ISSUE 6 - 8th MARCH 2014

Editor: Jes Bickham
jes@whitedwarf.co.uk

Assistant Editor: Matt Keefe
mattk@whitedwarf.co.uk

Senior Staff Writer: Adam Troke
adam@whitedwarf.co.uk

Staff Writer: Daniel Harden
dan@whitedwarf.co.uk

Production Lead: Rebecca Ferguson
rebecca@whitedwarf.co.uk

Digital Editor: Melissa Roberts
melissa@whitedwarf.co.uk

Lead Designer: Matthew Hutson
matt@whitedwarf.co.uk

Designer: Kristian Shield
kris@whitedwarf.co.uk

Designer: Ben Humber
ben@whitedwarf.co.uk

Photo Editor: Glenn More
glenn@whitedwarf.co.uk

Photographer: Erik Niemz
erik@whitedwarf.co.uk

Photographer: Martyn Lyon
martyn@whitedwarf.co.uk

Publisher: Paul Lyons
paul@whitedwarf.co.uk

What a month it’s been so far – the battlefields of the 41st Millennium have changed forever with the advent of the Imperial Knight, and now Chaos Space Marine collectors get fresh reinforcements in the shape of a brand new Helbrute awash with weapon options and beautifully gruesome detail. It’s a fantastic kit and we talk to the designer behind it, Ed Cottrell. You’ll also find painting guides in Paint Splatter.

Imperial Knight fever is still gripping the White Dwarf office, however, and in a very special feature this week, Adam and Dan talk to the rules team behind the Codex to discuss developing how these mighty war machines work on the tabletop. It’s certainly given me some fresh insight as to how to use mine to bring fresh ruin to the enemies of the Imperium.

We’ll have more Knightly goodness next week as well as more new releases, new rules and much more hobby fun. See you in seven days!

The Helbrute is a raging, twisted mockery of the noble Space Marine Dreadnought. Piloted by a psychotic, war-hungry Chaos Space Marine, it is an insane fusion of flesh and machine, a terrifying example of the corrupting power of Chaos.

Every aspect of the Helbrute oozes with the mutating energy of Chaos. Its chassis is a hideous amalgamation of pistons and hydraulics forcibly melded with bulging muscles and fleshy sinews, while a bio-mechanical spine arches from its back between fluted exhausts – the product of insane experiments and alterations carried out by Chaos Warpsmiths and their acolytes. What were once armoured cables are now half-fleshed umbilicals snaking between weapon ports, while chemical shunts and drug-filled vials are plugged into raw, freshly implanted sockets. So extensive is the level of corruption and modification that the Helbrute is barely recognisable as the noble Space Marine Dreadnought it once was.

There are dozens of options in this plastic kit, enabling you to build the Helbrute with any of the weapon combinations available in Codex: Chaos Space Marines. The heavy bolter and the multi-melta are suspiciously fleshy, their barrels protruding from distended tissue hidden beneath the gun cowling, showing that the Helbrute’s weapons are as organic as they are mechanical. The reaper autocannon has grown a spiked ribcage and mounts a glaive beneath the barrel like the one in the Chaos Terminators box, while the plasma cannon resembles the ectoplasma cannons on the Forgefiend, with a fanged maw that could easily pass for a screeching face. The missile launcher is arguably the most disturbing of the Helbrute’s guns, a wholly corrupt version of its Imperial counterpart, featuring a cluster of missiles rammed into a bulging mass of flesh.

Left: The Helbrute’s enraged pilot stares out at the world from behind a ring of serrated teeth.

Right: The Helbrute’s power fist has a maw on the inside, which can be built to house a flamer.

Left: The power scourge writhes with barely-suppressed energy. Is it controlled by the suit’s occupant, or does it have a sentience of its own?

Right: The thunder hammer is a warp-forged creation driven by pistons and an enhanced musculature. The semblance of a leering daemon face has been crafted between the hammer heads.

Left: The lascannon barrels remain relatively untainted by the predations of Chaos, though the same cannot be said for the gun housing, which is extensively mutated.

Right: The Helbrute can be armed with a reaper autocannon, a rapid-fire weapon that has been in the armoury of the Traitor Legions since before the Horus Heresy.

Left: Because of the myriad ways the Helbrute can be assembled, there will be umbilical ports that need to be filled. There are nine fleshy cables of varying shapes and lengths and six stimulant canisters to fulfil this role.

Right: There are six heads included in the kit, which can subtly alter the feel of the Helbrute. This Raptor-like mask would look great on a Night Lords or Emperor’s Children Helbrute.

Left: This half-decayed face is indicative of Nurgle’s blessing.

Right: The Helbrute’s chassis would once have been purely mechanical, but its hydraulic pistons have long since been covered by mounds of muscular flesh. The way the kit is assembled adds great realism to these parts, creating places where you can see right through the Helbrute’s body.

Left: Chains can be seen amongst the pipes and cables on the Helbrute’s torso, no doubt used to hold the pilot’s sarcophagus in place or to unceremoniously hang it up post-battle.

Right: The Helbrute’s greave features a snarling Daemonic face that could be ornamentation or something more sinister.

There are also options for four close-combat weapons: a writhing power scourge designed for ensnaring and crushing its foes, a thunder hammer that has grown into the arm that holds it, and two power fists, which can be built with combi-bolters mounted on the armour or tooth-ringed flamers hidden in the palms. To make the most of all these weapon options, the sarcophagus features two different connectors for each weapon arm, enabling you to build the Helbrute in a range of dynamic, foe-smashing poses.

Unlike Space Marine Dreadnoughts, the Helbrute’s sarcophagus is open to the elements so the warrior within can see the world with his own eyes, driving him mad with rage over his eternal incarceration. There are six heads in the kit, from war-ravaged faces to impassive masks sprouting cables and pipes that retract when the pilot is removed, often forcibly, from the Helbrute’s shell after a battle.

Like most Chaos-tainted warriors, the Helbrute is covered in dozens of tiny mutations and appendages that will reward the diligent painter. Teeth and claws sprout from armoured panels, while in the corner of the sarcophagus a quintet of eyes stare out at the world, suggesting the Helbrute may play host to more than one organism. The pipes and cables drip with unknown fluids, while rents in the armour give the impression of coolant vents or, more likely, gills. There are three bony crests for the sarcophagus, too, ending in ridged antlers, blade-like spikes and keratinous horns, allowing you to construct the Helbrute in myriad ways. DH

Chaos Space Marines once fought for the Imperium of Man before disillusion or corruption caused they betrayal. They are bitter, hate-fuelled warriors every bit as dangerous as their loyalist counterparts, but twisted physically and mentally beyond mortal comprehension.

The forces of Chaos come in many guises, from power-armoured warriors to daemonic war machines. This all-plastic set includes six kits: a Chaos Terminator Lord, five Chaos Terminators, 10 Chaos Space Marines, five Raptors, a Rhino and a Forgefiend, making it the ideal start to a Chaos Space Marine force.

Many of the kits can be assembled in several different ways. The Terminator Lord that leads the army can be assembled as a Sorcerer, adding a dose of psychic might to your force, while the Chaos Terminators that accompany him can be assembled in a variety of ways, enabling you to gear them up for tank busting, infantry slaying or a pleasing mixture of the two. The Chaos Space Marine squad is similarly packed full of options, including special weapons such as the plasma gun and meltagun, plus a selection of savage close-combat weapons for the unit champion. They come with a Rhino too, which can be decked out with icons of Chaos and skulls on spikes. DH

Grimm Burloksson is the youngest Dwarf ever to pass the trials required to join the Engineers Guild. This in itself may be unsurprising considering his father is the legendary Burlok Damminson, perhaps the greatest living Dwarf Engineer. Grimm, like his father, is resourceful and imaginative, and doesn’t shy away from breaking with tradition to create new and destructive weapons and tools. If his innovations were not so effective, Grimm would have been drummed out of the guild long ago.

