The Raven Guard are known for their surreptitious approach. They tricked everyone by letting the Alpha Legion outfit themselves with Mark VI armour upgrades in a prior Heresy Thursday, but the XIX Legion is finally stepping out of the shadows with upgrades to the armour mark they claim as their own.
The sleek lines of ‘Corvus’ armour were named for the Raven Guard’s Primarch, so it’s no wonder that the sons of Corax look so good in their new duds. It’s the signature Raven Guard look, and Andy from the Horus Heresy team explains the idea behind the design.
Andy: “A lot of people thought that the Raven Guard weren’t getting any new heads, because MKVI is already the Legion-appropriate mark. I wanted them to be more than just plain MKVI, so in the brief I asked the designers to draw inspiration from the classic 'Imperial Space Marine' head – both the original helmet from the first ever metal marine and the limited edition plastic 30th anniversary version we did a few years ago.”
“That makes the Raven Guard heads the prototype, consistent with stories about them trialling this armour pattern, and it being named ‘Corvus’ in their honour.”
Three styles of helmet reinforce their corvid credentials with subtle accentuations and extra sensors, while the bare head sports a slicked-back ‘do, and there’s a special helmet with a transverse crest made of – what else – raven feathers. The decadence!
When you’ve got a name like Corvus Corax, there’s no way you’re not putting a bird on everything you can get your hands on. The Legion’s shoulder pad upgrade pack features a sculpted Raven emblem, delivering you from the extra steps of freehand or transfers.
Every Legion has now had their upgrade kits unveiled, which means Heresy Thursday now enters uncharted territory. Check back next week for a nasty surprise!