From GregB - Legions Imperialis Infantry Bits (46 points)

Space Marines and Solar Auxilia for "Legions Imperialis" 

One last submission for AHPC XV to share - this collection of Legions Imperialis infantry. These are 6mm plastic figures from GW, for their rebooted game of "Epic", which allows players to recreate the battles of the Horus Heresy in grand scale! The green chaps comprise an Assault Detachment and a Terminator Detachment for the XVI Legion Astartes, the Sons of Horus. The little blue fellows are a Solar Auxilia detachment - unlike my 28mm Space Bavarians, I've no particular notion for them yet...their anonymity provides flexibility for scenario purposes - they can fight for whichever side might work for the game that night. 

Legion Astartes

Cataphractii Terminators in 6mm...still scary-looking, even at small size.

Let's start with the Sons of Horus, although there is not a ton to say...Assault Marines and Terminator Marines are grouped into smaller, supporting detachments of four stands. I thought it would be best to at least get one of each type done for my Sons of Horus. 

Even in 6mm, the Cataphractii-plated Terminators exude an ominous "f*ck around and find out" vibe. I do have to hand it to GW - even if they completely f*cked up the launch and rollout of this game, the sculpting and quality of the models is very high. 

Assault Marines ready to hop into action (sigh, lame...but...whatever...I'm tired)

The Assault Marines, with their jump packs...it is the same, I am impressed with the tiny details, even if many are beyond my brush skills. If you are a fan of the Horus Heresy setting, you will love the models (not too sure about the rules on the other hand, but that is for another blog post). 

Solar Auxilia

Ready to stand...either for, or against, The Emperor...flexibility is key...

I find the force-assembly rules of for the new Legions Imperialis rules to be a touch Byzantine, and definitely prone to causing headaches, but if I understood correctly, this batch of models would be able to represent a pretty basic detachment (sans vehicle or transport support) for the Solar Auxilia. What you see here comprises the entirety of a single sprue, save for the Sentinels, which I never got around to painting in time for this post.

Love all the crazy command figures!

Again, the figure design is great. If you are a nerd like me, you will find much to love on these tiny figures, from the assorted whacky command and support types, to the vexillary...so many (literally) small details done up nicely. 

Velatari in the foreground - with axes, natch. Regular lasrifle troops at the rear.

It's BBQ time! Mind the gap there lads...

The Auxilia count on support from Velatari...units with fancier weapons. In this case, we have chaps with power axes because of course, and fellows carrying heavy flamers because even more of course. Will a flamethrower solve that problem? Yes? Then let's send ten of them, shall we? Do tell the lads to be careful with their formation...

Charonite Ogryns all set to break things, or people, or both!

The bigger things are Charonite Ogryns. The back story is too long for here, but just imagine "ogres + combat drugs + power claws" and you pretty much have it. These are ugly models (no matter the scale), and I found them particularly difficult and frustrating to try and paint in this scale. But here they are...

For scoring purposes, we have the following:

- 85 x 6mm infantry models = 42.5 points

- 4 x 6mm monsters ("cav") = 4 points

Half points are dumb - so let's call it 46 points! This will get me to oh-so-close to my AHPC XV points target, but shamefully falling short all the same. Oh well - there is always next Challenge!

Thanks to Curt and Sarah for hosting, and to my fellow minions for their assistance. Also a huge thanks to all who took the time to share encouraging comments and feedback. Great work all around everyone, and I hope to see you all in Challenge XVI! Take care everyone!

GregB

Wow, Greg, what a way to end the Challenge! I paint a lot of 6mm myself, but these definitely put those to shame. Such neat and crisp painting, the picking out of just the right details, the vibrancy of the colours, they are absolutely stunning! I know that they are great sculpts too, and that certainly helps, but your brushwork really makes the difference and does them more than  justice. The command stand with the vexillum is particularly awesome. The frustration in some cases, though I definitely feel your pain, has not had any influence on the great result you achieved. I agree that half points are a no-go, so let's make it 50. Excellent work, and thanks for all your great submissions (and arduous service!). 

