All hobbyists have that one type or class of kit that they tend to steer clear of or have little interest in. For me that is almost certainly tanks and other heavier fighting vehicles, and always has been. When I think of myself as a hobbyist, its very definitely as a miniature enthusiast, and this to me means infantry-style figures. Now I’m not overly zealous about this definition as I would also include warmachines and ‘monstrous’ miniatures in this category, but full-blown vehicles are usually where I draw the line, and I will only tackle them if I absolutely have to. This is part of the reason I chose the Dusk Raiders, as they are famed (certainly in their Deathguard iteration) for grinding infantry-combat.

That being said, I knew that I would probably need to include some vehicular-support for my Dusk Raiders, and Forgeworld had done some excellent work in remagining things like the original Rogue Trader Rhino and variants as the ‘Deimos’ pattern of vehicles, or the glorious homage to the original Land Raider plastic kit that is the ‘Proteus’ pattern Landraider.

I had already determined that I would be including the above as a command vehicle for Ullis Temeter and his cohort (not least because the original plastic kit had been the first Warhammer 40,000 I had ever owned), but given that constructing and painting vehicles is not my strong suit, I decided I needed another ‘one-off’ vehicle to essentially ‘practice’ on before working my way up to such a central and important vehicle. I toyed with the idea of grabbing a set of Deimos-pattern Rhinos, but the thought of having three vehicle kits sitting in the pile of shame was less than appealing.

Instead I settled upon another old favourite with a great pedigree, the Deimos-pattern Vindicator.

Whilst I’m not a vehicle fan, there’s something really appealing and endearing about Forgeworld’s take on the early Vindicator: I love the chunky, utilitarian profile, the nod to things like the WWII Sturmtiger with its 380mm rocket-propelled mortar, the two Dalek-esque vents, the smaller, more modest shield compared with the ‘modern’ Warhammer 40,000 vindicator: It’s just a really nice looking kit. I think the compact nature, with few large, open spaces, also appeals to my preferences as a miniature painter, although I definitely noted the blank spaces on the flanks, which would provide an excellent canvas for some interesting heraldry (and could be handled through liberal application of custom decals from Fallout Hobbies or more generic fare from Greenstuff World).

In terms of background, several different ideas began to coalesce when thinking about how this vehicle might fit into my Dusk Raiders force. This crystallised into three primary elements. Firstly, the background to various legions had established that a lot of Terran societies and elites contributed their sons to the Legiones Astartes as either tithes, tribute, or pacts of fealty. It reminded me of things like ‘War Bonds’ or the way in which, in some real-world conflicts, noble families, societies, workers organisations, towns, cities, etc., might also ‘sponsor’ the equipping of military units or the construction of military vehicles. It did not seem that far-fetched to imagine various Terran individuals, societies, and organisations doing the same. So I hit upon the idea of my Vindicator being an example of this, sponsored by Albian nobility.

Secondly, I realised I’d yet to work into my forces a nod to my own moniker ‘Marquis’ which I tend to do with all my armies. For those of you unfamiliar with the archaic, noble titles, a ‘Marquis’ is a guardian of the border marches of a principality, kingdom, or empire. So I arrived at the idea of the commander of this Vindicator being branded ‘The Marcher Baron’ as an unsubtle jibe about his mount being paid for by Albian nobility, rather than simply a standard part of the Martian compact to supply the Legions with war materiel.

Finally, it also struck me that a Vindicator, much like the historical Sturmtiger, is an infantry support weapon, primarily used for the brutal grind of close quarters combat in tight, urban settings. Forgeworld’s own description even says, “It is invaluable in urban warfare as it can blast and shunt its way through barricades and obstacles, enabling troops following behind free passage through streets that might have otherwise swiftly degenerated into kill zones.” – The type of thing that would be designated, Zone Mortalis in Imperial nomenclature, and was typically the purview of units like my Bloodshield Breachers. So I decided my Vindicator would have found itself the unintended mascot of Tullus’s mob of shield-thumpers, and thus needed a name that fit with their chess-based motif.

And so, I give you “Rook’s Revenge” the Bloodshield Breachers‘ favourite Vindicator, commanded by the so-called ‘Marcher Baron’ with iconography to match…