A plastic Citadel miniature, Grimm Burloksson draws on the imagery of the Dwarf Master Engineers and amplifies it to create the appearance of an eccentric battlefield experimenter. Burloksson is equipped with the works of his own hands. He wears a monocle designed to compute ranges and complex firing solutions for nearby artillery in the blink of an eye. He also wears a back-mounted furnace to power his steam-driven gauntlet. Veteran Dwarf collectors will recognise the armoured glove as inspired by Grimm’s father, Burlok Damminson, and his original prosthetic arm. The kit contains two gauntlets for you to choose from when you assemble your model – one holds Grimm’s Grudge-raker rifle, a powerful Goblin-slaying firearm, while the other rests at ease. Grimm Burloksson is also armed with an apparently simple weapon. Like everything about this cunning engineer, the Cog Axe is actually an ingenious weapon designed to disarm the foe. There is also an alternative arm in the kit, so you can have Grimm pointing out a target instead of hefting his axe. AT

Once a loyal Chapter of Space Marines, the Crimson Slaughter were corrupted into something dark and utterly horrifying.

This 72 page supplement for Codex: Chaos Space Marines contains the history of the Crimson Slaughter. Originally known as the Crimson Sabres, they were a Chapter loyal to the Imperium, but horrific events led to their downfall. Now they are haunted by dreadful psychic manifestations and driven to increasingly vile acts of butchery.

The Chapter’s fall is described in perhaps the most detailed history yet for any of the Chaos renegades. There is also a fantastic gallery of Crimson Slaughter miniatures and the rules for using the Crimson Slaughter as an army in its own right. All this is backed up by Warlord Traits, Relics, Stratagems for Cities of Death and Planetstrike, Altar of War missions and a series of narrative missions called Echoes of War. This Codex Supplement has had the White Dwarf team abuzz with chatter about the new rules and compelling background found within it.

The book is also available in two digital formats: an interactive iBooks edition for iPad and Apple computers, and an eBook edition that works on loads of devices. AT

By Alan Merrett
Hardback | 416 pages

The definitive companion to the Horus Heresy is now available as a standard edition art book.

The Horus Heresy: Visions of Heresy is a gargantuan art book that compiles hundreds of images of the warriors, vehicles and battles of the Horus Heresy. Alongside this sumptuous gallery is a sweeping narrative that tells the history of the Heresy, from the unification of Terra to its dreadful culmination aboard the Warmaster’s battle barge.

Veteran Heresy fanatics may well recall the original edition of this collection, released in four separate volumes roughly 10 years ago. This new edition gathers the whole story and expands the narrative with new information, new artwork and a more complete vision of the Heresy than ever before. If you are a fan of the Horus Heresy, this really is essential reading. AT

With the new Helbrute released this week, we’re unleashing the ultimate painting guide.

The new Chaos Space Marines Helbrute presents a complex challenge to painters, with a multitude of different textures and surfaces to paint, from armour and exposed metal workings to mutated flesh. To help with the challenge, Games Workshop Digital Editions and the Citadel army painters have combined to produce this guide, explaining how to paint a Helbrute in the colours of the Alpha Legion, Night Lords, Deathguard, World Eaters, Thousand Sons and Black Legion.

Containing scores of detailed pictures, along with colour swatches, tips and instructions, with a bit of help from this guide you’ll have your Chaos Space Marines Helbrute painted up and ready for battle in no time. AT

FURTHER READING

The guys who create Games Workshop’s Digital Editions have produced a wealth of downloads, from digital Codexes and Altar of War missions to campaign rules and painting guides.

If you’re inspired by the new Helbrute, you might want to check out some of the existing Chaos Space Marine downloads, including Codex Supplement: Black Legion and the compilations Index: Chaotica Volumes I and II.

Recovering from an overwhelming surge of hobby momentum inspired by the thought of thousands upon thousands of Tyranid Hormagaunts, Phil Kelly talks about another of his greatest inspirations: the masterful one-off, and the downright unexpected.

There’s definitely something to be said for batch painting miniatures. There’s no better way to get a bunch of models on the display shelf or on the gaming table in double-quick time. Adhering to a painting guide can help this process immeasurably, and help you to get really world-class results to boot. Still, this month I’d like to cover the opposite end of the spectrum – going off the beaten track.

You know that feeling you get when you see a model where someone has taken their own slant on a classic theme? Well, that’s the feeling I want to talk about, that instant of, “Oh, yeah, that’s a great idea.” It’s usually accompanied by the knitted eyebrows of serious cool or the goofy smile of sheer good fun. If it’s an especially great idea that’s on display, you might even see the wide eyes and gaping jaw of cor blimey.*

A lot of hobbyists love to lavish real time and brain power on making the models in their collection as individual as they can. Often this applies to character models, or to centrepieces, rather than the rank and file. Some people aren’t happy unless they’ve converted or kit-bashed every model in their collection, and more power to them – they have liquid green stuff running through their veins. Most hobbyists know at least one person like that; I’m pretty sure we have at least a dozen here in the Design Studio.

Some takes on existing models just seem to click. I find the things that usually draw the most oohs and aahs from fellow connoisseurs are those ideas we wouldn’t have thought of ourselves. Even with a bitz box the size of a battle barge and every colour Games Workshop’s paint cauldrons have ever brewed, you just wouldn’t have achieved the same results. Naturally, you give kudos to those who have; the inventiveness is impressive in itself.

We have one guy who works in the Digital team, Eddie Eccles, who is especially good at coming up with insane conversions. Frequently skirting the line between genius and madness, Eddie’s models often leave you with a mixture of respect and envy that you didn’t come up with that idea yourself. Anyone who has seen the talented Mr. Eccles’s conversions in the pages of this magazine (or in Warhammer: Visions) will know exactly what I’m talking about. My current favourite is the Dark Angels Nephilim Jetfighter with wings that trail unearthly flames – spare bits taken from the High Elves Flamespyre Phoenix kit. that’s an inspired piece of kit-bashing right there.

Another place you’ll find this rampant ingenuity is in Golden Demon painting competitions. I always look forward to seeing the best of these world-class models, because there are inevitably a dozen or so interpretations of the Games Workshop universes that ring so true that I never forget them. You must have some old favourites yourself – those models and dioramas that made you just stare with rapt attention, the ones that held your attention so firmly that even a Land Raider trundling past wouldn’t have distracted you from it.

You get this a lot with Armies on Parade, I find – a set of models that all tie together in their colour scheme and composition, but with a unique twist that draws your eyes like a hobby magnet. I’m not talking about the three-foot high ones with the LEDs and the water features, but the ones where the army itself is a bold and exciting choice that looks as amazing on the battlefield as it does on display. If you’re lucky enough to have struck hobby gold with a cool idea, you’ll find the momentum you get from it will see you finish that project in record time, purely for the joy of showing it off to like-minded souls.

