More Reavers: Heavy Metal Miniatures

A big part of the reason why I started this little Warhammer 40,000 project was because, well, sometimes you just want to paint some miniatures that looked like they stepped right off the cover of a heavy metal album. As I make more progress on my Night Lords warband (the Reavers of Deculon Prime) I’m discovering some of the insane new Chaos Space Marine miniatures that have come along in recent years.

Here, for example, is Syletz the Fractured, an ancient Chaos marine who can trace his battlefield achievements all the way back to the Siege of Terra some 10,000 years ago.

I mean, just look at that guy. SO METAL!

Granted, this sort of aesthetic isn’t for everyone, and I’ve got plenty of miniatures in my collection that are a lot more grounded in reality — but when you absolutely must paint a figure that could double as a frontman for G.W.A.R., accept no substitutes.

Here’s another guy who looks like he could either shoot you with his bolter or melt your face off with a sick guitar riff: Korrlash, Chosen of Curze.

And here are a few more rank-and-file Chaos marines. I actually filled out my first 10-man squad by completing these guys.

One thing I hope you’ll notice, both in these pics and in my recent battle report, is that my 40k setting isn’t jam-packed with the typical uber-Gothic cathedral terrain you see elsewhere in the current iteration of 40k. This was a key detail I noticed early on in Rogue Trader — my Chaos marines fight over frontier shantytowns, sand-scoured bunkers and mysterious industrial facilities. You won’t find any church fortresses, church ruins, church walls or church factories here.

I’m probably going to take a break from painting Chaos marines and work on some Necromunda figures for a friend. I’ll post pics as I work through them, though. More to come!