My Flesh Eater project continues this week with Brother Dunn, a chainsword-wielding Assault Intercessor equipped with an LED infra-visor and the fifth member of Assault Squad Levers.

Building & Painting

The design of Brother Dunn is intended to capture the look of Assault Marines with infra-visors and was inspired by the classic Rogue Trader Assault Marine art and model, as seen in this previous article about Brother Talon. I’ve recreated this Rogue Trader-era look using the head of a Space Marine Primaris Incursor and the techniques described in my LED Eye Lens tutorial. The only difference worth noting is that I used a TruOpto 1.8mm Green LED instead of the red LED described in the tutorial. The base model is a Primaris Assault Intercessor that I have modified to wear MkVI armour, in keeping with the War of the False Primarch theme for my Flesh Eaters army.

In this holo-pict we can see Brother Dunn of the Flesh Eaters sporting personal heraldry on his tilt shield. Astartes are granted personal heraldry on ascending to the rank of veteran, or in some cases for acts of extreme personal valour. We can assume the latter is likely the case with Brother Dunn as he is clearly a member of a line unit. The shield displays the classic ‘severed gorgon’s head’ heraldic device. The meaning of heraldry chosen by Astartes is often very personal. We might guess that the defeated gorgon represents the False Primarch, the Abomination himself, and the forward-facing central snake could perhaps be the notorious ‘Vox Volnoscere’? This would then likely mean that the five blood drops dripping from the gorgon’s neck symbolise the Pentarchy of Blood, of which the Flesh Eaters were an integral part. Can his heraldry therefore be read as a direct taunt to the Partisans, or perhaps an oath that Brother Dunn himself would see fulfilled?

Of course, the chances are equally good that Brother Dunn simply chose an image from ancient texts that would appear frightening to his enemies, and there is no deeper meaning than that!

Extract from ‘A Treatise on the War of the False Primarch’ by Scribe Howtopher Buxcraft

The personal heraldry on this model was a bit of an experiment, and I’m fairly pleased with the way it turned out. The tilt shield is a moulded-on part of the torso for this model, so I had to include it. I started by painting another Flesh Eaters symbol in Corax White, but I didn’t like the way it drew the eye away from the model’s face. So I decided to do a freehand design in Evil Sunz Scarlet and Wild Rider Red, my two red highlight colours. This way the heraldry does not immediately draw the eye to it, but there is something rewarding to find when the eye does get there. The gorgon head theme is partially inspired by a John Blanche drawing of a marine with similar heraldry, but I think it fits well with the theme, as detailed above.

The only other thing of note is the bolter. Rules-wise, I will use Brother Talon as a Primaris Assault Intercessor, so he is equipped with a heavy bolt pistol. I didn’t want to spoil the MkVI aesthetic though, so instead I used an Umbra-pattern bolter with a shortened magazine as a visual representation of the heavy bolt pistol.

That’s all for today, and that’s also it for Assault Squad Levers! I’ll be back again soon with some group shots of the unit. Then it will be time to think about some officers to lead this army! As ever, thanks for reading, and please don’t forget you can also follow my work on Twitter and Instagram.

Nice try, heretic. Now it’s my turn!

Brother Akerman, Flesh Eaters Assault Marine

My collection of Flesh Eater Assault Intercessors continues to grow. This week I’ve added Brother Akerman, a chainsword-wielding marine with a short temper who doesn’t take kindly to being shot at!

Building & Painting

With Brother Akerman I’ve revisited the LED effect bullet ricochets last seen in Brother Kane. I decided I wanted to give the impression that the whole squad was under fire, not just Kane, which meant someone else needed to step into the line of fire! Akerman’s bullet ricochet effects were achieved using the techniques described in my Simple LED Muzzle Flare tutorial, only with the “flares” coming from the armour rather than a gun barrel. Both LEDs are powered from the same battery. They are connected in parallel with each other and in series with a single 100 ohm resistor and a single switch. In the two images above you can see the exposed LEDs on the left, and then the impact effects after the acrylic gel had been applied, as described in steps 13 – 15 of the tutorial.

As I’ve described previously for other members of this squad, the base model is a Primaris Assault Intercessor that I have modified to wear MkVI armour, in keeping with the War of the False Primarch theme for my Flesh Eaters army. You can read the latest from the War of the False Primarch campaign here. For those that are interested, my painting recipe for the red Flesh Eaters armour can be found in this previous post.  

That’s all for this week, I’ll be back again soon with the final member of this unit! As always, thanks for reading, and please don’t forget you can also follow my work on Twitter and Instagram.

Death in battle holds no fear for me when it serves the Emperor’s will.

Brother Talon, Flesh Eaters Assault Marine

My Flesh Eater project continues this week with Brother Talon, a chainsword-wielding Assault Intercessor equipped with an LED infra-visor.

Building & Painting

This miniature and the idea of Assault Marines with infra-visors was inspired by the classic model Rogue Trader Assault Marine art and the miniature shown above. For me this is the classic Assault Marine look; fearlessly storming the breach with little more than a pistol, chainsword and faith in the Emperor. Of course this battle brother has a little extra as well, in the form of the infra-visor. As the name suggests, the infra-visor was a piece of equipment that helped the wearer identify the infrared heat signatures of hidden targets. Ideal for spotting potential enemy ambushes in close-quarters fighting and boarding actions!

I’ve recreated this Rogue Trader-era look using the head of a Space Marine Primaris Incursor and the techniques described in my LED Eye Lens tutorial. The only difference worth nothing is that I used a TruOpto 1.8mm Green LED instead of the red LED described in the tutorial. The base model is a Primaris Assault Intercessor that I have modified to wear MkVI armour, in keeping with the War of the False Primarch theme for my Flesh Eaters army.

I’ve added some “gore” to the chainsword using a fairly simple technique. I applied two thick coats of PVA glue to the chainsword – waiting for the PVA to dry after each coat – and then applied a thick coat of Citadel Blood for the Blood God. I also streaked some of this over the side of the blade, hilt, hand and wrist guard. This process is shown in the two pictures above. You may also notice the ‘skull and crossbones’ on the wrist guard. This is a classic piece of heraldry that indicates Brother Talon is seeking an honourable death in battle to prove his faith in the Emperor. If you’re interested, my painting recipe for the red Flesh Eaters armour can be found in this previous post.  

The only other thing of note is the bolter. Rules-wise, I will use Brother Talon as a Primaris Assault Intercessor, so he is equipped with a heavy bolt pistol. I didn’t want to spoil the MkVI aesthetic though, so instead I used an Umbra-pattern bolter with a shortened magazine as a visual representation of the heavy bolt pistol.

That’s all for this week, I’ll be back again soon with more Flesh Eaters. Just two more models to go in this unit, and then I think it’s time for a character or two! As ever, thanks for reading, and please don’t forget you can also follow my work on Twitter and Instagram.