A Tale of TOC Princeps - Week 1

An Introduction

Hello Princeps and Fabricators, this is a new series of posts during these strange times where the UK COVID 'lockdown' has meant that some Princeps and Fabricators have more hobby time on their hands than they had planned for, so, an ideal time to attempt those larger hobby projects we may have been putting off due to lack of dedicated time or hobby fear of the unknown and trepidation. So, in these strange times we aim to share some Titan goodness, large and small.

Here in the UK I have reached out to a few of the participants and TOC Admin Staff who attended the last UK Walk and have Titan projects they are commencing. We still maintain contact via encrypted Titan Walk Comms Channels (WhatsApp) encouraging each other with out various Titan offerings. Each week I will aim to get an update where they we are with their latest projects and share some words and photos for all TOC readers to see here - spread that Titan goodness. Maybe it might actually get me to speed up my current record of Titan building from years to months!

From the Forges this Week

Princeps Simon W. is fabricating Legio Mortis Reaver Battle Titan 409 "Angelus Infernum". This was a rescue titan, previous owners had fully stripped it and built one leg and some of the torso. Just a few pistons to finish and Simon hopes to prime and begin metallics in the forthcoming week.

TOC's Princeps Majoris Halfpenny is fabricating Reaver Class Battle Titan 2522 of Legio Crucius. The Reaver has been cleaned, scrubbed (that's what hotel baths are for right?) and then prepared for building. Lower legs and pelvis has been pinned, as have the shoulders to the torso, and the reactor to the body. The next steps are to drill out the torso/pelvis to add magnets for ease of transport, and then to prepare the head for LED lights like all his other Titans.

Princeps John H. is fabricating the Reaver Battle Titan once known as "Emperors Bane", once proud Engine of the Legio Mortis. The Princeps fell further than the others down the path of Khorne. Now the hunter of skulls roams the Galaxy doing all it can to please it’s wrathful God.

TOC's Princeps Majoris Siph is busy fabricating and preparing Mars Reaver Class Battle Titan 2576 for the Rites of Construction deep within Lucius Forge World. Siph has been busy removing the resin gates and clean up before deciding on a name. Reaver 2576 will Walk for Legio Astorum alongside its twin Reaver Honorum.

Princeps Rob C. is back after a 4 month break from the hobby due to work. I return to the building of Warlord Class Titan 812, 'Winged Annihilation'. Most of the metallic work is done and base colours are down on the armour panels. I can’t remember what I have and have not done, should’ve taken notes.

Deep within the forges of Ascraeus Mons, TOC's Princeps Seniores Martin S. is forging the Legio Tempestus Warlord Class Battle Titan “Fulgar Dei” (Lightning God). Fulgar Dei will bear normally bear the load out of two Warlord Macro Gatling Blasters and Apocalypse Missile Launchers (until the carapace Gatling Blasters are released (hint hint FW). One Gatling is built, as is the head which is undergoing the Rite of Colour. For the main parts of the Titan, the leg assembly is nearly complete and only the pistons and armour mounts are left to attach before painting. The next step will be magnetising the legs and building the torso. My aim is for Fulgar Dei to walk with my Demi Legio at our rescheduled Titan Owners Club UK Walk soon.

Princeps Phil T. has wanted to do a freshly corrupted titan Legio and his first thought was Legio Mortis, being a Nurgle player in WFB and W40K but on reflection and reading the fluff Mortis didn't really have Daemon Engines during the Horus Heresy and I would like to join the banner of the Warmaster on up and coming TOC UK Walks. Although Metalica is where my heart is and the majority of my Engines are painted this way, but what's not not love about the Chaos Engines? So my second thought was to go to Legio Vulpa but they're red the same as my Metalica Engines. So I decided to call TOC's Drake Seta to discuss some options for Legio's what could have corrupted Engines by the end of the Heresy and after a shortlist of 3 I ended up picking Legio Krytos (God Breakers) although green is a colour I paint a lot of (Dark Angels, Orks, Orcs and Nurgle) I've never painted that shade of green. So my scheme will be standard Krytos colouring but with the Chaos horns and spikes pushing out through the armour. A bold choice and a difficult one to pull off... It's going to be an interesting ride and I hope I do my Engines justice, if not there's always BioStrip20!

