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...
