A Princeps with a lot of heart and several very interesting
engines split among two Titan Legions, we have Josh G. from Switzerland in the
interview seat today. We'll pick his brain about his two Legio choices and find
out what inspired the unique looks of his engines.
TOC: You run both Legio Fureans and Legio Vulpa, both known to be
brutal Traitor Titan Legions but each with a different way of war. What
inspired you to pick two Titan Legions?
Josh G.: Well,
Shadow, first of all thank you for this opportunity. The reason behind those
choices is simple. My strategy for 40k and Horus Heresy games has always been
to get up close and personal with the opponent and break his lines. This
strategy may seem a little furious but it works for me. That was the main
reason behind the start of the Titans of the Legio
Fureans since they are known for their ferocity and unpredictability. The next decision I made was to make them
Chaos-corrupted since I‘m playing 40k games most of the time and therefore the
warp would have left its mark on them.
After the completion of Cyra‘jal, I always thought about
starting a second, uncorrupted Legion for the games of Horus Heresy. That was
around the time the Titandeath novel came out and some of the less well-known Titan
Legions got new lore. One of them was the Legio Vulpa with their rusty armour
panels. In the exact moment I read that I already liked them with their “rat-rod”
look. When I later read that they are known for their close-combat style I knew
they would be my second, uncorrupted Legion
TOC:
The lore definitely seems to have a place
in your heart. Do you have a favorite Titan story?
Josh G.: More
like a short story, but the history of the Emperor Titan Dies Irae of the Legio Mortis is one of my favorite. Ultimately
corrupted, nearly unstoppable, and even in death leaving nothing but molten
metal of loyal Titans behind.
TOC:
How has the lore inspired your Titans
beyond Legio choice?
Josh G.: Before
I started building my first Titan, it wasn’t even clear that I would take the
side of the Traitors. Although my main faction is a Chaos army, I also have a Loyalist
army and I was not averse to supporting them with a Titan. In fact the opposite
was prevalent since I was always thinking that a Chaos Titan has to wear the
colours of on one of the Chaos gods.
In contrast to that, I wanted
to bring in some personality so I built a Loyalist one. But one day when I was
painting some Iron Warriors, I thought “Traitorous Astartes still have their
original paint scheme if they serve Chaos undivided, so why shouldn‘t a Titan
keep his original colours as well and be unbound?!”
That’s how I chose to paint a Chaos-corrupted
Titan with his original colors and patterns covered by arrows and other icons
of Chaos.
TOC:
Which lead you to an unaligned fallen Legion,
but with close combat tendencies. Is it safe to say that Fureans' close-assault
nature is why your Reaver sports a very deadly left hand instead of the normal Reaver
power fist?
Josh G.: Oh
yes indeed. I mean, have you ever seen a tiger on the hunt run towards its prey
and then give it a left uppercut? Me neither. A tiger slams its claws deep in
its victim to get a good grip and won‘t let go.
TOC:
What has it been like fielding your Titans
in such a way? Close combat is very hard for a Battle Titan to get into, but
you certainly seem to revel in the close kill.
Josh G.: I
won‘t lie to you. Sometimes it feels pretty tough to get the Titans in range, but
once you’ve made it through their defense, the look your opponent gives you
when you stomp towards him pays off.
TOC:
What has that experience, and Titan
ownership in general, meant to you?
Josh G.: To
be able to field and, first of all, build them is something wonderful. These
models are astonishing in their level of detail. It’s a pleasure to paint every
little detail on them. And even if it‘s not visible once the Titan is
completed, it’s a satisfaction just to know that it’s there.
TOC:
Was it more fun to build them or paint
them?
Josh G.: Definitely
the painting. That's where I can really put some soul into my projects. Trying
new techniques, testing new effects. Or simply said, being creative.
TOC:
Speaking of techniques, your Vulpa engines
definitely have a unique look. What guided how you painted them and inspired
the particular appearance you gave them?
Josh G.: Since
the latin word vulpe means fox I
tried to use the same colors as can be found on the animal. That‘s also the
reason why I chose black instead of purple. The fun part was achieving the rust-red
colour.
I had to think hard about how to do this since rust is porous and doesn’t have
one particularly unique colour.
Eventually I found a rust
effect spray from Duplicolor which is intended to give that look to outdoor
plastic flower pots. I gave it a try on an Adeptus Titanicus Warhound to see if
it sticks to a model primed with Corax white and it does perfectly. I then used
it then on my 28mm scale Titans. The colour of the spray itself is solid brown,
so I drybrushed the armor panels with Ryza Rust, sometimes a little stronger
and sometimes a little more gently. That generated the random colouring of the
rust.
TOC:
It's very creative and you are really into
each part of being a Titan owner. What is it you hope to get out of it the
most?
Josh G.: The
experiences of the building and painting processes and then to be able to share
them with others, so everyone can learn from one another.
TOC:
And what do you hope most to add to it?
Josh G.: To give inspirations
and ideas to everyone who is going through the process of Titan ownership.
TOC:
What will inspire you next? Something like
a new Titan, Adeptus Titanicus, or some Titan Guard?
Josh G.: It‘s
always nice to see new Titans. The new Warbringer looks great and I can‘t wait
to see the first completed one on TOC.
TOC:
Was seeing Titans what got you inspired to
own your very own, or something else?
Josh G.: I
often looked through the entries on TOC long before I bought my first one. Seeing all those great engines made me want
to own one myself one day.
TOC:
Any advice for someone looking at getting
their first engine?
Josh G.: Be
patient with those models and never give up, especially if the first one is a Reaver.
Sometimes they can be really tricky.
TOC:
Is there a particular build that you found
easy or really enjoyed?
Josh G.: It
was a pleasure for me to convert my Warlord. The first step was to sand off the
Imperial aquillas without damaging too much of the Titan’s base material. Then I needed to replace the aquillas with green
stuff. It took me a while until I managed to add the Chaos stars to the surface
with the look that I wanted them to have.
I‘m satisfied with how they
turned out in the end.
TOC: And the traditional final question. Any shoutouts, bellowing
challenges, or words of encouragement?
Josh G.: To
everyone who has the privilege to start their own journey of Titan building: have tons of fun while doing so and enjoy
every second.
And to all of those Loyal engines who cross the border to Switzerland: Be prepared. I‘m coming for you. And once I‘m
there, your void-shields won‘t protect you!
TOC: Thank you for your time, Josh. It's been a pleasure.
Josh G: Thank you Shadow. The pleasure
was mine.