A bold colour scheme, a set of poses that tie in really well together, or even a set of models that look absolutely bonkers at first glance but get cooler the more you look at them, these are the visions of the Games Workshop universe that really stick in the mind. I absolutely love to see a part of the Warhammer or Warhammer 40,000 universes that I’ve never seen before; it feels like exploring some new corner of those realms. In a way, that’s exactly what the person who made that scene has done – used their hobby ingenuity to explore a part of these fictional universes that has never been made real before.

Now there is another angle to this. Many of the models we sell are already posed in certain ways – specifically, the ways that the sculptor thought would best show off the model. And you know what? That sculptor knows that model far better than you or I – there are times when you simply cannot improve on perfection. Similarly, the ’Eavy Metal team, being the best they are at what they do, choose the coolest colour scheme they can and execute it with such astonishing skill that you’d have to be some kind of painting god to better it. It’s always amazing to see these masters of their craft strut their stuff.

And yet part of the glory of the Games Workshop hobby is that it is so open-ended, and so personal. You might see an ’Eavy Metal Chapter Master in the flesh at Warhammer World, and be both impressed and daunted in equal measure, thinking that you could never attain such lofty heights with your own humble brush and palette. But that’s my point – that dude in the cabinet is not your version. Finish that same model in the colours of a lesser-known chapter, do a simple head swap with a bonce taken from a different kit, or even paint it with the light coming from a different direction, and it suddenly has a new lease of life. That model is now yours, and no-one else’s – there’s not another one like it anywhere on the planet. That’s a great feeling, and it’s why we like seeing the model afresh every time someone has assembled and painted their own version. Anyone familiar with the many faces (or rather chins) of Brian Nelson’s legendary Nurgle Chaos Lord will know what I’m talking about.

Essentially, I’m saying don’t be afraid to embrace eccentricity in your hobby. It’s already pretty off the beaten track, so why not let your imagination run wild as a drunken goblin in a squig farm? That’s the stuff that you’ll be really proud of in the long run, the signature models and armies that you show off when a friend comes around to your house, or when you take your models to a local gaming evening.

So those conversions you’ve had in mind for years? Stop pontificating and treat yourself to making them a reality. You’ll expand the universes that we love spending so much time in, even if only by a little bit, and that’s got to be worth it. Just remember to watch the facial expressions of the people you show your models off to…

*An exclamation often heard around England’s eastern marches, in the county known as Essex. White Dwarf editor Jes Bickham, a fellow man of Essex, tells us it can be roughly translated as ‘Crikey!’, Wow!’ or ‘Awesome!’.

Phil is one of the Design Studio’s background writers and has worked on Codexes and army books from Warhammer Armies: Vampire Counts to Codex: Eldar.

Inspired by the possibilities that the Imperial Knights offer on the battlefield, Adam and Dan sat down with the Citadel rules team to talk about what Imperial Knights mean for games of Warhammer 40,000 – and how the creators see them being used.

One thing is for certain when it comes to the Imperial Knights: they are a force for change in Warhammer 40,000. Here in the White Dwarf bunker, in addition to frantically painting our own models, we’ve also begun playing games with them. The battles have been exciting and the results profound. So, we thought it would be worth having a chat to ‘the Rules Guys’ about their work on Codex: Imperial Knights, and what it all means for Warhammer 40,000.

“When you look at the history of Warhammer 40,000 as a game, over the years we have added many of the aspects that once existed solely in the background of the universe directly into the game,” says Jervis. “At every step, this has been facilitated by the miniatures the Citadel designers create, of course. For years we have seen flyers and fortifications in the artwork found in our Codexes and rulebooks. With the recent additions of amazing new models and the Death from the Skies, Stronghold Assault and Escalation expansions, many of them have now made it to the tabletop. The same is true of the Imperial Knights. Longtime fans of the Warhammer 40,000 universe have probably been hoping for them for some time now. They have been part of the battles we have described in a galaxy at war for years, and now they are available to unleash in your games too.

“The more elements you have at your disposal, the more ways you have to play the game,” Jervis adds. “That sounds obvious, but in recent years our focus has been to expand the options for collecting and gaming. Back when Warhammer 40,000 was young, we were limited to infantry models and the relatively few vehicles that were available at the time. Now players have more choice than ever. It’s up to you to pick the theme of the game you want to play – is your game going to focus on a particular element of the Warhammer 40,000 background?”

For most of us, adding the Imperial Knights to our collections has been a little like seeing a new piece being added into a Chess set. Their weapons and wargear in particular have caused quite the hubbub in the White Dwarf office.

“Absolutely,” Jervis agrees. “The addition of a model on the battlefield that is so powerful and potentially dominant has the inevitable effect of causing all Warhammer 40,000 players to take stock. It’s a massive war machine, capable of having a profound effect on any game. Over the coming weeks, as more players add them to their collections, and their impact on the battlefield is played out across gaming tables around the world, there is going to be a race to unravel its secrets and work out the best ways to use it or destroy it.”

“Jervis has hit the nail on the head there,” Simon chimes in enthusiastically. “Because Imperial Knights have a fully-fledged Codex of their own, you will see them both as allies and as primary detachments. They’ll also be appearing in any style of Warhammer 40,000 game, whether that’s allied to armies in Eternal War missions, marching into the fray in Stronghold Assault games, and so on. The possibilities are endless. Even during playtesting we realised this was going to be a game-changer. Do you adapt your army to deal with an Imperial Knight, or do you adapt your tactics?”

“When it came to designing the rules, I have to admit that our top priority was interpreting the Imperial Knights correctly on the tabletop ,” says Jervis. “Knights are undeniably powerful, and rightly so when you consider their place in the background and the stature of the model. So our first priority was to write rules that made them ‘feel’ right, when you controlled them, and also when you fought against them. We also needed to be mindful, as we fashioned their rules, as to how people would adapt to them in their games. The goal was to create something formidable, frightening even, but by no means should they be unstoppable.

“So, though it may surprise some people, my first concern with rules is always that they are a fair reflection of the background behind the model,” Jervis adds. “Once we get that nailed down, and we’re happy with the character of the rules, we then turn our minds to other practicalities: how long will it take people to figure out the best ways to use them? Will people be able to develop counter-tactics once they have played a few games?”

“In our games we noticed one Achilles heel – their lack of protection from aerial attack,” says Simon. “Their only defences against flyers are heavy stubbers, a useful weapon for killing light infantry squads, and finishing off the dirty work started by the thermal cannon or rapid-fire battle cannon, but hardly the pinnacle of anti-aircraft technology. We quickly discovered tactics, too: heavy infantry could bog them down in protracted assaults, while multiple fire-teams could get around the protection of their ion shields. Of course, the flip side was we also found ways to get the best out of them: I adopted very aggressive tactics in my games. The Knight Paladin’s high move rate of 12” means it can move rapidly from areas of cover to cover, while the ion shield protects its exposed side.”

“That’s actually my favourite thing about them in the game,” Robin says. “Imperial Knights present a complex tactical puzzle. They are Super-heavy Walkers, but they’re not as resilient as, say, a Stompa or a Khorne Lord of Skulls that you’ll face in Apocalypse or Escalation. They have powerful guns, but they’re not measured on the same scale as a macro cannon or volcano cannon. They have an amazing close combat weapon, but they don’t get the protection of their ion shields in a melee. Even with all that said, you can’t underestimate them, though. While they aren’t the trump suit for every occasion, they certainly are a formidable jack of all trades. If the fact that it wasn’t an amazing Citadel miniature wasn’t reason enough to add it to your army, it’s also a compelling gaming piece with great potential for tactical play. That combination alone means a lot of people will likely leap in feet first.”

