[This post was originally posted to Otherverse Games & Hobbies as part of a series called Plastic to Painted, or P2P. You may see logos or references to this site and series]
The Previous Chapter Master of the Ultramarines and Blue-clad Badass
In honor of March for Macragge, I thought it fitting to look at wonderful model that also plays well on the table: Marneus Calgar. Former Chapter Master of the Ultramarines, he could have been overshadowed by the return of Roboute Guilliman in the 41st millennium. Few could really hold it against Calgar if he showed a little human-style emotions when Guilliman stole the chapter back from him, wrenching control from an Ultramarine that realistically was second in glory only to the Avenging Son himself. No jealously, little in the way of frustration. He took it like the super-powered post-human he is.
If anything Marneus is enjoying his relinquishing of the control of Ultramar to his Gene Father. Now, he gets to wade into the thick of combat more than ever and bust some Xenos and heretic skulls.
The Comic Series
A few years back Marvel Comics took on the Warhammer. There was what I saw as an equal amount of excitement and worry as Marvel took on a well love, long running, dark as hell and violent as fuck series like Warhammer 40k. I was a bit concerned; will it be dumbed down? Simplified? Will it get the MCU treatment and get homogenized?…
Nope. Calgar has long conversations with a super-awkward Tech Priest from the Mechanicus before literally punching the skulls straight the fuck out of some heretic cultists skulls. Then we get a glimpse of his unknown past. Marvel gives us a tale that came out of nowhere, by introducing the fact that the boy that became Marneus was not actually born with that name. He was born Tacitan, a friend of the true Marneus. The two of them were attacked by Khorne worshiping dickbags and Marneus Calgar was killed. Tacitan took up his name, survived the training and became on bad mother-fucker of a space marine. The rest is Games Workshop flavored history.
The comic series finally comes back around and Calgar single-handedly defeats a Lord of Skulls. Yeah. A. LORD. OF. Fuckin. SKULLS. With his (power)fists no less. Take that heretic machine. The series didn’t let me down and I was glad that I had a Calgar painted up.
On the Table
On the Wargame table, Marneus Calgar is a powerful Space Marine Character. He’s brutal and tough, even for a space marine. While he has changed over the past few editions but the heart of this model stays the same: he can command those around him to more impressive acts of bravery and warfare, singling out a specific unit for even more attention.
Few figures in the 40k universe can afford to go toe-to-toe with him for long, using his iconic pair of power fists to break through any defense. When something manages to hit him, his armor is near in-viable: an high powered anti-tank weapon only has a 50% chance to get through his armor, and if it does, he halves the damage taken, because he is too stubborn to die.
If he isn’t physically mean and indomitably defended on his own, he is oft accompanied by a pair of Victrix Honour Guard; Literally the best of the best Ultramarines. These super-elite warriors have helms that hearken back to the Invictarus Suzerains of the heresy era, which I totally approve of. They enter combat swinging master-crafted powers swords and shields that can stop a lascannon. All to defend their charge.
The Model
Oh, yeah, we should at least talk briefly about the model, right? The guardian pose comes with Marneus in the new boxset (this is literally the 4th version of Calgar in the 40k range, going all the way back to Rogue Trader era). The Victrix Guard can protect any Ultramarines character (with 9 or less wounds) from danger, so, even if you don’t want the ex-chapter master model, the two guardians are worth it.
Marneus Calgar comes in a pose that was not condusive to the enjoyment of everyone, but, I guess you can’t please every entitled fan that thinks they can do better, and we won’t go into that here. I for one like it, although I could do without the unnecessary tactical rock/piece of rubble. What I did appreciate about the base was the severed Tyranid Gaunt head. Take that you gribbly lil’ fuck! I painted mine as Hive Fleet Behemoth. That is the fleet that almost destroyed Macragge and a lot of the Ultramar sector, and that is also the Hive Fleet I painted my Tyranid army up as.
I know it’s hard to fathom, but, I painted him in Macragge Blue. Weird, right? Yup, pretty standard. The model has a lot of sharp details to edge highlight, making it fairly easy to get a decent result. There is also enough ornamentation to make him entertaining to paint and engaging to look at. The flowing cape and backpack (along with the ammo feeds) were painted separately and painstakingly glued onto the arms and back afterwards. This allowed the model to come together quickly.
I used a similar sub-assembly for the victrix guard, leaving their cloak, head shield arms attached together, if memory serves me. Honestly, I am not sure that is exactly how I did it. I remember it made painting easier and assembling it after a pain in the butt, but it all worked out.
Marneus and the Victrix Honour Guard were fun to paint and a blast to throw across a game mat at a buddy and watch them try to deal with him. Key word being “try”. I giggle, they gnash their teeth, it’s a thing and I am ok with it.
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Tyson
Obsessive and neurotic collector of little plastic men, novels about the same little plastic men and paints to make the little plastic men pretty. Married to Kera, who puts up with him and pretends that she doesn’t hear him speaking to the little plastic men in between making pew pew noises in the hobby room. Requires adult supervision. A menace to himself but rarely to others. More beard than man
