Salamander Update: Legion Praetor Deployed

 When I first started playing Heresy-Era games, it quickly became apparent to me just how awesome the Legion Praetors were; particularly for the 18^th Legion.  Clad in Artificer Armour and with access to some of the more esoteric entries in the Legio Armoury, they could be tailored to do any duty you required – from the basic linesman to the full-blown juggernought.  With the right combination of gear, there is little that a Praetor fears on the battlefield (and that’s before you even begin looking at the ‘Rites of War’ they offer).

Early on I decided I wanted to run a Praetor armed with Paragon Blade and Dragonscale Shield.  By including a variety of wargear choices, this fellow became a power house to rival even the Iron Hands Praetor on jetbike; maximising both his defensive abilities and offensive tactics.  All in all, the model comes in at 200 points and is King Badass on most battlefields he visits (that said I’m sure he’ll be quickly dethroned when faced with a Super-Heavy or Primarch).  When it came to choosing a model, I wanted to create something that was unique, yet didn’t require me to reinvent the wheel as it were.  Bringing an existing model I owned into the Heresy would be ideal, but the issue was one of suitability.  What model did I have in my collection that screamed 30k from the outset?  The answer for me was the Master of the Armoury from the Maters of the Chapter collection as pictured above.  With his reinforced greaves and chest plate, he was a shoe-in for a Mk III character.  The only caveat was I’d need to do a spot of converting to ensure he truly looked the part. 

First things first – give the man a Salamanders Mantle (slain by his own hand obviously), before issuing him with a bigger sword and an awesome shield to match.  The sword was pulled from the GK sprue while the shield was produced by Spellcrow minis.  Small additions of some brass etch and Tyranid carapace to add some additional salamandery details and the image was pretty much complete.  All that was left was to add a suitable ‘victim’ beneath the Praetor’s blade to replace the plaguebearer’s head.  In this case, I chose the Death Guard as they would be an interesting experiment in painting white armour.  That and the fact that I have a special place in my heart for slaying the traitorous sons of Mortarion. 

With this character competed, I have finally finished the first of what I hope to be many command models for my Heresy Project.  As an additional bonus, I’m now able to add another painted model to my tally, pushing my progress ever forwards towards a positive balance. In addition, I've managed to give away the last of my Lord of the Rings miniatures to a friend who was looking for more models to add to his Uruk-hai army.  On top of the 4 Uruks I had (2 pikes, a Captain and Lurtz) I was also able to provide him with about 9 other characters and 3 Moria Goblins (there's always Moria Goblins...).  As a result, after the trade and the newly painted model, my tally looks like this:

Bases In: 195 (+85)

Bases Out: 9 (+1)

Bases Sold: 194 (+12)

Total: +8 Bases

With that, I’m off to paint more tactical marines and build a new unit or three for an upcoming Apoc Game...

Catch you all later,

Trev