Reinforcements for the VIIth Legion: Venerable Caxis, the Fury of Terra

The latest addition to the Imperial Fists' Role of Honour is a Leviathan Dreadnought: Venerable Caxis, the Fury of Terra.  This is a wonderful sculpture to paint - imposing and intimidating - and I don't think I have ever seen anyone do anything other than a good paint job on one.  I hope I haven't either.

Venerable Caxis, the Fury of Terra

As usual, the yellow starts with a base coat all over of Averland Sunset, followed by a shading from below using Tau Light Ochre (all through the airbrush, of course), and finally a top highlight (a little more than a zenithal highlight) of Yriel Yellow.  It is such a shame this isn't available as an air paint. The edge highlights are done, appropriately enough, with Dorn Yellow.   The black metal is a mix of Abaddon Black and Leadbelcher, highlighted with Leadbelcher. Yellow is difficult, for me at least, because it tends to dry on the airbrush tip quite regularly, so I regularly brush the tip with a toothbrush doused in thinner, and test the spray pattern on some kitchen paper.  Needless to say, a light grey primer is the best for a Yellow overcoat.  

A fantastic model from ForgeWorld and a pleasure to paint

The rust streaks were done using Abteilung 502's rust colours using the oil dot technique.  I didn't want to go overboard here: unlike tanks, dreadnoughts would not have been kept outdoors, exposed to the elements.  The pin wash uses a mix of Abteilung 502 brown mud and one of the rusts.

Painting the marble tiles felt like penance

I am planning on running this in a Dreadnought Drop Pod, to arrive on the first turn, along with a Termite Drill brimming with angry Imperial Fists armed to the teeth with melta guns.  However, it is such a wonderful model to paint that I had to get another one, so that I have the option of running them as a talon.

I still have plenty more of the VIIth Legion to paint: a Spartan, a Sicaran Arcus, the Termite, the Dreadnought Drop Pod and two Arquitor Bombards.  I could probably do with a couple more terminators to bolster the squad to eight, and I am planning on running a 6-strong Scimitar jet bike squad, obviously all packing heavy bolters, to make the most out of the Imperial Fists' rules.

Next up, the Spartan beastie.