++Throughout the decades of the Emperor's Great Crusade, the reputation of the Fifteenth Legion--the Thousand Sons of Magnus the Red--has been tainted by whispers of forbidden knowledge, and the name of Sorceror.++
A couple of years ago I started work on a pre-Heresy Thousand Sons force. This was before the new
FW kits, Blood Angels, Space Wolves, Grey Knights, and Tomb Kings were released, so I designed it using Codex: Space Marines and the ranges available at the time. This was also before
A Thousand Sons,
Prospero Burns and so forth, so some of the newer fluff wasn’t published. Actually, it was before I spent much time here on DakkaDakka, so I did not post my log here then. After getting most of it assembled, and starting on the painting, real life stuff led to a halt of my
GW-related stuff for a long while. However, I’m hoping to get back to it soon, so thought I would post an edited summary of previous progress as an introduction to the project.
I’m working on a bunch of other stuff too so will probably not expand the force beyond the models here, although I do have one or two ideas for additions a little further down the road. I should also note that I am not really a gamer (stopped in early 3rd edition
40k: I thought 2nd edition was great, and 3rd didn’t feel like the same game to me) although I would not mind starting again.
Apologies in advance that some of the photos aren’t great.
These were the test models for the paint scheme:
I'm very pleased with how they came out; I think taking my time a bit more helped up the level of my painting a bit. They are close to my vision of how I wanted them to look. I realise that the Scout's rifle power cable does not join up in that pose but figure he disconnected it to wander about or something.
Legion symbols are freehand, the Scout has an XV to denote the Legion number, and the Tactical marine has a stylised scarab and an I. I decided to go for a snow effect on the bases, to add to a 'cold' feel, and attempted a marble pattern for the fallen stones. My technique for the marble needs some refining but I think it's ok for a first attempt.
With the test figures out of the way…
Here is Ahriman. The conversion is inspired by (but not meant to be a direct match to) the artwork in the
Collected Visions books. He's made of a large number of components. The head is from MaxMini and the base, as with all the others in the force, from Foundations of War. It's the 'alien temple' range, which I think could represent an alien world or the shattered ruins of Prospero quite well.
++Ahriman, Chief Librarian of the Thousand Sons. He shares his Primarch's obsession with the arcane.++
I've also assembled two models which can be used as either Librarians or Captains.
++The commanders of the Thousand Sons legion were invariably blessed with psychic might.++
One uses Captain Sicarius as a base, and the other a Master of the Chapter. On both, relevant icons were removed. The round, flat areas will have the Legion symbol painted on. The one with the jump pack also has some attempts at sculpting simple scarabs over the U icons falling down near his feet. I thought that using the metal Thousand Sons heads would be a good way to denote leaders--it is shown in the art books--and have done my Tactical squad Sorceror-Sergeants in the same way.
++The humble Rhino APC is a mainstay of the forces of the Legions of the Astartes. Here, as is not uncommon, the Thousand Sons have opted to display their status as the Fifteenth Legion.++
These guys are not heavily converted, unlike some of the impressive attempts I've seen out there. Both have (as will all my larger vehicles) a plastic XV to denote the Fifteenth Legion, which were bought from eBay as clockmaker's spare parts. The Rhinos are also painted:
I went for the Tactical arrow on one, and a scarab on the other, as well as the Legion number. The photos aren't great; I am finding the vehicles quite hard to get good pictures of with my camera setup.
I have two Tactical squads, with different armour types, and the cupola-mounted Marines are designed to match their squads. I've also used some of the Forge World Red Scorpions vehicle doors and filled in and smoothed down the Scorpion symbol in the middle; I intend to paint the Thousand Sons Legion symbol in here.
++Many Astartes forces include Techmarines, whose specialities in maintenance and repair are invaluable on the battlefield. In addition to this, they are skilled combatants in their own right.++
I built this Techmarine from a wide variety of parts; he's got a Thousand Sons bolter and loincloth to help tie him in with the rest of the force. As the rest of the models are converted, I didn't want to use a stock figure (although the stock figure is very nice!).
++Although the majority of the Thousand Sons--as with the other Legions--take to the battle in the assorted patterns of power armour, lightly-armoured scouts are often employed for reconaissance and sniper duties.++
I've not done too much with these except swap the heads for those of trimmed-down
WHFB Chaos Warriors; I tried this with my some Death Guard Scouts a year or two ago and liked it so have done the same. It's a bit tricky to fit the heads on some of the poses, and lots of filing of parts was needed.
The scouts are actually all painted. I'm pleased with these guys, although the scarabs on the sergeants' chests didn't work out perfectly. But still I think they look good. Apologies for the poor lighting. I've since fixed the blemish on the left-hand sergeant's cloak.
++Versatile, disciplined, deadly: the Tactical Squad. With a mixture of bolters and more specialised weaponry, these Space Marines are well-equipped for any battlefield role.++
The overall look of the armour was inspired by assorted pictures from the artbooks, and I wanted the squad to look coherent. I sculpted simple scarabs over the Red Scorpion icons present on some of the chest plates. The backpacks are mostly from the Chaos range, with the exhausts trimmed down and inverted, for a more archaic feel.
I'm quite pleased with these guys. I should note the middle guy in the middle picture doesn't look quite so much like he's tipping over in reality.