Princeps Tony H. is fabricating his Legio Metalica, half done, but he has been a little off colour the last couple of days so we wish him well and will hopefully see progress next week.


So, that's what our TOC Fabricator Adepts have been up to this week, we will report back how our Forges are doing next week and in the meantime if you have and can, get that Titan you've been putting off out of the to-do pile and have a go too.

Wishing you all good health and a noosphere free of scrapcode.

Cheers, Princeps Majoris Siph, UK/EUR Admin

Warlord Titan No.231 - #REDACTED#, Legio Mortis / Invigilata

Certificate Number: 000231
Titan Name: #REDACTED#
Pattern: Mars Pattern Warlord Titan
Head Unit: Primary Mars-Beta head, Secondary Mars-Alpha head, and Tertiary Lucius-Alpha head
Primary Armament: Primary: Sunfury Plasma Annihilator, Macro Gatling Blaster, with Twin Laser Blaster for carapace mounts. Options for twin Apocalypse Missile Launcher carapace. Duel Belicosa Volcano Cannons, Arioch Power Claw with Vulcan Mega Bolter
Princeps: Krixus
Titan Legio: Legio Mortis or Legio Invigilata (generic scheme to field as both)
Battle Maniple Composition: Warlord (231), Warbringer Nemesis (122), Reaver (1782), Chaos Reaver (2304), Chaos Warhound (5709) and Warhound (5621)

Owner: Michael M.
Location: Michigan, USA

Comments: I am painting my Maniple as Legio's Invigilata/Mortis which have the same primary paint schemes so I can run with my loyalist Imperial Guard (Astra Militarum) and Imperial Knights or my Death Guard traitor forces. The Chaos variant Titans have personal background fluff to be written to account for their appearances). Although the Maniple still has to go through the Rites of Colour, it has been fun to Walk among friends on the battlefields of the 41st Millennium.

Photos:

A fearsome load out, the same as my own Dominus Victoria (WLT104) so I approve! A Black, Red, Gold and White scheme shared by Legio Mortis and Legio Invigilata is a great way to ensure Princeps Michael gets to field his Titans regardless of which of his armies he s playing. And all the head options to best suit the armament choices.

Another fine Engine registered in the hallowed Great Halls of Titan Owners Club! Once Princeps Michael has completed the Rites of Colour, the Titans will be named!

Cheers, Princeps Majoris Siph, TOC Admin.

Adeptus Titanicus - Shadow and Iron - Appendices and Final Thoughts

We finally get to the end of the Shadow and Iron review since your TOC staff has been insanely busy and the ongoing events in the world have certainly stalled how much we can do.  We close the book out with a review of the appendices and our thoughts of the supplement on the whole.

Appendices:

Lock, stock, and barrel here.  New battlefield traits certainly add a flair to your games.  In particular the underground battles with giant worms are fraught with pitch black lines of sight and the chance for you to be knocked over by massive creatures that can tunnel into you.  

Of course there are new stratagems for you to make use of.  A third of them are unique to the Traitors while another third are unique to the Loyalists.  The general stratagems are all powerful and can definitely add new tricks to your toolbox.  Of all of the supplements, these stratagems are probably the best that have been added.

Despite the stratagems being such a major benefit to this supplement it's the new weapons that really steal the show in this appendix.  New rules are given for the Natrix Shock Lance, the Ursus Claws, and the dreaded Sinistramanus Tenebrae.  All rules for using these weapons, including points values and their special rules have been included.  We'll review these weapons in more detail at a later time as we continue to review AT tactica.

Final Thoughts:

New missions, new worlds, new maniples, SIX new Titan Legions, the Psi-Titan, URSUS CLAWS!!!!  This supplement is absolutely packed from cover to cover.  There is so much good content in Shadow and Iron that it's hard to deny that this is probably the best Adeptus Titanicus supplement released so far.  It was also nice to get a major chunk of lore this time around and for the studio to pull the curtain back on a conflict that few people knew about since the Shadow Crusade received so much more focus.  A great book and certainly a useful supplement for the game.  Now, FIRE ZE URSUS CLAWS!

