By now you’ve probably seen the incredible Armouring of a Space Marine. If you haven’t – drop everything and watch it right away! It answers every question you’ve ever had about how a Space Marine prepares for battle.
Unsurprisingly, this labour of love caught the eye of the Warhammer TV team. These are the busy folks who make and paint the beautiful miniatures and custom terrain boards for Battle Report on Warhammer+.*
They’ve now created a diorama based on the Armouring of a Space Marine, packed full of the awe-inspiring details that make the animators’ work so breathtaking.
Warhammer 40,000 miniatures inspired the Armouring of a Space Marine, and in turn, it inspired a diorama using those same miniatures – it’s a pleasing circle of inspiration, not to mention a brilliant piece of modelling work by a very talented team. They even recreated some striking shots from the sequence through cunning miniature photography!
To give you an idea of just how much work went into creating this immense diorama, the team also shared some behind-the-scenes shots showing how they built it.
Quite a lot was custom-made – no-one’s bitz box has an Aquila that big, so the team made one by hand, adding plenty of rivets and details elsewhere with modelling putty.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Warhammer 40,000 diorama without more skulls than you could shake a power sword at, so the team went to work placing an unhealthy amount of cranial orbs all over the place. Unhealthy for whoever donated them, at any rate.
An armouring chamber needs armourers, too, in the form of servitors and servo-skulls. The team created a whole gaggle of grungy goons to tighten bolts, apply sacred oils, and fly about perfuming the place with blessed incense.
This diorama is both a stunning example of modelling creativity and a serious source of inspiration in itself. You could create something similar by using kits from the Warhammer 40,000 and Necromunda ranges (plus a heap of skulls) – why not put together an eye-catching centrepiece for an industrial battlefield or smog-shrouded killzone, or even take a shot at making your own diorama for your favourite Chapter’s armouring chamber.
If you’ve made it through this article and still haven’t witnessed the Armouring of a Space Marine, don’t forget to check it out! Let us know how it’s inspired you on the Warhammer Community Twitter page, and tell us your favourite details from the diorama.
* Check out their work in the latest Battle Report – Grey Knights versus Craftworld Saim-Hann!