Martijn

From GregB - Bavarian Solar Auxilia for 30k (65 points)

Solar Auxilia ready to take their place in the battle line! These are 28mm multi-part plastic figures from GW.

In GW's "Horus Heresy" setting, the terrifying Space Marine Legions are supported in their military conquest efforts by (naturally) some Auxiliaries - known as the "Solar Auxilia". These human soldiers are more "normal" - they are not genetically modified super-soldiers like the Space Marines, but are nonetheless well-trained, well-armed and well-equipped, ready to support the Space Marines on the flanks, or stand in their stead the best they can when the Space Marines cannot be present. These are multi-part plastic figures from GW's "Age of Darkness" figure range.

Fix bayonets!

While the "lore" of the Space Marine Legions contains many well-established notions, the concepts for their auxiliaries are way more wide-open. Each Legion is known for specific Auxiliary cohorts to support them, but really you can go crazy just making up your own stuff, which is fun. I have painted Solar Auxilia in earlier editions of the Painting Challenge, back when the figure range was limited to resin sculpts from the Forge World studio, but I wanted to do something a little different with these newer plastics...something different...why not some Space Bavarians???

Close of up some of the basic troops.

The "void armour" has the look of an undersea dive suit...I just love it. 

Lots of grenades and other bits to be found...and I also love the whacky bellows-type air/atmosphere system on the back...just awesome sculpts.

Challenge Participant Nick (MartinN) is always wowing us with his stunning brushwork, particularly when he tackles a Roman subject. Since the factions of GW's "Age of Darkness" ape the format and nomenclature of the Roman Legions of old, I hoped Nick might get a kick out of seeing these far-distant-future auxiliaries with their battle plate bearing Bavarian clue colours. 

Auxiliary with Vox Interlock (aka radio thing)

Bonkers vexillary, just to make everything whacky!

The new plastic Solar Auxilia range is...well, more than anything, I'm still shocked that GW went ahead with it! I was sure the Solar Auxilia would remain a fringe faction, trapped in Forge World's resign ghetto. How wrong I was! A substantial portion of the Solar Auxilia range is now available in plastic, which is great - even if GW continues to make baffling decisions, such as releasing the utterly pointless Arvus Lighter in plastic even as we await for other, more basic vehicles and figures to be available...

Love the officer sculpt! Such whacky character.

Why is that grenade yellow? I'm sure it's all about...safety...yes...safety....

GW also managed to trip over its own feet when it comes to the instructions for these figures...there are errors in the instructions, while some components on the plastic sprues are missing a number...working through these models for the first time can be a real pain in the @ss, with heavy resort to searches of online forums to see explanations from other hobbyists...as GW itself almost never admits it f*cked up, much less corrects it...

"Stand to!"

But hey, even I'm trying to keep the glass half-full, and I am loving all of the plastic Solar Auxilia models! In fact, I had "planned" to paint a lot more during AHPC XV. These Lasrifle sections can have as many as 20 soldiers...but my painting pace has been pretty slow during this edition of the Challenge, and unfortunately I won't be able to finish all 20 of the troops (or any of their supporting vehicles or commanders - oh well). But here are 13 of them...maybe a "lucky number" to kick off this collection, with the hopes of adding to them in future Challenge editions :) 

The under-strength lasrifle section so far...

For scoring purposes, we have 13 different 28mm foot figures...good enough for 65 points! I'm hoping to be able to get maybe one more submission...fingers crossed...but thanks for reading. And thanks to Nick for the inspiration! Watch for the ranks of this terrifying Bavarian Solar Auxiliary Cohort to grow in the future...

--------------

Loving the Auxilia in their unmistakable cornflower blue Greg! They will look great next to your boys in Red from the XV Legio.  The contrasting colours you've used (and bright safety grenades) really make them pop!  I've been thinking about getting some of these lads to go with my Word Bearers but haven't pulled that trigger yet.  Good luck with this Dirty Dozen plus one on the tabletop!