“In the end, we are very satisfied with the place the Imperial Knights have taken in Warhammer 40,000,” says Jervis. “This is because no one army can ever deal with all-comers. The holy grail of many hobbyists is to fashion a single, all-conquering army that can win in any eventuality, but in truth there is probably no such thing. It doesn’t make the search any less fun, but there are just too many variables, and the Imperial Knight adds another wrinkle to it. What’s good at killing a Baneblade is not necessarily much good at dealing with an Imperial Knight, and it almost certainly won’t help against a Tyranid Hive Crone.

“All this encourages people to experiment with their tactics and their collections, and I think this is one of the things adding the Imperial Knight has done. As a games developer, the most important thing I have learned to be most wary of is cutting down options,” Jervis concludes. “It’s our duty to provide more choices and opportunities for people to have fun with their friends. I think the tactical challenge the Imperial Knight offers are going to do that.” AT

ARMIES OR ALLIES

“I think a lot of Warhammer 40,000 hobbyists will add an Imperial Knight to their collection as a way of getting their feet wet with the new model,” says Robin. “You can have up to three Imperial Knights as allies, or six as a primary detachment. The question is which is more effective? That’s possibly going to be the hardest question to answer, and it’s only to be solved after many, many games have been played with them.”

CHARGE THE ION SHIELDS

“The development of the ion shield that protects the Imperial Knights saw significant change during playtesting,” says Simon. “Originally the ion shield activated against the first shot fired at it each turn, and that was the direction it faced for the turn. During our playtesting this often left the Imperial Knight open to despicable – although admittedly effective – tactics, such as clipping the Imperial Knight with a weapon that couldn’t hurt it, before hammering it with heavy weapons from another angle.

“We wanted the rules to reflect the background of the Imperial Knight, where the Noble pilot has control over the ion shield,” Simon adds, “so Jervis cooked up a solution that is both simple and elegant. Since you are the pilot of the Imperial Knight, you should nominate the facing of the ion shield. It’s still vulnerable to canny tactics, but now the control lies in your hands.”

WHICH KNIGHT?

“As we were developing the rules, we found ourselves in a heated debate as to which Imperial Knight’s weapon was the most effective,” says Simon. “The thermal cannon is a great all-round weapon, and unequalled in tank-busting, but the rapid-fire battle cannon is nearly as powerful and gets two shots. Would you rather have the range or the melta ability? AP1 or two shots? The jury is still out on this.”

THE HOUR OF THE REAPER

One of the topics that has come up in the White Dwarf bunker is the Imperial Knight’s reaper chainsword, and how powerful it is.

“Destroyer weapons are something that people react to on a visceral level,” says Jervis. “Their ability to obliterate armoured vehicles and hack through monsters means that they are very scary, and they are meant to be. In the background, Imperial Knights are fighting against everything from Tyranid bio-monsters to Land Raiders. House Krast even tries to hunt down Chaos Titans.

“From a rules perspective, people look at the awesome long range weapon the Imperial Knight carries, a weapon such as a thermal cannon, and they are going to compare it to the close combat weapon,” says Jervis. “If you’re going to lose a gun, it had better be for something really good. I don’t think anyone can deny the reaper chainsword is very, very good.”

ESCALATION

“If people find the idea of facing an Imperial Knight (or six) in their games shocking, then combining them with Escalation is going to blow their minds,” says Robin with a grin. “Realistically you could squeeze an Imperial Knight into your army with your Lords of War unit. A Shadowsword or Baneblade with an Imperial Knight to protect? That sounds like the start of a great narrative, and a massive battle right there.”

The new plastic Helbrute joins the splendid version available in the Dark Vengeance boxed set to bring fresh terror to the battlefields of the 41st Millennium. Jes Bickham takes a look at what this means for the Chaos Space Marines and their foes.

Once upon a time, the crazed fusion of metal and flesh that we know as the Helbrute was called a Chaos Space Marine Dreadnought, a warped and corrupted version of the venerable Space Marine machinery of destruction. The Dreadnought, of course, is one of the most iconic bits of Warhammer 40,000; there’s little as awe-inspiring as the near-dead remains of a great warrior piloting a massive tank-smashing robot suit into battle. Space Marines collectors have got all sorts of Dreadnoughts to show off: Venerable Dreadnoughts, Ironclad Dreadnoughts, Furiosos and Librarians and Death Company Dreadnoughts… the list goes one. Well, my fellow servants of the Dark Gods, now we can show off too, because the new Helbrute is an amazing kit festooned with exhaustive weapon options, different heads, armour plates and more. No two need look the same, and the new Helbrute will have a profound effect on the battlefield too.

I love Helbrutes. Adore them. Not just because they are wonderfully dark and grotesque reflections of Space Marine Dreanoughts, and as iconic to the Chaos Space Marines as the Dreadnought is to their loyalist kin, but because they’re great fun to use in games of Warhammer 40,000. They’re cheap (100 points with a multi-melta), able to smash tanks or Terminators in close combat, and can be armed with a ranged weapon for every occasion. Need to knock some Hull Points off an Imperial Knight? Use a lascannon. Want to melt power-armoured infantry? Deploy the plasma cannon. Fancy wading into close combat and smashing everything to a bloody pulp? Get rid of a gun and take two powers fists or, even better, a power scourge (my favourite). This triple-whipped Space Marine slicer not only cleaves through Terminator armour like a Genestealer through Fire Warrior brains (S8! AP2!), it reduces the Weapon Skill of its target, meaning if they survive they’ve got a tough time returning blows. Truly, there’s a Helbrute for all seasons, but the good news doesn’t end with weapons; the real fun begins when a Helbrute takes a glancing or penetrating hit.

A damaged Helbrute rolls on the Crazed table, as it’s driven into even more of a murderous frenzy. Although this dictates the Helbrute’s behaviour to a certain extent (get Fire Frenzy and you can’t move, for example), the upsides are great; the monster may shoot twice, ignore Crew Stunned or Crew Shaken Results, or gain the Fleet and Rage special rules. It’s great fun and adds an extra element of character and battlefield utility to the Helbrute.

Throw in the fact that you can have three Helbrutes in a regular game of Warhammer 40,000 (they’re Elites) and the potential for tabletop carnage is huge. I’m currently tailoring my Black Legion into a Daemon Engine-heavy army, and the Helbrutes (while not actually Daemons) tie in beautifully to the theme of twisted flesh melded into spiky metal. Led by a Daemon Prince, the punch of the army is provided by a Heldrake, Forgefiend, Maulerfiend, Defiler… and three Helbrutes running together as a gang of berserk rampagers, swinging power fists and power scourges with bloodthirsty abandon. (I also keep a Warpsmith close by for emergency battlefield repairs.) No collection is ever truly finished and the new Helbrute kit has ignited my passion for Chaos anew, providing both terrific painting challenges and gaming fun. Now that I think about it, maybe I’ll get another three for Apocalypse games, too… JB

SHOOTY OR STOMPY?

When outfitting your Helbrute, two extreme versions are available. You can give your war monster two close combat weapons (combinations of power fists, power scourges and thunder hammers) or you can go extra-shooty, by swapping out one power fist for a missile launcher. The latter I’ve always found useful when supporting my Defiler and Forgefiend in long range blasting, but in truth I favour a more mixed-arms approach. That multi-melta is a hoot once a target’s inside 12 inches.

