The epic battle between the Primarch of the Blood Angels and the Daemon General of Signus is one of the key conflicts in Echoes of Eternity, the latest book in the Siege of Terra series. When looking for someone to create an amazing diorama of this scene, who better to ask than expert daemonologist Colin Ward?
Sanguinius duelling Ka’bandha at the Eternity Gate is about as epic as it gets, one of the most iconic fights in the Horus Heresy. Of course, I felt some pressure early in the process after seeing Ben Komets’ brilliant Golden Demon winning duel on the same subject (thanks a lot, Ben!), and knowing the incomparable Aaron Dembski-Bowden was to deliver this very duel in the Echoes of Eternity novel.
Having kept up with the Siege of Terra, I had plenty of inspiration to draw from. The biggest challenge from a modelling standpoint is that I’m hopeless when it comes to sculpting – I had to use the models in the poses they are sculpted in. This was particularly challenging as both characters are posed looking down, at the battlefield below them.
My solution was to tilt Ka’bandha back on his hind leg, and have Sanguinius diving down, brandishing the Spear of Telesto. By far the trickiest part of the build was getting Sanguinius’ foot pinned to Ka’bandha’s gauntlet, and trying to retain a sense of motion and power in the interaction.
I didn’t modify Ka’bandha’s model at all. It’s a brilliant sculpt that was an absolute joy to paint. There’s so much character in the face and his great big clumps of muscle, broken up by metallic armour and chains. Truly a painter’s model.*
I wanted to keep the palette close to a traditional Bloodthirster colouration, with brass armour and wings the colour of burned flesh. And what self-respecting Champion of Khorne would dare take the field without copious amounts of bloody splatter over his weapons and armour? I used dark and heavy colours, to serve as a clear contrast to the bright and airy Sanguinius.
Though it’s one of my favourite Primarch sculpts, Sanguinius’ model required a little alteration to fit the scene. With the model in place, I realised his wings were spread so wide as to block his profile. You simply couldn’t see his torso or head from the front of the diorama, which wasn’t going to work!
I heated up his wings and gently bent them back into a more swept-back look. This opened up his profile, and I think also gave a sense of motion and speed to his descent. I love how his wings and armour shine so brightly against the backdrop of Ka’bandha’s wings.
For the base, I added some Ruinstorm Daemon Brutes in a very muted colour scheme, as well as some scattered Blood Angels casualties. I didn’t want these models to stand out or detract from the duel, as they’re essentially basing material, but I did want to use them to help set the overall scene. I wanted it to feel like the Blood Angels were desperately fighting over the shattered remnants of their empire – and that they were losing, with only the Great Angel intervening.
I hope I have done the scene justice, and I cannot wait to read about it in Echoes of Eternity. I just want to say thank you to the Warhammer Community team for this opportunity and to all the Black Library authors, editors, artists, and voice actors who have laboured for years to bring such an incredible saga to life for us.
Thanks, Colin! You can witness this epic battle yourselves in Echoes of Eternity – plus, find out who won when these legends clashed on the tabletop. If you’ve made your own diorama based on Warhammer lore, share it with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter using #WarhammerCommunity.
* Colin’s absolutely right – check out this gorgeous gallery of Ka’bandhas from community painters.