As for the Arvus Lighter - nobody can understand that particular choice...

PS Interested in what colour paints you used, if you wouldn't mind sharing please?

- Paul

From MikeF: 30K Militia Armored Sentinels - (30 Points)

Continuing with my 30k Imperial Militia army, I've completed a squadron of Armored Sentinels armed with lascannons (and chain weapons for funsies). The cool thing about the 30k period is the technology is more diverse and in some cases more advanced than 40k. I imagine that equivalent vehicles like sentinels would be developed independently from the Forge Worlds before and during the Great Crusade with innovation subsequently being declared tech heresy after the Siege of Terra. This allows for a more liberal use of proxy models (not that I could ever use it in a GW tournament, but when would I ever go to one of those!)

I used models from the now defunct game AT 43. These are UNA battlesuits with bits added from Ork Meganobz and Lascannons from Anvil Industry. I think our game group had a copy of AT-43, but it was "permanently borrowed" by a former member.

Although the saws look dangerous, these guys have no business being in close combat.

I figure 30 points for this unit. They are technically vehicles, but are only a bit bigger than the Ogryns I painted. They're more in line with an artillery piece or cavalry model.

***
Great work Mike - it has been really neat to see how you fuse a variety of different bits - some from GW, but many from other sources, and still bring it together very nicely in a way that fits so well into the 30k/40k setting.  I know they shouldn't be in close combat, but perhaps the chain saws are more likely intended for use on the more common targets of the Auxilia, things they would "handle" before the Horus Heresy started...like protesters, or people who fall behind on rent payments, academics who missed a comma in their papers praising The Emperor...

I do recall our brief flirtation AT 43...ah, those were the days...anyway, 30 points for you. These are looking great, can't wait to see them on the table. 

GregB

From GregB - Lord Marshal for 30k Solar Auxilia (5 Points)

Lord Marshal for my 30k Solar Auxilia...what an outifit

Many folks are sprinting to the finish with some impressive submissions - great work everyone! For my part, I'm just trying to knock off a few spares that were sitting around the painting table before the Painting Challenge concludes.  In that spirit I present a Lord Marshal for my Warhammer 30k Solar Auxilia Force.

Nice cloak - and note the power cables connected to his snobby staff

The Lord Marshal is a supreme HQ figure for the Solar Auxilia.  Of course, Forge World has yet to release a figure to represent one in the range, but astute 40k types and Imperial Guard fans will recognize this miniature as the special character "Solar Macharius", which I think GW issued seven or eight years ago.  This is a 28mm metal figure (remember those?) from GW.

Remember metal figures?  I sure miss them...I guess I'm a grouch

"Solar Macharius" was intended to be a super-duper senior command special character for the GW Imperial Guard faction.  His backstory was not particularly imaginative and easily forgotten - basically he was really good at spending the lives of his men well organized attritional military action, and through this capacity is thought of as a "great" commander.  I would chalk this up to Warhammer 40k's dystopian setting, but real history is littered with many such "great" commanders.

Cloak made from endangered space caribou pelts, no doubt

When Forge World released the Solar Auxilia, I immediately thought of this figure as a suitable senior command model, and tracked one down on eBay (it took a while to find one with a suitable price).  I quite like the douchebag aspect of this figure - super ornate armour, a staff with a freaking bust at the tip - which is "plugged in" to something no less, implying a possible use as a weapon or force field.  The prissy cloak, the big sword, the heavy pistol, the whacky helmet - I love it.  I doubt he could even lift the sword!

