Legio Astraman Reaver Titan “Tempestus Ferri” is the engine I’ve been eagerly looking forward to painting for the Morning Stars. It draws inspiration from a classic photograph of a Morning Stars maniple featured in the original Codex Titanicus from the late ’80s. The classic metal Reaver in the photograph was distinguished by its chequered carapace and pennant-style banner. I took both of these elements as inspiration to incorporate into my Reaver’s design, creating a split design for the carapace and multi-launcher, while also paying homage to the heraldic banners of old.

The choice of a green head for the Reaver rather than bone white is also a nod to the original version. It also gives me a nice contrast should I do another Reaver for the Morning Stars.

Overall, I was really happy how the “Tempestus Ferri” came out, combining nostalgic elements with my own take the design to fit with the other engines in the maniple. I can’t wait to get it into some games of Legions Imperialis or Titanicus and see how it fares.

Painting the carapace scheme

Both the carapace and banner are entirely handmade, using a combination of hand painting, airbrush stencils, weathering, and custom transfers for the scripture.

The carapace involved a painstakingly long process of cutting tiny stencils from narrow masking tape. I applied each one to the carapace, removing half to create the chequer pattern. Then, I airbrushed a combination of black and Games Workshop Daemonette Hide.

I am particularly pleased with the banners, as I believe I’ve devised a process that creates an effect I really like. Since I’m not much of a freehand painter, I combine loose painting of underlying textures and basic shapes onto medium weight artists paper. After staining and varnishing, I use custom decals. Then, I weather them into the paper and refine them using a mix of contrast paints and acrylics. This creates battlefield damage like atmospheric streaks, blast holes, and scorch marks. The whole process is relaxing and mostly organic, to be honest. I begin with a vague idea of the desired style and let it evolve from there.

Not quite as planned

I believe in learning from my mistakes and sharing them because it’s more valuable to you than portraying that everything always goes entirely to plan.

Originally, I intended the Reaver’s pose to have the gatling on the right, pointing forward, while the chainfist was swept slightly backward, giving the impression of a standing/firing stance with rotation and tracking at the waist. However, when I built the chainfist as a sub-assembly, I realized to my frustration that the armor was positioned for a right-handed configuration. This placement offers better protection for the vulnerable internal components, shielding them from enemy fire. Shifting the arm to the left side simply wouldn’t look right, but since painting was mostly complete, I didn’t want to build another arm at this stage. Besides, it would have been a waste of the arm I already had.

I discovered this discrepancy after committing time and effort to the build, but I believe that admitting and sharing such moments of imperfection can be valuable for others in similar situations. It reminds us that mistakes happen to everyone, and that’s okay. Finding creative solutions and making the best of the situation is all part of the learning process.

Solution

Unfortunately, the only solution was to tear off the gatling upper arm mount and reverse it, enabling me to swap the weapons around. Fortunately, this adjustment worked without causing any visible damage to the gatling, but it resulted in a pose that is less readable than I had envisioned. It’s acceptable, but not quite what I had in mind. This experience has taught me the importance of being more careful during the planning stage and thoroughly dry-fitting components to catch potential mistakes.

Family photo

When I began the Nemesis Warbringer, it was simply because I liked the palette scheme in the Heresy books. I had no intention to turn it into a maniple or anything like that. But after adding the Dire Wolf, I was hooked, and the Reaver seemed like a natural choice to follow.

Now, the question arises: Will I do more?

I believe I probably will. At the very least, I want to complete a legitimate ‘Precept Battleline’ maniple, which would require a Warlord and a Warhound to fill the mandatory slots. I think I can manage this for the Morning Stars, especially considering their striking livery. I put a lot of effort into replicating the same look and feel as the artwork has, both from the old and the new.

In conclusion, I’ve discovered a real passion for building the Morning Stars, and I look forward to exploring further possibilities in the future. The beauty of Adeptus Titanicus is that the possibilities are endless, and each addition to the maniple feels like an accomplishment. I’m looking forward to adding some more.