ETERNAL WARRIOR

Phil Kelly is the writer behind Codex: Chaos Space Marines, and so has a close attachment to the Helbrute. Here he shares his love is his own blood-crazed man-machine…

“My own Helbrute, officially named Krieger the Violent (but also known as No-Eyes due to his bleeding eye sockets), has a rather chequered past. In theory, he sniffs out the coppery tang of spilt blood, the scent of which sends him into a berserk rage. Sometimes he does me proud, blasting open enemy transports with his multi-melta before ripping the passengers to pieces kill by gory kill. Other times he gets bullseyed early on by a cautious opponent, though woe betide those who do not slay him in the process, for as like as not, they will only make him even angrier…”

Paint Splatter provides handy tips and stage-by-stage painting guides for the week’s new releases. This week, we look at the Helbrute.

BLACK LEGION HELBRUTE

The Helbrute is a furious fusion of organic and mechanical components, making it a great painting challenge for any hobbyist. Here’s what Chad Mierzwa had to say about painting the Black Legion Helbrute.

“Unsurprisingly, a Chaos Black undercoat is the best way to start a Black Legion Helbrute,” says Chad. “It provides the ideal undercoat for all the metal areas, and, if you’re neat, can be used as the basecoat for the black armour panels too. I kept the arms separate when I painted the Helbrute,” continues Chad. “It’s not a necessity, but I found it easier to paint the model’s torso with them separate.”

Even an experienced painter like Chad learned something from this kit. “We often paint metal areas first, as they’re usually the messiest parts. With the Helbrute, it’s worth taking a different tack and painting the skin first as it’s the most predominant colour. It takes a lot longer to paint the skin when working around the metal.”

It‘s important to have a contrast between the textures on a miniature. The Helbrute has two primary textures – armour and flesh – so it‘s good to paint them different colours so they stand out. In this case, a ruddy flesh tone and matt black armour.

As Chad pointed out earlier, a Chaos Black spray makes painting the armour of a Black Legion model much easier. “The undercoat spray gives you a smooth, matt layer to work on,”explains Chad, “though it can look a little dull. We’ve taken to putting a wash of Doombull Brown mixed with Lahmian Medium into the recesses of black armour to give it more depth. A careful wash between the edge of the armour panel and the gold trim makes the Helbrute’s armour look well worn and dusty. You then apply your edge highlights as normal.” DH

THOUSAND SONS HELBRUTE

This Thousand Sons Helbrute was painted by Hobby team brush ninja Aidan Daly, who painted it to match the Rubric Marines in the Studio collection.

“The Thousand Sons have three key colours,” says Aidan, “blue, gold and yellow. Having yellow and gold together is quite an unusual painting combination as they are similar colours, so it’s good to try and separate them to help keep them distinctive. On the Rubric Marines, the yellow lines run horizontally across the head crest, while the gold is used on the armour trim. I used the gold in the same way on the Helbrute, but limited the yellow lines to the weapon casings on the missile launcher and the lascannon. It has the dual role of visually tying the Helbrute to the rest of the Thousand Sons army, while also acting as hazard stripes. I then used red as the spot colour for the model, using it to pick out eyes, lenses and the ends of the missiles.”

Army painter Steve Bowerman also had a useful piece of advice: “I painted the Helbrute how I would dress it,“ he begins, worryingly. “Start with the underwear (the flesh), work up to the clothes (metal) and finally paint the coat (armour).“

“It’s important to think smart when you’re painting your miniatures,” adds Aidan. “When you’ve got several areas that need to be shaded with the same colour, I find it’s better to basecoat all the areas and then wash them all at the same time. On this Helbrute, for example, I painted the blue armour and the metal areas before washing both with Nuln Oil.” On the subject of washes, Aidan had another tip: “With large armour panels, just apply the Shade to the recesses of the armour, not the whole panel – it means you won’t have to spend as much time neatening it up.” DH

Sprues and Glue is our regular in-depth look at modelling Citadel miniatures. This week, inspired by the release of the hideously mutated Chaos Helbrute, the Studio army painters offer their advice on converting and posing mutated Chaos Space Marines.

“When converting a model, think about the theme of the conversion,” says Chris Peach. “If you’re building a berserk, bloodthirsty warrior, you’ll want parts that reflect that – running legs, close-combat weapons, a shouting head, and so on. It’s also worth considering what god, if any, your warrior is dedicated to and using parts appropriate for them. I lay out all the bits before I glue anything together to make sure they work thematically.”

“Scale is also important,” adds Steve Bowerman. “Chaos Space Marines are pretty bulky, so you need suitably chunky components to convert them. Chaos Knights, Forsaken, loyalist Space Marines and Daemons such as Bloodletters and Plaguebearers are the right size and many of their parts fit without modification.”

Steve also suggests dry-fitting your models. “Use adhesive putty to see how the pieces will fit together and where you might need to do some cutting and chopping. I often stand up and pose myself how I want the miniature to look to see if it’s realistic. If you can’t get in that pose, it’s unlikely the model you’re creating will be able to either.”

“When it comes to cutting parts for your conversion, a Hobby Knife is suitable for most plastic models,” says Chris Bilewicz. “Hold the component down securely on a Cutting Mat and keep your fingers well away from the blade. I normally make the cut at a joint, such as the wrist or the knee – places where natural movement occurs and where armour panels and cloth folds will cover the cut. A Space Marine’s gauntlet cuff is a great cutting marker.”

“I always consider the unit dynamic,” adds Chris Peach. “When you convert models, you want them all to look unique, but they still need to look coherent together. You don’t want half the models running and half standing aiming their guns; the unit will look uncoordinated. Similarly, make sure you spread the mutations around – you don’t want four normal guys and one mega-mutant.” DH

NAME THAT PART

The mutated Chaos Space Marines in this article combine parts from two Chaos Space Marine kits: Chaos Space Marines and Chaos Possessed. Some also feature spare arms and heads taken from the Chaos Knights box and the Warriors of Chaos Forsaken. One even features a tentacle arm from the Chaos Mutations frame, the kind of bits and pieces a lot of Chaos collectors might have in their bitz box. Ask your friends if you’re looking around for something in particular.

USING LIQUID GREEN STUFF

Sometimes you’ll find your conversions require tidying up, or that you want to add extra details. Dave Andrews has a few tips on finishing your models using Liquid Green Stuff.

“Liquid Green Stuff is ideal for filling gaps between components,” says Dave, “but it can also be used to add texture and additional detail to your model. I use an old brush to apply the Liquid Green Stuff to the gap and smooth it over with a wetted finger. Alternatively, if you’re filling an area where your finger won’t fit, wet an old brush and gently smooth the Liquid Green Stuff that way. Make sure the brush is old though, you don’t want Liquid Green Stiff clogging up new bristles.

“On the subject of using water, Liquid Green Stuff can be watered down just like paint, enabling you to apply it to really tiny gaps. It’s also great for adding texture to a model, such as fur, burnt skin, stubble or welding marks. Using a Small Drybrush, lightly stipple the Liquid Green Stuff until you get the desired effect.”

This week the new Helbrute and Codex supplement Crimson Slaughter are unleashed onto the unsuspecting world. Determined to get the lowdown on the design of the new kit, and to unravel the mysteries of the Crimson Slaughter, Adam Troke went off in search of answers.

Ed Cottrell has worked on models as varied as the battleships from Dreadfleet, Space Marine Tactical squads and Tau Pathfinders. The Helbrute is not only his latest Citadel miniature creation, but also his favourite.

