The iconic armament of the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, Volkite has become a symbol of the lost technologies of the Imperium’s golden age. Ranging in size and application from the Serpenta sidearm, all the way up to the formidable Carronade mounted on the Glaive super-heavy special weapons tank, the background cites Volkite weaponry as ubiquitous to the early legions, before being replaced by the mass-produced utility of bolt weapons.

Indeed the very first Horus Heresy miniatures I ever painted were a 5-man legion heavy support squad in Mk.II warplate armed with the earliest generation of Volkite Culverins produced by Forgeworld (the ones with the horrendous, individually wired connections awash with flash). At that time, I hadn’t heard about Popgoesthemonkey’s Dusk Raider pauldrons, so they sported Deathguard livery and no squad markings. I recently revisited them to add a crest to the sergeant, and squad markings from Deathguard decal sheet, but here they are in their original finish:

The term ‘Volkite’ is actually an obscure nod to the early days of Science Fiction film serials and 1936’s Undersea Kingdom produced by Republic Pictures as a competitor to Universal’s Flash Gordon. Starring Ray “Crash” Corrigan (as himself) in the lead role, it also featured the villain “Unga Khan” (played by renowned silent actor, Monte Blue) leader of the “Black Robes”, whose robot army was called… The Volkites …these mechanical monsters being armed with “Atomguns”, a form of rifle-sized raygun, hence how Forgeworld arrived not only at the name but also the function of the eponymous weapon (and the ‘Deflagrate’ effect in the Horus Heresy ruleset).

It is still possible to watch all twelve parts of Undersea Kingdom, courtesy of the Classic Films channel on YouTube. It is as gloriously melodramatic as you’d expect, and the Volkites themselves are horrendously clunky, but it retains that charm that only Science Fiction of a bygone era can provide.

Returning, however, to hobby matters, I knew from the outset that my ‘golden age’ Dusk Raiders would feature a significant number of Volkite weapons to show how the technology was still prevalent at the outset of the Great Crusade. Volkite Chargers would serve as the weapon of choice for my Legion command squad, the designated special weapons for my Legion Breachers, the main armament for any Cataphractii, and other classes of Volkite weapons as a key element of other future purchases (such as the Sabre Strike Tank). It seemed only natural, therefore, to include a Legion tactical support squad armed with Volkite Calivers.

This would also be one of my first opportunities to work with the Mark III Space Marine plastic kit available from Games Workshop proper and see how it gelled with Forgeworld’s resin components. In the latter case, this would not only be the Volkite Calivers themselves, but also the Mk.III Command Upgrade set, as I was determined to use the ‘proper’ longitudinally crested helmets for my sergeants. Additionally, I could continue to use up the targeting backpacks from my leftover missile launchers to represent the sergeant’s Augury Scanner (in much the same way as I had for my Legion Moritat).

The end result is a fine addition to my Dusk Raider forces:

Head over to my Instagram account to see more images of the completed squad.