Waiting to be cut in half by a Traitor Legion Marine

In the 30k rules they try to talk up the "Lord Marshal" as some kind of bad-ass commander, but I imagine him to be much more of a politically-connected REMF-type figure from the Imperium's pre-Horus Heresy era.  While his Solar Auxilia regiment makes a grim last stand in the face of assaults by Traitor Legion Marines, this asshat is preparing PowerPoint servitor presentations about "Force Paradigm Shifts" and worrying about getting the proper leave codes entered into SAP. After all, what sort of twonk would dress like this anywhere ever in any era, much less near a battlefield?

As a single 28mm figure, this guy will net me five points.  Not much, but it all counts!


From Curt:

I love this guy Greg! Beautiful paintwork, especially on his bronze armour and his command staff. I think your last (hilarious) paragraph pretty much seals his fate on the tabletop. I have a suspicion he will be experiencing, first hand, some 'blue-on-blue' fire.

Well done mon ami!

From GregB - 30k Solar Auxilia Velataris Storm Section (50 points)

For the Emperor! Solar Auxilia Velataris Storm Section troops from Forge World

The end of the latest Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge approaches, so I am very pleased to get this project in under the wire - a final batch of Solar Auxilia figures from GW's Horus Heresy story. This is a Solar Auxilia Velataris Storm Section. The figures are 28mm from Forge World. These figures are slightly heavier Solar Auxilia troops, meant to provide some "oomph" to bolster the basic lasrifle troops.

The Storm Section poses for propaganda photos

The Velataris Storm Sections represent a slightly more elite level of Solar Auxilia soldier.  Their armour is a little bulkier, and their weapon selection is a little more bonkers.  This section is equipped with Volkite Chargers, a type of energy weapon that is moderately useful in the game but, more importantly, looks pretty cool. 

Rear photo showing the crazy back packs

In the game you have the option to equip these models with flamethrowers ( all of them - 10 flamethrowers - insane) or heavy "close combat" weapons.  I find the overuse of flame weapons to be an irritating feature of the 30k/40k setting, and I love the look of the Volkite guns so opting for these guys was a no-brainer for me.  The "close combat" versions of these models haven't been released yet but I assume someone at Forge World is working on them right now.

Two Storm Section troopers

I just love these sculpts - amazing work by Forge World

As with the regular Solar Auxilia troops, these sculpts are another figure design home run from Forge World - they look the part of sci-fi heavy infantry without being Space Marines, which is what the Solar Auxilia are supposed to be.  They maintain many of the neat little steam punk-ish/VSF features from the other sculpts, but the armour is a little more involved.  The helmet looks heavier, like a deep-sea welder, and there are larger armour plates on the knees, shins and forearms. 

Storm Section leader; hard to see in this blurry photo, but he is chomping on a cigar; a nice little character feature; if you are going to wander around the battlefields of the 30k setting with your helmet open, you might as well enjoy it

The command figure of this group looks like a bit of a nutter - helmet raised, chewing on a cigar!  He seems to enjoy his job.  When he runs into the Sons of Horus, I expect he will wish he had his helmet sealed, but I do like the look of the figure.

Rear view of the Section leader

There is also a vox-caster figure with this group, and I like the look of him very much - nice animation.  On the one hand it seems silly to have a communications system that would require him to open his helmet (?), but I love the animation, like he is ducking down behind cover to shout something along the lines of "We can't hold much longer..." before a Traitor Legion Marine heavy support squad renders them all to particles.

"Get us some help!!"

Great animation on this figure

These troops also have little lights on the shoulder section of their packs - a nice touch, although I wish they had not sculpted a grate over the bulb, as it would have been fun to add a lens effect there. Oh well - a small quibble.  Overall, I love these figures.

Two more Velatarii

You can see the grenades hanging from their belts - lovely details on this sculpt

With this section finished, my first Solar Auxilia "Tercio" is completed - 50 troops in all, two 20-man lasrifle sections and this 10-man storm section.  I'm feeling very pleased to have this bunch completed - the figures arrived in December 2014 so that is not too bad in terms of turnaround time.

My first Solar Auxilia Tercio - sorry about the crap photo, but that's iPhones for you...

