On the Workbench [July] - Horus Heresy Dark Angels

 

Hello and welcome back! Today I'm sharing some recent hobby builds..and other stuff. With the Saturnine box dropping soon, I decided it was time to build the remaining MkVI marines I had from the prior launch box. I had three MkVI infantry sprues (15 marines) remaining, so I built ten as a Seeker squad.  MkVI armor was known to have improved systems that could be exploited by forward deployed Seeker squads. The squad is mostly deployed with bolters to take advantage of the special ammunition provided to Seeker squads.  I added meltabombs and a couple magna-combi weapons with melta guns to give the squad punch against hard targets and a plasma gun for the Sergeant, because, Dark Angels.

The remaining five marines were issued autocannons because I love the dakka and still have weapoins left over from the earlier released boxes heavy weapons. I have a feeling this isn't an optimal weapon for the game, but at this point I have built missile launcher, lascannon, multi-melta, and Volkite culverin squads.  So I have a few options for heavy support - for a game I have only played maybe once or twice when the first edition rules were the only way to play.

I then decided to keep on building (I do *love* building marines) and pulled out a box of Legion Recon marines that I've been sitting on to go with the Legion Vigilator.  These models will give me a small Firewing contingent for the collection.

THEN, I picked up the plastic Sicaran as a Father's Day gift to myself. This was part of an expedition to a local GW store which I don't typically frequent. However, on this day I decided on a pilgrimage and wanted to pick up something interesting to support the store. 

The last model I had from the last HH box set was the Praetor with Power Ax.  He sports a MkVI helm which coincidentally goes well with the MkVI Command Squad box I also had laying about. I had planned to use the parts for scratch building, but decided to assemble a command squad for this Praetor instead. I can always mix the four non-banner bearing Chosen with the MkIII command squad if I want a larger command squad for a (mostly mythical) game. Regardless, and before the Saturnine box has even released, the mere hype of new rules and models has inspired me to build 26 marines and a tank.  And not to stop there, I also decided it was time to prime everything that I had sitting around in bare plastic.

This is only half of what I primed.  I forgot to take a picture of the first lot which also filled the nine "priming sticks" shown above. There are 96ish models in the this second lot, so assume about the same in the first.  That's a lot of priming.  Thankfully, I have an airbrush booth that vents outside so I can prime away during the hot humid summer months here with wild abandon. These are primarily Dark Angels models, but the keen eyed will spot a few Custodes models in there as well.

I burned through two rattle cans of Rust-oleum 2x Ultra Cover Flat Black primer, finishing off with a dreadnought I didn't photograph and this Sicaran Punisher I picked up off eBay some time ago. I didn't take a pic of the fully primed tank, but I took this one to remind me of the prior paint job. Many apologies to the previous owner.  

As I have been building models it became clear I was going to need more display case space. This led me in June to pick up a new IKEA Milsbo display case.

I added strips of self-adhesive LEDs to light it up and stuck my painted collection of House Taranis Knight suits in there to start.  I followed suggestions from Spikey Bits for the lighting. With a cross of lights at the top and strips down the front corners and door centers, the case illuminates models well.  Here's a close up of those knights.

Other than the reflections, the lights at the front are not visible, and so do not blind the viewer.  I'll be moving models into this case to make room for more Dark Angels in the other two Detolph cases I have been using, which are now squashed side-by-side at the other corner of my basement hobby space.

40K on the left, 30K on the right

So that's that. 26 models built, ~200 models primed and a new display case. No other painting, but still a lot of production and I still have a final set to prime which will add 30 or so more models I think. Oh, and that doesn't count a few tanks that need priming as well. Lots of future painting projects are waiting in the wings. I keep adding shelves to the Detolph cases, but I'm near the limit there.  Tall models like the Knights have moved to the new cabinet so I'll likely finish adding shelves to these cases for more infantry and vehicles that fit.

What's on your workbench??

Cheers and Happy Gaming!