This Friday, Jaghatai Khan joins his illustrious brothers as the latest model in the Primarchs series arrives for pre-order. It’s a truly astounding model packed with intricate details, so to get the low-down on what it took to bring the Great Khan to life, we had some words with his sculptor Sam Egan.*
The process begins with an extensive period of research, delving into the Horus Heresy for every scrap of information on the character’s look and feel. “I start off by gathering as much information as possible”, Sam told us, “I listen to the audiobooks to get a sense of the character at that particular time in the setting,** and then I'm able to bring in elements that I think need to be part of the figure. I get all the artwork, whittle down pieces of all those images, and try to make a cool model from that.”
The White Scars’ very psyche is defined by a mix of aggression and restraint, and this was an important factor to consider when designing their Primarch’s model. Sam kept this at the core of his design process, saying “It's all about the layering of detail. The White Scars have plate, but they also have elements of fur, creating a textured, layered look. It's a feral thing, but it's also very ornate."
Designed as if drawing his sword before an unlucky opponent, Jaghatai Khan’s pose is “grounded and confident,” in the words of his sculptor. The calm, regal stance displays his consummate skill as a swordsman and allows the beautiful detail of his White Tiger Dao to really shine.
“There's extra pressure that comes with working on a Primarch,” Sam told us of the challenges he faced working on the Great Khan. “There are so many people out there who care deeply about how it looks, how it turns out. It's the leader of their Legion, after all. Releasing Angron all those years ago, we didn't know how people were going to take the Primarch models, and we had to get them right.”
Here’s one of the pieces of art that Sam used as inspiration for the model. If you’d like to have a print of this classic John Blanche work on your wall, you can pick one up from Warhammer Art.
Ride to war with your own Jaghatai Khan when he goes up for pre-order on Friday, and be sure to pick up a few Golden Keshig Jetbikes to accompany the Great Khan into battle.
* Sam’s work on the Primarch series covers a whole host of favourites like Sanguinius and Lion El’Johnson.
** Listen to the Primarch’s adventures yourself in the Black Library audiobook Jaghatai Khan: Warhawk of Chogris.