This group of 10 figures should net me 50 points.  Unfortunately I'm still a ways away from my own revised target, much less the crazy leaders of this gang, but hopefully I can get one or two more entries in before this race is over!


From Curt:

Wow, these guys are awesome Greg! As you say, the incremental up-armouring of these models is very well done - they definitely look to be a heavier version of the regular Solar Auxilia yet without going into 'sacred' Space Marine territory. Again, your choice to go with bronze for their plating is excellent as it reinforces the slightly baroque, steam-punky design of their armour.  Lovely stuff.

I definitely want to run with these guys when we get our next 30K game in. Dibs!!

From GregB - Another 40k/30k Solar Auxilia Lasrifle Section (100 Points)

Solar Auxilia from Forge World

Well it has been slower going these past couple of weeks, but I haven't stopped painting yet, still aiming for my 1500 point target.  To help me along, here is another 20-man Solar Auxilia Lasrifle Section, 28mm resin figures from Forge World.  These figures are part of GW's "Horus Heresy" setting, often referred to as "30k".

Command group - officer a back left, comms fellow kneeling in front, vexilla on the right

Another view of the command group

This unit is practically identical to the first unit I painted for the Challenge, part of a budding force of Loyalist troops who will make a stand at some point against Horus and his pretenders. The Solar Auxilia are deployed in platoons called "tercios" in the game (I think a "tercio" was a type of unit used by Spain back in their Imperial heyday?).  Each "tercio" has three sections of troops - either these regular troopers or some veterans.

A selection of individual troopers

Rear view of the same three fellows

 With the exception of the officer, all of these fellows are armed with lovely baroque-looking lasrifles.  The Forge World game writers went through a lot of trouble to give an appearance in the rules that these lasrifles might amount to something in the game itself (you can augment them with a "collimator" - sounds more like a medical procedure, but I digress).  But don't fool yourself - these guys will die by the bucket-load, particularly going up against Legion Space Marines.

Officer on the right, with comms guy assisting in direction of the section

Another view of the firing line

 But they look great! And when you ditch the 7th edition rules and play Rogue Trader instead, they are a lot of fun on the table top too.

Love those wonky back packs, with the pulley/bellows thing (respirator is my guess, but who knows or cares?)

I like the little "canteen" (at least I think it is a canteen) hanging on the hips of many of the Solar Auxilia

Is he changing the "collimator" perhaps?

Many lovely poses in the package

As before, I am totally smitten with these figures.  The sculpting is tremendous (even if the casting quality, as usual with Forge World, can be a bit uneven).  The mix of themes influencing the sculpting is fun and pulled off perfectly.  Even better, these figures are refreshingly free of the stupid skulls and other childishly gloomy iconography which have come to plague nearly all of GW's figure design over the years.

Here are all of the Solar Auxilia painted so far - 40 troops

This represents 2/3 of a "tercio" for the Solar Auxilia

Each Solar Auxilia "tercio" has three units, and the third one is up in the painting queue.  However, a sudden painting diversion has appeared as I attempt a "crash" project for a completely different period, game style and scale...stay tuned for more on that (and lets hope I can get it done in time...)  In the interim, these 20 fellows should give me a 100 points, and get me past the 1000 point barrier.

From Curt:

I love these figures Greg and your paintjobs elevate them even more - absolutely terrific stuff.  I really like the blue and grey of their fabrics set against the brass and steel of their armour and equipment.  The 'rebreather hoses' from their helmets also give them that quasi- steampunk look about them - very cool. (And the officer with his helmet visor up is brilliant as well.)

So, in the suggested Forgeworld fluff/rules, what makes these fellows different from the later period Imperial Guard? I know that sometimes the tech is actually better with the 30K subjects due to humanity's loss of technological memory and the stagnancy of innovation experienced following the Heresy. Do these follow along in that same theme?

I love that they use the term 'tercio'. I wonder if they use (or will use) 'battalia', 'caracoles' and 'bandes'?

Great work Greg!