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So, it happened again. As I knew it would, and yet this time I was hopeful. I still find myself struggling when painting the black power armor on my Astartes, despite liking the results I have gotten on other parts of the test minis. With the power armor being such a major part of the model though, of course, getting that black down is a bit important! When I found frustration mounting a bit, I decided to take a step back and reset, and with my Pop Goes the Monkey order arriving, I was provided with a perfect opportunity to do just that. I had ordered a Redemptor Dreadnought upgrade pack, a pack for upgrading an Intercessor squad, and some random Templar crosses and iconography for use on vehicles, etc. So the focus for this Part 2 article is the Redemptor.

A few Astartes at various stages of test painting

Being a huge fan of Dreadnoughts in general, I was really excited when the Redemptor was released. I think it’s an awesome looking vehicle, even though I also like the classic blocky dreadnoughts. So, why not have both. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Black Templar dreadnought without being covered in chapter symbols and the like, so that’s where the aforementioned order comes in. The kit from Pop comes with shoulder plates, chestguards, a sarcophagus upgrade and the torso armor upgrade, providing a pretty unique look to the vehicle when compared to the normal GW kit.

3D printed bits have come a long way

I decided to go with the Heavy Onslaught cannon, heavy flamer, Icarus rocket pod, and frag assault launchers for my loadout. While it can lay down some punishment from afar, this is still a Black Templars vehicle, and I want it to get into the thick of it with all of its battle brothers, purging heretics left and right.

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May add some additional iconography and crusade seals and ribbons, but mostly good to go!

Now that I’ve cleansed my pallet a bit with this build, my next goal for Part 3 is to get back to my paint scheme and get the first squad of Firstborn marines done. Hopefully taking a break from staring at black will be a nice reset to get back into the swing of things. Hope you’re all having fun this holiday season, and I’ll talk to you all again in 2021!