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...
