The Unnamed Legion (3mm scale Epic Armageddon "Heresy" Proxies)

[Mr. Average]

Just a little check-in with another project in 3mm scale: the Sons of Horus, for my ongoing efforts to re-fight the entire Horus Heresy at 3mm scale.

These are previews I was treated to by Vanguard Minis – they’re going to be generally available in the next few weeks! I testify to their quality in all concievable aspects – simply amazing!

 

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Beautiful stuff! So will the vehicle to the left of the infantry be the not-landraider?

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Mr. Average]

It’s what I’ll be calling my Sicaran, actually. The proxy Terminators are to the right, and what I’ll be calling a Fellblade to the left. They’re their own things naturally but they suit my own idiom nicely – and this being 10,000 years before Canon they can look different and still be good matches for me!

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Are these metal figures? And I just noticed that the infantry to the right of them aren’t O8!

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Mr. Average]

Yep, all metal. Soft alloy from the look of it. And yes, infantry too – really excellent casts on them! All around fabulous models.

[Mr. Average]

Incidentally, I also happen to like these sculpts somewhat better than “canon” Warhamster 40K. They have a sharper edge to them somehow – the proxy Rhinos in particular look more like they’d “make it” as genuine military vehicles.

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Ooh! When do we get to see the proxy rhinos? What figures will Vanguard come out with in this initial release?

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Hmm. I really dislike the whole “skinnerz” 6mm line as it represents everything that turned me off of epic when GW took the whole gothic esthetic up to eleven. But these pieces look really nice! I don’t see a single rivet on them! What’s up with that?

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Mr. Average]

I, likewise, am not a huge Ork or Chaos fan.  Personally, I take the “Heresy” as being just a straight-up civil war, which 10,000 years of propaganda and superstition have turned into a religious thing.  I subscribe to the theory that there is no such thing as “Chaos” and I generally ignore the Orks altogether, although they do have some attraction in the weird contraptions, just from a design standpoint.  From what I’ve seen, the initial release is for Marine (Novan Elite) and Titan Legion (Cybershadows) proxies.

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Like your take on the Empire!

Sigh. Looks like I am going to have do some Spaysh Mareens in 3mm, now. I think I will call them “Space Nazis” instead, led by The Emprah, who tweets orders to his legions of minions while sitting on the Porcelain Throne. The legion I will paint will be The Sons of Hors.

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Mr. Average]

Um… okay? I’ll confine it to gaming I think.

To be honest I’m liking the proxies to a large extent better than the “real” models on a lot of levels. The “Not Rhino” reminds me of an Israeli Namer APC. And it has variants like an AAA vehicle that really are appealing. And again these are really amazingly good casts – no mould lines, no print lines, and a really fine level of detail that is proving (to me) that casting and modeling tech has reached the horizon where 3mm really IS the new 6mm.

My bases, by the way, fit these guys very comfortably – I might do a basing tutorial at some point – and basically let you play Epic with zero change, except for a more realistic battlefield aspect in terms of range and scale.

With Microworld dipping into the 3mm line as well, and the already-excellent alternatives from NCE, it’s a good time to be in scale. I like to think I did my part to help it along!

I only hope that the line will find a distributor in the Americas. And perhaps some companions as well (Onslaught, 3mm OTC, take the hint!)

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

I find the whole GW 40k official background too be roccoco and kitchy to be interesting. Also, “grimdark” seems to mean sweaty “boy’s own adventure” stories seen through a heavy-metal filter. it’s just too over-the-top not to do a drag version.

(Your take on the universe is a lot more interesting, however. Orks and Chaos as boogeymen to scare the unwashed masses… I like it!)

I’d make my army Angry Marines or Pretty Marines, but yellow and lavender are such hard colors to paint, so “Shpace Nazis” it is. I just found a stylized vulva on the ‘net that looks very much like an eye when turn on its side, so guess what their symbol is going to be? 😀

The problem with Epic is that it was a fun system, so if I can get back into it cheaply in 3mm, I probably will.

I agree about the “not Rhino”: much nicer than the GW version, with its four smokestacks and weird side doors.

 

 

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Turn it sideways and tell me it doesn’t look like Emprah Palpitation’s eye… 😀

 

https://www.spoonflower.com/fabric/5198673-vagina-stamp-by-remelisa

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Mr. Average]

I’m sure I don’t know. But maybe keep it above the belt here?