SOME KIND OF MONSTER

“Starting work on the new Helbrute posed some interesting questions for me as a designer,” says Ed, as he lines up a selection of Helbrutes he’s assembled ahead of our chat. “First and foremost, there is the challenge of building on the design of the exceptional model in the Dark Vengeance boxed game. When Oliver Norman sculpted that, he not only captured the sense of mutated flesh and metal perfectly, but he also made a model with a really strong ‘golden angle’, from which it looks truly incredible. In making this new model, I did have a couple of advantages, though. Firstly, I was building on what Oliver had already done, which was a strong position to start from but also, with a whole kit to work with, I could pile on weapons and optional components.

“I started by making lots of proxy weapons out of spares around the office,” Ed continues. “I wanted to get a sense of scale and a feel for how the different weapons would look on the mutated hull of a Helbrute. In my mind, these machines have the potential to be truly ancient, and I wanted to convey that in the shape of the weapons. The missile launcher’s casing has a sculptural element to it that wouldn’t look out of place on the wargear of the original Space Marine Legions, although the fleshy growths enveloping the missiles belie the sickly new truth behind it. I imagine with time the metal shell casings have been subsumed by warp-corrupted flesh. When a missile fires, it leaves a weeping socket that gapes like the wound from a freshly extracted tooth, until a new one pushes or tears to the surface.

“That concept of horrible mutation and pain lies at the heart of what I wanted to convey with the Helbrute,” says Ed, referring to the wracked flesh on the hull of the Helbrute. “A Space Marine within a suit of Dreadnought armour has made the ultimate sacrifice and received the ultimate honour from his brethren. He continues his service to the Chapter as a warrior, interred within his sarcophagus in honoured ceremony. On the other hand, a Helbrute is a degenerate perversion of that noble ideal. They are imprisoned unwillingly into the sarcophagus, neural connectors drilled into their skulls with no care as to the agony they cause. I imagine they are tortured by this confinement, and their bitterness and rage only serves to accelerate and enhance the corrupting influence of Chaos.

“The longer the pilot is in his suit of Dreadnought armour, the more completely he will mutate into it,” Ed adds. “The Chaos Space Marine’s flesh melding with the armour, until the pipes become like veins and arteries and the servos his muscles. I really like how the area just behind the sarcophagus turned out, the combination of flesh-coated pipes and heavy duty chains make it clear that the pilot is very much a prisoner.

“The unhelmeted heads contained in the kit hopefully convey the feeling of rage he feels at his capture, too,” says Ed, gesturing to the six heads found in the kit. “These aren’t warriors who feel self-pity at their plight, imprisoned within the Helbrute. Instead they’re furious, driven mad by their anger and pain. These heads will also help hobbyists start to tailor their Helbrute to better suit their Chaos Space Marine collection. Whichever allegiance your army holds, there’s bound to be a head on the frame that will complement it, from the skull-faced helm that would go so well with Khornate armies, to the flesh sloughing from the skull that would suit Nurgle perfectly.” AT

MARKS OF ARMOUR

“As I was designing this model, I gave a lot of consideration to the different marks of Dreadnought and where the Helbrute fits into that,” Ed says. “The most common Space Marine Dreadnought of today is the Mars Pattern MK V, while Venerable Dreadnoughts tend to be MK IV. The Helbrute has some cues that hint it is much older than these suits, and in fact date it back to a Heresy-era piece of wargear. This is shown through the curvature on the armour plates and the cowling around the weapons.

“There’s two reasons for this,” Ed explains. “The first is to distinguish it further from Space Marine Dreadnoughts, and secondly to connect with the ancient history. The original traitor Legions will have possessed these in their armouries before the Horus Heresy, and it’s not hard to believe in some cases these are the self-same Dreadnoughts, held in a timeless state in the Warp and unleashed against Mankind 10,000 years later.”

SCOURGE OF HUMANITY

“My favourite aspect of sculpting this kit was the power scourge,” says Ed. “I really like the description of the piece, which is described as “lash[ing] back and forth wildly, scything through anything foolish enough to get close”.

“Inspired by the lasher tendrils on a Maulerfiend, I went for a similar design with sinister metal mechadentrites,” says Ed. “I integrated these into the Helbrute’s shoulder because I wanted them to look like they actually extended deep inside the armoured body. I imagine they reach all the way to the entombed pilot where they connect to his shrivelled body in some horrific way. They are quite a sinister looking appendage, and the idea that these part-organic, part-machine scourges writhe and quest about at his whim is especially unpleasant.”

THE CRIMSON SABRES

Jeremy Vetock has worked on numerous Codexes and army books, Crimson Slaughter being his latest masterpiece – a task he found himself warming more and more towards the further into their lore he delved.

“I will admit to being very anxious at the onset of the Crimson Slaughter project,” says Jeremy. He’s talking through the internet, his voice booming eerily into the White Dwarf bunker. “Whenever you start a project such as this, you gather together all the existing information. Initially it looked like we only had a few disparate pieces of information on the Crimson Slaughter: the background found within Warhammer 40,000 Dark Vengeance and a couple of paragraphs describing their warp-tainted nature in Codex: Chaos Space Marines. But then, as it turned out, there were also a couple of excellent resources from Black Library. It turned out that C Z Dunn had written an excellent novella entitled Dark Vengeance (an accompaniment to the boxed game that I somehow missed the first time around), and an audio drama titled Ascension of Balthasar. These are, as it happens, both excellent, and were just the catalyst to throw me headlong into the ideas and stories behind these strange and horrifying Chaos Space Marines.

“With a solid foundation to build on, I began to flesh out the stories that have made the Crimson Slaughter what they are today,” Jeremy continues. “Once they were the Crimson Sabres, a Chapter of Space Marines whose reputation was built on ruthless efficiency and fastidious adherence to the Codex Astartes. Soon enough, signs that things are awry appear in their Chapter history, and these problems culminate with the genocidal war on Umidia.

“Umidia is the fulcrum for the Crimson Sabres,” Jeremy says in a serious tone. “The fighting there is so intense that it changes the Chapter forever; they are haunted by fell voices. Initially it’s hard not to feel bad for them. The Crimson Sabres have fought hard for the Imperium, but here they are apparently cursed, and with time it only becomes worse. Their attempts to cleanse themselves, and silence the voices howling in their minds by wiping out the enemy backfire terribly and they find themselves being declared Excommunicate Traitoris.

“Determined to sell themselves dearly, the Crimson Sabres turned to the Eye of Terror, planning to die fighting the enemies of Mankind. However, things seldom turn out as you wish them to,” Jeremy adds with a grin. “They are wracked by mutation, and eventually corrupted into the Chaos Space Marines we know now – the Crimson Slaughter. The voices that haunted them can no longer be silenced except by the most obscene levels of carnage, and wherever they go they are presaged by a bow wave of warp-spawned horror. Milk curdles, the skies darken… they are quite literally haunted by the power of the Dark Gods.

“Telling this story was joyful,” Jeremy says. “The book contains a history as full as you’ll find for any Chapter, with a timeline that tracks their fall. When you see it laid out like that, there is a certain inevitability to their descent into Chaos that is the more tragic because of their originally noble intentions. Once they embrace their corruption, however, there are very few voices of reason left within their ranks.

