Tuesday 26 March 2019

Still Angry After All These Years

Tonight we're going to slaughter like it's 1999!

Black Legion Khorne Bezerkers for Warhammer 40,000

And as every married man knows, the 20th Anniversary is the chainaxe one!

These boys had been languishing in the unpainted pile, but the eight-pointed stars aligned and I recently unearthed an old White Dwarf that told me these Khorne Berzerkers were released twenty years ago this month.

Black Legion Khorne Bezerkers for Warhammer 40,000
In fairness, the kit has aged better than the phrase 'Mad For It!'

Being a sentimental fool, I had to dress them up for their anniversary.

Black Legion Khorne Bezerkers for Warhammer 40,000Black Legion Khorne Bezerkers for Warhammer 40,000

I really enjoyed painting up these little guys. While they don't compare favourably in scale to their newer cousins in the Death Guard and Thousand Sons, they're full of old-school character, and size matters not when you're FURIOUS!

Black Legion Khorne Bezerkers for Warhammer 40,000Black Legion Khorne Bezerkers for Warhammer 40,000

I've seen lots of armies use converted Age of Sigmar Bloodbound as Berzerkers, and given they're meant to be S5 and one of the deadliest melee units in the game, that seems like a good choice.

Personally, I'm expecting an updated kit to come out with the anticipated World Eaters codex (can't be more than a year away, can it?), so I'm happy to wait until then, while still scratching the nostalgia itch with these fellas.

Black Legion Khorne Bezerkers for Warhammer 40,000

Brutal as they are, I've under-optimised this unit to some degree. Chainswords and chainaxes are generally thought to be the best way to maximise attacks - and making them World Eaters would also add more attacks.

But I prefer the aesthetic of pistol+melee weapon, as well as mixing up axes and swords, so common sense isn't going to dissuade me from that.

I also think that, even for Berzerkers, there will be occasions when having a wee ranged option could come in handy (for example, if your opponent is a fan of spore mines). And with double attacks, there's not much this unit *won't* chew through in a single round, dual weapons or not.

Black Legion Khorne Bezerkers for Warhammer 40,000

But I couldn't leave them without their Icon of Wrath - that re-roll to charge is pretty important. This icon is from the old Chaos Space Marine kit (it makes me sad that the snazzy new kit - even with it's stunning upgrades to the models - doesn't include all those extra like cult icons).

Black Legion Khorne Bezerkers for Warhammer 40,000

And finally, the Champion - with a power fist borrowed from the same CSM kit, and a plasma pistol because he's a Kharn wannabe. I don't know why his teeth are pointed (I would have thought that would be a more of a Blood Angels or Space Wolves thing) - maybe dental problems are what makes him angry.

Same painting scheme as the rest of the Black Legion (this is refreshing after the technicolour challenge of the Thousand Sons).
  • Gold armour: Retributor Armour base, Agrax Earthshade wash
  • Black armour: Chaos Black base, Mechanicus Standard Grey layer,
  • Pipes, straps & gun barrels: Ironbreaker base, Nuln Oil wash
  • Bullets: Runelord Brass + Xv88 base, Agrax Earthshade wash
  • Skin: Rakarth Flesh base, Reikland Flesh wash, Pallid Wych Flesh layer
  • Helmet: Khone Red base, Nuln Oil wash, Evil Sunz Scarlett layer
  • Everything got a very light drybrush with Terminatus Stone
  • And then Blood for the Blood God. Obviously.

Black Legion Khorne Bezerkers for Warhammer 40,000

Skulls on the bases, blood on the snow, eight little Khornites are ready to go!

2 comments:

  1. Looking great! I really do have a soft spot for those Models, even if they are looking kinda dated these days. I really like the solid chunky look for converting into Iron Warriors, and I've even used them to make Rubric Marines by filling in the gap between the horns and greenstuffing over it.

    As for the pointy teeth, that's one of the Legion secrets. The Butcher's Nails aren't just the things on their heads, they go all the way down, and and those are the points of the Nails! ;)

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    1. Thanks! That's an cool idea with the Rubrics. I've got a handful left from this kit (I couldn't have more than the Blood God's number in the squad) that I need to repurpose into something - just need to file off all the Khorne sigils.

      And yes, I imagine those Nails get into all sorts of awkward places...

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