With Jaghatai Khan of the White Scars available for pre-order tomorrow, every single known Primarch will shortly be available to purchase from Forge World!
To celebrate this momentous occasion, we sat down with the Forge World team to discuss the Primarchs project. Designer Sam Egan was kind enough to talk us through each of the models in turn, and he had oodles of insights into the design process behind this amazing series of miniatures, which started a decade ago with the Red Angel himself.
Angron, Primarch of the World Eaters
Sam: “Angron was one of the most difficult as he was the first. We had no idea how he would be received, as we were dealing with one of the most iconic figures in the Imperium’s history. We needed to set the scale in relation to the rest of the miniature range, plus we had to get across the brutality of Angron and the sense that he was unstoppable. John Blanche's iconic artwork was the starting point, mixed with gladiatorial details.”
Fulgrim, Primarch of the Emperor’s Children
Sam: “Fulgrim was designed to be released as part of a diorama – one half of a duel playing out between him and Ferrus Manus on Isstvan V, at that pivotal point in the Heresy. We depict him with the Blade of the Laer. Fulgrim was released first, while I worked on finishing Ferrus. With the Fulgrim sculpt it was very much about the flamboyance of the Emperor's Children, the perfection of swordsmanship and the elegance of movement against the brute strength of Ferrus.”
Ferrus Manus, Primarch of the Iron Hands
Sam: “Ferrus was a really interesting model to sculpt as there was very little artwork depicting him to start with. We used X Legion design icons such as cogs and the armoured gauntlet, and put loads of tech into the armour plates. The Medusan Carapace was probably the main challenge as we had to incorporate all the different arms and weapons into the backpack, all without impacting the pose of the figure.”
Lorgar, Primarch of the Word Bearers
Sam: “I didn’t sculpt this one, but it’s a great miniature. The pose is quite simple, but the weight of the posture is just right, making it look really brooding. It conveys a real sense of dark menace, perfect for Lorgar.”
Horus, The Warmaster, Primarch of the Sons of Horus
Sam: “As the most iconic figure of the Horus Heresy, Horus needed to have a really strong pose – one that would show the majesty of the Warmaster. He is stood upon the head of an Imperial Eagle with his mace Worldbreaker, guiding the Imperium forward. Based on both John Blanche and Neil Roberts artwork, his armour – the Serpent's Scales – is adorned with Luna Wolves and Sons of Horus iconography, and can be painted in the colours of either legion.”
Mortarion, Primarch of the Death Guard
Sam: “Another that I didn’t sculpt. His design was based on John Blanche's artwork, a depiction of Mortarion as the 31st Millennium’s reaper of men. He is posed wielding his massive scythe – Silence – on a bulkhead within a ship. There are lots of great details including a really interesting Death Guard backpack variant.”
Vulkan, Primarch of the Salamanders
Sam: “As with Ferrus Manus, very little design work had been done for Vulkan. That meant we were able to create a model with lots of details taken from Forge World Salamanders artwork. The result is a huge, imposing model based on beautifully crafted Mk III armour detailed with XVIII Legion iconography. The skull of the great firedrake, Kasare, is mounted upon his shoulder plate.”
Konrad Curze, Primarch of the Night Lords
Sam: “This was another Primarch we had the chance to design ourselves. Konrad’s background let us design a darker figure, where every surface was designed to inflict pain, from the blades incorporated into his leg, elbow, and kneeplates, to the lightning claws Mercy and Forgiveness. Based on Mk IV armour, the Nightmare Mantle is adorned with depictions from tarot cards, and flayed skins and skulls taken from the Night Haunter’s victims.”
Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines
Sam: “Guilliman was a pleasure to sculpt, as he’s very much the quintessential Space Marine. It was important to me to keep the silhouette very clean, which can be difficult when figures are armed with giant power fists. That's why we went with a pose where he's drawn the Gladius Incandor with his right hand, and the Hand of Dominion is holding the scabbard by his side, retaining the overall Space Marine form. His Armour of Reason is very ornate, with lots of intricate detailing – a mix of Ultramarines iconography and details influenced by Roman sculpture.”
