Horus Heresy Night Lords - Painting Showcase

I'm back with some more Night Lords. There's a real mix here, some of these were completed prior to the release of the Age of Darkness box; some are miniatures from the boxed set; and some are new kits that I've since bought and painted.

First up is a unit of Tartaros terminators which I've had ever since the Burning of Prospero set was released. I wanted to get these done before the second edition of the game and I'm pleased to say I did exactly that.

The first three squad members

They've been constructed with a bit of a strange mixed loadout, I think I just went for whatever I thought was cool at the time. Not the most efficient by any means and, as I've yet to try them out in battle, I can't really comment on their tabletop prowess.

And from the side

As with all my Night Lords I added trophies taken from a variety of different sources. I'm particularly pleased with the flayed skin cape on the power sword wielding model.

The unit as a whole

Next up is the Spartan Assault Tank from the Age of Darkness box. Like many Heresy players, this was the model I was most excited to get my hands on and it certainly didn't disappoint.

A big chunky beast

The below shows some more photos of the Spartan.

I've added an apothecary with a jump pack in an effort to keep my assault marines alive.

Then there's this fun little graviton rapier carrier proxy. I got this from Anvil Industry years ago.

I also built a terror squad using the mk6 bodies from the Age of Darkness box. A variety of other parts were used to make these look legion specific.

This rhino was made from a chaos rhino kit which I picked up on the cheap along with some (now OOP) legion specific upgrades from Forgeworld.

The recon squad are another purchase from Anvil Industry which I made on a Black Friday several years ago. I added a beaky helmet from an old marine sprue.

A second apothecary made from a mk6 body with a smattering of other parts.

I love volkite weapons, so a full squad of volkite culverins was a no brainer. These have been absolutely lethal on the tabletop.

I built myself some Contekar using 3d printed parts and plastic Tartaros bodies. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out.

The below is just the current plastic predator kit. This was lovely to build and has been a powerhouse on the battlefield. A source of cheap anti-tank is always useful.

Then we have the Kratos, the not-quite superheavy of the plastic tank range. I love the way this thing looks and it's an absolute menace on the table.

From large to small, next is a sabre strike tank. This was 3d printed by a friend and then I added a couple of plastic bits. A great little tank which I have used frequently.

Continuing with 3d prints, we have a Seeker squad. These have also proven quite effective with their rending bolts and high ballistic skill. Really good for removing key enemy infantry units.

Finally some dreadnoughts. The below is a plastic Leviathan fitted with resin weapons simply because I had them handy.

Very finally is a 3d printed contemptor with double power fists. I'm pleased with the print quality on this one and he's been very useful as a melee threat on the table.

If you made it to the end of this photo-dump, thanks for looking. I hope you enjoyed seeing an update on my Night Lords Legion collection.

Space Wolves Wolf Guard Terminators

Adding more to the space wolves, I've painted up a selection of Wolf Guard Terminators.

Chunky, yet tiny.

These guys are quite charming on their little 25mm bases. A stark contrast to the 40mm which was used in later editions. They are also surprisingly hefty, being metal casts.

Armament wise they probably aren't the most competitive (but then, what is in 2nd edition?) The lightning claws haven't proven to be particularly special and I could really do with a couple more stormbolters or an assault cannon.

I'm still working on my Space Wolves and will have more to share soon.

Ragnar Blackmane

Following on from my previous post, I've also added Ragnar Blackmane to my Space Wolves collection.

Not sure if 'Blackmane' is really appropriate.

Another really lovely detailed sculpt from the 90s. The twin banner poles are the very epitome of second edition 40k. Obviously I had to add authentic paper banners as well.

The plan is that Ragnar will lead my Space Wolf forces in most of their battles. Usually I don't care for special characters, but most of the ones from second edition 40k don't seem especially powerful. Also it would be a shame to ignore such wonderful models.

Bjorn the Fell-handed

I've been messing around with second edition 40k recently, including building up a few armies painted in the classic, brightly coloured style. Over the weekend I finished off an old metal Bjorn to join my growing Space Wolves army.

In glorious technicolour.

It's not a direct copy of the original second edition paint scheme, but I feel I've captured the spirit of the thing. I even went so far as to make a banner pole from brass rod and add a paper banner, because it's not second edition without giant paper banners fluttering everywhere.

As many of you know, these old metal dreadnoughts are weighty things. I did have to give my wrist a break after a couple of longer painting sessions.

Stomp stomp.

As for other modelling choices, I went with a round base just because I felt it looked best. I'm sure many purists feel that this should be square or even non-existent. I also chose not to drill the smoke launcher as it felt more authentic this way; that and I was worried I'd misalign one of them and it would throw the whole thing off.

I've painted a few more Space Wolves to join this army as well as a bunch of old Necrons. I'm hoping to do some more posts this month to show them off.