![](https://lillegendstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/Tactical-Squad-dor-Vet-Tac.jpg)
For Isstvan III, I am collecting a Loyalist Emperor’s Children army led by Saul Tarvitz. Saul has been my favorite character from the early Heresy. I have always been drawn to the tragic hero that is willing to sacrifice everything to do what is right. I started building a similar army back around 2014, but with mostly 40K models and a rattle can purple. This time I wanted to do something more in-depth, and it coincided with the release of the official model.
For 30K, I usually take a look at the army rules to get an idea of what kind of army I want to build. With a legion army, I usually build around a specific Rite of War I find interesting. Most of the legion-specific models are amazing, so I often try to work them into the army. If I don’t want to use the specific units, I still may use the models as I have for my Terminators in this particular army. I am more into building and painting models than I am playing, but I like the idea that I might have a competitive army.
![](https://lillegendstudio.com//wp-content/uploads/Tactical-Filled-Out-1024x1024.jpg)
My color scheme is a metallic purple. I am using Eidolon Purple over silver with a bit of Golden High Flow transparent purple with Scale 75 Inktense Violet in the shaded areas. This creates a much cooler purple to contrast with the warmer Eidolon. I am using the Maru Skara RoW to embody Saul Tarvitz’s besieged force conducting one of their many flawless counterattacks on Isstvan III. I see the army evolving slowly. I have had trouble staying focused on one project, so I keep deliberately (and not so deliberately) rotating projects to maintain my motivation.
![](https://lillegendstudio.com//wp-content/uploads/Assault-Squad-1024x1024.jpg)
The initial goal is 1500 points of a playable Centurion or Centurion-plus force.
Eventually, I would love to have a playable 2500-3000 point army. This army is one of my slowest to paint, but the models are amongst my favorite once they are complete.
In January, I painted a Tactical Squad (filled out from what was originally a stock Vet Tac Squad), a Rhino, a Contemptor, a Command Squad, and an HQ that started years ago as my second Tarvitz kitbash built around the Eidolon model. In this list, I will probably run it as a Champion, which is a compulsory choice for my RoW. I started a bunch of other stuff before I lost steam. In March, I finished a Terminator Squad (using Phoenix Terminator bodies) and an Assault Squad. This filled my standard Force Org and brought me to about 1250 points.
![](https://lillegendstudio.com//wp-content/uploads/Tactical-Squad-or-Vet-Tac-1024x1024.jpg)
Coming into the New Year, my budget was pretty out of control. I have since given myself a 50 Euro weekly limit, so we will see how that goes. I have several armies I am jumping around between, so something I have in mind for one project might end up getting sucked into another. If I am shopping for something, I will look for deals on eBay and bits sites and explore third-party options. I try to find the cheapest way to build something while balancing it in a way that will still look good. In the end, there are just some things I feel like I need to get from Forge World.
![](https://lillegendstudio.com//wp-content/uploads/Contemptor-1-1024x1024.jpg)
I retired from the U.S. Army last year, and my number one responsibility now is working on my Masters. That leaves me quite a bit of time to paint on most days. I set the goal at the beginning of the pandemic to really push my painting to the next level. I think I have done that.
I put quite a bit of time into developing a paint scheme. I usually look for something I like that I can copy and then adapt to my own needs. I have a paint log in a binder that I keep notes and reference pages. This allows me to return to projects later and maintain a uniform paint scheme. One of the cool modeling things I have done with this army is a squad of the new Skyseeker Jetbikes converted from the Custodian Guard bikes. I am not the first person to do this, but I did a similar conversion for my Dark Angels last year, and they look sharp. I just need to finish painting them…
I have not played any games. I live in Germany, so we have been under some of the tightest restrictions. I have found a group that I plan to fall in with once it becomes possible. To be honest, although I have been building Heresy armies since 2014ish, I have never played a game of Heresy. However, I have played 40K going back to 6th ed, so the gameplay isn’t completely foreign.
Next, I want to finish up my Tarvitz model and the Skyseeker Jetbikes. That should get me to right around 1500 points. After that? I don’t really know. I eventually want to do my version of Ancient Rylanor, but I need to fit that into my budget first.
![](https://lillegendstudio.com//wp-content/uploads/book-commision-copy-1024x254.jpg)