I’m TheGamer’s residentDark Mechanicus Guy. Most people here don’t care about my silly littleWarp-tainted toys, but there are a couple I know enjoy seeingmy conversions. But you, dear reader, have revelled in my hobby blogs as I try to craft the most monstrous creations. There’s a reason I was known as Sid (as in, from Toy Story) at my previous FLGS.
I’ve long believed thatGames Workshophas beenteasing the Dark Mechanicus for Warhammer 40K, thanks to the prominence of Vashtorr the Arkifane in the ongoing lore. If Workshop is going there, however, it’s taking its sweet time.
However, this weekend Games Workshop finally revealed someDark Mechanicum models. The Serperos ‘Overlord’ Heavy Stalkers were, for me, the most exciting miniatures shown off for Warhammer Day. Yes, I saw the excellent Kill Team box and Ratlings cooking a Christmas roast dinner. The only problem is, the Dark Mechanicum reveal wasn’t for Warhammer 40K, but for Legions Imperialis.
In lore, the Mechanicum are the precursors to what would become the Adeptus Mechanicus, during the days of the Horus Heresy.
Now, I enjoy Legions Imperialis. It surprised me. I never really cared about the Epic-scaled models until I built theDreadnought army of my dreams, but suddenly I understood why this tiny tabletop game has so many supporters. I built my teensy army, I painted it quickly, and the cost was minimal.
But I wanted Dark Mechanicus in 40K. I want to add official models to my existing 28mm scaled force. And this is where I’m conflicted.
Is this the impetus to start a Dark Mechanicum force for Legions Imperialis? Do I try to do my conversion work on a miniscule scale? I think of myself as a decent sculptor, especially with Green Stuff (I need more practice with other putties), but can I craft a dozen tiny eyes on such small miniatures? I doubt it, but there’s only one way to find out.
However, I’ve got further issues. How do official Dark Mechanicum models affect my army? Do I want to convert them further to make them more unique? Or do I want to use them as-is in order to field a functional force? And what effect would official rules have on my army? Would I need to dip back into old conversions to change wargear or make units represent new miniatures and their rules?
I appreciate you reading about my personal hobby crisis, but I’m sure a lot of you’re able to relate. When you build your armies to be as unique as possible, when you enjoy the process of glueing plastic pieces together more than the painting or battling sides of the hobby, it can be easy to fall into traps with new releases. Games Workshop wants you to buy as much as possible, so it constantly tweaks rules, units, and entire armies to prise your cash out of your wallet. It’s up to you to budget appropriately.
But as for the new Dark Mechanicum models, I’ve reached my conclusion. I need to convert my own, using them as inspiration. They’re too small for my 40K force, but surely I could craft something similar? The Serperos looks a little like a proto-Venomcrawler, so that kit might be a good place to start. The Obliterators that are boxed in with it would make perfect Kastelan Robots, as if I don’t have enough of them already. And the Serperos-Venomcrawler? Maybe it could work as a Dunecrawler in my force?
The Rise of the Dark Mechanicum book will also be ripe for prying inspiration from. Thus far I’ve mostly used Graham McNeill’s Forges of Mars trilogy and my own imagination to bring life to my beloved monstrosities, but more ammunition for the old grey matter cannon is always welcome.
To be perfectly honest, the new book might be more exciting for most Dark Mechanicus fans than the tiny miniatures that will accompany it. We get scant details about the Dark Mech from Games Workshop, and we end up extrapolating crumbs into messed-up sandwiches of our own ideation. Now we’ve got a whole tome full of lore, full of ideas, full of anecdotes about rogue Tech-Priests and Chaos-worshipping Magi.
Miniatures may be scaled for different games, but books? Books cross galaxies, cross imaginariums, and cross tabletop game systems. I can’t wait to crack it open and lap up the foul, delicious Chaos soup within.