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Nah. It’s not like there’s any kids here and, even if there were, I doubt a highly stylized stamp of a vulva would get them all hot and bothered in this day and age. There’s more disturbing things than that painted on my neighborhood’s walls. Not to mention what can be seen with a click of a button on the internet. I lost all illusions about this upcoming generation when my 12 year old nephew trolled me into googling “blue waffle”.

But more to the point, Warhammer 40k is so ridiculously phallic that I think a little bit of yonic symbolism could only come as a necessary corrective. 😀

 

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Mr. Average]

Yeah that’s fine but would you please not sidetrack the thread here for it is what I’m getting at? I’d rather keep it game and minis related?

[Alexander Wasberg]

I can only agree with you Mr. Average, it would be great to see the some of Microworld and Onslaught’s 6mm offerings in 3mm as well, particularly 3mm OTC and their new not-‘nids

Not that they fit into the 30K heresy mind you, but would be cool either way.

I bet you could use the Microworld OGRE as some sort of great imperial warmachine though!

http://lasersandbroadswords.blogspot.com My project blog

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

3mm OTC would be the bee’s knees. Also the ‘nids. We are missing a recognizeable alien army in 3mm.

My only fear is pricing. Vanguard charges 12 pounds for three 6mm vehicles! If they sell 12 3mm vehicles for that same price, I am going to have to bow out. That would be more than 4 times O8’s prices!

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Mr. Average]

Unfortunately I can’t speak to pricing exactly, but I have been lobbying for them to get a US distributor, which might (might) help on shipping costs. My idea of “reasonable” may be skewed from my many shapeways builds though.

I can say, however, that they seem broadly compatible with O8’s scaling, so using the two lines together may be practicable. Some of the Vanguard superheavies with the cannon fodder from O8, for example. And I have seen 3mm Titans too, which are definitely worth it as “feature” units.

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Well, Napoleonic Austrian skirmishers from O8 can certainly serve as Eldar… but now we have Eldar from O8.

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Mr. Average]

So I used my day off today to finish my comic, but also to work on this army.  I’m being more systematic than usual, since it’s a biggish force for me – at least five detachments of Marines with both heavy and light transport, and two squadrons of heavy armor and a squadron of superheavy armor.  So it’ll be pretty serious on the battlefield.

The whole force, basecoated:

The proxy Rhino, which I like much better than the “real” Rhino – a rare feat, but its details are just so much sleeker and more military:

Likewise the proxy Land Raider (Mauler) which has exceptionally sharp and clear lines:

And proxy Predators, both Plain Vanilla and Annihilator:

Super nice models and well worth it, even though they have to come to the States all the way from the UK.  With their smaller time, the turnaround is about 5 to 7 days which matches American shipping very favorably.  So I couldn’t be more pleased and am already planning the OPFOR when these guys go on the market officially towards the end of the month.

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

The rhino and landraider are just beautiful. I am going to have get me some of these. Sigh…

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Mr. Average]

Thaddeus Blanchette wrote:

The rhino and landraider are just beautiful. I am going to have get me some of these. Sigh…

They’re superb models, and the proxy designs are better than what they’re proxying, which is kind of a rare and great thing.  The level of detail is astounding.

I will say that they scale about maybe 1/5 larger than O8, so they’ll look “heroic” next to O8 tanks.  But that’s scale creep for you, I guess.  I would still consider them compatible, since they look like they could actually carry two squads of heavily armored troopers.

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Any shots of the infantry?

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Mr. Average]

I’m still basing them, so not yet.  Unless you want to see the sprues.

As for the tanks, I did a little around the edges of the weekend:

I’m really super pleased and impressed with the detail on these models.  Just superb!

[Alexander Wasberg]

Looking good, the details are really quite stunning considering the size!

http://lasersandbroadswords.blogspot.com My project blog

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Did you do a decal for that arrow or did you freehand it? They are smashing!

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Mat, could you give us a size comparison shot between some O8 modern infantry and the space marines? I’d like to see if the moderns would be usable as imperial guard.

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Mr. Average]

Ask and ye shall receive:

Left to Right: O8 Venator Powered Armor; O8 US WWII Infantry (1); Upcoming VGM Novan Elite; Upcoming Novan Elite Affray Commander; Upcoming Novan Elite Affray Heavy Weapon.  Ruler is calibrated to US/Imperial Inches.

