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[Image]Veteran tactical marines for the XIX Legion Astartes. Figures from GW.

Some reinforcements for the Raven Guard! The marines of the XIX Legion Astartes received a new Contemptor Dreadnought earlier this summer, and that inspired me to whip together a veteran tactical squad to further bolster my Raven Guard forces. This 10-man squad is wearing Mark III power armour. Almost all of the components are plastic from GW, save for the comms pack (which comes from a FW command kit). The legion numeral decal is from the Forge World Raven Guard decal sheet, and the embossed shoulder symbols are from Pop Goes The Monkey. [Image]Selection of Veteran marines...sergreant with the comb, and a special weapon marine with a melta gun.

I am a Horus Heresy junky, and I just love painting Space Marines in Mark III armour in particular. I had not yet painted a veteran squad for the Raven Guard component of my 30k collection, and I was in a mood to paint some Mark III power armour...so I threw these guys together and got them under the brush.[Image]Vox trooper on the left, Sergeant on the right.

[Image]Rear view of the officer and vox trooper - showing the segmented armour, and the handy chain swords. Because in the grim darkness of the far future, you need to saw stuff.

Veteran tactical squads in 30k are, essentially, the representation of what would become the basic 10-marine tactical squad in the 40k setting. All of the familiar elements going back to the Rogue Trader era are present...a sergeant, a heavy weapon (heavy bolter), a special weapon (melta gun), and bolt guns for the rest (keen 30k nerds will note that I switched up bolt gun versions, giving these fellows the "newer" bolt guns from the Mark IV sets - just to add some variety). And of course, as veterans, they are also carrying the ubiquitous chain swords - the Space Marine field tool of choice.
[Image]Let's visit Isstvan! What could go wrong?

I just love the segmented and somewhat old-school look of the Mark III power armour - it is a great design, looking perfect in the context of a techno-dark age heavy infantry. I have painted clouds of these things, and could happily paint many, many more...[Image]Love the heavy bolter!

[Image]The Raven Guard were actually the ones who brought Isstvan III into original "compliance". Regrets?

My 30k Raven Guard collection is not huge, but it is getting bigger - it has all of the core elements one would require to put together a force for the table - but it still is lacking vehicles. So far, the only loyalist vehicles I have painted for 30k have gone to the VI Legion, the Vylka Fenryka. I do still have some vehicles, unpainted, stashed away...might be time to give some wheels/tracks to the XIX Legion. Maybe later this summer, unless other interests or projects divert me. Thanks for reading!