“Along with all this background, we also worked on rules to let hobbyists use a Crimson Slaughter army in their games. Rules guru Simon Grant embraced this challenge with open arms, and the results are joyous. Essentially, within the book there are a series of additions which alters Codex: Chaos Space Marines to give you a Crimson Slaughter warband. Some of the changes are more visible than others,” Jeremy adds. “A good example of that is the extent to which the mutation and daemonic possession within their ranks have taken effect. Possessed Chaos Space Marines can be fielded as a Troops choice in a Crimson Slaughter Primary Detachment. They have their own Warlord Traits, Stratagems and so on. The hope is that hobbyists who are excited about the Crimson Slaughter will be able to place an army on the tabletop that looks and feels like they do in the background.

“The thing I like best about the Crimson Slaughter is the journey they go on as a Chapter, and then as Chaos Space Marines,” Jeremy concludes. “At the start of their history, when things go wrong for them on Umidia, you feel intensely sorry for them. But, by the time they change their name to the Crimson Slaughter and embrace their new destiny, any sorrow at their plight has been washed away in a tide of blood and death.” AT

THE BEST OF ENEMIES

“One of the things that emerges about the Crimson Slaughter is their simmering hatred of the Dark Angels,” Jeremy says. “Their paths crossed, in a bad way, before the Crimson Slaughter fell to Chaos, but now they are aligned to the Dark Gods there is a very real feud between the two.

“By chance, or fate, some within the ranks of the Crimson Slaughter have learned the Dark Angels great secret,” Jeremy adds. “The Crimson Slaughter are raging against the Dark Angels in their vaunted position, and it’s the start of a brilliant rivalry. Their history is now dotted with encounters between the two, and things certainly seem to be getting worse – most recently the Crimson Slaughter have stolen precious geneseed from a Dark Angels recruiting world. All out war is inevitable.”

PAINTING THE GALAXY RED

The Crimson Slaughter have a bright, distinctive colour scheme that looks striking on the battlefield. Steve Bowerman of the Studio army painting team had this to say on painting them:

“The Crimson Slaughter have a happily simple colour scheme. Because the majority of the model is red, simply start by painting the whole model red. I’d recommend using a Mephiston Red spray or using a Citadel Spray Gun. From there, all you need to do is add details – and keep it simple. Paint the armour plates and recesses first, since it’s hard to get into those spaces without messing up the surrounding areas, and then wash the recesses for shading. When I painted them, I used simple basecoats, shades and then layers to build up the metal areas too (I recommend Screaming Bell for the brassy metals and Leadbelcher for the silver), with a wash over each before highlights.

“Otherwise, choose unifying colours to tie the army together,” Steve adds. “We used turquoise for a bright spot colour across the whole army, and painted any flesh in pale, pallid tones.”

Join us for a round-up of the week as we share comment, opinion and trivia on the all latest releases, plus other fun tidbits that have cropped up in the White Dwarf bunker this week. The influence of the Chaos Space Marines has been heavy in the office…

KNIGHTS IN ’EAVY METAL
Joe Tomaszewski and Dave perryman bare their brushes

When the Design Studio started work on the new Imperial Knights, the ’Eavy Metal team were instrumental in creating the colour schemes that were chosen for House Terryn and House Raven.

“We worked closely with Tammy Nicholls (who wrote the Imperial Knight Companion) to come up with the colours and heraldry,” says Joe. “The dark blue and red of House Terryn were chosen because they looked really regal, which suits the ancient feel of the Knights perfectly. I used cream as the spot colour on the model – I imagine it’s the personal colour of the pilot and his household, which is why all four House Terryn Knights in the Studio collection use the same spot colour, but have differing personal heraldry.” While Joe painted the House Terryn Knight, Dave worked on the one from House Raven. “Their strong ties to the Adeptus Mechanicus led us straight to red as the primary colour,” says Dave. “Aidan (from the Hobby Team) came up with the idea for the chevrons on the carapace, which are often used in heraldry and which help break up the large armour panels. Black and white – the two colours used on the Machina Opus of the Adeptus Mechanicus – were used as the spot colours across all of House Raven.”

PAINTING TIPS

BLENDING ARMOUR

“The Imperial Knight has a lot of large armour panels,” says Dave, “which are an excellent place to try out blending. With the red basecoat applied, I highlighted the top half of the armour panels by mixing in ochre tones, working up to a sharp edge highlight. The shading was done with thin, carefully-applied washes over the red basecoat using Rhinox Hide and Abaddon Black mixed with Lahmian Medium and water. It takes a few hours to get this effect, but it’s worth the effort if you have the time and the inclination.”

WEATHERING

“Knights are ancient, but well-maintained war machines,” says Joe. “Doombull Brown is a great dirt colour and, when watered down, looks good applied in the recesses between armour panels. Make sure you do all your shading first before weathering, though, or the effect will look odd. I also did a lot of shading (with Agrax Earthshade and Seraphim Sepia) around the hydraulics and joints to give the Imperial Knight the impression of many years of built-up grease and lubricant.”

A CONFRONTATION WITH ANGELS

Something that became clear as Adam chatted to Jeremy about his work on Codex Supplement Crimson Slaughter, was how Jeremy had been inspired by C Z Dunn’s depiction of the Chaos renegades in his audio drama and novella. “Within the audio drama, Ascension of Balthasar, you see the Crimson Slaughter turn their vendetta into open war,” Jeremy says.

“The novella Dark Vengeance continues that tale, and the narrative of both those events are a major feature of the background I wrote for the Crimson Slaughter,” Jeremy adds. “Kranon, lord of the Crimson Slaughter is outraged that his Chapter has been excommunicated and hounded out of the Imperium because of a misunderstanding, while the Dark Angels, with their murky past, are feted as heroes. Kranon and his warriors will not rest until they have humbled the vaunted Dark Angels, and left their Chapter in tatters.”

EVEN MORE POWER SCOURGE

As you may have noticed in our designers notes, Ed Cottrell got a real kick out of sculpting the power scourge. As it turns out, he spent a lot of time playing with the half-built model.

“When I was designing the Helbrute’s power scourge, I did it with a Space Marine model on hand at all times,” Ed says. “I wanted to make the power scourge so it looked like it was wrapping around this unfortunate Space Marine. So, as I was working on the model, I would occasionally pop the Space Marine in the gap between the tentacles, to see how they looked enveloping a victim.”

CODEX: APOCRYPHA

FUN FACTS FRON THE WORLDS OF WARHAMMER.

RENEGADE WARBANDS

The most famous Chaos Space Marines are the cursed warriors of the original Legions who betrayed the Emperor during the Horus Heresy. Over the millennia, however, many once-loyal Space Marines have turned their back on the Imperium. Freed from the dogma of the Codex Astartes, these traitors now revel in the glory of Chaos. To distinguish these Chaos Space Marines from the warriors of the Legions, they are known by the agents of the Imperium as Chaos Space Marine Renegades.

THE RED CORSAIRS

One of the most famous Chaos Space Marine warbands is the force of Huron Blackheart, the Red Corsairs. Famously they rebelled against the Imperium in a conflict known as the Badab War. Before the fighting was done more than a dozen Space Marine Chapters were drawn into the conflict on both sides, and the galaxy had learned to fear the Tyrant of Badab. Now, Huron and his forces operate from secret bases within the massive Warp Storm known as the Maelstrom. They remain a scourge to the Imperium, and prey relentlessly on the worlds and shipping close to their domain.

THE FORESWORN

Two Chaos Space Marine warbands have both laid claim to the moniker ‘The Foresworn’ over the millennia: a World Eaters warband that participated in the first Armageddon War and the Word Bearers who serve under the Daemon Prince Kor Megron. While their actions and methods differ greatly, it is apparent from the bloody actions of both bands that breaking oaths and casting down Imperial icons has become a personal quest for both.