Warlord Titan No.578 - Aquila Victrix, Legio Astorum

Certificate Number: 000578
Titan Name: Aquila Victrix

Pattern: Mars Pattern Warlord Titan

Head Unit: Mars-Alpha and Mars-Beta

Primary Armament:  Left Arm-Belicosa Volcano Cannon/Macro Gatling Blaster; Right Arm-Sunfury Plasma Annihilator; Carapace-Laser Blasters/Apocalypse Missile Launchers  

Princeps: Constantine Martinnus Vedastus

Titan Legio: Legio Astorum

Owner: Christian H.
Location: Bavaria, Germany

Comments: Still working on the backstory, it will include Tallarn and something with my Imperial Fists. At the moment I am working on the cockpits and crew, still waiting on three deliveries before I can start in earnest.

Photos: 

Some battle damage in transit, an Adept didn't secure the travel cradle grapnels...

One Void Projector was wrenched off its housing, nothing that the Techpriest's cannot fix.

The Rites of Colour and Construction are underway for Aquila Victrix

Same arm armaments and head unit as my very own Legio Astorum Engine, Dominus Victoria (WLT104), We approve!

Another mighty Warlord Engine joins the hallowed ranks here at TOC.

Cheers, Princeps Majoris Siph, UK/EUR Admin

Warlord Titan No.895 - Polaris, Legio Septentrio

Certificate Number: 00895
Titan Name: Polaris
Pattern: Mars-Alpha Warlord
Head Unit: Mars-Alpha
Primary Armament: Belicosa Volcano Cannon, Sunfury Plasma Annihilator, Carapace: Laser Blasters
Princeps: #CLASSIFIED#
Titan Legio: Legio Septentrio
Battle Maniple Composition: Warlord Titan (895)

Owner: Elizabeth N.
Location: Ontario, Canada

Comments: The first engine of Legio Septentrio. Belicosa Volcano Cannon is the primary weapon armament while waiting for Mori Quake Cannon in 28mm scale.

Photos:

WORK IN PROGRESS PHOTOS:

Always a fun place to start on a Titan: the head.

Trimming the gates.

Puts the scale of the Titan into perspective.  Congrats on the new venture.

Warlord Titan No.846 - Imperius Executor, Ordo Sinister

Certificate Number: 846
Titan Name: Imperius Executor
Pattern: Mars Pattern
Head Unit: Mars Alpha (Awaiting Ordo Sinister Head if they do one..)
Primary Armament: Arioch Power claw (left arm only), Sunfury Plasma Annihilator, Macro Gatling Blaster (awaiting Quake Cannon and Sinistramanus Tenebrae) Laser Blasters (awaiting Vulcan Mega- Bolters)
Princeps: Gerraint Lomark
Titan Legio: Ordo Sinister
Battle Maniple Composition: none.

Owner: Gordon C.
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Comments: First purchase in a GW ever was the 6 pack warlord battle titan box for epic and I've been hooked ever since. Loving the 40K Warlord, hopefully, Forgeworld will bring out full-fat sized versions of the Sinistramanus Tenebrae, Quake Cannon, and Vulcan Mega Bolters so I can finally have the weapons I want.

"There are monsters, and then there are the monsters we make to fight them. Both are the same. The difference is simply a choice of how we see ourselves."
—The Emperor of Mankind, at the Massacre of Angorite, late Unification-era

Forgeworld of origin Arachnus, as part of The Oblation.

Immediately transferred to Titan to supplement the fledging inquisition.

Imperius was unable to take part in the Seige of Terra with the other titans delivered at the same time, this remains a source of great shame to the Machine Spirit.

All Princeps for Imperius Executor takes Gerraint Lomark as their name at the completion of the ritual of binding. In reference to the first.

Imperius Executor Lander last seen in orbit around Sortiarius, Planet of Sorcerers.

Photos:

COMPLETED PHOTO:

A lovely Sinister engine with a good loadout while Gordon waits on the FW upgrades.

Update Reaver Titan No.2570 - Mors est Domina, 26-3-20

Princeps Alex has made great progress on his Reaver, Mors est Domina:

UPDATE PHOTOS:

The bone and black of the Legio Pallidus Mor takes its place.

Taking shape very nicely.

Stunning internals!