As I'm about 1-year in to my journey to make an old school Crimson Fists army, I felt it was a good time to reflect on my progress, as well as look forward to the next units and additions.
I think I'm showing my age and maturity as I was able to form the core of this army with 1 HQ w/ command squad, and 3 Troops choices w/ 2 dedicated transports. Impressive restraint! In my early days of 40k, I would have started a new army with nothing but terminator squads, dreadnoughts and land raiders!
This command squad makes me smile. Bright yellow flamer. White armored apothecary. Crimson stripes down the center of their helmets. A heroic captain covered in robes and medals. Iconic stuff.
I still have a company standard barrier to finish to complete the squad. But I'm struggling a bit with the immense flag and how to paint it. Or only use transfers? Or both?
I want to give a special shout-out to my bro, Phil, for all his help bringing this dream army to life. He has helped me flock my bases with charming bright green grass, just like the early days of 1st and 2nd edition. And he has lent his impressive Warhammer transfers skills to bring my vision of adding big clunky line/troops up-arrows to my tactical marine shoulder pads. Now THAT is good stuff - tactical marines just like in the old codexes, rules books, and other early drawings.
As for the unit flags, those are also a call back to the early days of 40k, when it seemed every unit on the battlefield had a colorful flag flying high above. The look reminds me of armies from the medieval or renaissance areas, when a general needed to see where his units were on the battlefield by their unit colors, as well as the imperative to look flashy while riding into combat!
I don't quite have the mountain of Crimson Fists firing in all directions in a desperate last stand against hoards of orks, as in the iconic imagery and stories, but I'm getting closer.
Year-2
I have the following units already purchased, assembled, undercoated and even painted Kantor Blue!
- Dreadnought with Assault Cannon and Power Fist
- Whirlwind Tank
- Land Raider
- 10-Man Tactical Squad w/ Missile Launcher and Plasma Gun
- 8-Man Tactical Squad w/ Missile Launcher and Plasma Gun
- 5-Man Tactical Squad with Missile Launcher
- 1o-Man Assault Squad w/ Jump Packs and 2 Flamers
Now, can I paint all that in a year? Ummm... history would point emphatically toward "no". But I hope I can make a massive dent in that list. I would think the assault squad and dreadnought would be the immediate priority, as those units would give this army a little more oomph on the tabletop. I don't think the army as it currently stands would pose much difficulty for Phil's Orks or Bill's Tyrannids. Bolters just don't put out enough firepower to lay low hoards of angry xenos armed with sharp stabby things.
The only models that I still need to purchase for this army to be complete are a terminator squad and Padro Kantor. Terminators because, well, they're just the coolest looking damn models in the entire Space Marine range. Even if they're overpriced for their usefulness at 40 pts/each, they are the epitome of the rule of cool. Never forget that's the real reason for playing this game. Now the hard decision will be, do I go traditional, or assault termies?
As for Padro Kantor, I think I'll need to start with the Padro model still available on BLM, and then build it up with more recent MKVI armor so the size is right compared to the rest of the army. But that old model has the iconic Kantor flag pole and fist-mounted storm bolter, so it's got to be part of the conversion. I probably need to get started on this project soon, as Padro will be needed for our Rynn's World campaign this year.
Final Word
Hopefully for those who recall an earlier area of Warhammer 40k - namely Phil and Bill - this army has been fun to watch come to life. I've been having a blast and feel truly inspired after a long offroad into Horus Heresy for what felt like a decade. It's satisfying to come back to my roots and circle back to an army I always wanted to give a go. I was a damn kid, probably not even 10 years old when I saw those early images of Crimson Fists beakies fighting and dying in a scary post-apocalyptic battlefield. What that does to one's imagination...
So on we venture into the next year and the next project!
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