Quick Bit of Background
If you’re really interested in learning a little more about Praetors, I wrote a Plastic to Painted article a while back for the Praetor in Cataphractii Terminator armor that may be of some interest. In the article I covered a little background of Praetors in the Age of Darkness and how I went about painting the model in my Alpha Legion scheme. Good stuff all around, I’d say. However, this time around I’m focusing on the Cataphractii’s little brother: an Alpha Legion Praetor in power armor.
The Model
While no less fighty than his bigger brother, the Praetor in power armor is a little faster, a little cheaper for your points, but a little less tanky. The advantage is that by taking either version you still get access to all of your Rites of War, so no worries in that regard. I originally purchased both this guy and the Cataphractii version at the same time, but only got to painting today’s spotlight focus recently. Again I’m not a fan of the bling this guy has, but it does make him stand out a little in my relatively anonymous force. Which for gaming purposes I’m comfortable with. Plus it’s a nice little change of pace from assembly line painting the same relative dudes over and over.
When I freed him from his plastic cage I was very pleased at the quality. I’m a little skittish around resin, so to see no bubbles, malformed parts, or any issues in general made my Chaos undivided heart dance a little bit. Within a couple of hours I had him cleaned, primed, and ready to go on my paint bench. Unfortunately it took me a couple of days to get to properly painting him but it was worth the wait. After priming him black, I drybrushed Sotax Green on all of the main armor panels, painted the soft joints and hoses Corvus Black, and the metallic bits and armor edging Leadbelcher. For the half tabard and cape I did the same as my Cataphractii Terminator: based the cloth with Rakarth Flesh, washed with Seraphim Sepia, and drybrushed with Tyrant Skull first and then again with Ushabti Bone for a little blending. I did have to clean a few overzealous spots from the cloth work, but fortunately it was minimal. At that point I washed all of the black and metallic colors in Nuln Oil and waited for them to dry. After the model properly dried I applied a thin coat of Dawn Stone to the black areas and Evil Suns Scarlet for the eye lenses.
For the legion symbols on the chest and right knee, I applied a very thin layer of Ulthuan Grey. At this point I started building this guy up. One thing to note is that similar to the Cataphractii version, this Praetor has grooves in his back where the cape sits, forcing you to attach the cape BEFORE attaching the backpack. I learned my lesson after painting the Cataphractii version and didn’t make the same mistake twice. Now the scabbard/hands and holstered pistol I left separate. For the scabbard/hands, I did the Sotek Green approach above, followed by a base coat of Mephiston Red for the scabbard, Retributor Armor on the scabbard metallic bits and sword pommel and power supply, Leadbelcher on the gauntlet backs and sword, XV-88 for the leather straps, and Corvus Black on the palm joints. Afterwards I washed everything except for the Sotek Green portions in Nuln Oil and waited for them to dry. After drying I applied a little Dawn stone to the black bits, a slight highlight of Baneblade Brown on the straps, and attached the arms and scabbard to the model.
Now attaching the sword and arms can be a little tricky, but I found if the scabbard is attached first after a dry fit, the arms can be placed around it to fit everything together nicely. Last thing I did was paint the pistol holster Mournfang brown and the metallic bits Leadbelcher, wash it all in Nuln Oil, then highlight the holster a little in Skrag Brown. Finishing off the base, once it was dried from the wash, I drybrushed Longbeard Grey over the top and painted the ring Abaddon Black. I then attached the model and finished off the base with a few grass tufts from Army Painter.
Once again I loved how this guy turned out and I can’t wait to add him to a list. As of now I don’t have a particular unit I’d attach him to, except for maybe a larger unit of Despoilers I have painted or possibly a unit of Veterans in the future. Who knows what the future will hold but I can safely say that this model will be a part of it. Until next time: Hydra Dominatus.
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Ryan
A New England transplant that originated from parts westward, Ryan is a bit of a nerd that knows a little bit about a lot of things, all while claiming to know nothing about anything. Seemingly part Khajit a logistician by trade, he’s the kind of guy that can get you virtually anything if there’s coin to be had a problem to solve. Ryan began to learn the scrounging arts while serving time in parts east as a Loggie and has been perfecting them steadily over several decades. He has a problem with continually purchasing models, paints, and terrain that he doesn’t really need but his wife doesn’t seem to mind.
