It’s a great time to be a Traitor to the Imperium, for sure, and since we already spent time gazing at preening Loyalists earlier this week, it’s only fair we get to see how the other side looks.
Lots more Dreadnoughts, this time. Do we think that says something about Traitor fans?
To begin, we have to give a special shout-out to Max, who painted close to half of the box in the time it takes us to get a point on our brush. He rustled up some extremely worn and weathered Iron Warriors covered in dirt and damage – just how Perturabo likes them – completing a total of 10 Tactical Marines, three Saturnine Terminators, the MkII Centurion, the Araknae Quad Accelerator Platform, and the whole Saturnine Dreadnought. Whew.
Jon opts for a very bright and eye-catching blue on his Alpha Legion Praetor – no doubt to intimidate his foes – while Pete has extensively modified his Death Guard champion with extra tentacles, corrupted armour, and a horribly corroded axe to sell the image of a late-Heresy Praetor infused with Nurgle’s blessing. Chrissie made her Thousand Sons Centurion shine with bright metallics and glossy armour, and Julien matched the bright blue and reds of the Night Lords so well we got a pang of nostalgia for Goblin Green bases.
Not a very Character-led lineup so far, but that’s ok – the Traitors brought plenty of the big guns.
Marc’s incredible Alpha Legion Saturnine Dreadnought is a feast for the eyes with intricate details everywhere you look, down to individual scale patterns on the carapace and the warm glow from the plasma coils on the steps. Crystal also opts for a glowing orange plasma cannon on their Sons of Horus dreadnought, matching its bright colours against the muted green of the XVI Legion.
Garfy makes a bold statement with huge hazard stripes and Legion icons on his Iron Warriors dreadnought – perfect for the classic Saturnine clash. Speaking of bold, the mysterious painter known only as the Quipster chose to align his dreadnought with the Emperor’s Children, and gave its rich purple armour some lovely gold trim, as befits Fulgrim’s fancy lads.
We got an excellent trio of gun platforms this time, with Chris adopting a menacing, desaturated World Eaters colour scheme that somehow makes the Araknae just as disquieting as a Red Butcher. Sam went the other way with a bright, vibrant red on his platform, while Knotley dedicated his to the Word Bearers with a more subdued and serene crimson.
José’s Night Lords Terminator basks in the spicy glow of his charged plasma bombard, while Virginia gave hers unique aquatic bases to match the stunning purple armour of the Emperor’s Children – and although we only have room for three, she actually finished all six. Rob knocks it out of the park by bringing his own XX Legion heavies who, we have it on good authority, are all Alpharius. Big if true.
Rob and Knotley both also submitted a contingent of Tactical Marines – Rob’s keeping the Alpha Legion theme and Knotley’s digging into the Legiones Astartes archives for classic Dusk Raiders, War Hounds, and Luna Wolves* panoplies alongside the Emperor’s Children, Night Lords, and Thousand Sons. Andy added to the infantry muster with a horde of brutal Sons of Horus warriors**, while Thor’s disintegrator-wielding World Eaters Veteran is likely just disappointed his incredibly powerful gun doesn’t leave any blood behind.
That’s our lot for this spin around the Isstvan System, so if you caught a look at any of these kits and felt a burning need to try your own, don’t forget you can pre-order all of the individual units from the Saturnine box this Saturday. There are even new weapon configurations for the Dreadnought – try them out!
* That’s the Death Guard, World Eaters, and Sons of Horus, history buffs.
** For those wondering where those particularly brutal-looking heads come from, it's the Sons of Horus and World Eaters upgrade kits.