Perturabo, Primarch of the Iron Warriors
Sam: “Perturabo wasn’t one of mine, but he’s impressively huge and bulky, wearing Terminator armour which includes many integrated weapons systems. He wields his dead brother Ferrus' hammer Forgebreaker, and stands atop a ruined Cerastus Knight.”
Corvus Corax, Primarch of the Raven Guard
Sam: “Corax was a challenge to sculpt, mainly due to the Panoply of the Raven Lord, which includes two archeotech pistols, an energised whip, and artificer lightning claws. It was difficult to come up with a believable pose that integrated all of these elements, and worked with the Korvidine Pinions. His Sable Armour is based on Mk IV armour with details taken from Raven Guard artwork in the Forge World Horus Heresy books.”
Leman Russ, Primarch of the Space Wolves
Sam: “As with Fulgrim and Ferrus Manus, Magnus and Leman Russ were designed as two parts of the same scene, but this time with a scenic base that both models fitted into, depicting their battle on Prospero. The Space Wolves had a great amount of background aesthetic that we could use when developing a figure like Russ. He was an absolute joy to sculpt. His Armour of Elavagar is segmented, ornate Mk IV plate, and is adorned with runic details and Space Wolves iconography.”
Magnus the Red, Primarch of the Thousand Sons
Sam: “Magnus was another great model to sculpt – lots of past artwork existed and the Thousand Sons have such a wealth of background material. We added lots of esoteric and Egyptian symbols into the mix as well. For the pose, we needed to show Magnus’ use of sorcery, so I decided to use a mixture of rock and arcane flame circling up from the base to swirl around him to use as a counter to Russ' charge. This was one of the most difficult Primarch models to sculpt, as there were so many elements that needed to work together.”
Rogal Dorn, Primarch of the Imperial Fists
Sam: “Dorn is in a very stoic, 'none shall pass' pose, which conveys the idea of him being the last line of defence for Terra. He stands defiant against the enemies of the Imperium, with his hands on the pommel of his chainblade, Storm's Teeth. The bulk of the design was taken from John Blanche and Neil Roberts' artwork, and his Auric Armour is based on Mk IV plate adorned with Imperial eagles and Imperial Fists iconography.”
Alpharius, Primarch of the Alpha Legion
Sam: “Another Primarch that I didn’t sculpt personally. Alpharius is posed about to deliver the killing blow to the back of a wounded Space Wolf with his Pale Spear. The scene aptly displays the method of attack utilised by the Alpha Legion – no one knows who, when, or where they will strike. His finely detailed armour, The Pythian Scales, is covered with hydra scaling and XX Legion motifs, and is topped with an ornate helm, keeping the identity of the wearer a mystery.”
Sanguinius, Primarch of the Blood Angels
Sam: “Sanguinius is the Primarch that's most similar to the original John Blanche design. We wanted a strong flying pose so we could make the most of his angelic wings, while adding to the dynamism of the figure. He needed to have interchangeable weapons that worked with the pose, and all the elements had to flow together to emphasise the movement and power of the model. The inspiration for the pose came from classical depictions of the archangel Michael fighting the Devil.”
Lion El’Jonson
Sam: “We wanted to show Lion El'Jonson’s fighting abilities, as well as the animosity between the Dark Angels and the Night Lords, so we went with a dynamic pose where he is swinging his sword down on the sons of Curze. We also made the figure so he can be equipped with either of his swords, Wolfblade or the Lion Sword, and he comes with the option to go bareheaded, or to wear the legendary Lion Helm. We designed the Leonine Panoply utilising elements of real-world knights' crusade armour overlaid with Dark Angels iconography and lion motifs.”
Jaghatai Khan, Primarch of the White Scars
Sam has described the Jaghatai Khan miniature as “grounded and confident” – a perfect mix of aggression and restraint – as well as providing loads more info on how this staggering miniature was designed. So much indeed, that we gave the Khan his own article – a must-read for fans of the White Scars and miniature design.
And that brings us to the end of our Primarchs design extravaganza. It’s been a long and thrilling journey since Angron was released back in 2012 and, with the Khan available for pre-order tomorrow, all 18 brothers will be ready to take to the battlefields of the Horus Heresy. It’s time to choose a side, pick a legion – and a Primarch! – and fight it out, brother against brother, for the fate of the galaxy.
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