Jarl Redblade and transport

Jarl Redblade and his transport are the hammer of my Rout for prosecuting the Emperor’s justice.

Originally, when forming my list, I included the Varagyr terminators as an obvious choice for a Jarl’s honor guard. However, as I had chosen Hvarl the Red Blade as my primary character for the event, it felt odd to have him armored in Tartaros pattern armor while his guard wore the heavier Cataphractii plate. It was purely an aesthetic consideration.

The Tartaros plastic kit didn’t have the same visual impact as Forgeworld’s Varagyr sculpts, but with a few extra adornments and modifications, I was really pleased with the outcome. The most notable difference was the helmets, which were sourced from the plastic Dwarf Ironbreakers set. I can’t take credit for this idea; it was based on a fantastic conversion I came across online by another collector. I thought it stood out remarkably, so I incorporated it into my unit. Rest assured, the Varagyr will have their time to shine in the future.

The Tartaros do however have the advantage of being able to keep up with their feisty Jarl as he presses forward from their dedicated assault transport.

Legion Spartan: The ‘longboat’

The Spartan is a highly iconic transport in the Horus Heresy. It can be seen as an elongated, heavily armored version of the Land Raider, equipped with armor-shredding quad las-cannons and heavy bolters. With its capacity to carry a full twenty-strong unit of legionaries, or ten in terminator armor, the Spartan is a formidable addition to any force.

In the list I chose, I had significant restrictions on the number of heavy support units I could include. However, one advantage was that the Spartan served as a ‘dedicated transport’ choice for Hvarl’s terminator bodyguard, thus not occupying a separate slot in the force organization chart.

There’s no denying that the Spartan is a substantial block of Forgeworld resin. Although the current iteration of the design has improved, with the tracks already molded into the side assemblies, assembling this kit can still pose challenges. This is particularly true when dealing with the rear resin gates on the track assemblies and fitting the front assault ramp.

Persevere however and you will have a tank worthy of the warmaster (or Emperor) from which to spearhead the great crusade (or heresy). Your legion, your rules. There is the infamous longboat list which features no fewer than three Spartans at the heart of the Rout, but I’m not sure I’m quite up to that just yet. Until next time.

Fenrys hyolda!

Addendum: Since this post an all-new fully plastic kit has been released alongside Warhammer: The Horus Heresy, replacing the old Forgeworld resin Spartan. This make me so happy, you have no idea. I may even turn my Rout into that full ‘longboat list’ in the future after all. We shall see.