Black Magic

 There's no such thing as too much of a good thing...

Black Rubricae!

For all their fiddly filigree, I really do enjoy painting Rubric Marines, but there's no reason why the Thousand Sons should get all the fun.

Black Rubricae are a big part of the Black Legion's narrative (certainly according to the excellent novels form Aaron Dembski-Bowden) and I have an ongoing ambition to include a squad of every cult-specific chaos marine in my army (currently I only have Khorne Berserkers).

These guys actually jumped the queue over my Plague Marines (possibly because painting rubric armour is a muscle-memory for me by now), and they've been immediately pressed into service into the Thousand Sons (see the last two battle reports for details).

Which, I admit, wasn't exactly their intended purpose. But Rubrics have suddenly become a very competitive choice, and I wanted as many dusty boots on the ground as possible.

But, in a way, this was their intended purpose. I often run several Cults within one Thousand Sons army, so having units of rubricae that are visibly different will really help to distinguish one from the other.

It also ties into my narrative that The Court of Miracles have machinations in every one of my chaos warbands, and so would naturally have sorcerers placed among their ranks.

To give the Aspiring Sorcerer some variety (because I've painted a few now), I gave this one the head of the Dark Apostle, and fireball from the Master of Possession.

I also added in this Black Legion Sorcerer, as the emissary from their Thousand Sons allies. But it also allows me to divide the larger squad (of nine, naturally) into two squads of five.

Having already painted many Rubrics and Black Legionnaires, the colour scheme was a familiar one, but still a nice change:

• Gold armour: Retributor Armour base, Agrax Earthshade wash, Golden Griffon drybrush
• Black armour: Chaos Black base, Mechanicus Standard Grey layer
• Straps & gun barrels: Ironbreaker base, Nuln Oil wash
• 'King Tut' headdress: Black (as armour) + Yellow (Averland Sunset base, Cassendora Yellow wash, Yriel Yellow layer)
• Loincloths: Khorne Red base, Nuln Oil wash, Mephiston Red layer
• Bolter: Skavenblight Dinge base, Nuln Oil wash, Dawnstone drybrush
• Eyes: Ulthuan Grey base, Flesh Tearer's Red contrast
• Gems: Stormhost Silver base, Waystone Green glaze
• Icon of flame: Ulthuan Grey base, Hexwraith Flame wash, Coelia Greenshade layer
• Sorcerer's cloak: Celestra Grey base, Ulthuan Grey layer

I wanted the Icon of Flame (which are suddenly useful!) to be a standard, rather than a backpack accessory (my Black Legion squads carry a lot of standards), so I attached it to a Tzaangor Enlightened spear.

And while I was in the mood to paint sorcerers, I did this one too: an Aspiring Sorcerer from the original metal set (a lovely post-Hobbypocalypse gift from Brapscallion - he takes care of his workforce). 

I had to stand him on a rock to get up to the others height, and he'll have to graduate to a full sorcerer if he wants to use that force sword, but he's a cracking addition, and has already started to make a name for himself.

And while we're picking up waifs and strays, I completed this model for my Three Apostles battle and then forgot to post him (the poor bugger's been waiting for paint since 2018!)

He's the old Chosen Champion from the 7th Edition Dark Vengeance set, but with a mace like that and that determined expression, I had to slap a book in his hand.

And there we have it: a nice slab of heresy to keep us warm in these winter months!