Sons of Horus Legion Champion: Sevrak Vhal

[low sequoia]

TBD: affix the wolf pelt, remove the imperial fist icon from the cape/clean up mold slips, and finally paint the model.

Parts List:

Helmet: Printed Sons of Horus themed assault helmet
I felt it fit the tartaros theme well while also leaning into the brutal but regal part of the Sons of Horus aesthetic.

**Back Icon: **Taken from the “Legion Praetor with Power Sword”.
I wasn't a huge fan of how it looked on the plastic model it comes from as I felt it was too “loyalist” looking, but this model needed something fancy on top to mark his authority. I chose to cut off the front part of the skull and replace it with the Eye of Horus to strike fear into whoever is unfortunate enough to duel with this big lad.

Body: “Imperial Fists: Legion Tartaros Praetor”
I had the original model for the Fists tartaros praetor because I liked the pose much more than the updated version. The loyalist iconography was obviously overbearing, so it took some extensive shaving/sanding to remove it all. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out though.

Right Shoulder Pad: Printed Eye of Horus
The original shoulder pad includes the imperial fist legion numeral on top of imperial wings. The numerals of course had to go (replaced with yet another eye of horus), but I decided to leave the wings. I like the idea of traitors keeping great crusade icons in moderation. They earned it, so why wouldn't they choose to wear it as an insult/declaration to the loyalists?

Left Shoulder Pad: Wolf Pelt from “Sons of Horus - Legion Cataphractii Praetor”
The original left shoulder included the imperial fist logo along with some unification era thunderbolts. I could have left the thunderbolts but I decided to sand it smooth and replace it with a wolf pelt, and I love how much that addition brings him into the SoH aesthetic. It also helps cover the imperial fist numerals on the cape, which would have been too difficult to remove (at least for my skill level).
Note- at the time I'm writing this the pelt is only attached with some sticky tack. I need to work on creating a bond that covers some natural gaps.

Tilt Shield bits: “Legion Praetor with Power Axe”
The original shoulderpads had an unfortunate mold slip on the little icons that I didn't feel like fixing, so I had to find something to cover them up. I thought to use the tilt shields that come in the cataphractii kit, as those have a few ambidextrous (for lack of a better word) options that were perfect. After I put them on I remembered that I didn't use the little star icons that come with the axe praetor. These bits have the added benefit of hanging in such a way that compliments the momentum the model is evoking. I think they look perfect and help tie details of older Horus Heresy aesthetics with the more modern design choices from recent releases.

Left hand weapon: Cataphractii Sergeant Power Sword
I spent a lot of time looking for a brutal weapon a duelist would use, but ultimately I decided that a simple power sword fit the look I was going for. This particular sword from the cataphractii kit is nice because it's a little wider than normal and the crossguard is almost “spiky” looking, which to me fits the brutal but regal SoH aesthetic I mentioned before.

Right hand weapon: “Armoury of The Sons of Horus” Banestrike Combi bolter
How could I not use this bit? I love the design they came up with for the banestrike bolters, and this one is particularly nice. The dangling mirror coins are such a nice detail and it was a no-brainer to use this instead of the imperial fist shield that the base model comes with.