++The Land Raider is the most heavily-armoured Battle Tank in regular use by the Space Marine Legions; as well as anti-tank and anti-personnel weaponry, its transport capability enables the rapid deployment of Astartes to the thick of combat.++
I decided to go with the regular Land Raider as opposed to the Forge World pre-Heresy kit as I'd heard that the latter can be particularly tricky to get to fit. However after seeing several assembled I think perhaps if I ever get a second, it'll be one... This is similar in principle to the Rhinos I posted before, with Red Scorpion doors and Roman numerals. I switched around the doors and lascannon sponsons as I thought it made more sense for troops to disembark from right behind, as opposed to right in front of, the lascannons.
I replaced the weapon mounts with the leering heads from the Chaos vehicle sprue:
However I realised when taking the photo that I glued the wrong sides together, so now two lascannons have holes all the way through and two have no holes! I feel slightly foolish about this and am not sure what to do. I may have to render the lascannons vertically immobile.
++Support tanks such as the Vindicator are invaluable in close-quarters fighting, effective against troops, armour, and removing fortifications.++
Sources place the creation of the Vindicator around the start of the Heresy; in games set earlier, I figure I can pass these of as prototypes or leave them out of my list.
++Brother Seraphis, former Librarian of the Legion, was possessed of sufficient strength of will that despite grievous injury in battle he was able to survive long enough to be interred in a Dreadnought. His might and wisdom continue to be an asset to the Legion.++
I wanted a Dreadnought to represent the Tempus Fugitives' Librarian-Dreadnought Seraphis. In the end I settled on the Venerable Dreadnought, and with some chopping and filing managed to fit a Thousand Sons head on there. Yes, this was also made before the plastic Venerable Dreadnought was released, which would have been both easier to convert and better balanced! The aquila on the chest plate stayed on, figuring if any Marine was deserving of that honour then odds are it'd be one who became a Dreadnought. I used Tomb King shields as shin armour, and a plasma cannon from Forge World.
++Land Speeders provide invaluable reconaissance, and armed with the recently-developed multi-melta are able to provide anti-armour support.++
A squadron of Land Speeders completes a Fast Attack choice. I left off some of the armour pieces to get a look slightly closer to the classic models, and make them look a little different from regular Speeders. A Tomb Kings decoration replaces the aquila, and I added a chariot spike in front. The crewmen were similarly put in more archaic patterns of Power Armour.
++The Elite of the Astartes Legions are sometimes gifted with the new and rare 'Terminator' pattern armour. It affords protection such that the wearer may shrug off small arms fire with ease, and frequently may turn aside even the blast of a krak missile. Squad Ankhet are one such group of veterans.++
I wanted to create a Terminator unit and am quite pleased with how they've turned out, although may remove a few more of the Chaotic details and add some more purity seals.
++
The Fellblade is a mighty tank deployed with some Astartes forces, although Imperial commanders have noted that it best fits with the forces of the Imperial Army, where it is often called the Baneblade. As a result of this its use among the Astartes is rare, with the Land Raider and Predator battle tanks more frequently used; where present, however, its firepower and armour can be a match for an entire enemy force.++
I was quite keen to add a Fellblade to the force; I like the Baneblade model a lot, and think it makes a good centrepiece. This got a similar treatment to my other vehicles (although I did leave one Aquila on, figuring this would be the most appropriate of all the tanks to bear the battle-honour) of Tomb Kings bits and Roman numerals. I added Chronus with some grey stuff and a head swap to the turret, and a circle on the front, where I will add the Legion symbol.
++As newer versions of Power Armour have become available, Astartes have typically been refitted with updated equipment on a squad-by-squad basis.++
These guys have a different torso (the Thousand Sons metal one or a Mark V) from the other squad, and helmet. I wanted each squad to be slightly different, but harmonise the equipment within a squad. The Sorceror has a combi-plasma gun, like in the other squad.
++Assault marines, equipped with jump packs, are able to launch rapid surprise attacks on the foe.++
These guys were built in the same style as previous Marines; they have khopeshes from the Tomb Kings range instead of chainswords and chainaxes, to give a feel more tied to the Thousand Sons. The Sergeant has a lightning claw and storm shield.
I also used some shoulder pads from Chapterhouse Studies, to try and give them a more heavily armoured look. These are a little taller than the standard
GW pads (due to the 3-tiered structure), and a little less deep, but fit ok.
I have painted a small number of the infantry. I’m not so happy with the last few of these—I had a dodgy pot of Mechrite Red at the time, which wasn’t covering properly, and giving me a blotchy look (particularly on the librarian/captain). That dampened my enthusiasm for a little while. Happily since then the paints are now sorted.
First I’ve got one of the Librarian-Captains; he’s had his left arm reposed since priming. With him done it’s a game-legal painted force, albeit a small and odd one! Although you can’t see it here, his left shoulder pad has “XV” written on it while the right has half of the Legion symbol above the wings.
Next are the Sorceror-Sergeants and a Marine from each Tactical squad:
Finally, in case I ever do play a game of
40k, I thought an objective marker would be useful. So here’s the long-suffering Lieutenant Varras from Battle for Macragge, painted up in the colours of the XV Legion.
So, that’s how the project stands so far. Next progress will probably be a couple more from the Tactical squads.
2000 pts 
Imperial Guard 500+ pts
Space Marine 3000 or so pts
Chaos Space Marine 1000 pts
Dark Angles (White Scars successor)
(I hope)