And for good measure:

Left to Right: Upcoming Novan Elite “Scorpion” Battle Tank; O8 T225 “Boris” MBT.

I’d call this a “True” 3mm scale, in that the infantry scales closer to actual size against the tanks (O8 tanks tend to be slightly small compared to their infantry – vide the difference between 1/285, 1:300 and 6mm scales).  Both lines do feel generally compatible to me though.

By the way, thanks for the compliment!  I do freehand all my markings.  I’m super happy with the model and in particular how nicely the relief shows out. If this doesn’t put to rest the “It’s Too Small To Have Any Detail” argument for 3mm scale, I don’t know what will.  The detail is at least equal to 6mm scale, if not in some cases superior.  The Vanguard infantry is particularly excellent.  I mean REALLY excellent.

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Looks like a perfect match to me, given that the Vanguard infantry is in power armor.

I was never a big fan of the predators and, although these look as good or better than the originals, I probably won’t be using them. But the not-rhinos and not-landraiders are great and the Boris will compliment them nicely and an Imperial Guard tank.

Thanks for the photos! Beautiful job of painting!

 

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Alexander Wasberg]

It’s really helpfull to see them next to each other, thanks 🙂

To be fair though, I’d probably get the vanguard models even if they didn’t line up as neatly as they do 😉

I too have to applaud your skills with a brush, not only are the paintjobs great-looking, but freehanding those details is crazy good!

http://lasersandbroadswords.blogspot.com My project blog

[Mr. Average]

Thanks, guys! And Thaddeus, you might find that the Trojan (Rhino) outsizes the O8 tanks to the same degree as above. However, the O8 vehicles would make very good light tanks for an IG army, or used on their own one could see them as what the “normals” use, with larger vehicles for the physically bigger Spessss Mareeeens. And also, platoon basing would reduce the differences in visual aspect, too, I think. It’s all a matter of the modeller’s preference. I think both lines will work with each other in a number of potential combinations.

[Mike]

Hi, is it Brushscape you use for your bases?

[Mr. Average]

I don’t know what that is, to be honest. My bases are 3mm lasercut plywood (5/8″ x 1″ or 1-1/4″) with PVA glue and potting sand on top, primed white and painted with Reaper acrylics.

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

After precisely 28 years leaving Games Workshop behind, I am really getting excited about playing Epic again! Of course, it all depends on what these will cost. Vanguard has some very pricey figs, so…

I am not a fan of all their line, but I do like the Landraiders, Rhinos, Sicarans and, of  course, the infantry. Not real impressed with their dreadnoughts and titans, however. I like a sleeker look. Less gothic. The Not-Rhino hits me right in the sweet spot.

So now I will have to find some not-dreadnought and not-titans than mix with these not-imperials. Any suggestions? I have been thinking Microworld’s Foundationist power armor might work for dreadnoughts, but it might be too small…

 

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Mr. Average]

I’ve been using O8 “Badger” suits as Dreadnoughts, based in pairs, making them essentially heavy infantry instead of vehicles unto themselves.  Personally I like the Vanguard dreads, though – the revised designs are very attractive.  But preference is what it is.

There are also those GZG walkers, too – might work.  Or perhaps some 6mm PA suits from Ironwind Metals intended for Battletech?

[Rhoderic]

All this is very cool. Thanks for sharing.

Thaddeus Blanchette wrote:

I like a sleeker look. Less gothic.

My view is kind of the opposite. The proxy Land Raider looks a tad too sleek to me, not gothic or WW1-esque enough. I have other sci-fi projects that let me immerse myself in a sleek aesthetic, I’m now looking for ways to get back to the classic, deliberately clunky techno-gothic sci-fantasy flair of 40K (which I left behind some 12 years back but am now getting a new appetite for as I’ve begun reading the old Warhammer Monthly comics for the first time), but I want to do so while skirting GW itself. Still, it’s a minor quibble. The proxy Land Raider doesn’t tick all the boxes for me but it’s still very nice.

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Wicked Centurion color schemes, Mat! Post the plate here!

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Mr. Average]

Oh, you mean this ol’ thing? 😉

I didn’t realize word had gotten around!  That’s the interwebs for you!

I challenge someone to do an army in one of these color schemes when the Novan Regulars come out at 3mm!

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

I might try the Proconsular Legion of Aquilae, just for shits and giggles, because it looks like an Argentinean flag. I think the Nachtjaher scheme is cool, but won’t pop enough at 3mm.

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Author]

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