Interrogator-Chaplain Sarpedon

This fine example of classic GW sculpting is my first fully finished HQ model for my Dark Angels army.  He was completed earlier this year, but since this blog didn't exist then I thought he would make some good post Thanksgiving content.  What says appreciating your blessings more than a chaplain of the God-Emperor's faith covered in skulls?  There is a great Voxcast episode where Jes Goodwin explains that  all the skulls ever-present in the art of the grimdark is because when the face of your god is a skull, then the skull becomes a holy icon (paraphrased poorly).

Is there a unit of measurement in the 41st millennium that tracks skulls per square meter?

This miniature was purchased way back in 1998 or 99 when 3rd edition 40K was released and my interest in the game was rekindled.  I had been working on an Ork army in high school (it was the height of Waaagh, Da Orks popularity in 2nd edition) but 3rd edition saw me return my first love of the 40K, Space Marines.  This is also the time that I settled on the Dark Angels as my army that I'm still playing to this day.

Crozius Arcanum and Crux Terminatus, how much fake latin can GW cram into one left arm?

At the time, terminators were only in metal (pewter by the late 90s) and came in blister card packs of two, or just one in the case of this guy because he was a special character.  I had mentioned in my last Dreadtober post that I have only recently been completely finishing models.  This carries over into my character models, even more so, because in my head I told my self that I wouldn't paint my character models until my skills at painting improved.  However that led to me playing many games with grey HQ units for many years and being intimidated at the idea of painting the character models.  At the beginning of 2019 I decided to remedy this long drought of HQ models and started on several character miniatures that will eventually turn up in this blog. 

I think the Deathwing feathers are the best painted part of the model

The arm on this side is kitbashed from the current plastic Deathwing terminators.  The original stormbolter arms for the terminators were a mono posed right angle arm with weapon in firing position.  Besides not looking very dynamic they were also uniform almost regardless of what chapters terminators they were attached to.  Adding the larger current Deathwing arm gave a more action oriented pose to the model.  Plus with the chapter icon directly on the stormbolter and the option of different chapter specific shoulder pauldrons reinforced that kitbashing in the new arm helped bring some customization to a classic sculpt.

Body parts of the 41st millenium are less distinct when in pieces

Since the original terminators were slightly smaller than the current plastic versions, I've been mounting the few old school terminator models I own first on a 25mm slotta base that came with the model, and then gluing that on top of a 50 mm base.  As you can see on this model, I then even out the difference in height with green stuff and GW texture paints.  I also added some body part bits from a Eldar, Tau, and Necron, but painted them all the same color to look like a strange dismembered alien.  No doubt shorn asunder by the Emperor's wrath made manifest by the concussive blow of the Crozius Arcanum!  Typing sentences like that is why my love of 40K has endured for thirty years.