NEVER play with unpainted models, so it will take me a bit longer to field anything.

In any case, I intend to continue on with the bones of the army. I have already started the next batch of 5 Rubric Marines. My goal is to finish another 10 men squad, another squad of terminators, and then do some of the Exalted Sorcerers. Then we will see where we are at and I can go from there. I can't wait to see a whole army of these guys.

I'll post again as soon as I finish more, which may be a bit (damn that gold trim).

Until Next Time...