May Madness: Reinforcements for the IVth and XIIIth Legions

But wasn't it meant to be terrain painting season?

If you have a Spartan, you need to fill it with something and that something might as well be some terminators

I have been painting like a demon the past 3 weeks, but not terrain as I had intended; Cataphractii terminators and tactical squads.  In fact I have finished a tactical squad (10 miniatures) for each legion and a unit of Cataphractii (5 miniatures) for each legion.

They may look like buddies in the picture, but when the camera is turned away....

Why more terminators?
In the Spear of Konor campaign the Cataphractii have proved ineffective compared to the other Elites like the Suzerain Invictarii, Contemptor dreadnoughts and the Iron Circle Domitar Ferrum Battle Automaton.  Unable to fire overwatch, unlikely to even scratch a Dreadnought in close combat with their power mauls and axes and often unable to land a wound on one of the Suzerain with their lightining-quick Legatine Axes, the Cataphractii have proved disappointing.  In the Zone Mortalis, Overwatch is important because a unit might be able to fire at full Ballistic Skill if they pass their Initiative test.  This can make even a tactical squad with rapid fire boltguns daunting to charge.  There is not much we can do about the latter, but beefing up the number of Cataphractii with power and chain fists should make them more useful against Contemptors.  And when the campaign goes planetside (when the terrain is ready), mixed squads armed with power fists, mauls or axes and chain fists should prove more capable.

If you're a Traitor, you can expect to see these hopping out of a Spartan near you soon

Why more tactical marines?
Because it is the Heresy and in the 31st Millennium everything is supersized from the tanks to the heroes and from the brutality to the size of tactical squads.  Tactical squads are cheaper in 30K, and still effective.  Moreover, having bought two Terrax Pattern Termite Assault Drills for the Iron Warriors, I had better have sufficient models to put in them.

15 hours' work.  They had better kill plenty of Traitor scum.

Why now when I am meant to be painting terrain?
I have made good progress on the terrain: it is playable even if not up to the standard I want.  Point for point, a tactical squad takes the most painting per point.  The Ultramarines' tactical squad took 15 hours to paint.  I am pretty confident a Spartan won't take any longer.  I am not very good at edge highlights, which is why tactical marines and terminators take so long to paint, especially after a day in front of computer screens, but they ought to be easier on the Armoured vehicles, just as they are on Dreadnoughts.  So now was a good time to build up the rank and file given I expect to be very busy in the second half of the year.

I hope I won't need to paint any more tactical marines for a little while.  Wait a minute, I have
the Quad Mortar crews to paint!

Is that it for terminators?
Don't be silly: I still have five more Iron Warriors Siege Tyrants to paint!

"Where's our ride?  I hear we've got a couple of Terrax Pattern Termites to take us behind the enemy lines."

Painting the Iron Warriors Cataphractii

Comparing the Iron Warriors' Cataphractii I first painted 18 months ago to the most recent batch, it is clear I have made some changes to how I painted them.  The first batch I drybrushed more.  I'm not sure which look better, but with metallic armour (compared to Ultramarine blue), drybrushing looks more natural and is very effective.  This time I used more edge highlighting.

One of the recent batch on the left, one of the first batch on the right

For the record, here is how I painted the latest batch:

1. Prime with Chaos Black and spray with Leadbelcher (I have no airbrush; maybe when I move out of London.....)
2. Wash heavily (upside down) with a 50:50 mix of Agrax Earthshade and Nuln Oil.
3. Dry brush with Leadbelcher.  Because the wash is so dark and the spray version of Leadbelcher more silvery than the pots of paint, this is equivalent to drybrushing a miniature hand-painted with Leadblecher with Ironbreaker.
4. I painted on some of the metallic highlights at this point with Stormhost silver (rather than Ironbreaker, which I would normally use).
5. I painted the hazard stripes with Averland Sunset and Abaddon black (not mixed together, obviously!).  These take about 3 coats over the Leadbelcher base coat.
6. I painted the boltguns with Abaddon Black and highlighted with Mechanicus Standard Grey.
7. For the leather pterugres (apron or skirt) and maniculae (shoulder straps), I base coated with Steel Legion Drab, highlighted the lower edges with Karak brown and then shaded twice with Agrax Earthshade.  This is very different to how I paint the Ultramarines' equivalent.
8. For the bronze armour panels, base coat with Mournfang Brown.  For gold and bronze I would rather one base coat of brown and one top coat of metallic paint than use two coats of metallic paint, which is thicker and more gloopy.  Paint over the base coat with Brass Scorpion.  Then glaze with a 1/3 even mix of Warplock Bronze, Lahmian Medium (Magic stuff) and water.
9. This time I shaded all the bronze armour with Agrax Earthshade Gloss.  I then used the standard matt Agrax Earthshade to paint over the rivets and in the recesses.
10. Then comes the highlighting with Runelord Brass.  This time, rather than drybrush it on, I edge highlighted with it.
11. I distressed the hazard stripes by dabbing Abaddon black on with a drybrush.  Then a generous wash of Seraphim Sepia
12. The mud effect is courtesy of Warhammer TV's own Duncan Rhodes.  I scumbled (that is a wet drybrush) Steel Legion Drab over the boots, followed by dabbing on Rhinox Brown with a drybrush.

"I'm sure I parked the Spartan over there"

And of course, they are based on Tiny Worlds' urban bases.  Some people love playing with sand and PVA glue; I'm not one of them. The resin bases from Tiny Worlds and Dark Art Miniatures are brilliant, instantly thematic and give the models a great weight to them.  And it is easy to glue a circle or rubber steel sheet to the bottom so that they sit nicely in a tray with a sheet of rubber magnetic sheet glued in the bottom, or indeed on a display stand with magnetic sheet glued to the shelves.

Not just for nail varnish.  I could tip this upside down and the miniatures wouldn't move.

Next up: 5 more siege tyrant terminators.