DID YOU KNOW?

You can use almost any Chaos Space Marine head within the sarcophagus of the new Helbrute miniature.

“The heads that come on the Helbrute kit use the same fitting as standard Chaos Space Marines,” says Dan. “Just be sure to choose a head that doesn’t have massive horns, or it won’t fit inside the space. The new head will leave a little gap behind the new head, but you can easily fill that with Green Stuff.”

WEAPON OF THE WEEK: LEADBELCHER GUN

Quite possibly the most menacing firearm ever carried upon a Warhammer battlefield, Leadbelcher guns are nothing short of Ogre-portable cannons. The largest part of their charm is found in the fact that the crude Ogres simply load shrapnel into them by the shovel-full and unleash a cloud of spiked death into the enemy. If that doesn’t kill you, the Ogres themselves are strong enough to beat you to death with the barrel instead.

READERS MODEL OF THE WEEK

With the forces of Chaos assailing the White Dwarf bunker this week, it seemed only right to feature a Chaos Space Marine as the Reader’s Model of the Week. This imposing rendition of Abaddon the Despoiler was built and painted by Bas de Rue, who used the Chaos Terminator Lord as the basis for his conversion combined with Abaddon’s signature weapons – the Talon of Horus and Drach’nyen. Bas painted Abaddon’s face an ethereal blue, while Drach’nyen is bright and vibrant, drawing the eye to the focal points of the miniature. Bas then used red as the spot colour for the cape eyes and topknot.

If you’ve painted a miniature you think is worthy of a place in White Dwarf then why not send a picture to:

team@whitedwarf.co.uk

If it’s something we can use, we’ll be sure to get in touch.

ASK GROMBRINDAL

The White Dwarf team is a font of hobby knowledge, a metaphorical repository of useful facts. If you have a question about Warhammer 40,000 or Warhammer, need a bit of painting advice or you’re after a few tactical tips, drop us a line: team@whitedwarf.co.uk

BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE… OR BUNKER

I was wondering whether anti-vehicle abilities such as Armour Bane, Tank Hunter, Melta, and Haywire affect buildings and fortifications?
- Collen ‘The Demolition Man’ Bigard

GROMBRINDAL SAYS

Melta-what? Who exactly are you calling Haywire? Someone fetch me a rules expert before my ire is roused…

Simon Grant: “The simple answer to this question is yes. Armour Bane, Tank Hunter, Melta and Haywire all affect vehicles, buildings and fortifications. Generally you can imagine this is because experts at targeting weak spots on tanks will be pretty good at hitting the most vulnerable parts on bunkers, gun turrets and so on. Likewise, a weapon designed to chew through tank armour will do equally well against armoured walls, while a haywire grenade will scramble the electronics of a Firestorm Redoubt just as easily as a Leman Russ.”
- Grombrindal (and Simon)

WAR IN THE WHITE DWARF BUNKER

The White Dwarf hobby room has been the site of several large battles lately. In addition to last week’s battle report, Dan and Adam have been trying out their new Warhammer 40,000 armies as Orks and Tyranids have clashed at lunch breaks. While Dan’s army is bigger, and boasts a Looted Vehicle (known as the Boom Wagon) and a Dakkajet, Adam is continuing to add more Tyranids every week. Their latest battle saw Dan victorious, as Adam struggled to bring down the Ork aircraft. Adam has already started work on a Hive Crone ahead of their next game.

In other news, Jes is practicing with his own Tyranids ready for a Throne of Skulls weekend in a couple of months. He believes he has cooked up a killer army list that will beat every possible opponent, and he’s testing it against Matt right now. Meanwhile, Adam is watching in the hope of picking up some strategy.

BIT OF THE WEEK: CURIOUS OWL

Hailed by Adam as his favourite Warhammer ‘bit’, the Owl that comes on the Wood Elves Dryad kit is a versatile component for kitbashing and conversions. “It’s the perfect familiar for an Amber Wizard,” Adam says. “I really need to give that a go.”

This week we ventured down into the resin mines of Forge World to see what hobby projects they have been working on lately. We certainly weren’t disappointed with our findings, so we grabbed a few of the best bits to show here. Forge World model maker Keith Robertson has been hard at work on a warband of Chaos Renegade Militia, while ace scenery maker Blake Spence has been converting and painting some new Imperial Guard for his growing army. Background writer Andy Hoare is presently obsessed with the Inquisition, and has recently completed a new Ordos Malleus Inquisitor and his warband, as well as some Red Hunters Space Marines to accompany him into battle.

Below: Blake has just finished putting paint to these Elysian Drop Troops. “They’re part of my rapid response force,” he says. “I’ll be using it to get round the flanks of my opponents in games.”

Below: “My Red Hunters were blooded for the first time last week in a game against Owen from the Studio,” says Andy Hoare about his latest editions. “His ragtag Guardsmen had no chance against the righteous agents of the Inquisition.”

Below: Keith’s Renegade Militia were painted in double-fast time, something he is really very proud of. “Typically I spend a very long time painting even a single model,” says Keith, who is a former ’Eavy Metal painter turned Forge World model maker. “With these I accelerated the process dramatically using a Spray Gun for the basecoat and the washes, and by painting them in batches.”

Copyright © Games Workshop Limited 2014 excepting all materials pertaining to the New Line theatrical productions: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY and THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG™, which are © 2014 New Line Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and the names of the characters, items, events and places therein are trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises under license to New Line Productions, Inc. © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG™ and the names of the characters, items, events and places therein are trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises under license to New Line Productions, Inc. (s14)

All quotations from J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary trilogy The Lord of the Rings (including any of the volumes thereof) © The Tolkien Estate 1954-55, 1966.

Games Workshop, the Games Workshop logo, ’Eavy Metal, Citadel and the Citadel device are either ®, TM and/or © Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2014, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. All Rights Reserved.

Games Workshop, the Games Workshop logo, GW, Citadel, the Citadel device, Citadel Finecast, Warhammer, Warhammer logo, Warhammer Armies, The Game of Fantasy Battles, the twin-tailed comet device, Warhammer 40,000, the Warhammer 40,000 logo, 40K, 40,000, the double-headed eagle/Aquila design, White Dwarf and all associated marks, logos, names, places, characters, creatures, races and race insignia, illustrations and images from the Warhammer world and Warhammer 40,000 universe are either ®, ™ and/or © Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2014 variably registered around the world. All Rights Reserved.

Please be aware that Games Workshop products are usually sold unpainted and unassembled and the contents of any products may vary from those shown herein (for example, any banners shown may not necessarily be included). Pictures are used for illustrative purposes only. In accordance with national laws, Games Workshop is prohibited from selling spray paints and bladed equipment to certain age groups. Further, certain Citadel products may be dangerous if used incorrectly and Games Workshop does not recommend them for use by children under the age of 16 without adult supervision. Whatever your age, be careful when using glues, bladed equipment and sprays and make sure that you read and follow the instructions on the packaging. Prices correct at time of going to press. Customers are advised to contact Games Workshop for current availability and current Games Workshop prices. Prices quoted are for products sold by Games Workshop through its own stores, catalogue or website. Independent retailers are responsible for determining their own prices.

Games Workshop Limited
Willow Road, Lenton, Nottingham, United Kingdom, NG7 2WS

Registered in England and Wales
– Company No. 01467092.

Product code: 60659999006