Sunday 14 February 2016

Horus Heresy Word Bearers: Tactical Support Squad

Howdy Guys and Girls - and greetings from wonderful Bavaria today!

Finally finished my first unit for my Word Bearers army - a tactical support squad! Painting these guys was pretty cool, as I used my airbrush for most parts of them. Can't wait to paint my next unit!



Word Bearers Legion Tactical Support Squad Cal

Chapter of the Graven Star


Legion Tactical Support Squads were mobile fire-support units that replaced the utilitarian Bolter of their comrades with more specialised weapons, enabling them to cope with particular battlefield threats or enemies. Operating in close order with the Legion's other troops, the Tactical Support Squad's firepower enabled a battlefield strike force of Space Marines to act with even more versatility and engage a wider range of targets on its own terms.

Plasma Weapons, as shown with this unit, were used against the most heavily armoured and monstrous enemies. The Chapter of the Graven Star used a high number of Support Squads alongside their Breachers and Tactical Squads, their weapons especially deadly in so called "Zone Mortalis" battlefields.



Flanked by Valkia the Bloody and the sinister footsoldiers of the Bloodgod, Squad Cal advances. 



Tactical Support Squad Cal. Note: Heavy customised Power Armour, mostly mix of Mark IV and Mark V. Ryza pattern plasmaguns, late Crusade era production. 



Sergeant Micael Cal. Note: Black helmet denotes veteran status. Ryza "sunspite" pattern plasmapistol. Customised production Mark V pattern Power Armour - source unknown, probably delivered by the traitor Mechanicum before the outbrake of the Heresy.

 Note: Post-Istvaan Legion icon.

 Note: Anvillus pattern backpack. 




Little summary how I painted these guys:

Word Bearers armour:
- Black Undercoat
- Leadbelcher Basecoat
- Zenithal Highlights with Iron Breaker
- Zenithal Highlights with Runefang Steel
- Layer of thinned down Carroburg Crimson
- Several Layers of thinned down Blood for the Blood God
- Edge Highlights of Runefang Steel
- Legs were weathered using FW weathering powders (Dark Earth > Medium Earth > Light Earth)

The plasmaguns were painted using my airbrush, I went from a darker blue to light blue and finally white, focusing on the middle of the plasmaguns.

Hope you enjoyed them - more sons of Lorgar are on their way! Thanks for reading :)

Regards,
Lady Atia

21 comments:

  1. Excellent work I love how the red turned out. Definitely adds a little more flare over the more comon place "flat" red I've seen on Word Bearers, but not enough to confuse em with Thousand Sons.

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    1. Thanks :)

      My Thousand Sons (if I ever come to do them haha) will be more strawberry coloured, like my Praevian:
      http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/291212-atias-horus-heresy-thread-wb-tactical-support-squad/?p=4019228

      No clue how to do Blood Angels, probably flat ^.^

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  2. They look great Atia! Well done

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  3. Really nice. I am planning a word bearers force, but have found a cool Vallejo metallic red that should hopefully give me similar results. Yours look fabulous :)

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    1. Thanks =)!

      I'm going to get the FW clear paints and will try their clear red too in the next weeks, if it gives me the same colour tone it would make my life a lot easier!

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    2. I would expect it to be a less bloody sticky red. Trial by all means but you may wan to save for thousand suns if I were you.

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    3. Yeah, I would only use it if it would give exactly the same tone no worries ^.^

      For my thousand sons I already have Schmincke Aero brilliant red ink :)

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  4. That's a great looking red and unit! :D

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    1. Thanks Darien :)

      Can't wait to play a few games of BaC with my Word Bearers :D

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  5. Beautiful word bearers. Love the back story you put into your squads. Can't wait to see more

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  6. Fantastic work this is a really 'stand out' squad! Looking forward to seeing more!

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  7. Great stuff. Never picked up a Blood for the Blood God paint as I haven't had a reason to. What I do use is the Red Crystal by Ammo Mig for sensors etc. which I suspect is pretty much the same.

    Good results you are getting using it in this way. The armour looks just right.

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    1. Thanks :)

      For blood-effects I'm using usually the vallejo bloods (fresh and dry) - no clue why but I tried the BftB for my Word Bearers Dreadnought last year and it worked pretty well :)

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  8. looking great. what next on the awesome escalator?

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    1. 10 Breachers ... and the Primarch himself :P (still need to do his base before that! :o)

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  9. Looking great Atia :) liking the red!

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  10. They look really good, trying out similar for my Word Bearers but using the FW Angron Red clear.

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